damage, and in many places has helped to break the levees.

[Illustration: _The Mississippi flood. A Typical scene._]

In several of the river towns all business has been forbidden, and all the
men ordered to go to the levees and help to shore them up.

The slightest extra ripple of the waters at New Orleans brings them over
the banks and floods the streets, but the banks are still safe.

* * * * *

England has just presented a very valuable manuscript to us, that has long
been kept in the Bishop of London's palace at Fulham.

This book is called the log of the _Mayflower_, and is an account of the
first voyage of the Pilgrim Fathers, and a history of the Plymouth
Plantation.

Several previous attempts have been made to get this manuscript from
England, but it has remained for Ambassador Bayard to secure the gift for
us.

The manuscript is supposed to have been written by Gov. William Bradford,
and if this is true, it can hardly be the log of the _Mayflower_, because
the log is usually kept by the captain.

Every ship that sails the sea keeps a log, or log-book, in which is
entered the progress the ship is making, and any facts of interest as they
occur. It is in reality the ship's diary, but it is called a log-book,