MULTUM IN PARVO.

Otago Witness, Issue 1916, 30 October 1890, Page 37

MULTUM IN PARVO.

— Tourists in the Holy Land are hurrying away at a great rate because of the outbreak and spread of the cholera. — If the calculations of Professor Mendelejeff are to be trusted, Kussia possesses the richest coal deposits in the world. —The saloon-keepers of St. Petersburg have been warned not to sell liquor to factory operatives on credit, or to entice them to •drink in any other way. — The entire forest area of Germany, according to a work recently published by •one of the State Foresters of Prussia, now amounts to 34,596,000 acres. — The influx of Jews from Russia on account of the unfriendly disposition of the Russian Government, is causing concern in Jewish circles. It is believed that no less than 200,000 of these people will seek refuge in America. — The post office authorities do not seem to think lady clerks a success. At Ludgate Hill office, one of the largest in London, they have substituted male for female clerks. — The Salvation Army now boasts an annual income of £791,000, and its periodicals have an aggregate circulation of 38,000,000 yearly. Duiing the past year 1(53 officers have been sent abroad. — The largest cats-eye of which there is any record was recently found by a digger of Galle, Ceylon. It weighs near Tib. The finder was a man who had been very poor. He has been effered £20,000 by a syndicate of local dealers. — In the London Metropolitan district there are employed -1030 postmen ; and taking their daily amount of walking at 12 miles on the average, this would represent an aggregate daily journeying on foot of 48.3G0 miles, a distance equal to twice the circumference of the globe. • — Eighty thousand pounds is the estimated value of the pipe which the Shah of Persia smokes in public on State occasions. It is called " II Kalidin," and is entirely encrusted with diamonds, rubies, pearls, and emeralds. — The lower falls of the GGnesee river at Rochester, N.Y., are utilised for the production of electricity, and more than 500 motors are in use. Power is furnished to run sewing machines in 108 tailor shops, the charge being 18dol a year ior |- horse power. — A passenger elevator to the summit of Mount Blanc is proposed by an American mining engineer. The shaft is to be of eight compartments, each 6ft square, intended to carry a triple-decked elevator for 27 passengers. — A society has been incorporated in New York to provide food and shelter for stray dogs aud cats. There were already organised societies enough to look after every human interest, and dogs and cats seemed to come next in order. — The census of St. Petersburg taken in July last shows a population of 853,882. In December 1889 the population was given at 1,003.315. — French physicians watched the body of a man who had been guillotined and observed his heart beating for six minutes after the head was cut off. — Labour troubles and strikes are cropping out all over Europe. No sooner are tbey settled in one place than they break out in another. | —It is estimated that the accidents to i Various warships during the recent English naval manoeuvres have cost the Government 1,250,000d01. — The largest sailing vessel afloat has just baen launched at Glasgow. She is a fiveinasted ship of 3750 tons burden, and intended for the nitrate trade. — The Grant Memorial Association has (already raised 150,000d01, and needs to raise 550,000d0l move in order to erect the proposed monument in honour of General Grant. —The sale of 50,000 acres of valuable Alabama mineral lands is reported to have been made to English capitalists who Uaye other Very large Interests in Alabama. . — The World's Fair directors are still searching the various sections of Chicago for & site for the Columbian Exposition. Nothing definite has been decided upon. — In moefc parts of the world the rise of a great river beyond its banks is dreaded. Not so ia Egypt, where the crops to be raised depend upon the overflow of the Nile. That is the reason for the despatch from Cairo that says " the Nile has risen well and cotton promises an early and good crop," — A Bengal man recently gave away six aunts, eight sisters, and fo#r daughters in marriaga fco one person, and that person was a boy 10 years old. The matrimonial r&afkeb in India seems to be a'; little feverish, not to say panicky. — Wissman, the g*e&fc African explorer, says: " The bantam neg*o south of the equator lacks character. !Nofc even the Mohammedan religion has obtained any hold on him. The negroes at the mission show the result of good training ; but let them get away to their native wilds and they would soon relapse into tbeir native barbarism. But in the course of centuries this may change by the means of commerce " — An extraordinary clock lias just b°en completed at Ryshew The clock, which is composed of 6olid silver, Weighs over 6001b. It is in memory of the narrow escape of the Imperial Family in the railway accident at Borki. It lias been placed on the Uspeneki Cathedral at Charkou, and upon the 37ch Oc.tfb.eif of each year (the anniversary of *be accident) the Czar-clock, by a peal of bells, will recall to tha memory rtt the inhabitants the miraculous escape of -Jheir- Emperor. . a mass of 90,000,000 tons of pure and rock salt, located on an island 186 ft Miigh. «fbich rises from a miserable sea marsh os Jthe route from Brasbier to New , Jberia, up ihfi Kiver Teche, Louisiana, is one •of the wondered the world. An engineer 'Who has but refceaHy visited it estimates rtbat there are not iecs .than 90,000,000 tons .of pare crystal salt in .sig&t. The dazzling . clearness of Salt J'eak forms & striking con- , trast to the sombre lagoons, bayous and salt tanarshes whfcsh surround it on all sides. — " Wherever you find petroleum you -won't find mosquitoes," said an old oil . countryman. " The infernal insects can't i stand the smell of the grease, jjuid wherever oil wells are plenty there is no flail for wajoigulto bare,"

— The revelations as to France's decline in population, which threatens soon to take the appalling form of there being more deaths than births, are made still more startling when a comparison is made of Frances relative position in the past. A conespondent points out that a century ago France had a population of 20,000,000, Russia had only 25,000,000, Austiia 17,000,00, Prussia 15,000,000 and England 12,000,000. To-day Russia possesses 90,000,000 inhabitants, Germany 46,000,000, Austria 88,000,000 and France 36,000,000. The birth rate is G-7 per 1000 in Italy, 10 in Germany, 12 9 iv Russia, and 13-7 in England, and it does not exceed 119 in Fiance. — It is stated that recent experiments of Dr Edward Tatum on me physiological effects of the electric current have led him to infer that, when continuous currents are used, death is caused by a direct action on the substance of the heart. With alternating currents — that is to say, currents which seesaw in direction — death is due to an alteration of the nerves and the inhibitory mechanism of the heart. Such currents are more deadly than continuous currents of the same strength. — Nineveh was 15 miles long, nine wide, and 40 miles round, within a wall 108 ft high, and thick enough for three chariots abreast. Babylon was 60 miles within the walls, which were 75ft thick and 300 ft high, with 100 brazen gates. — According to a scientific contemporary, the work of constructing the North Sea and Baltic Ship Canal has not made very rapid progress. The actual work of digging, it seems, was not commenced till last year, and of the 75,000,000 metres of earth to be excavated, not more than 12,000,000 have been removed. — Princeßismarck is receiving at Kissengen all the attentions which were paid him while iv power. He still enjoys the use of the court carriages, a special police guard, and a private telegraph, but he will not, as usual, be visited officially by the Bavarian Minister. — A dwelling house is in course of erection on one of the best sLreots in Brooklyn which is only 7.} ft wide by 59ft deep. —Six new guillotines have been ordered by the French Government for use in the colonies. — The Labour Congress at Ottawa has passed a resolution declaring the importation of Chinese labourers should cease, and that mine owners should not allow the Mongolians to work in the mines. — Emperor William's new yacht, which is to be built at Elbing, is to be constructed of steel and lighter, throughout by electricity. Her length will be 200 ft, she will draw 10ft of water, and her guaranteed speed is to be 21 knots per hour. — A committee has been formed in Germany for the purpose of purchasing Moltke's birthplace, the object being to present it to the nation on the occasion of the great; warrior's 90th birthday. — The Rev. Mr Green, a celebrated mountain clirabsr and author of a recent book on the glaciers of the Selkirk Range in British Columbia, observes that the animal called the mountain beaver has the remarkable habit of collecting nosegays of wild flowers. — It is understood the Holy Inquisition at Rome, to whom the question of hypnotism was referred by the Pope, will give as its opinion that the church should condemn hypnotism as practised upon human beings, upon the ground that it disturbs human liberty, and is dangerous in its effects upon the mental and physical condition of hypnotised subjects. — As soon as the telephone between London and Paris is completed arrangements will be made to extend the system to Brussels, Bordeaux, and Marseilles. — Owing to the damage to the beet crop by the recent floods in Central Europe it is likely the Austrian sugar exports will be 60 per cent, under the average. — Howqua, probably the wealthiest man in China, died in Honam, Canton, recently. Bor the last 40 years of his existence he was the head of a unique corporation of monopolists known as the Co Hong, which was usually composed of eight Canton merchants. His wealth was almost fabulous. In 1834 he put it down himself at 2G,,000,0Q0d01. — It is proposed to put the newspaper reporters of Brussels, Belgium, in uniform, and a semi-military costume, with a handsome frogged tunic, is suggested as the proper thing. The desirability of the uniform was first made apparent at the Stanley reception, when they were hustled about like ordinary mortals because their identity was not known. — Electric search-lights have rpduced the time for vessels through the Suez Canal from four or five days to 24 hours. —The University of Oxford has appliances for printing £$0 .di.ferent languages. — The |Jnited States hay.c .seven times the railroad mileage ,of any other .country.