And then there wuz the first cannon ever brought to America, and the first church-bell ever rung in America, and picters of every place that Columbus ever had anything to do with, and a hull set of photographs of hisen. Good creeter! it is a shame and a disgrace that there is so many on 'em, and all lookin' so different--as different as Josiah and Queen Elizabeth. And then there wuz everything relatin' to conquest--conquest of Mexico and etc., and everything about the food and occupations of men--all sorts of food, savage and civilized, and all sorts of occupations, from makin' molasses to gatherin' tea. And there wuz the most perfect collection of coins and medals ever made--7500 coins and 2300 medals. There wuz some kinder stern-lookin' guards a-watchin' over these, but they had no need to be afraid; I wouldn't have meddled with one of 'em no more'n I'd've torn out the Book of Job out of the family Bible. [Illustration: Stern-lookin' guards a-watchin' over the coins.] There wuz everything under the sun that could be seen in South America, from a mule to a orchid. And in the centre of the buildin' wuz a section of the great Sequois tree from California. The tree is twenty-five feet in diameter, and has been hollowed out, and a stairway built up inside of it. Stairs inside of a tree! Good land! But what is the use, I have only waded out a few steps. The deep lake lays before us. I hain't gin much idee of all there is to see in that buildin', and I hain't in any on 'em. You have got to swim out for yourself, and then you may have some idee of the vastness on't. But you can't describe 'em, I don't believe--nobody can't. In front of that buildin' we see one of the two largest guns ever made in the world. It wuz made in Essen, Germany. It weighs two hundred and seventy thousand pounds, and is forty-seven feet long. It will hit anything sixteen miles off, and with perfect accuracy and effect at a distance of twelve miles. Good land! further than from Zoar to Shackville. It costs one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars to discharge it once. As Josiah looked at it, sez he-- "Oh, how I do wish I had sech a gun! How I could rake off the crows with it in plantin' time! Why," sez he, "by shootin' it off once or twice I could clear the hull country of 'em from Jonesville to Loontown." "Yes," sez I; "and have you got a thousand dollars to pay for every batch of crows you kill, besides damages--heavy damages--for killin' human bein's, and horses, and cows, and sech?" And he gin in that it wouldn't be feasible to own one. And I sez, "I wouldn't have one on the premises if Mr. Krupp should give me one." So we wended onwards. Wall, about the most interestin' and surprisin' hours I enjoyed at Columbuses doin's wuz to the stately house set apart for that great wizard of the 19th century--Electricity.