Mr. Edwin F. Field, of Lewiston, Me., has invented a substantial _steam wagon_ for common roads. There is no reason why such wagons should not come into use. When first proposed in England they were put down by jealousy and opposition, but I have always contended that the steam engine should have superseded the horse fifty years ago. FRUIT PRESERVING.--About Christmas time in 1885 people in San Francisco were astonished to see fresh peaches, pears, and grapes, with all their natural bloom, and looking plump and juicy, on exhibition in the windows of confectionery stores on Kearny and Sutter streets. These fruits attracted great attention, and remained on exhibition several weeks, showing the preservative agent employed, whatever it might be, was singularly powerful in resisting the natural decay. When tasted or smelled of, the fruit showed no peculiarity that could lead to a discovery of the secret of the mysterious process. It appears now that the invention is at last to be made a practical success on a large scale. The Allegretti Green Fruit Treatment and Storage System Company, with the main storehouse at West Berkeley, announce that they are now ready to store and treat all kinds of green articles, by the week or month, and for shipment East. I. Allegretti, the inventor of this system, stated that he had been experimenting with various processes for preserving green fruit for twenty-six years, and had succeeded in discovering this system, whose success has been demonstrated to the fruit-growers of this State. The building in use at present is a frame structure, capable of storing some fifty tons of fruit. The inner lining of the walls is galvanized iron. There is no machinery used, and the only thing visible is a large tank, supposed to contain the chemical preparation. The arrangements are so made as to give an even temperature of 35 degrees.--_Oakland Enquirer._ NAPOLEON'S MANUSCRIPT.--"A manuscript by Napoleon I. has been sold in Paris for five thousand five hundred francs. It was written by Napoleon at Ajaccio in 1790, and the language and orthography are said to be those of an uneducated person. In this manuscript he speaks with enthusiasm of Robespierre."