The Portland daily press., 1877-08-03
FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST 8.
News and Other Items

N0Hs anu UCuer Items.
Ihe gallant old soldier, Sir Fenwick Will
.ams' says the London World, who gained his
Lille from the fortress he SO nobly defended,
mas expressed his admiration at the way in
winch kars has held out in the present cam
paign. The principal redoubts and lines of for
Hhcaton are at points he himself considered
vital in 1856
The Russian military authorities have lately
been making experiments in lighting fortresses
by electricity, and have decided to supply all
the principal fortresses with the requisite APP
paratus
p I. Barnum has been lecturing for the ma
tional temperance league in England, Rev.
newman Hall presiding. When he went to
ENGLAND in 1912 with Gen. Tom Thumb he
made large fortune. He had been drinker
10 some little extent but when he went there
he took more drink, for he believed that in
England more stimulants were drunk than even
10 America. He stopped the use of stimulants
In lS47, and for twenty years he had not had
an ache or pain, though he was now So.
y. U. Marshman, the man who founded the
only weekly political paper in India-which he
made great authority-has just died in Eng
land He set up the first paper mill in India,
rebuilt ami re.endowed great college at his
own expense; he gave away at least 100000
out OF merely professional income; compiled
the first 'Code of Civil Law" huge book,
big as several Bibles, and then translated it
with his own hand for the people, saying shat
no man should lose property for his ease,' and
Tor quarter of century without break
worked 10 hours a day at full speed.
A carrier pigeon and a locomotive recently
had race from Dover to London, rs miles, and
although the locomotive did its best the pigeon
arrived twenty minutes ahead. making in 56
minutes the distance accomplished by the loco
motive in 76 minutes
The Albany typographical union has reduced
the scale of weekly wages 81 on all classes ex-
cept pressmen, the revised scale being as fol-
lows: Book compositors $15 on morning news.
papers $l8, on evening newspapers $15, on
weekly newspapers $15, on job work SIG, press
work $lS Piece work is as follows: Book
compositors, 40 cents thousand; morning pa.
pers, 40 cents; evening papers, 35 cents.
San Franciscans are awakening to the fact
that their municipal government is very ex-
travagantly operated. The total city expendi-
lures last year amounted to about 81, 900 900. Of
which 81, 691. 230 went for salaries, which is an
average tax of $2S for each taxpayer for this
purpose alone. Some of the salaries paid are
Mayor $4,000, sheriff $4,000, superintendent Of
schools $4,000, municipal judges $4,000, and the
various heads of departments $4,000 each. while
there are special fees that also swell the re-
ceipts of numerous officials enormously. Sim
ecures abound, and altogether the California
capital would seem to furnish first class field
for civil service reform.
George Ward Hunt, first Lord Of the British
Admiralty, died at Hamburg on Monday. He
was born at Buckhurst, England, in 1926, edu-
Gated at Elton and Oxford, admitted to the ba
In 1851, but practiced only little before hi
turned his attention to politics. After two de
feats, he was in 1857 returned to Parliamen
from Northampton as a conservative, which
borough he represented up to the time of hi
death. He became financial secretary to th,
treasury in 1866, chancellor of the exchequer ii
1868, and when Disraeli formed his cabinet he
was appointed first Lord of the British Admir-
atty. His wife, daughter of the Bishop o
Eden and Moray, whom he married in 1857
survives him.
Ip preparing to move the obelsk at Alexan
dria, two inscriptions have been found upor
it-one in Latin, the other in Greek. They FL
as the year of its erection at Alexandria, b.
Barbarus, project of Egypt, the eighth yea
of Augustus Caesars reign. Fortius, the engi
neer, did it,
The managers of the Permanent Exhibition
in Philadelphia appeal to the citizens for con
tribution of $4,000 as working capital for tn
institution, without which it,cannot succeed
The question of'the reputation Of the great
er part of the state debt is prominent featur
in the pending campaign in Virginia. The sew
eral gubernatorial candidates are required t
define their position on this question.
Collector Freeman of Brooklyn, is again il
trouble. Twelve specifications have been file
against him, including criminal charges. The
are made by Brooklyn business men, who sa
that witnesses will beifur nished to prove thei
charges if they can be guaranteed lfromlprose
cution.
A correspondent of the Chicago Times ha
seen letter which was dropped by some of th
numerous tramps hargingsabout Vinton, lows
dated July 8, which stated that before tn
month was out there would be a general IN
rising Of the unemployed and many who wer
employed. 1t spoke of an organization of
million of men throughout The country.
The city of Kars is said to have received bu
triflng harm from the Russian bombardmen
Though 40, 900 shells were hurled at it, but fe'
actually fell in the inhabited part tof the towr
The place is so thoroughly protected by its zon
of forts that it was only those shells thatiwer
fred with an extreme elevation which fell
the place itself, and only two or three house
were burned, and three women, four childre
and two old men were killed.