The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-03-22
The Old World.

The floating swimming bath on the
Thames has been covered with ice,
frozen by artiscisl means, three inches
thick, the best specimen of artificial
1 -congelation yet produced.
Last month the German Emperor
ordered onG of the medals which he
presents to those who CALAMITY save
4 life to be sent to Viscount de Gontant
| Biron, the French ambassador at Ber-
lin, who imperilled his life by stopping
a runaway horse.
Speculation has exhausted itself in
the attempt to discover how the Earl
OF Beacensfield, in his seventy-second
year. managed for so long time to
hold upright and steady the massive
sword of state which he bore on the
opening day Of Parliamen'. A younger
man might have been pardoned for
trembling. But Lord Beaconstield
managed to keep it straight between
his eyes. The truth is that-to mis-
quote Longfellow-
The velvet scabbsrd held no sword OF steel.
and that, had he unfortunately been
hidden that day to strike for his Queen
and country, he would have struck
with-a la,h. The sword was only q
dummy.
The minuteness of detail bestowed
by the German government on army
matters is curiously illustrated in a re-
cent book by Major General Won Kampz
on the internal organization of forti-
fed town during war. 1t contains rules
for the guidance of the clergy. Iu
their fist sermon they are to take for
u text the thirteenth chapter of st.
Paul to the Romans, and urge upon
the inhabitants an unqualified submis-
sion to the military authorities. They
are also to regularly pray for the sue
cess and we'll being of the troops, and
to frequently impress upon the people
that the soldiers are carrying out the
principles of loving their neighbors by
defending them, and by fighting also
for their country.
The German government is busily
engaged in fortIfying both banks Of
the Rhine. Some time ago two IRON
clad sloops were sent up the river to
Strasbourg; but as it has since been
| found that the banks of the stream are
too high to admit of their command
ing the adjacent country, they have
been sent back to CoblentZ. Other
measures have, however, been adopted,
among them the construction of a tete
de pOnt by every railway company car
rying bridge over the Rhine. Per-
mission 20 build a bridge is only granted
upon the undertaking of the company
tn nrOUi6Q fha
sufficient for making tete do ponte.
This has been done in the cases of the
fixed bridge above Dusseldorf, that of
Rheinhausen and that of Vessel.
A Dublin paper prints a letter ad-
dressed by an Irishman in New York
to board of town councillors in the
former city, petitioning them to dis
suade all intending emigrants from
leaving Ireland for America in these
times. He claims to know scores of
his countrymen to be starving here at
present, who had never needed tho
necessaries of life in their native land
that trade was hopelessly stagnant,
and the public confidence destroyed.
The letter was appropriately produced
by one of the members of the board
during discussion as to whether that
body were prepared to advance the
means of going to the United States to
a'deserving candidate for such favor.
Biased by the letter, the board re-
fused TO send the applicant to Amer
lea.
The official residence-heavy with
memories of departed celebrities-of
the prime minister in Downing street,
London, has just been admirably deco
rated and furnished. 1t is externally
only common brick house of mean
appearance, and was built as a mere
uri ua4---~SIucnCe. DIsIaUIr uVcs |
not live there, though Mr.. Gladstone,
who economically used to let his pri-
vste house on Carlton House Terrace
for portion of the year, sometimes
did so. The pannelled walls of the
principal reception room have been
painted dead creamy white, with rich
silken stuff hung in the larger panels,
while in the smaller several most inter
esting historic paintings have been in
troduced, the panels forming frame
in perfect harmony with the room.
A portrait of Sir Robert Walpole-no
one ever speaks of him as Lord Oxford,
though people have already begun to
call "Dizzy" Lord Beaconsfield-is
over the. mantelpIece, aud the story
goes that when Lord b. was asked in
what style he would like the house re-
furnished and furnished, he pointed to
his famous predecessors portrait and
said, furnish it for that picture"
The fall of Midhat, the premier of
Turkey, is as mysterious as a page out
of the Arabian Nights. He was sum-
moned to the palace, as he told one
who tells the story in the London Ne,cs,
and charges were made against him
out of stock of police gossip kept on
hand, he says, for use against obnox-
ious ministers. He repealed them
with contempt, when word was
brought; to, him from the Sultan: "Do |
not be cast down. hope soon to see
you back again, but at present |
you must leave your country for !
your country's good" And he |
was taken to the yacht, which had |
steam up, given money, and, after a
chance to send word around to Mrs, |
Midhst and get clean handkerchief, |
was sped to Italy. They say that q |
big Russian bride did it, but, in
Turkey, Russia is the evil deity whose
agency is seen in every transaction.
No arrests have been made or other
confirmation given of the theory Of a
This writer positively de.
MES that a council of ministers sat in
his case, or that he made any confess
sions. 1t seems to be case of the ap-
plication of the old Athenian law of
ostracIsm under which a citizen who
became dangerously smart was invited
by popular vote to take vacation out
of town.
r Burial in wicker cases meets in Eng
land with q success that was denied TO
cremation. The movement in favor of
that venerable method of disposing of
the deao has been completely deserted
by its friends, having failed to gain
the least, popular acceptance, and
awakened instead an extrayagant oppo-
sition. But Seymour Haden's plan,
according to Conway, is destined to
success. Mr.. Haden is an artist of
some note, particularly in etching, and
married daughter of the American
engineer Whistler, and half sister to
the painter of that name. This notion
of burial in open wicker coffins has
something of the artist in its coneep-
lion; and when he exhibited a variety
Of styles OF these cases, made under
bis direction, at Stafford House in
London, their resemblance to infants
I