Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-03-25
Alefanoria 6azGte
MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 8.

| MONDAY EVENING, MARCA -.
IRISH WITNESSES. An IriShman, examined
before Fishery Commission, seemed so inc'in'
od to ayow anything, that oOc of the commls'
sioners asked If there were au5 whales Oh tne
west coast? "Is it whsles?' said Pat. sure
ve NAV seem BY the dozen, spoutiug about like
wather engines all over the place. Are there
mapv dog fish? was the next question. legs,
begorra ye'd say so had ye passed inc nlsp;;
here. Sure We can't sleep for the 6arkln o
thin" do flying fish abound hcreE quofled
another gentleman "Fiying fish, IS 1t! quoth
the yeracious fellow. 1T We didn't put up Inc
shutters over night there wouldn { DC wnoI1
pane O. glass in the house tJr the craters pa'ln
against thim!" When he came up for MS ex-
penscs, Pot tried to coax something extri ~
of the commissioners, on the plea tha5 Sm hc nay
sworn to everything their honors axeJ
him. Nothing pleaSes your iup'ioVlng lfisn I
man better than to bother lawyer, aoo
tho Irish courts have kuown many a Ola,
logue like this: "You arc Roman CatholcE
"Am ?' "Aro you not 2" You say L am.
Come, sir; what's your religion e. Inc ,,,f
true religion. l." "What religion that + NY
religion. And what is your rellg'on' wy
mothers rclgion?' "What was your mothers
se1sl0P Ysn bless voursc nns fa dout you when i'm
done with YOU | will" "What place Of wor,,
shin do YOU 20 to ?' "ihc most convayuient.'
"Of what persuasion arc you ?'."My persua'
sion is that you won't find out. ''What is
YOUR beliefl' "Thst you are puzzlcd DS
you confess ?" ''Not to you" "Who would
you write to if you were likely to die {? "Inc
DOCTOR" 81 insist upon you answering me. s!r;
Arc you Roman Catholic Z VI am: anu
why didn you soy SO at onco & I gu never
axed me. You said | was great mapy things,
but you never axed me you wero drlVln Grass
words and crooked questions at me, and
thought it was manners to cut my behaviour on
your own patthcrn.
OLD BRIDGES IN CuINA.-Thc most re-
marksblc evidence OF the mechanical skill and
science of tho Chinese at an carly period. IL to
be found 10 their suspension bridges, the ln'
vention of which is assigned to the Ham dy'
nasty. According to the current testimony OF
all their historical and geographical WRITER'S
Sanglcapg, the commander Of the army under
Ksou.tsoo, the first of the Hams, undertook
and complctcd the formation of roads through
the mountainous province OF tho Shensha TO
the west of the capital. Hitherto, its lofty
hills and deep valleys had rendered commuul,.
cation difficult and circuitous. With body or
100, 900 laborers ho cut passages. over the
mountains, throwing the removed soil lnto
the valleys, and where this was not sufficient to
raise tho road the required height nc con-
structed bridges, which rested on pillars or
abutments. In another place he conceived and
accomplished the daring project CT suspcndlng
bridge from one mOunta!n TO auother over
deep chasn. The bridges, which are called By
the Chinese writer's, very appropriately, hyI0S
bridges, and arc represented to oe numerous
IT the present day, are sometimes so nigh teat
they cannot be travcrsed without alarm. Ooo
still exists in Shensa, stretchlOg tour hundred
feet from mouutain 10 mountain over chasm
Of over five hundred feet. Most Of these hylag
bridges arc SO wide that four borscmon can
ride or them abreast, and baustradcs are
placed ca cacu side to protect ;rave!cr9. Ii ls
By no means improbable Us Mr.. Partller
suggested) that some men who went to Cli'a"
made known the fact over & century and bail
ago that the Chinese had suspension bridges,
aud that many OF them were made OF iron, the
hiut may have been taken from thence for sitnl.
Ter construction by Elroneel engincers