NEWS FROM ALL SOURCES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2089, 24 January 1896, Page 4

NEWS FROM ALL SOURCES.

Greenland wkales frequently attain a length of more than 75 feet and aweight of more than 70 tons. Of all the classes of porcelain now collected, old Chinese and Japanese en- » Joy the greatest popularity. A law in Basle, Switzerland, prohibits the occupancy of a house until four weeks after it has been completed. This is to prevent disease from damp walls. Amongst the results of recent chemical researches it is declared that the milk cf cows fed on brewing grains is, to a certain extent, intoxicating. There should be a run on that kind of milk. Accident to the Prince of Wales reported by cable. His Royal Highness was out shooting, when a spark from a gun caused an injury to one of his eyes. No serious consequences resulted. The newest market novelty in America is the tomato sausage. It is a delicate pinkish white, and tastes of sage and ripe tomatoes. It has quite a hit in Portland and surrounding towns. William Cadman is a person with seven wives and twenty-three children, and, so far as we know, Will'am is not a Mormon. He has been sentenced by an English Court to seven years' hard labor. Details now to hand concerning the fight at Ambalagi show that the Italians had a terrific struggle against big odds for a period of seven hours. Their canister shot ploughed lanes through the masses of Abyssinians. Asbestos towels, writes a London paper, are among the curiosities of the day. When dirty it is only necessary to throw them into a red hot fire and, after a few minutes, draw them out fresh and clean. Pity the poor washerwoman. A statistician says that he has observed that musicians have, as a rule, excellent heads of hair. In the prime of life the musician's hair flourishes most, and in every 100 musical devotees only one hairless head is met with; while in other professions about 11 in every 100 are bald. It has been calculated by a gentleman who takes a deep interest in the subject, that if as many hangings took place in England in proportion to the population as occur in this colony, there would be 130 executions in the old conntry per annum. It is said that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, owner of the Britannia. and an enthusiastic yaentsman, is building a yacht, with a view of issuing a challenge to the holders of the America Cup. Another and highly interesting report is now current in regard to future contests for the America Cup, the great international yachting trophy, which has been held continuously by the United States for so many years, and in which the holders were again victorious in the recent series of races between the Defender aud Valkyrie 111. The eternal snow of the Alps has had to surrender this year to the great heat, and rocks and points never before seen by human eye have shown themselves in all their nakedness. Many of the glaciers have no snow left on them, and several small lakes in higher regions are entirely dried up. A ceremony of much interest to the printing trade took place at Limpsfield, Surrey, when the Caxton Convalescent Home was opened by Mr J. Passmore Edwards, the president. The home is designed for the benefit of printers and members of kindred trades. The cycle has invaded the palaces of Europe. Nicholas IL of Russia, Wilhelm 11. of Germany, Leopold IL of Belgium, the Prince of Monaco, eGorge I. of Greece, Don Carlos of Portugal, the Duke of Cumberland, and many another have become ardent votaries of the wheel. The French Chamber of Deputies has decided that tinned meats shall be used for provisioning troops in the field and at stations where fresh meat is not procurable. This decision is to be put in force from the beginning of 1897, and it is stipulated that the meat us*id shall be wholly of French production. Steinitz, the chess player, sometimes becomes so absorbed in considering a problem that he will stand still in the most crowded thoroughfare. It Is related of him that on one occasion he caused such an obstruction that a policeman told him to move on. "Excuse me," replied the player, absently, "but it is your move." • In one of the central departments of France a young woman recently gave birth to a child whose eyes were placed on the top of its head. The infant seems to be doing well, and crowds of people have tried to satisfy their curiosity by visiting the house, but the parents have refused admission to them. "In old Mexico we have no stoves," said Antonio Estrado. "Most of the houses are built of adobe bricks, without floors, and the fires are built on the ground, where all cooking is done. In the more aristocratic families the American pattern of cooking stoves has been introduced, but only a few of them are in use." We must jro from home to hear news. This from the "Christian World," just to hand (London. 7th November), in its epitome of news:—"Some idea of the immense number of rabbits in Australia may be gathered from the fact that a body of them was recently seen four miles wide, and as close as they could run together." The largest black diamond that was ever seen was recently shown to the Academy of Sciences in Paris by M. Moissan, a French chemist. It weighs 3073 carats. This gigantic "carbon" was found by a digger last July in a diamond field at Bahia. Its hardness is greater than that of the brilliant, and for this reason it has great industrial value. A Whitehead torpedo costs about L2OOO, and when the torpedo explodes that is the end of it If it hits the target the investment is a good one. It is reported that since 1875 the British Government has lost 100 Whiteheads in trial runs. During the torpedo drills conducted in the presence of the Emperor William at the naval review five torpedoes went astray. The latest London police reports (of Bow street) recount the arraignment of "a well dressed woman," whom a policeman, nevertheless, arrested in the act of scratching her husband's face, the arrest being against the wish of the husband. Her defence was that she had a right to do as she liked with her husband. Fined half a crown. A new idea of woman's rights ihis. It is no doubt interesting to express tbe force of a stroke of lightning in horse-power. During a recent storm which passed over Klausthal. Germany, a bolt struck a wooden column in a dwelling and in the top of this column were two wire nails 5-32 inch in diameter. The electric fluid melted the two nails instantly. To melt iron in this short time would be impossible in the largest furnace now in existence, and it could only be accomplished with the aid of electricity, but a current of 200 amperes and a potential of 20,000 | volts would be necessary. This electric force for one second represents 5000 horse power, but as the lightning accomplishes the melting in considerably less time, say 1-10 of a second, it follows that the bolt was 50,000 horseJWW«. ...