Connecticut western news., 1879-08-06
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The continued concentration of

Deglnn1ng to be viewed WlGn susplclon in Austria, which has only $500 infan- try, $40 cavalry, 1,4O0 field artillery. 700 garrison artillery, and 200 engineers, or altogether force of 12,74O men, quartered in the neighborhood of her Italian frontier. Italy, on the other hand, has now assembled 49, 700 infan- try, 1O,36O cavalry, 7,20O field artillery,
 2,700 garrison artillery, and 3,750 en-
 gineers; or total force of 73,71O men
 of all arms of the service near the Aus
 trian frontier, the four fortresses form
 ing the famous Quadrilateral being es-
 pecially strongly garrisoned. It is also
 we'll known that much attention has
 been lately given by the Italian military
 authorities to perfecting the organization
 of the so-oalled Alpine troops-the force
 which, permanently quartered in the
 mountains on the northern frontier of
 Italy would, in the event of the latter
 country becoming involved in hostilities
 with either of her neighbors on the
 north, be called upon to cover the mo-
 bilization of the Italian forces, or act as
 an advanced guard to any forward move
 ment.
 -"I knew that I had arrived in 8
 civilized country" wrote a celebrated
 traveller, for the first object that met
 my eye after passed the frontier was 8
 newly painted gallows." If plenty of
 penal institutions indicate civilization,
 Russia stands first as civilized country.
 The Czar has just issued orders for the
 construction of six new State prisons, to
 accommodate $500 convicts, and has
 decreed thirty millions of roubles for
 their building and fitting up. Two
 other huge State prisons are being
 erected, one in Siberia and one in trans
 Caucasia, to accommodate some ten
 thousand offenders. This throws an in-
 structive light on the struggle now going
 on in Russia.
 The iron horse does not last much
 longer than the horse of flesh and
 bones. The ordinary life of looomo-
 tive is thirty years. Some of the smaller
 parts require renewal every six
 months; the boiler tubes last five years
 and the crank axles six years tires, boilers and fire boxes from six to seven years the side frames, axles and other parts, thirty years. An important ad- vantage is that broken part can be re-
 paired and does not condemn the whole , locomotive to the junk shop, while. when horse breaks leg, the whole 7 animal is only worth the flesh, fat an6
 sum in this country, where horse Aesl does not find its way to the butchers y shambles.
 5 -One morning during the war {
 bright-eyed lady in Scranton, Penn. 5 heard that her only son had been killed , in battle. The news seemed to affec . her reason. She now goes to the rail way stations once or twice a week tt meet the incoming trains in the hop that he will come back. She stands ant 8 looks up the track with anxious face As the locomotive dashes around thu D curve her face lights up with momen
 tary ray of hope. She peers into tn car windows, scans the faces of the pas :. sengers, and when the crowd has gon, @ and the train has moved on she sigh @ and passes down the narrow street witl U tears in her eyes.
 j. A Boston paper says The silve T change in circulation in New Englan, \ \ half century ago was largely compose' v of Spanish coins, a small piece know y- as "fourpence passing for 64 cents
 but if worn smooth and crossed, it wa t taken for cents only. A larger piece 'f known as nipepence," passed for 12 l. cents, and "pistereen for 20 cents
 but there was many pieces made whic
 there was no corresponding coin to rep
 resent. Thus, sixpence meant l. D cents, shilling 16 2-3 cents, two an It threepence 374 cents, four and sixpenc Q 75 cents, and nine shillings $1.5O. 7, provision-dealer, instead of naming 2 F, cents or "qua1ter for a box of straw r. berries, would demand Gone and six. is For long time after this bank-notes ( l. the various States were of differer g values, and merchant was obliged t !: send country money" as it was called er to broker and submit to loss of 5 t 'd 15 per cent, as the case might bt le Those who remember these times ca
 appreciate the benefit of the nations }, banking system.
 :, -" What was the most desperate bs - tie of the war?" asked reporter ( ; Gen. Longstreet. The reply of Gen. I N was as follows: Gettysburg-as fs
 as my observation extended. There we ~ ~ never any fighting done anywhere ' surpass the battle made by my men o .a the 2d of July. I led 12,000 men int N that charge. Over one-third of tn
 number were killed or wounded. Thes 10 10 veterans charged the whole Feeder, " army, intrenched on crest, harasse 'a a on each flank until the line was stretched ;s and at last found myself charging 50 " 900 intrenched men, in the face of
 volcano of artillery, with single line :. y battle. My two divisions encountere " and drove back the Third Corps, the Eft ,u Corps, the Sixth Corps, the Secon =. Corps, one division of the Twelfth, an ~ the Pennsylvania Reserves. As the N broke line after line, they encountere .o new ones, and felt the steady shock W fresh ones. The Federals contend th :. the bulk of Lees army was in tn . charge, and put the strength of the a OA tooEipo ooIY1r,r, of n00 ,oo-