CLIPPINGS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8584, 11 September 1893, Page 4

CLIPPINGS.

"Physically speaking," sajs the Paris ; correspondent oi tho lJaily Telegraph, the Abbe Wathelet, who acted as chaplain of the Dahomeyan expedition, was "a typical missionary priest." Iα other respects, «y» an exchange, we should say, he left some* thing to be desired, seeing that, according to the same authority, it was his conitant habit to make "one condition before giving a soldier a cigar—that he should go out a&d bring back the head of a Dahomeyan." - An interesting return has been made to the House of Common* showing the payments made in toe year endiag March 31st, 1893, to or on account of members of the Royal Family oat of moneys voted by Parliament. I.—From Army Votes—The Prince of Wales, Colonel of Hussars, £1350 ; the Duke of Cambridge, Commander-in-Chief and Colonel of Grenadier Guards, £663114s 2d ; the Duke of Connaughfc, General conunosding the Southern Division, £2822 2s 3d ; Prise* Francis of Teck, Lieutenant of Ist Dragooa Guards, £201 13a 9d; Prince AdoJphus of Teck, Second Lieutenant 17th. Lancers, £184 15* lOd. IL—From Navy Votes— The Duke of Edinburgh, Commander-in-Chief at Devonport, full pay and allowances, £3130 lie; the Duke oi York, Captain 8.N., full and half-pay allowances, £23113s Od. HL—From Civil Vote*—The Prince of Wales (maintenance of Marlborough House), £200015s 6d. Herr Dorpfeld. the Director of the German Archaeological Institute at Athens, has recently returned from Issarlik, the socket Troy, where he has continued the excavations at the expense of Madame ScaUemass* who contributes 10,000 francs. He believe* that he has discovered the actual Troy of Homer, not, however, in the second stratum, as he was at first of opinion, but in the sixth. He has unearthed » large Bomber of object* ascribable to the Mycenian era, as well as several buildings and a portion of the walls of the city, which is twice as large as the traces found in the secoed stratum. The great city walls are nearly «tx feet thick, and those of the Acropolis are composed of huge square sttSee, regularly cut, measuring about 16ft in thickness. The researches will be continued up to next April at the expense of the German Government. That beautiful plant, the Primula ofeariciy ~ has often been charged with the ability to poison those who buidle it, and the chirp* has been as often rebutted by those acce*tomed to gather the blooms and work them up into wreaths. Mr £- Bardett Pootey, ITrCP. Ed., and L.R.C.&L, writise t* the Lancet, gives particulars of a case wftici seems to point to the idiosyncrasy of the patient as the probable cause of the difference ef opinion—in fact, Mr Pooley says: "Tfee plant is known' amongst gardeners to affecS certain individuals; but this patient appears to have been rendered susceptible to it by j the attack of erysipelas." The paitea* i» I question {a market gardener) sade tto ! blooms up into wreaths, aud it waa found that Oα each occasion of six attacks ©f erysipelas or inflammation of the akia, he baa been wcrkiDg witi the flowers of P. t&eomea. A ladies* paper tells a pretty story aboafc the Duchess of York, " lire Hervey t» wife of the rector of Sandringham, » ©a* of the intimate friends of tne Pnnce ra Wales' family. It was in her bouse t£» poor Duke of Clarence rested on Vt» memorable day he was taken HL Mf* ■ Hervey, who h*s been in very fafl »»»& , for some time, was enable to be P* 6 *®'*: the wedding iv London, but as the Dos* aaa Duchess of York drove past the pretty ban* t drinnham rectory they iad their carmge ctupped, and made personal inquiries after ""* the sick lady indoors, while the Ducheae handed out one of her own beautiful bouoee» to be given to the invalid."

At tv rrcent orchid sale in London a number of plttuts or Kulophiella ftlizabethae from Madagascar were sold t\l two to thirteen guineas each, lv.appears th.it the Eulouhiella EluAbethio is a parasite growing only in a ve Fy limited region, and on trees of slow growth. To secure the plant, which flourishes on the Vopa of the tallest of these trees, M. Ramelin, the collector, was obliged to have the trees cut down, and carefully gather all the plants htmtelf. Although he had well-armed men with him, he wo* compelled to constantly guard against surprises by the warriors of the neigbouriug /tribe*. In addition, tho party were compelled to keep a watchful eye upon the wild animals haunting the primeval forests of jyfojegascar. The most terrible of all is the " protocrytoferox," whose favourite haunts are amoujj the masses of foliugo where the Enlophiella grows. Thie small, but exceedingly dangerous animal is described as crouching in the forks of trees, hidden among tho rich tropical foliage and climbjg n plants, and there watching for its prey. "It is exceedingly agile, and the ;moment its victim approaches, it slides silently down, and in ouo hound is on tho top of it __a picture of horrible ferocity.'"

AS the Berlin Anthropological Society, Mr Mereusky has given some curious particular* about the Kondeh people in the German district of Lake Nyassa. Their country is bordered on the north by the Livingstone Mountains, and on the South by the Lake, and this favourable geographical position lias enabled the people to develop in a peculiar manner, and attain a relatively high state of civilisation. " Their affections are largely developed. Friendship is especially valued among them, and love between the sexes strong aud firm, as well as the domestic affections. Suicide caused by grief for the loss of a wife, a child, or «\en a favoui ite animal, is not unfrequent. The favourite form of suicide is to enter tho water and allow oneself to be devoured by a crocodile. In war time, all unuecesg*ry cruelty is avoided, and women and ohildren who have been made prisoners are let free again. The position of woman among the Kondehe is unusually high. Women are on a perfect equality with men in the eyes of the law, and offences against women are even more severely punished •han offences against men."