GENERAL INFORMATION.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 20, Issue 67, 24 August 1909, Page 2

GENERAL INFORMATION.

Rye came from Siberia. % Peas are of Egyptian origin. The citron came from Greece. The onion hailed from Egypt. The chestnut came from Italy. • Celery originated in Germany,. The sunflower came from Peru.Tobacco is a native of Virginia. Oats originated in North Africa. Parsley was first known in Siberia The horse-chestnut is a native c Tibet. Cucumbers came from the Eos Indies. The mulberry tree originated ii Persia. Walnuts and peaches came frotf Persia. The first iron bridge ever erected was in 1793-6, at Wearmouth. It consisted of a 240 ft. clear span. The largest of fixed stars appears to be Sirius. It is at least three times as hot as the sun, and seven times as large. Liquor-selling was prohibited aJ early as the reign of the Saxon king Edgar, who closed hundreds ol alehouses, A landlord Cafinot enter premises by force, even if the tenancy has come to an end. If his right ol entry is contested, he must tak< proceedings for the m o very of hi* property.

The Prince of Wales probably holds, the lOnS'-distance record a* a travelled 1 . He wont round tno world On the Bacchante, covered thousands of miles as a Naval yllicer, travcllot 33,000 hi ties oh the ''Optur" trip and has been all over India as wcl in the bargain. Lord Morlcy has invented a vcfj ingenious system of condensatiot for the purpose of mailing notes di his speeches. Some or them, how ever, would not pass muster will the printer. One consists of a do* in the middle of a capital “ and this represents “in the middle o> the world.” The Russian schoolboy has the best time as regards holidays, loi the education authorities allow four weeks in spring, live weeks in summer, a fortnight in autumn, and fl fortnight in winter. In most other Continental countries practically all the holidays are taken in the sum mer, only a few days being grantee tor the New Year and Easier. It France, the summer vacation, lasts from August 1 to October 1 ; u> Austria, from July 15 to September 15 ; in Greece, from August 1 to September 20 ; in Norway, from July 5 to August p 5 ; and in Turkey, from the end of June to the middle of August.

The British Museum possesses a cup of almost fabulous value. It is of gold and enamel, is adorned with subjects from the life of St. Agnes, and cost £B,OOO. The cup derives most of its interest and value from the fact that it was given to diaries VI. of France in 1391 by his uncle, Jean Duke of Berri. The cup passed afterwards into the possession of the Kings of England from Henry VI, to James 11., who gave it, in 1604, to Don Juan Selasco, Constable of Castile.

The average of marriages in France is equal to that of Great Britain superior to that of Italy, and only t little bo’ow that of Germany. But the French people marry late in Ufa and seldom have more than one child. The Departments in which most marriages are celebrated are not always those in which ihe birth-rate is highest. In ihe ' Department of the Seine (he -number -of marriages last year surpassed that of I‘JOU by 3,000, and yet the number of births' is going steadily downward.

An oddity in clocks is the inAvnliun of a Frenchman, M. Paul Cornu. It consists of a dial mounted above a reservoir, and having a sort' of seesaw mounted upon its support, , The reservoir holds alcohol enough tc last for a month, which serves as fuel for a small flume which burns at ouo end. The heat from thu tlarue causes the air 'to expand h the bulb of the seo-s a w directly anov-. it. As a result, the sec-saw mo vet every five seconds. This smgulai movement is the sole motive powc; which actuates the hand.

A possible vision of the future,■when tall towers near great cities may indicate the location of Wireless telegraph stations, is suggested by a project now on foot to connect New York and Philadelphia in that manner. Plans have been filed lor a tower 200 ft. high and 30ft. broad at the base, to he erected on Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, as a sending and receiving station for the aerial messages. A similar tower is to be built in the environs of New York. The plan is to distribute messages from Hie stations by telephone.

• When the channel of a volcano gets filled up with solidified lava there is a danger that the next eruptioc may shatter the mountain to pieces Fearing for Vesuvius a late similar to that of Krakatoa some years ago, Signor Coartino proposes to supply a safety-valve. lie suggests Un lapping of the mountain by boring a tunnel at the base, and running the lava inio the sea. He also points out how the liquid lave might bo utilised by running it into moulds, ami thus inukiing blocks for quays, ami slabs (or paving the streets ol Naples. A character-judging expert says that he who has white spots On his nails is fond oi the society of ladies, but is fickle in his attachments. Ha who keeps them well rounded at the tip is a proud man. Short nails betoken patience, good nature, and resignation under severe trials. Nails which remain long after being cut level with the finger-ends are a of generosity. Transparent nails, suffused with light red, mark a cheerful and amiable disposition. If you come across a man with long pointed nails, he may be a musician, a politocian, a tailor, r romantic poet, or an attorney. .J.649L