The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-10-28
MINOR TOPICS.


AN engine has been invented in Pari
which is driven by the alternate expan
sion and contraction of oil or some othe
liquid, contained in cylinders. Tn
liquid is heated SO as to expand by th
application of hot water passing through
small tubes, and cooled so as to contrac
by means of refrigerating mixtur,
similarly applied.
THAT famous duel between two st
Louis editors will hardly be matter o
history. The grand jury of Winnebagt
county, Illinois, have failed to find 9
person that knows anything about it
The people living where it is alleged te
have occurred never heard anything
about it, and as far as living witnesses
are concerned it might as well have never
been.
AT the funeral of his favorite daughter
the Khedive distributed among the crowd
100000 pieces of silver coin, from one to
five piasters each. Upon the lid of the
coffin the jewelry of the deceased, valued
at three million forms, was exhibited.
Iwenty-four bufIaloes were killed by the
priests before the Mosque Rilah at Cairo,
roasted and eaten, and then three thou
sand priests said prayers by the tombs
for seven days.
COME predictions that the oyster cror
will be exceptionally heavy and good
this year. The best season is before us,
say the bivalvular prophets, that has
been known for fifteen years. The
plantation owners al Newark Bay,
Amboy and other points along Long
Island Sound are expecting a yield of
two million bushels, and profits of from
$5OO,000 to 100000. In that neighbor-
hood, two thousand men and one thou
sand vessels ofall descriptions are engaged
in supplying the oyster business.
HUNDREDS of operatives are employed
in the French capital in the interesting
occupation of lining false pearls with
fish-scales and wax. The scales of the
roach and dace are chiefly used for this
purpose. They are stripped from the
fish while living, cruel process, which
is defended on the ground that in no
other way can the glistening hue so much
admired in the real pearl be initiated.
Partisan pearls have, of late years, been
made so perfect that the Roman pearl
has, to a great extent, been superseded.
The setting is always of real gold, and the
fashion of the newest kind.
THE contractors for furnishing clothing
to the army and navy, some of them at
least, have reduced the practices of
fraud and deception almost to fine art.
The soldiers used to complain that the
soles of the shoes furnished them were
only shingles stained with a leather
colered dye. The last batch furnished
to the marine corps are samples of far
more artistic workmanship. The soles
are composed of pressed chips and rags
covered skillfully with veneering of
leather, so that they passed inspection
without difficulty. The average time
that shoes of this description last is four
teen days.
IT seems there is another side to the
of the potato disease which has
caused 80 much interest of late.- w. G.
Smith, who attributes the disease to the
growth of fungus, and who has received
great celebrity for having discovered the
resting spores of the fungus, is met by
Arthur Sargent in the Gardeners
Chronicle, who writes his belief that the
whole difficulty is the work of neither
fungus nor microscopic Larvae of insects,
but that these are only symptomatic of
the disease already in the plant; that the
disease itself arises from some shock to
that department of vital energy of the
plant presiding over its power of absorp-
ton, exhalation, ETC." We confess a
liking for the fungus theory the best, be-
cause it has not that indescribable indef-
niteness of the latter, and seems to pin
the matter to beginning like that of
similar diseases in other plants.
INFORMATION from Macon, Mo-, says
that it is now settled fact that gold
there in paying quantities. An
Did miner from California has just COM
pleted a prospecting tour, and in four
days gathered from the surface of the
ground one hundred dollars. Great ex-
element prevails over the recent devel-
opments, and the hills are covered with
who, in spite of their mex
perience, make fair wages. This new
gold region is about twenty-one miles
northwest of Macon, and twelve miles
from the northern branch of the st.
Louis, Kansas City and Northern road.
It is on the Charlton river, but the ex-
tent is not known, as no thorough pros
pect has been made. The country is
very rough, and has always been regarded
as next to worthless. Part of lit is owned
by the Hannibal and st. Joseph Railroad
Company, but it mostly belongs to
private parties.
Boston MillIonaires.
Some of the solid men of Boston are
thus noticed by the Traveller: The re-
puted richest man in BO&ton in 1850 was
Ebenezer Francis, who was rated at
b3, ,000, 900, not far from the exact amount