The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-08-28
TIMELY TOPICS
Artificial ice factories are successfully
running In several Southern cities.

TIMELY TOPICS.
Artificial ice factories are successfully
running In several Southern cities.
All the members of the family Of No.
beling, who tried to kill the German
emperor, have changed their name to
Edeling.
It is estimated that the number of
settlements on public lands this year
will be nearly double those of last year.
The land Office at Washington is hard ct
work in consequence Of the increase.
A regular system of kidnapping the
Chinese and sending them as laborers
on the haciendas (plantations) in the
northern part of Peru has been discov-
cred in Callao. The government has
begun earnestly to correct and reform
the labor system, and make the condi-
ton of the Chinese laborers more tolera-
BILE.
Do hens eat live bees? A Los Angeles
(Cal.) agriculturist seems to throw some
light on this mooted question. He says
that having often caught his poultry in
the fragrant act--standing in front Of
the hives and taking the busy insects as
they pass in aud out-be. finally dis
patched one and found in her crop $50
beesl
The conundrum about the pins is we'll
enough, but who breaks all the needles ?
A single factory in Redditch, England,
turns out between 5000, 600 and 7,0OO,-
900 Of them each week: or about $780,
900, 900 o year, which is equal to one
third the population of the globe. With
all the factories in the world going, who
breaks these billions of needles?
The territory which Turkey loses by
the Treaty of Berlin is roughly ,estimat-
ed by the London Daily Mews at sew
enty-one thousand five hundred square
miles, or more than the whole area Of
England and Wales. The loss in popu-
lation amounts to more than three and a
half millions, or somewhat more than
the entire population of London.
Patagonia is a very attractive country.
It's climate is of the coolest, it's men, are
of the %tallest, and it's women of the ugli-
est specimens of the human race. Its
mice are like wise gigantic, and the na-
tives display an ineradicable disposition
to tell lies. This delightful country is
destined to become very important in
consequence of the recent discovery OF
gold therein. From the Cordilleras to
the Atlantic, from the Santa Cruz to
Terra del Fuego, the country teens
with gold.
A simple method, but one not gener-
ally known, of discriminating between
real and spurious diamonds, is 10 i'm
merse the specimen in water. If a gen
uine diamond, it will sparkle with al
most undiminished light and brilliancy
of color; but if it be spurious, whether
paste or rock crystal, the "fre" Of the
gem will be completely quenched.
Another simple test is to draw a small
steel file across the stone. If real, the
stone will not be hurt; if imitation, it
will be badly marred.
A young Chinese princess, wife OF the
ambassador of the empire to London
and Paris, attracted much attention at
the Paris Exposition lately, as she pro-
ceeded from one section to another,
drawn in a bath chair, and in a magnif-
cent costume Of her country. She is
wholly unacquainted with either the
French or English language, and was
accompanied by Mrs. Hart, wife OF the
commissioner-general of China, who ex-
planned to her the curlosities OF the Ex-
position. The princess was interested in
all she saw, her pleasure partaking of
the child-like delight attending the
first sight Of so many marvels.
Bishop Whitaker, Of Virginia City,
has been giving the Nevada newspapers
some queer stories of his experiences
in a recent tour through the towns Of
Typo and Ward, New. At Typo he
could get no building to preach in but a
gambling-house, and in response to the
Litany, instead OF "Amen," an excited
listener, with his pants in his boots,
cried "Keno." At Ward, a horse race
had been announced for the afternoon,
but at the bishops earnest request the
racing was postponed till the religious
services were over. The whole congre-
CATION went from the church to the race
track as 1901 as the sermon was finished.
What the traveller in France must ex-
pect in the way of charges is told by a
Paris correspondent, who says: Every
thing a Frenchnan. does he expects pay
for: even as low as half a cent is CRATE
fully received, larger sums in proper
ton. You pay for everything you get;
your coffee, sugar, milk, all separate:
Every item is spread out with the most
minute care, and when it is time to pay
your bill you wonder at the string, but
as figures can't lie, of course you must
hand over. Order q lemonade, wine, or
any drink-the French drink everything
hot, an American can't. Well, you order
ice. In YOU bill will be three items:
First, your glass; second, your drink;
third, your ice. Wonder that they don't
charge rent while you stand in their
house. You are tired, wish to rest
yourself, and enter a park and sit down.
A woman comes around with q bell
punch and q slip of paper, and unless
you give her six confines (two cents)
she hands you over to the tender mer-
cies of the police as q swindler and q
fraud. I am not exaggerating q bit.
There is no gas in bedrooms, and they
charge you for your candle beside the
rent of your room.
Some Old American Laws.