The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-05-26
FOREIGN ITEMS.


ish navy, but in 1876 there were only
fourteen instances.
CHARIvARI declares that London has
eight months of winter and four months
of bad weather.
THE fisheries of Iceland have failed
for third successive wear, and great
distress is thereby caused among the in
habitants.
EMPEROR WILLIAM of Germany has
eighty eight decorations. He wears the
insignia of very near all the orders of
THE city of Paris owns seventy-six
edifices consecrated to religious services.
Notre Dame and the Pantheon are the
property of the State.
TIE Japan varnish-tree has been
13ianted in great numbers in the Paris
parks. 1t resists the ravages of dust and
storm better than other trees.
In Turkey, John Smith is known as
Yeo Sect, and he is numerous enough to
make the epokoitchitskies and Ho-
honlanosoffs good deal of trouble
E0utS0iHe Courier journal.
DURING the siege of Paris 1858 carrier
pigeons were sent out in balloons, of
which but seventy-three returned But
that small number brought ito the be-
leaguered city rs, 900 public and private
dispatches, being an average of SIS per
bird-a result achieved by the aid Of
photography.
AN island was put up at auction in
London on April 8, with no bidders. 1t
was Herm, one of the Channel Islands,
three miles from Guernsey and Sark,
comprising an area of 400 acres, with a
good harbor, granite quarries, excellent
fishing, an old-fashioned residence with
a chapel and a new villa and no taxes.
SOUTH AFRICA sustains the privileges
of the press. The editor of a newspa-
per published in the Gold Fields was
prosecuted for libel on the Gold Com
missioner, and in default of paying fine
OF e37 los. was committed to prison for
three months. On tins becoming known
Il body of diggers broke into the Jail
and carried off the editor in triumph.
THE Turkish naval force is now COM
posed of two imperial yachts, six iron
clad frigates, nine iron-c clad corvettes,
two iron-clad monitors, four frigates,
five iron clad gunboats, four ships f-the-
line, seven corvettes, fifteen coast guard
vessels, five schooners, four cannon
slOops, and fifty-three nondescript YES
sels-in all 116, with 759 guns and 49,
03S men. ..., 4. r.e.r.l
THERE was great excitement in a rail
way carriage in Bohemia the other day.
a woman entered the smoking-car, and,
Just as the train started, thrust her head
out of the window and screamed that
there was snake under her seat. The
guard came in, and, after great trouble
and excitement, slew the snake, which,
however, proved to be an eel weighing
five pounds. a, .a.
THE Crown Prince of Germany is
compositor by trade, and Kaiser Will
helm is a glazier, though he has not
practiced his profession fer number of
years. All the Prussian princes have to
learn some handicraft, not in order to
provide against hard times, but that they
may learn the feelings of the common
people. Unser Fritz has never worked
at the case more than eight hours a day,
and never can be persuaded by his en-
ployers to do so.
THE deplorable state of education in
ireland is shown by the fact stated in the
House. of Commons few weeks ago,
that the ilhterates in 1871 were 80 per
cent of the adult population. That is
10 say, every third man can neither read
nor write. In the report of 1870 the
Commissioners stated that of the chill
'dren on the school roll only 49, per
cent. passed in reading only per cent.
in writing, and 6 per cent. in dictation,
while only per cent, could do division
in money. s....... ....
AMONG the matrimonial announce
ments of Conjungo, the Paris marriage
broker, in the Petit Journal, may be no.
ticed: Young lady; age 80; fortune,
100, 900 francs" "Orphan; age 80; for
tune, 10000 francs" widow without
children; age 26; fortune, 100000
francs" Widow well preserved, age
SO; does not look more than %; no false
hair; has preserved all her teeth; plays
the piano sufficiently for dancing; tenn
per quick, but heart good; slight mus
tache; fortune, 10000 francs and an
uncle paralyzed on one side, whose doc
tor only gives him three months to live"
oiNOh Elludy, Dcpl. 10, lOiU, the WQlIe
figure of Plus TX. has never been seen in
the streets of Rome. On that day, for
the last time, he walked along the Corso
from end to end to disprove the report
that he had secretly escaped from the
city. He went as usual, down the mid
die of the road, an attendant Cardinal on
each side, his chaplain with two other
prelates following, and behind them a
few of the Noble Guard, walking at a
brisk pace, blessing the people who
knelt before him with affectionate rever-
ence, stopping from time to time to put
his hand on some child's head who had
run forward to kiss his ring. Then he
crossed the threshold of the Vatican he
has never since repassed.
GERMANY is far from having a free
press, or its writers are very audacious.
dGuido Weisz, the novelist, has just been
sentenced to three months Imprisonment
because he had said something in his
journal, the Wage, to offend royalty
For similar offenses the editor of the
Stuttgart SuddeutSche VOlks=eitung has
been sentenced to eight days imprison-
ment; the editor of the Leipsig Tdge6IaH
20 a fine of 300 marks and costs and a