The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-11-21
Editorial Notes.

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GustaYe Dore, the celebrated French
artist, is contemplating a visit to this
country.
A London firm has undertaken 8
contract with the German government
to raise the Grosser Kurfurst, sunk in
the British Channel by her consort, the
K@nig Wilhelm, for the sum of $3.50,
060.
Recent Investigations seem to prove
that either very cold or very hot
weather is equally fatal to the euca-
lyptus tree, whose beneficial effect IN
malarial regions is attracting so much
attention in Europe.
Paris correspondents of the London
newspapers say that the soldierly ap-
pearance and fine marching of the
American marines excited general ad-
miration when they paraded before
Marshal MacMahon the other day.
The London Times shows unusual
comprehension of the political situa-
tion in considering it not improbable
that both Tilden and Thurman will
disappear from the front ranks of the
Democracy before 1880, and that Bay
ard will be that party's candidate for
President.
Negotiations have been set on foot
by two parties, one in England, and
the other in Paris, for the purchase of
the London Daily Telegraph. The only
question is the matter of price, the
sum asked being $4, 250, 600. The cir
culation of this paper Is said to aver
age 200, 900 daily, and Lawson, Levy
& Co., the proprietors, are willing to
sell and start new paper.
Mr.. Edison's electric light invention
employs a platinum coil, which is
raised to incandescence by it's resist
ance to the passage of current of
electricity through it. The idea has
been experimental on very extensively
for the last quarter of century, but
the popularity of Mr.. Edison's inven-
ton is device to prevent the wire
fusing, and this, it is claimed, has
been accomplished by SO applying a
small bar that it will expand the in
stant the wire reaches the fusing point
and intercept the flow of the current
through the wire sufficiently to prevent
fusing.
sent recently by the
Czar to the Ameer of Cabul were of
two descrlptions-person and gov
ernmental. The personal presents coz
sist of sabre, richly ornamented with
diamonds, rubies and pearls, harness,
etc. The governmental presents in
clude two mountain batteries-steel
Krupp guns, with the Brodwell
ring, and 800 rounds per gun. An
other present consists of 800 men in
uniform, who, after having accompa-
MED the caravans to Cabul, have re-
mained there. These men are officers
and non n-commissioned officers of artil-
iery and engineers.
A life insurance suit, six years old,
has resulted, but probably not ended,
in a verdict for the plaintiff, as suits
against life insurance company usu-
ally do when the plaintiff has any sort
of good case. In this the Mutual
Life, of New York, declined to pay the
policy of $40, 900 placed on the life of
Edward Magarge, because his quarter
ly premium, due on the fourteenth of
January, 1871, was not rendered the
agents until the sixteenth, the inter
vening day being Sunday. No notice
had been sent him, as usual, and there
stood to his credit as member of the
Mutual Company a share of the surplus
more than enough to pay the premium.
Under the non-forfeitable laws of Mas
sachusetts and Maine no such sudden
confiscation as this could even have
been attempted, and in this case the
verdict of the jury was that it ought
not to have been.
British Consul General Playfsir has
forwarded to the -oreign office, in Lon
don, an account of the results in his
experiments in raising and planting
the eucalyptus in Algeria. The local
ity chosen for these trees should be
one possessing climate similar to that
of the Mediterranean basin. Extreme!
of cold or heat are both fatal to sue
cess. The eucalyptus will stand 8
slight amount of frost If not of loue
continuance, and considerable
amount of drought if well rooted but
it is as hopeless to attempt to grow II
within the tropics as it would be il
the north of Scotland. The eucalyp
tus will best succeed where there arr
only two marked seasons-the eco
and rainy one, lasting from October tC
April, and the hot and dry one, from
May to September. The experience
hitherto gained il Algeria points t.
only two species as sufficiently hardy
to be grown on q great scale--the eu
calyptus globulus, or blue gum, an6
the eucalyptus resinitera, or red gum