FURTHER particulars of the floods in Mexico show them to have been of a most serious character. It is stated that, in the town of Silao, where the river overflowed its banks on the 18th of June, 1,500 persons perished. At Leon, over 2,200 houses were destroyed. In some districts it is declared that bodies were floating about on the waters as thickly as driftwood. DREAD OF COMETS.--A story is related showing the dread with which comets were regarded in the early part of the last century. A renowned astronomer predicted that a comet would appear on Wednesday, October 14th, 1712, and that the world would be destroyed by fire on the Friday following. The astronomer was correct, so far as the comet was concerned. A number of persons got into the boats and barges on the Thames, thinking the water the safest place. A captain of a Dutch ship threw all his powder into the river, that his ship might not be endangered. A number of clergymen, it is said, were ferried over to Lambeth, to request that proper prayers might be prepared, there being none suitable in the Church service. Sir Gilbert Heathcote, at that time head director of the Bank, issued orders to all the fire offices in London, requiring them to keep a good look-out, and to have a particular eye on the Bank of England. A MILLIONAIRE INVENTOR.--We have more than once pointed out how simple inventions (observes a writer in _Invention_) often realize large sums for the fortunate inventor. Here is another illustration. The discovery of the perforated substance used for bottoming chairs and for other purposes has made its inventor a millionaire. George Yeaton, the inventor in question, was a poor Yankee cane-seater in Vermont. He first distinguished himself by inventing a machine for weaving cane, but he made no money out of it, as some one stole his idea, and had the process patented. After a number of years experimenting, Yeaton at last hit upon this invention, which consists of a number of thin layers of boards of different degrees of hardness glued together to give pliability. Yeaton went through a number of bitterly contested law-suits before he got his invention patented. He was wise in not paying others to manufacture his device. He formed a company, and to-day he has a plant valued at half a million dollars, and is in the receipt of a princely annual revenue derived from this invention.