The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-12
FOREIGN ITEMS.

The Standard of London is publishing
series OF lengthy articles to prove that the Pea.
body charities are failure, apd the lodging
houses are In no respect as comfortable as those
built with other funds. The trustees are called
responsible for all the failures.
Since the first Of January LondoH has free
trade In cabs The Job brougham, the livery sta
BILE "ny,u the hanson and the four wheeled
'growler" are oil to have fair show and to
charge what their owners choose, provided al
ways the rates of fare are painted legibly on the
doors.
The smallest steam-engine in the world is
now In the possession Of John Penn, OF Green
wich, England, the maker OF great engines. It
will stand on athreepenny piece; 1t really covers
less space, for Its baseplate measures only three
elghths OF an inch by three-tenths From the e4-
treme smaliness Of this model, few minutia-
such, for instance, as the air pumps-have neces-
sarily been omitted. Still, so small are some OF
the parts that they require powerful magnify.
ing.glass to see their form. The screws are only
one eightieth OF an inch In diameter, and these
are duly furnished with hexagonal nuts, which
can be loosened and frightened by liliputian
spanner. The whole weight OF the model Is less
than threepenny piece
The excitement in regard to the conservation
of DR.. Temple to the See of Exeter does net seem
to have abated in England. The opposition to
him is based on volume OF essays and reviews,
said to have been Of inhdel tendency, though
written by clergymen to which Dr.. Temple Is re-
puted to have contributed though 1t is not alleged
that his individual contribution was exceptions
BILE In that respect. The practical importance OF
this case consists in the illustration which 1t is
held to afford by those who opposed the consecra-
tion OF Dr. Temple, that the idea at least OF some
power In the Church, independent OF State Is dis
slpated by the fiat Of Mr.. Gladstone. which has
forced Dr. Temple into the See of Exeter-an e1-
erclse OF power which is leading many, even OF
those who had never before questioned the expe-
dency OF a union OF Church and State, to doubt
its propriety.
The Yellow River OF China has dlsagreeable
way of occasionally changing Its course, leaving
its cid bed entirely dry, and cutting new one
through Ilelds and towns without the slightest
regard to vested rights. No less than nine such
changes are recorded in Chinese history, the first
dating about Coz B. c., and the last having COM
menced in 1851 and been completed In 1S53 A
party OF English explorers went to view the
scene OF this disaster In September Inst. After
journey of nearly four hundred miles on the
Grand Canal, they arrived, on the 17th Of Octo-
ber, on the banks OF the new Yellow River, near
he Town of Nanshan AT this point the stream
had not yet worn for itself bed, but was spread
over belt of country some ten to twelve
miles In width. The banks Of the Grand
Canal had here been carried away by the
invading current, and the whole country
wore an air Of desolation. The party embarked
on the new river near here, and traced 1t down to
its embouchure in the Gulf Of Pe.chl-li. Nineteen
miles downward the widespread waters converge
and flow into the narrower bed Of much smaller
river, the Tatsing, which henceforward serves as
Its channel Tie great volume and rapidity OF
the waters Of the Yellow River are causing the
narrow bed to widen, and with the undermined
banks are swept away the streets Of villages and
cities, gardens and fields. Bridges which form.
erly spanned the Tatsing now remain as ruins In
mid-rIyer. At TsEho-hem one OF the bridges ef-
fectually stops navigation at present. Toward
the sea the banks OF the river are marshy and un-
inhabltable, the limit Of the peopled region being
the small port of Tu-men.quan. 1t Is hoped that
English engineering skill may be able to put .
stop t. these changes in future.