The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-09-21
MINORs:TOPICS.

The Russian Government has under
taken the difficult task of unifying the
Russian language. A recent ukase pro-
hibits the publication or sale of books
printed in the dialecto of Little Russia, as
we'll as dramatic performances or lectures
in it. This ukase is very distasteful to
the 100000 Little Russians, or
Rathenians, who like their own language,
though they live under the Gear.
A WATER nymph, named Ida Steele. of
Bloomington, Illinois, has challenged her
sex generally for ten mile swim down
the Mississippi River. A Miss Pauline
has accepted the challenge, and so has a
third young lady; and the match, it is
stated, will certainly come of at an early
day. 1t is predicted that there will not
be steamboats, enough to contain the
crowds that will flock to see the sport"
The Constantinople underground rail
way, extending from Galatea to Pera, is
pronounced an entirely satisfactory work.
This unique railway is nearly seven hun.
dred yards long, and conveys passengers
from the level of the Bosphorus to the
extreme heights of Pera, an elevation
of two hundred feet, with an average
gradient of one in ten. Its greatest depth
below the surface is eighty feet. The
motive power is stationary engine,
working drum with endless bands
Trains run up and down simultaneously
every five minutes, and are calculated to
carry thirty thousand passengers per
diem, the cars workiog very easily at an
average speed of ten miles an hour. This
enterprise is under the management of
an English company.
A MOST interesting observation, re-
ferring to the power Of termination in
seed which is hundreds and even thous-
ands of years old, is said to have been
made by Professor Hendreich in Greece.
In the silver mines of Laurium, only
the slags left by the ancient Greeks are
at present worked of, in order to gain,
after an improved modern method,
silver still left in that dross. This refuse
ore is probably about two thousand
years old. Among it, the seed of
species of glaucium or poppy was found,
which had slept in the darkness of the
earth during all that time. After little
while, when the slags were brought up
II boz NH M tha
there suddenly arose crop of glaucium
plants, with beautiful yellow flower, of
- kind unknown in modern botany, but
which is described by Pliny and others
rs frequent flower in ancient Greece.
The British Parliamentary session of
1876 was a busy one. The House of
Lords sat on ninety-four days, the Com
mons on one hundred and twenty-five
days. The Commons sat for above one
thousands hours, the Lords little more
than two hundred hours or eight hours
and two hours respectivelyat each session.
The House of Lords only divided ten
times, the Commons two hundred and
twenty-six times. The Lords, meeting
at five p. in., only once sat beyond mid
night, the Commons, meeting at four p.
H., sat beyond midnight on no less than
seventy-nine occasions. The largest di-
vision in the session was on the 11th of
May, when Sir II. James, vote of censure
in respect Of the Royal Titles Proclama-
tion was negatived by three hundred
and thirty-four noes against two hundred
and twenty.six ayes. On one day only,
the 10Th of May, when the Prince of
Wales was entertained in the city on his
return from India, the very rare circum-
stance of "No House occurred.
A NEW YORK correspondent of the
Boston journal writes: Bessie Turner
is living in our neighborhood. Her
financial condition is not affluent. Her
$40, which she is said to have received
at the trial, did not 90 far. The books
that were published in her name were
written for her by friend, and she re-
ceived $1,000 on the two. She has not
been successful in her efforts to get em-
plOyment, and claims to be in necessi-
tous circumstances. She has talent
enough for teacher or governess but
her services are not in demand. She
borrowed few dollars the other day of
personal friend, stating that she was
actually in need. She has had one or
two places, but remained only short
time. Mrs. Tilton lives in quiet way
in Brooklyn with her mother. She is al
most completely isolated. She supports
herself by giving music lessons in a few
families within the circle in which she
moves; and in this manner she will
spend her winter.
TEE novel sight of one hundred and
thirteen Chinese boys at the Centennial,
accompanied by several professors and
teachers from their respective colleges in
Hartford and New Haven, was witnessed
in Philadelphia lately. Their first visit
was to the Chinese department in the
main building, and after greeting their
countrymen they partook of dinner, and
in the afternoon employed their time
visiting the different machinery depart.
ments, in which they seemed to take
great interest, inquiring about and
examining closely all those parts under
the supervision and care of women.
They are reported as rather a fine-look-
ing set of young heathens. and are doing
well in their different collegiate studies,
the expenses of which are to be paid out
OF one million and a half of dollars ap-
propriated for that purpose by the
Chinese Government. Their trip to the
Centennial will cost about two thousand
dollars, and they viii remain about one
week.
HERR Won DER SEEDEN. once a Pms