Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-12-14
Foreign Notes.

Foreign Notes.
The French Academy of Science, in
Paris. has offered a reward of one hum
dred thousand francs ($20,000) for an
effectual remedy or cure for the Asiatlc
cholera.
NJ Gambetta being about to be mar
ried, M. Victor Hugo has addressed to
the ex-dictator letter congratulating
him on the approaching happy event,
which he characteristics as the union of
a comet with flower.
The two hundredth anniversary of
the birth of Peter the Great occurs on
June IL, 1872, and the Russians intend
to open a great polytechnic exhibition
in Moscow on that day. All nations
Steam Trading and Navigation Com
pany will forward goods freight free,
and the railways will carry at re-
duced rates goods intended for the ex-
hibition.
A CURIOUS experiment was tried in
Russia with some murderers. They
were placed, without knowing it, in
four beds where four persons had died
of the cholera. They did not take the
disease. They were then told that
they were to sleep in beds where some
persons had died of malignant cholera,
but the beds were, in fact, new and had
not been used at all. Nevertheless,
three of them died of the disease within
four hours.
THE wasting away of sandstone and
granite is largely attributed by DR..
Robert, of Paris, to the development of
minute lichen upon them. This plant
is SO destructive that it could and
would wholly destroy the beautiful
marble sculptures in the Park at Yer
sailles, unless measures were taken to
check its attacks. The destructive in
fiuence of a moist climate upon rocks
are conspicuously illustrated by the
famous obelisk of Luxor, in Paris. For
ty years ago it was brought from
Egypt, where it had stood forty centu-
ries yet is now full of small cracks and
completely bleached out.
A SMALL farmer residing in the ham
let of Villebeau Seine ct Disc, has, in a
fit of mental alteration, deprived him.
self of sight, that he might no longer
be witness of the occupation of his
country by the Prussians, who had
burned down all his property in his
presence, a member of his family per-
ishing in the flames. He had often
threatened that he would tear out his
eyes, and everything that could be
thought dangerous was kept out of his
way. He, however, got hold of book
which described the Chinese method of
binding offenders of high position by
placing a small portion of quick lime
over the eyes, and tying it down with
wet bandage. He procured some lime,
applied it in this manner, and destroyed
his sight. .r.E..-..-. ..-
THE Japanese Ambassador in Paris
makes himself conspicuous with tissue
paper pocket handkerchiefs. Fash
time he has to blow his bose the
change of climate has brought on
cold) he pulls forth a small square of
the finest silver tissue, marked all over
with cabalistic signs, which one would
think would make his cold worse.
When he has Used it he throws it
away, and as the gan,in de Paris is
imaginative he is possessed with the
notion that these pocket handkerchiefs
are bank notes. The consequence is
that the unfortunate sufferer cannot
walk abroad without being followed by
a train of urchins pitching and tossing
over each other for the delicate squaree
as they fall. On one occasion the Am
bassador, having only sneezed, put the
supposed bank note back in his
pocket, when garoche behind cried
out that His Excellency "wasn't fair"
GEoLoGIsTs have long taught that at
least the west coast of Greenland is
slowly sinking below the sea. This
doctrine is confirmed by DIR. Brown,
who recapitulates the principal points
on which it rests. The following are
among the facts which he enumerates
Near the end of the last century
small, rocky island was observed to be
entirely submerged at springtide high
water, yet on it were the remains of a
house, rising six feet above the ground
fifty years later the submergence had SO
far increased that the ruins alone were
ever left above water. The foundations
of an old storehouse, fuilt on the island
in 1776, are now dry only at low water.
The remains of native houses are in one
locality seen beneath the sea. In 1853
the Moravian Mission establishment
was founded about two miles from
Fiskernesset, but in fifty years they
were obliged to move, at least once, the
posts on which they rested their " omi-
aks,' or seal-skin boats. Some of the
posts may yet be seen under the water.
The dwellings of several Greenlaud d
families, who lived ON Savage Point
from 172I to 1876, are now overfowed
by every tide. In one locality, the
ruins of old Greenland houses are to be
seen at low water. a.a