, 1878-03-09
It is proposed in England to

1t is proposed in England to
divert a portion of the flood
water Of the Nile into the
deserts of Libia, Nubia and Soo-
dan. The yearly Nile floods are
caused by the influx of water la
den with soil from the Abyssin-
ian plateau. This silt Is now
principally deposited in the Med
iterranean, where it is forming a
new delta. The protector of this
gigantic scheme is Sir Samuel
Baker, who suggests the con-
struction Of sluicss and dams at
different points Of the Nile, in
cluding the cataracts, and as
serts that these latter would
then be rendered navigable, and
enable craft to sail from the
Mediterranean to GondokOro.
Sir Samuel thinks that, by means
of an irrigation of the deserts, a
range Of cotton fields could be
created which would render
England independent of Ameri-
ca for the great staple.
A Manchester, England, physi-
clan, DR.. Crompton. who has made
a study of the care of infants, gives
some information to mothers, in re-
gard to the cause of the common
determines known as bow legs and
knock knees. He attributes the first
mentioned distortion to habit some
youngsters delight in of rubbing the
sole Of one foot againt that of the
other; some will go to sleep with the
soles pressed together. They ap-
pear to enjoy the contact only when
the feet are naked; they don't at
tempt to make it when they are
sooked or slippered. The remedy is
simply to keep the baby's soles GOV
cred. Knock knees the doctor as.
cribes to different childish habit,
that of sleeping ON the side, with
one knee tucked into the. hollow be-
hind the other. Here the preventa-
tive is to pad the inside of the knees
so as to keep them apart, and let the
limbs grow freely.
Tho Maxwell family's adventure,
near Fort Bozsman, was like an in
cident in an Indian dime novel.
They numbered six men and two
women, and were travelling in
wagon, to a border settlement. See
ing the approach of band of hostile
savxges, they decided to select IA
vorable position in which to defend
themselves, and soon found a spot
that was bounded on two sides by a
deep, wide gorge. They hastily
built a barricade Of the wagon,
stones and earth. working all of one
night at it. In the morning the In
diars made an attack, but the men
in the fort, armed with breech-load-
ing rifles, repulsed them. During
two days the fighting was kept up.
and then a rescuing party of SOL
diers arrived. Eight Indians we're
killed, and one of the white men
was injured.
Brig. Gen. Bertrand, son of the
Gen. Bertrand who. accompanied
Napoleon to st. Helena, died lately
in Paris at the age of 81. He passed
several years in New York previous
to his leaving in 1854 for the Cri-
mean war, and was prominent fig
ure in the fashionable world of that
day. He was an eccentric and un-
Trustworthy person, bnt highly es-
teemed by Napoleon Ill, who main
tanned him his rank of General out
of consideration for the memory of
his father, but gave him no COM
mand. Bertrand, therefore, while
in the Crimea, attached himself to
the command of various generals,
and was entrusted with duties which
did not entail great responsibility.
If he did not find employment to his
taste with one General, he would
wander to another.
At a London theater recently
disgraceful scene took place.
A man in stage box amused
himself by fishing for the ankles
of the ballet girls with the crook
of his cane, causing one Of them
to retire in tears from the foot
lights. He then commenced
abusing one of the actors who
crossed over to the box, and
slapped his prosecutors face.
The man climbed out of the box
to the stage and went for the
actor; real stage fight ensued,
during which the curtain was
dropped and the disturber of the
peace given into custody.
Irigney, small commune in
the environs Of Lyon, France,
has received a bequest Of $780,
900. 1t will be invested in
school buildings, an asylum for
the aged, and in maintaining a
physician and apothecary, who
will give their services gratuit-
ously toall who have resided ten
years with the commune. The
testator simply left the money,