The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-27
Foreign IteIns.

Foreign Items.
Among the favors distributed in Frsnce
on the occasion of the centenary of the First
Napoleon was the pardon granted to. thirty
four forcats confined at Toulon. As every
reader Of the ''Miserables" knows, these con-
victs are allowed, and, indeed, encouraged
to employ their spare time in the manufac-
ture Of different objects, such a. toys, frames
baskets, ETC., which are sold for their benefit,
and the proceeds of which are handed to them
at the expiration Of their sentences. On the
present occasion the sum paid to the thirty
four liberated prisoners amounted to no less
than 10000 francs, an average OF about $50
per man. A sailor who had been nine years
in confinement, and was famous for his skill
in the construction of model ships, received
for his share nearly E100. 1t appears that
the various sums due were formerly handed
to the prisoners Immediately ON their being
set at liberty, but it has been found prefer
able to deliver their earnings to them IN man
dats payable at the procedures OF the dine
rent towns appointed for their future resi-
| dence, as, under the old system, those known
to have received the largest sums were gene
rally waylaid and robbed by their less fortu-
nate comrades.
According to the Lancet, plan has been
| generally adopted in France of placing babies
in bran. An ordinary cradle is filed with
common bran, hair pillow is put in, and
then the bran is moved aside with the hands
until ''hollow' is formed the size of the
child's body. The infant divested of every
| thing below the waist, and having little
bodice or cape above that, is then placed in
| the bran, and its body completely covered
| with it, exactly as may be seen at the seaside
| at the present time, where children play at
burying one another in the sand. light
coverlet or counterpane is finally placed above
| all, and the baby is in bed for the night. The
| two great advantages connected with bran
| are stated to be its particular cleanliness and
the very pleasant and equable temperature
| which it maintains about the infants body.
| There seems to be no good reason why the
| privilege of sleeping in bran, if it possesses
| these advantages, should be confined to the
small and noisier portion of humanity. Bran
| might be used instead of bedding in casual
! wards, night refugees, common lodging houses,
and indeed would be far preferable to the
| dirty, uncomfortable beds to be found in full
perfection at seaside lodgings Perhaps the
day is not far distant when the soiourner at
the seaside will take with his carpet-bag
| folding box and a bag of bran, and bid de.
| fiance to dirt, heas, and infection.
Tree and serpent worshipmust be very in
convenient at times, more especially the lat
| ter. In a letter from Bishop Crowther, we
| have an account of the extent to which it
| prevails at Brass, a station of the Niger mis-
sion. mo poultry, the Bishop says, ''can
| be reared on account of the snake COBRA a
species of boa constructor, which is held
sacred here by the people. Not to be killed
because sacred, they become possessors of
the bushes, and prove a great annoyance and
nuisance to the country. They very often
visited the poultry coops at night, and swal-
| lowed as many as they wanted; in consequence
! of which no poultry could be kept. either by
the natives themselves, or by the supercargoes
| in their establishments on shore neither
goats, sheep, nor small pigs escaped them
Thus the country is literally impoverished
by them. myself was an eyewitness of one
of these instances of late at the establishment
of the Company of the African Merchants, on
the 18th of October, and two of these rep
tiles had to be removed by their devotees,
after they had devoured seven fowls from the
kitchen, leaving some, 1T is true, for Mr.
Lyons for his meal, and yet he dared not kill
the creatures, because, by the treaty, he
would be fined one puncheon of palm oil in
value at the same time the treaty made no
provision for compensation to the sufferers of
their stock" To support this superstition
two articles in the treaty made and sanctioned
by Thomas Joseph Hutchinson, Esq, her
Britannia Majesty's Consul for the Blight of
Biafra and the island of Fernando Po on
November II, 1856, run thus:-
| Article -. That long detention having heretofore
| occurred IN trade, and much angry feeling having
been excited IN the natives from the destruction 10y
white men in their ignorance OF certain species OF
boa-conslrictor that visits the houses, and which is
ju-ju sacred, to the Brassmen, it is hereby for
hidden to all British subjects to harm destroy any
| such snake, but they are required, on finding the
reptile on the premises, TO give notice thereof 10 the
chief man in town, who is to come and remove il
away. .. r rr- lr rr.H
Article 13. That should, unfortunately, any casualty
of said reptiles death again occur, the master OF
| supercargo who himself or his people has been
guilty of the same shall pay fine of one puncheon
of palm oil, and his trade shall suffer stoppage
any detention occurring after this amount has been
rendered will render the chief liable to fine of one
puncheon Of oil per day.
Under these circumstances we would not
recommend Brass as pleasant place at which
holidays may be spent, more particularly ii
there be young children.