The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-03
FOREIGN ITEMS.


feet visited Spithead, and the Admiral III CON-
msnd of our channel feet signalled lor all OIL
GERS who could speak French to come on ooaro
the flagship and accompany the pilots TO the
French vessels, only one officer out OF the
entire fleet came forward in answer TO the
summons" :.
- "A curious scene was witnessed the other
day at st. Petersburg, in Russia. The First
Regiment Of the Imperial Horse-guards was
drawn up in line, when young oficer, dress-
ed In full regimentals, was led up to the COLO
mel of the regiment, who struck him IN the
lace. took his sword from him, ordered MN 70
kneel down, broke his sword over MS heau'
told two other officers to tear of his UNIFORM,
and then had him clad in the coarse UNIFORM,
Of a private of the line. The officer thus de-
GRADED had stolen money from one OF his COM
rades, and committed a number Of forgeries:
English travellers bound for Russia are
warned by the home Journals not by any mad
yertence to wrap their hair brushes in copy
OF the Times or Of Punch. A decree lately is-
sued orders eustomhouse officers throughout
{ the empire to arrest any tourist In whose ef-
fects they discover written or printed paper,
/ and send him to the nearest town for trial. II
he Is convicted Of attempting to introduce Tor
hidden printed matter he is liable to fifteen
wears IN Siberia; If he has carried in his port
n,anteau an attack on the Emperor, the ukase
declares that he shall be executed. The usage
has hitherto been less severe, all suspected
papers being at once destroyed, while the
!. traveller was allowed to proceed on his
journey.
~ ~ -Beacens and buoys, stationed at sea, but
Illuminated with electric light, produced by
means OF gaIyanic batteries ashore, have re-
Gently been experimental with in Great Bri-
tain. A submarine cable, fully half q mile IN
length, was laid between the east breakwater
Of Granton harbor, Scotland, and the chain
pier at another point. The operator occupied
a station near the centre Of the breakwater,
and the light was shown at the point OF the
, pier in front Of an ordinary lighthouse refec-
tor, producing a most brilliant flash. The
flashes were emitted with great rapidity, and
it is asserted that though as many as 500 can
betransmitted in o miTute, the machines can
: be regulated SO as to send one every second,
or at any other desired interval.
,--The cafes in st. Marks square, Venice,
where Eugenie took her curacao, are never
shut up. There are no locks to the doors--no
shutters to the wiRdows. Some Of them have
been open,since the days OF the First Napo-
leon, having been closed only twice in all that
time-once in ls4s, and second time in 1850,
when they were cleared out by the police.
These cafes are the centres Of Venetian life.
/. They are the drawing-rooms of the gentry and
!, ,sristocraey-the parlors and club-rooms OF the
people. People receive visits and transact
bnslness OF the cafes as If they were at home.
Ladies and schoolgirls go there. Whole fsmi-
Hes sit down to coffee, and turn the piazza
into drawing-room, the band playing there
at certain hours, and the whole beau monde OF
Venice passing through. a. t.,,r,f .-
There was lately astrike by the journeymen
butchers Of Stettin, Prussia, with singular
aim The masters have from time to time
imrnemorial assumed the privilege Of address
ing their workmen as '.thous and "thee, "a
familiarity which made them very uneasy and
dissatisfied. Therefore, although their wages
and their hours Of labor were entirely salts
factory, they struck for the privilege Of being
addressed as ssyou. The master butchers on
hearing the complaint told the workmen that
they thought the practice Of giving and receiv-
ing presents on New Years day was far more
likely to lower the workmen's feeling OF self
respect than being addressed as thou" A
compromise was therefore effected, and the
workmen win be called "you' at the expense
of the loss OF their annual presents. .,
Robinson Crusoe's Island-Juan Fernan-
9 deLwas lately ceded to q German colonial
ton society, under the guidance of Whernan,
.aSaxon engineer, who served In the United
i States army during the civil war, andwas SUBJ
seq6ently employed upon the Ceropasco rail-
:. way In South America. He and his society,
about sixty or seventy individuals, have taken
possession of the island, which is described as
being most fertile and lovely spot. They
found there countless herds Of goats, some
thirty half.wiId horses, and sixty dohkeys, the
latter animals proving to be exceedingly shy.
They brought with them COWS and other cattle,
swine, numerous fowls, and all the various
kind Of agricultural implements, with. boats
and fishing apparatus, to engage in different
pursuits and, occupations. The grotto, made
famous as Robinsons abode, situated in "a
spacious valley, covered with large fields of
wild turnips-a desirable food for swine-has
. been assigned to the Chilian to whom the care
of that stock has been intrusted, and he and
: his proteges are doing very well in their new
quarters Juan Fernandez is one of the sta
tions where whaling vessels take in water and
wood.
M. Sainte Beuve, the most accomplished
critic and the most delightful and instructive
talker upon literature of this generation, sue
cumbed to disease of several years. stand
ing after three days Of illness. constitution
impaired by the license of his younger days
was unable to repair the damages Of the knife
In a severe surgical operation, and after the
second had been performed it became evident
that he must die. Two years at most were as
signed his life. He was conscious his days
were numbered. He appeared to consider
death, thenceforward, his inseparable compan-
ion, with composure. He devoted lifc's rem
nant to set his house in order. He made his
will. He gave directions about his funeral.
He prepared last editions of his published
works for the printer. He arranged his pa
pers for the fire or the press. He pressed for