The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-17 00:00:00

Anak, the Greatest Giant of All•

There seems to be epochs of giants as there are epochs
of revolutions, wars, discoveries, art-progress, literature,
or anything else. There was an epoch of dwarfs inaugu-
rated by Tom Thumb. That seems to have passed away
with Torn's last visit to London, and the gigantic era to
have commenced. It was so in pre-Christiania times, for
we aro told in the Holy Writings that " There were
giants on the earth in those days." There were the giants
also of the days of classic fable. Some, like Briareus, had
a hundred arms ; others, like Typhon, breathed out fire ;
Euceladus required the whole weight of Mount Etna to
keep him down ; and Tityus, when stretched on the plain,
covered nine acres. We accomplish great works of engi-
neering skill at the present time, but it required•the age of
giants to accomplish that which Virgil record; and
" Imponere Pelio Ossam."

The era of modern giants seems to have commenced in
America, followed up in London by a giant from I'y-chow,
in China. For a week or two past he has been the wonder

in human magnitude who has enlisted public attention. But
China can no more compete successfully with the Western
World in giants than she can in ironclads and railways.
Another giant is announced, who is_to surpass all giants
we havo seen, and dwarf even the towering Mongolian
who has aspired to be "roarer to heaven" than all other
men. The name of the new giant, as announced in adver-
tisements and bills on the walls, is " Anak of the Anakints."
It is, of course, easy to be understood that this is his as-
sumed title rather than his name. We understand that
ho comes from the mountains between Mul-

hausen and Mayence, just as tho Anakims camo from
the mountains of Judea. It is not uncommonly believed

that the negro race are the descendants of Ham ; and, it
with them remains the sentence pronounced on the chil-

dren of Ham, it is but reasonable to suppose that the
earth still retains traces of those famous Anakims, of
whom, after Joshua attempted their destruction, there still
remained those who had sought refuge in Gaza, Gath, and
Ashdod. The new giant is reported to exceed 8 feet in
height, and to be capable of looking down upon the head
of Chang. He is also said to have the singularity of pos-
■essing ono rib more than all the rest of the human race
We believe that ho will be presented to the public as

'Napoleon, the Anak ;" and that the manner of his being
presented to the public will be as extraordinary as the
man himself. A very large place being required for his
exhibition, St. James's Hall has been secured for his daily
receptions, by permission of Professor Anderson. There
is really a great amount of interest attached to exhibitions
of this sort, if it be only to stimulate speculation on the
subject of the physical development of the human race.
i
Have we attained our normal development, or sit pos-
sible that by attending to certain rules and obeying cer-
tain physiological laws, we can all be taller than we are,
just as we can all bo more muscular if we practise gymnas-
tics, and more graceful if wo pay attention to calis-
thenics ? When Anak appears it will be as well to pub-
lish some particulars of his history, and afford the public
definite information as to whether he is the representative
of a race, the result of physical training, or merely a freak
of nature. A man over eight feet in height, with other
dimensions proportionate, and with ono rib more than any
other man possesses, will certainly be a great curiosity.
From that which wo hear of him, we learn that, though
bun amongst the mountains of the Rhine and in one of
their wildest fastnesses, he is a gentlemen in manners, ex-
ceedingly polite, and possessed of considerable education.
If, however, he had no other qualifications, he would have
this, presuming all that is reported of him be true—the
crown of his head is nearer to the stars than that of any
other known living being, and he is the tallest man in
the world.

We are glad to hear our old friend " Nimmo".

'—ever on

the alert for any novelty—is the entrepreneur for this new
speculation. His enterprise deserves success, and ho has our
best wishes. We shall bo glad to report after wo have
seen the Goliath.

MURDEROUS ATTACK ON A FIRE-ESCAPE CON-
DUCTOR. Considerable excitement was caused
about 1 o'clock this morning in consequence of a brutal
attack being made on Conductor Puzey, of the Royal
Society for the Protection of Life from Fire. The con-
ductor was stationed opposite St. Luke's Church, in Old-
street, when severak fellows surrounded his box, and com-
menced disgusting conduct. He remonstrated with them,
when they at once set upon him, and maltreated him
dreadfully, dragged him from his box, beat him about the
head and face, blackened his eyes, and threw him on the
groUnd and jumped upon, rendering him unfit for duty.
The ruffians are known to the police, and we hope they
may be speedily in custody. •

THE NEW SALMON FISHERY ACT.—At a meeting
of the members of the Wye Preservation Associa-
tion, held at Hay, Sir Velters Cornowall in the chair, it was
unanimously resolved that measures should be taken to
bring into operation the Salmon Fishery Act of 1865 along
the course, of the Wye, and Sir Velters was requested to
give the necessary notice, under the 4th section of the Act,
for tho next Hereford sessions. Action is also to be taken
in the other counties through which the Wye' runs. The
river has been greatly benefited by the steps under the old
Act, and there is no doubt entertained that, once the in-
creased powers conferred last session on water bailiffs are
applied, the Wye will become one bf the most prolific sal-
mon fisheries of the kingdom.