The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-22 00:00:00

Utisallantous 4nitiligenct,

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL,

A FIRE WARNING.—An extremely simple and
efficacious apparatus for giving warning in case of fire
has just been invented. Two very fine copper wires,
knotted at intervals, are covered with an isolating
substance which will melt at a low degree of heat. In
the event of a fire breaking out, the thin coating
on the wires would dissolve, thus bringing them
into close contact with each other, and thereby com-
pleting the circuit of an electric battery with which
they are connected, and which, acting on a series of
alarm-bells, would speedily give notice of the outbreak
in its first stages. The wires are of so fine a nature as
to be scarcely perceptible.
WARFARE OUT OF PLACE.—A Naval Battle in the
Pacific.—Punch.
A FIFTEEN CENT DINNER.—Miss Juliet Corson, of
the New York Cooking School, recently gave a test
dinner to his honour Mayor Ely and a select company
of invited guests, the object being to show what could
be done for 15 cents (7d.) for each person (says the
New York Telegram). The following bill of fare was
found to have fallen within the financial limit by two
cents. : Puree of peas, with croutons- olives, celery,
chow-chow; perch, with fine herbs; bass it la Cham-
bord ; maitre d'hotel potatoes; salmi of duck, with
olives; lentils saute; macaroni it la Milanaise ; roast
tenderloins; lettuce and watercresses ; salad, celery,
fritters; bronchees, with preserves; Mexico chocolate ;
apples, nuts, Roquefort cheese; coffee. The table
was set for twelve people, and eleven were present.
The mayor expressed both his wonder and gratifica-
tion.

AUSTRALIAN INCOME-TAX.—A Property and Income
Tax Bill has been laid before the Legislative Assembly
of South Australia. The Treasurer said the Govern-
ment proposed 6d. in the pound on all money from
rents and interests, to be collected by adhesive stamps
at the time of nayment. The Income-tax is 3d. in the
pound on receipts over £3OO on income or profits from
business, to be collected in the following way. Every
person whose income exceeds OW is to forward in
January to the Commissioner of Taxes a statement of
his income, based on the average of three years, ac-
companied by a cheque for the tax. The names of all
people who comply will be published in the Gazette,
and persons who omit to make the return will be pro-
hibited from using the courts to enforce any claim.
The taxes are estimated to yield £BO,OOO.
HOMESTEADS IN THE CANADIAN NORTHWEST.—
By an Order in Council just issued, the Canadian Go-
vernment have greatly altered the conditions upon
which homesteads may be acquired on the "railway
lands" of the north-west. Instead of the regulations
promulgated last August (mentioned in The Times,
Sept. 18), homesteads of 160 acres are to be granted
free to settlers on the simple condition of a three
years' occupancy, and pre-emptions on 160 acres to be
sold on time at from 2 dole. 501. to 1 dol. an acre ac-
cording to proximity to the line of the Pacific Railway,
The whole four outer belts of railway lands are divided
Into sections, even-numbered sections being reserxed
for homesteads and pre-emptions, and odd-numbered
ones for sale at from 4 dole. to 1 dol. an acre. "Belt
A," a breadth of five miles on either side of the rail-
way line, is exclusively devoted to homestead and pre-
emption grants.—The Times.
POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES.—The Wash.
ington Sentinel, in an article on the influence of immi-
gration on the population of the United States, calls
attention to the fact that in the year 1820 the total
population of the Union was 9,600,783, of whom
1,761.561 were negroes, and 7,839,552 were whites—
that is, the entire population in 1820 was less by
718,880 than the total immigration between 1820 and
1878. Had there been no immigration, the white
population could only have been increased by the
excess of births over deaths. If we estimated this in-
crease at the rate which was established by the census
of 1870—viz., I'3B per cent, annually—then the
7,839,552 white natives of 1820 would have expanded
by 1870 to only 16,048,151, instead of the 33,880,535
whites who were actually found at the time of the
census to be inhabtants of the States. The difference
between these two totals, 17,232,384, must therefore
be set down as the natural result of the immigration
to the States. In other words, more than half the
expansion of the white population of the United States
during the half-century from 1820 to 1870 is to be
set down to the influence of immigration.
To BELLY•GEBENTS.—Even to steady troops rash
'uns are indispensable. —Punch.

THE "HOOP" SNAKE.—They tell a story in Texas
of snakes that take their tails in their mouths, and
roll down hill like hoops. A shooting party on Saline
Forks Arkansas, watching at dawn for deer, saw a
hoop coming down hill, followed by three others which
rolled to where the first had stopped. There the
snakes played for a few minutes, and then resuming
their former position, began to roll up hill, which so
astonished the spectators that they rubbed their eyes,
then agreed not to say anything of what they had
seen, for fear of provoking incredulity. But their
host, Colonel Stark, explained that the hoop-snake is
able to thicken itself a little in front of its point of
contact with the ground, and to keep this part ~f it-
self heavier than the balance; hence, as the centre of
gravity falls in front of the base, the snake can't help
revolving in any direction in which it keeps its "wad.'

THE AMERICAN BISON.—The rapidity with which
the American bison is disappearing from the western
plains may be inferred from the following statistics
collected at Fort Macleod, near the head waters of the
South Saskatchewan (long. ll4deg. W., lat. 503eg.
N.), and Fort Walsh, some four degrees further east,
both places being important centres for the collection
of buffalo robes. The money value of each robe to the
Indian hunter may be roughly estimated at 2 dole.
In 1877 some 30,000 robes were gathered at Fort Mac-
leod, and a larger number at Fort Walsh. In 1878
the number was 12,797 at the former and 16,897 at the
latter place; while this year only 5,764 have come in
to Fort Macleod and 8,277 to Fort Walsh. This
steady decrease in the number of buffalo slain by the
Indiana and half-breeds of the North-West affords a
ready explanation of the suffering prevalent among
them.

THE GOOD OF INDIA,—" What has England done
for India ? " This question appears to have been
satisfactorily answered by the Director General of
Statistics to the Indian Government, Dr. W. W.
Hunter, Perhaps Dr. Hunter can also furnish some
reply to the question, "What has England got by
India?" Little more, short-sighted cynics will be apt
to say, than gorged liver, grass-widows, chudders,
chutney, and curry. Wise men have a different
answer.—Punch.

" THERE'S A DIVINITY DOTE HEDGE," &O.—
Juvenile "Scold." "Yer nasty little thing! if yer
father wasn't a p'liceman, I'd smack yer I"—Punch.
A PARALLEL.—The following extract from Pepyte
Diary shows that two centuries ago farmers were un-
able to pay their rent, and were throwing up their
farms under a curiously different state of things from
that now prevailing :—",January 1, 1688—Dined with
my Lord Crewe, with whom was Mr. Browne, Clerk
of the House of Lords, and Mr. John Crewe. ,
Here they did talk much of the present cheapness of
come, even to a miracle; so as their farmers can pay
no rent, but do fling up their lands; and would pay in
come; but (which I did observe to my lord, and he
liked well of it) our gentry are grown so ignorant in
everything of good husbandry that they know not how
to bestow this come; which, did they understand but
a little trade, they would be able to joyne together and
know what markets there are abroad, and send it
thither, and thereby ease their tenants and be able to
pay themselveo, '

A HINT. -" Oh, Mamma, did you see those pretty
flowers in that conservatory? I wish you'd buy me
one I "—"lt would fade before you got home, darling."
—" Would it? liow, buns don't fade, mamma? "
Punch.

COLOGNE CATHEDRAL-The Cologne Gazette says :-
"The two towers of our cathedral are now the
highest buildings on the earth; they exceed by 150
metres the tower of St. Nicholas's church in Hamburg,
which is 14420 metres high. When completed they
will measure 160 metres reckoning from the pave-
ment of the cathedral cloisters. or 157 metres
reckoning from the floor of the church itself. The
following are the heights of the most remarkable high
buildings in the world :-Towers of Cologne Cathe-
dral, 160 m. or 157 m, (524ftalin., or 5151 t. lin.); tower
of St. Nicholas at Hamburg, 144.20 m. (4731 t. lin. ;
cupola of St. Peter's, Rome, 143 m. (4691 t. 21n, ) ; cathe-
dral spire at Strasburg, 142 m. (465 ft. llin. : Pyramid
of Cheops, 137 m. (4491 t. sin.) ; tower of St. Stephen's,
In Vienna, 135•30 m. 4431 t. loin,); tower of St.
Martin's, at Landshut, 132 50. (434 ft. 81n.) cathBdral
spire at Freiburg, 125 m. (4101 t. lin.) ; cathedral of
Antwerp, 123 40m. (4041 t. 10in.) ; cathedral of Flor-
ence, 119 m. (3901 t 51n.); St. Paul's, London, 111'30m.
(365 ft. lin.) ;ridge tiles of Cologne Cathedral, 109.80 m.
360 ft. 3in.) ; cathedral tower at Magdeburg, 103.60 m,
3391 t. llin). ; tower of the new Votive Church at
Vienna,
96m. (3141 t. llin.) ; tower of the Rath-haus
at Berlin. 88m. (288 ft. Bin.) ; towers of Notre Dame at
Paris, 71m. (232 ft. M 0.)."

BOOBS FOR THE UNITED STATES.—A notice from
the General Post Office says :—" Information has
been received that the regulations affecting the ad-
mission into the United States through the post of
books which are liable to Customs duties have been
modified. Hitherto, when such books have reached
the United States through the post, they have not
been forwarded to their destinations, but have been re-
tained for payment of the duty at the post-office of
the port at which they entered the country. For the
future, however, such books will not be detained, but
will be forwarded to their destinations for delivery to
the addressee, charged with the amount of the Customs
duty to which they are liable."

REMARKABLE SHOOTING.—During the shooting at
Washington for the Harkness gold medal last month
by the Columbia Rifle Association, Mr. C. H. Laird
made the fall score of fifteen bull's eyes at 1,000
yards. The medal was won by Mr. P. J. Lauretzen,
who made fifteen bull's eyes at 800 yards, fourteen
bull's eyes and en inner at 900 yards, and thirteen
bull's eyes and two inners at 1,000 yards, his score
standing 75, 74, and 73, a total of 222 out of a possible
225. This is the highest score as yet recorded.
EXTRAORDINARY LAYING BOWERS OF PHEASANTS,
—Three hen pheasants, kept in a domesticated state
at Dancrieve, in the parish of Arngask, Flfeshire,
have been fairly tested as to the number of eggs they
have been capable of laying, and it has been ascer-
tained that during the season they have dropped not
fewer than one hundred and ninety-seven.—T. N. in
Land and Tfrater.

PRICES AND PRODUCTION.—A correspondent writes
(to the Graphic) :—" I think the Almanac-makers
ought to record the following remarkable occurrences
—viz., 18Y9: Great depression in agriculture, with
wheat at 545., barley 508., and oats 265. per quarter;
turnips and mangolds, £8 per acre, hay 110 s. per ton;
mutton 11d., beef 10d., pork 9d. ; butter 22d.
Per lb. each: apples and pears 2s. 6d., and onions
is. 6d, each per peck; eggs, id. each ; chickens,
2. 6d., ducks, 3s. 6d., geese, Be., an turkeys,
12s. each, respectively."—To our sarcastic friend
(remarks the Graphic), we can only make the
rejoinder that not one farmer's wheat sample in ten
this year makes 545„ the price of really fine grain,
that 500. is the price of fine malting, but none of ordi-
nary barley; that 265. is considerably above Mark
Lane prices for oats, and that is. 10d. for butter is a
very exceptional profit. As to beef, pork, and mutton,
the prices quoted may represent butchers' gains, but
they certainly do not show what farmers have to)take,

NEST BUILDING BIRDEL—A lecture at the British
Museum, recently, by Dr. Carter Blake, was devoted
to the characters afforded by the nests of birds, and
especially the difference shown by the female and
juvenile specimens from the adult male. Zoologists
of the present generation, especially the French, had
devoted much space to the description of the young in
birds, and their researches had almost elevated the
science to the rank of a distinct branch, equivalent in
value to the sciences which treated on eggs and on
nests. Some of these variations were commented on
in detail. The probabilities that such an aberrant
order as that which comprised the wingless birds
(cursores), could be in any way grouped together under
any definite classification, based on the characters of
the young, were denied; and the affinities which birds
preserved to mammals above them, and reptile below
them, were indicated.

WELL MT !—Farmer (to Mosso°, whose gun has
gone off by accident). Here, ar say, that's ower bad;
there's one o' them shots gone clean through t' crown
o' my 'at. Mosso (who has, up to the present, missed
everything). Ah, zen ! zat is bettaire : is it not zat I
improve ?—Judy.

THE FOREIGN COAL AND IRON TRADES.—In the
French department of the Haute-Marne the tone of
the market is good; inquiries are not by any means
wanting, and the great houses show themselves dis-
posed to do business. The foundries are pretty well
off for ord 3rs for girders, railway material, stoves, ctn.
In the Meurthe-et•Moselle pig has maintained a good
tone; some important contracts have been negotiated
as well for casting as refining pig. Prices have been
brought to nearly the same level both in the Nancy
and the Longwy group. In the Loire-et-Rhone orders
have come to hand tolerably regularly, but they have
been of no great importance. The Belgian iron trade
has exhibited a very firm tone; the proprietors of
rolling mills show considerable disinclination to accept
engagements with deliveries at fixed periods. The
condition of the Paris coal market is tolerably satis-
factory.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corn for the week
ending Nov. 15, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 48s. 9d.; barley, 40s. id.:
oats 21s. 43. per imperial qr. Correaponding week
last year :—Wheat, 40s. 7d.; barley, 395. 4d.; oats,
21s. 3d.
POPULATION STATISTICS OF THE GLOBE.—The
population of the globe may be roughly assumed at
1,421,000,000, divided thus :—Europe, 309,000,000;
Asia, 824,000,000 ; Africa, 199,000,000 ; Oceania,
4,000,000 ; America, 85,000,000. It has been calcula-
ted from the mortality tables of known countries that
the annual number of deaths throughout the world is
35,693,350, or that, in other words, 97,790 persons die
each day. On the other hand, the balance of popula-
tion is more than kept up by births at the rate of
104,800 per day. Seventy new lives are ushered in
every minute of the 24 hours.

SCIENCE AT HOME.—A gentleman of Chicago thought
of having a telephone put into his house, so as to enable
him to hold sweet converse with his business partner,
but his aged mother protested earnestly against it.
" Robert,' she said, "if you bring one of those dread-
ful things in here, I'll never close my eyes for fear it
may break out and sweep us all into eternity, and us
not a bit the wiser." He tried to persuade her that it
was an innocuous instrument, but she said, "No, no:
look at the thousands and millions of poor Hindoos it
killed last fall." "Why," replied he, "that wasn't a
telephone—that was a typhoon." But the old lady
lowered her glasses, and, looking at him over the rims
thereof, said that he could not fool her—that she might
not know much perhaps, but she did know that the
typhoon was the President of Japan. The gentleman
has given it up as a hopeless case.
TEE CANADA THISTLE.—The Canada thistle (so
called) botanically, Cercium Arvense (Scop) is a native
of Europe and was introduced into Canada by the
Hessian soldiers in the provender brought over with
their horses (says the Prairie Farmer). From thence
It was spread all over the East, in many parts of the
South, and also to a considerable extent in localities
West. It is one of the most execrable weeds ever in-
troduced, and upon soils suited to its growth is almost
impossible to eradicate. The creeping roots ramify
and extend horizontally in every direction, sending
up many branches to the surface, so that in a few
years tbe soil will become a mass of roots and stems,
showing themselves in radical leaves the first year, and
in flower stems which perfect the seed the second
year and thereafter.

A VETERAN OF WATERLOO.—OS Tuesday, Nov. 11,
a veteran of the Dutch Waterloo contingent was
buried at Amsterdam, from the Amsterdam Israelite
Home for Decayed Old Men and Women. He was
named Barend Hartog Knoop, and had reached the
age of 96. He was followed to his grave by a few of
his surviving comrades.
.EXECUTIONS n FRANC/Z.—Since the beginning of
the present century punishment by death has steadily
been decreasing. For the first quarter of the cen-
tury there are no official statistics of the number of
executions, but the average may be taken at about 120
per annum. From 1825 to 1850 the numbers underwent
a considerable diminution, being only at the rate of
40 per annum. Daring this period several modifica-
tions were introduced into the penal code, even
forgery of the notes of the Bank of France being only
punished by a sentence of the travaux forces. In the
decade 1850-60 there were 502 sentences of death, of
which 283, or 28 per annum, were actually carried
out. The years 1854-5 were the worst, for 37 were
executed in the former year and 28 in 1855. Between
1860 70 there were 119 executions, or 11 per annum,
and during the past nine years the decline has still
been going on—viz,, 10 in 1871, 24 in 1872, 15 in
1873, 12 in 1874, 10 in 1875, 10 in 1876, 10 in 1877, six
in 1878 and 1 during the present year. Since 1872
there have been but 11 executions in Paris.
FOSSIL MAMMALIA —Dr. Carter Blake's lecture at
the British Museum on Saturday was devoted to a
minute examination of the remains which had been
diceveied in the strata at Purbeck, and which indi-
cated the existence of various types of mammalia at a
period far antecedent to that at which the class at-
tained its great development in number of speoies. He
Indicated, however, that, with the exception of
Stereognathus, there was not a single mammal from the
secondary deposits which could be proved to belong to
other than the two lowest divisions of the class
Mantmalia. The elephants, mastodons, and Dino-
thertia of a late geological epoch were commented upon
In detail and a theory of their possible derivation ad-
vanced. The beautiful collection of remains from
Vaucluse, of nearly equivalent age to the London clay
deposits, were pointed out as containing some types of
the highest interest which had remained unnoticed in
the British Museum for several years past.
AUSTRALIAN EXPLORATION.—About the end of last
February a party started to explore Northern and
Central Australia under the direction of Mr. Forrest.
Well-grassed lands were found in many directions, and
not in mere patches, but covering a wide superficies.
It was first come upon along the coast near Beagle
Bay. Passing onwards, the party reached such a very
rough and unpromising district that its leader counter-
marched, and determined to follow up the eastern
branch of the great Fitroy river. This prudent change
of direction met with due reward in the discovery of a t
splendid country, well watered. After entering
the
northern division of South Australia the whole of e
distance to the Victoria was also well grassed and
watered,extended fe
e and
e a long dlt even
e ibeyond
stan that
oe.
appearsthio
thatfertile
e regionwi.
watered tract of unknown breadth stretches almost
continuously from north to south.

"WHERE COURAGE LIES."—Fat Farmer: "Courage
and enterprise? Why, wot with these 'aid times, I
sometimes feel as if4l 'adn't got none! Seems as if I
'adn't got no stomach!
ACCOMMODATION IN THE CITY OF LONDON.—The
Oity Press has recently published some interesting par-
ticulars of accommodation in the City. The total area
of carriage ways is 468,950 square yards, and of the
footways 328,608 square y 5, —total 79'7,558 yards.
The length of the public ways is upwards of 48 miles,
13 miles of which comprise the main streets. There
are 74 principal streets, and 340 second and third class
streets; 75 courts having carriage ways without
thoroughfares 189 courts having footways only, and
being thoroughfares; and 151 not thoroughfares.
These, with two public ways in approaches to markets,
and
antthhee d
Victoriao n Southwark,Embankment,and makeac
public ways in the City. idariatortitalßriofdgBe3sB,

ELUCIDATION !—Rector's Wife: "How do you do,
Mr. Wiggles? We have not seen you at Church
lately! Have you been away 7 "—Mr. Wiggles: "Yes,
mu'm, I've been a-visitin' my old 'aunts at Man.
cheater, Mtem."—Rector's Wife: " Really ! I hope
you found the old ladies quite well."—Mr. Wiggles:
"I didn't say my harnts, Mu'm—l said my old
'aunts—revisitin' the 'aunts o' my youth, you know,
Mu 'm !"—Punch.

A WEALTHY Cirz PARISH.—The City Preu says :
A wealthy City (London) parish having of late con-
siderably augmented the income arising out of a chari-
table bequest, and finding that the proceeds far exceed
the provisions of the ancient donor. has decided to
apply to the Charity Commissioners for authority to
make the following donations—namely, the London
Hospital, £1,000; Metropolitan Free Hospital,
£500; King's College Hospital, £250; Victoria Park
Hospital, £250; Westminster Hospital, £250; and
the City of London College £250; making a total of
£2,500; in addition to advancing the allowanees to the
qualified recipients of the charity 25 per cent. The
London Hospital has before received from the same
source a similar gift of £lOO.

A Gomm ANNUAL.—The Germans have long had
a "Shakespeare annual" and a "Dante annual."
With the commencement of the new year they will
also have a " Goethe annual," published in Frankfurt.
The new periodical will be a central organ and point
of reunion for the many persons who devote them.
selves to investigating, explaining, and spreading a
knowledge of Goethe's works. It will also be a medium
for connecting and making generally known the mass
of essays, pamphlets, manuscript materials, and
bibliography of all kinds relating to Goethe. Over 20
names, some of them among the first in contemporary
German literature, are mentioned in connexion with
the new undertaking.

THE USE OF THE TELEPHONE—A telephonic story
of American life is told with an assurance of its truth,
and as illustrating the future of Mr. Bell's little in-
vention. A proud grandraamma, who had only just
been promoted to the honours of that happy relation-
ship, is awakened in the dead of the night by the
inexorable bell. "Mamma, dear," comes to her the
voice of her beloved but inexperienced daughter, "I'm
sure baby has the croup. What shall Ido with it?"
Grandmamma replies that she will call the family
doctor, and be with her anxious daughter in a moment.
She awakens the doctor, and tells him the terrible
news she has learnt from her daughter. He in turn
requests to be put in telephonic communication with
the too anxious mamma. "Lift the child to the tele,
phone and let me hear it cough: he commands. The
child is lifted, and it coughs. "That's not the croup,"
he declares; and he declines to leave his house on
such small matters. He advises grandmamma to
stay in bed; and all anxiety quieted, the trio settle
down happy for the night.
THE INCREASE OF PIKE.—W. Sharpe, M.D., in the
Bazaar, draws attention to "the very undesirable in.
crease of pike in the fresh waters of the United
Kingdom." The subject is one of very great interest,
not only to anglers, but to the community at large,
inasmuch as it is a question whether, by the expen-
diture of a comparatively small amount of labour,
trout and salmon could not be almost indefinitely hi-
creased and made again to take the place of pike,
which have now almost exterminated them in many
of the smaller lakes and rivers where they formerly
abounded. Indeed, there is some reason to believe
that pike at times migrate in a body from waters
which from any cause no longer afford the requisite
conditions for the hatching of their ova and the
safety of the young fry. Such causes would be the
clearing away of reeds for any purpose, or even arti-
ficial drainage or seasons of continued drought,
which would necessarily take the water away from
the sheltering reeds of the shore and so establish a new
water line which would be altogether destitute of the
necessary protection for the hatching of the ova.
A GENEROUS LADY.—The Court Journal narrates
the following interesting story, respecting a lady of
rank in Paris who died some weeks ago :—She was a
famous card player, and was credited with knowing
every game there was to know. When travelling in a
foreign land she met one day in an hotel a Russian
lady with that passion for gambling said to be inherent
in the Russian nation. Anxious to play with a lady
from Paris, the wrote requesting a few games. Her
request was granted, and the ladies played all night,
the Russian losing on every hand, until her oppo-
nent had won from her more money than her
mines in the Ural had produced for revenues
in twenty-five years. At last the Russian lady
made a desperate effort to regain her fortune, but
without avail. Rising from the table, she told
the French lady how she had lost more than she
possessed, but that in her desire to pay a debt of
honour she would instruct her steward to convey to
her the title deeds of all the mines and estates she
owned. At this the victorious antagonist smiled, and
requested that she might have her own way in the
matter, since she had won. A priest and a lawyer
were sent for. When they arrived, the Russian lady
was asked to bind herself by a solemn oath never
again to touch a card or risk money at any game of
chance. She did so, and then signed an engagement
to pay her antagonist the annual sum of 2,000 dollars.
The vow never to play cards for money again she
faithfully kept, and the 2,000 dollars were paid punc-
tually every year, the French lady giving it the
name of the "Queen of Spade's Bounty," and invari-
ably giving it to the poor of Paris.
SEA-bNAKE CAUGHT IN TELEGRAPH SUBMARINE
WIRE.—Mr. Frank Buckland writes in Land and
Water :—" Mr. Moginie has called upon me with a
lovely specimen of a sea-snake which he wanted
properly mounted in a bottle for the Board-room of
the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company. One of
the cables belonging to this company was being raised
from the bottom of the sea, I believe in the Indian
Ocean. When the cable came to the surface, the
snake in question was found coiled tightly round
the telegraph cable. Luckily it was killed before
it could do any mischief, as these sea-snakes are
excessively poisonous. In the College of Sur-
geons there is a sea-snake which crawled up the anchor
chain of a man-of-war when she was moored in the
month of the Ganges. The midshipman of the watch
saw something moving along the chain, and without
thinking, went to pick it up. The venomous brute
immediately turned upon him and bit him. The poor
young midshipman did not live many hours after the
accident. Ur. Moginie's snake is about a yard long,
and the general colour of it is white, and it is most
beautifully marked on the back with black, or rather
dark chocolate, patterns. The tall is, as in all sea-
snakes, quite flattened, like the end of an oar. This,
of course, gives the animal great power of swimming."