Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1879-07-26
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Personal and Literary.

| uIE"S VT IN GNGS -
Personal and Literary.
Proctor, the astronomer, will re
turn to this country next summer.
Henry Greville (Madame Alice Du
randy has written eight novels within
three years.
The preface to Mark Twain's lates
book says: Written by one loafer fol
another loafer to read.'
The London Spectator thinks thai
Tennyson's sentimental narratives have
too much microscopic minutie.
Prof. Max Muller has ready the frs
three volumes of his translations of the
Sacred Books of the world.
Mrs. Agassiz has written letter tc
the women of Massachusetts,, congratu
lating them on their newly acquired
right to vote on school questions.
Mr.. Henry James, Jr, the novel
ist, began to contribute to the leading
magazines about II years ago. He i:
unmarried and lives at present in Lon,
don.
-Gerste-'s magnificent voice was
first discovered by a musical director oi
Vienna, who heard her sing at the head
of Roman Catholic procession in 9
Hungarian village.
Miss Anna Dickinson has written 8
book, which the Harpe-s will publish
shortly. 1t is called sThe Ragged Reg.
ister," and is made up of "reminiscences
of life at the various summer resorts.
Christine Nilsson recently said to q
reporter: " am, as you hear, q peas.
ant born, and 1 am proud of it," and
then, added the admiring pencil-pusher
"The fair head was flung back, the blue
eyes threw out fairer ray, and the soft
curls were shaken"
p. w. Joyce, LII. D., has written q
grammar of the Irish language for the
use of schools in Ireland. 1t is men,
toned with regret by the London liter
ary papers that the Irish language is
fast dying out. Societies have been or
ganized for its preservation.
Mr.. G. w. Smalley writes to the
Tribune that in recent conversation in
London with the great tragic actress,
Sarah Bernhardt, she expressed her de.
termination to visit the United States
professionally during next year or the
year following. She will be accom-.
panied by French company capable OF
presenting the plays in which she has
made her most marked success.
Florence Marryatt (says London
letter-writer) was married to Col. Lean
last week. All's well that ends we'll.
Having now got the man of her heart,
hope she will write some less cynical
towels than those which she penned
when she was in very agitated state OF
mind. believe her disagreements with
her former husband began when she
went over to Rome. She is devout
Catholic.
Science and Industry.
-Coffee-growing has proved sue.
cessful with some planters in Southern
Florida.
Congressman Martin of Delaware
will send 10000 baskets of peaches to
market this season.
An article of increasing export from
this country is machine-made joinery.
One hundred thousand doors have been
sent to England in year, and window:
are sent in considerable quantities, but
rarely blinds, which are little used
there, except in the form of cotton OF
linen.
There is more coal in Illinois than
in the whole of England, and more in
several other States than in Illinois. An
Italian firm is negotiating with parties
in the United States for the expectation
of 100, 100000 tons, so the Call of San
Francisco says editorially.
The second beet-sugar factory in
New England is being built at North
ampton, Mass, and over 800 acres OF
beets are growing in the neighborhood
for its use. Good beets, closely worked
will yield about 10 per cent. of sugar,
and it is thought that with improved
machinery 12 or IA per cent. may be
realized.
The three American locomotives
that were sent to Australia short time
ago have given eminent satisfaction,
and orders have been received for more.
They are found to be superior to En-
glish locomotives, to require much less
fuel, and to be cheaper than English en-
gines of similar capacity.
The coming electric light has Gre
ated large demand for platinum. The
metal is found principally in Russia, and
is very costly-next to gold; but Mr..
Edison has learned, in response to cir
culars to miners all over the country,
that all the large gold mines contain
more or less platinum.
Preserving grapes fresh has be-
come a remunerative branch of business
in France. The principles observed are
to gather the most perfect fruit on a
dry, windy day, then hang the bunches
in special cases, which latter may be
suspended in an ordinary room, the es-
sential point being to maintain a uni
formity of temperature, neither too hot
to dry the berries nor below freezing
point to CONCEAL them.
Henry Bessemer, the English in
ventor, has taken out 160 patents, al
most as many as Edison, and one of
them, his process for making steel,
ranks as one of the most brilliant in
ventions of the century. 1t converts
pig-iron into steel in few minutes, and
has reduced the price of steel rails per
ton from 5000 to $50. Ten times as
much steel is used in the world now as
was used prior to 1856.
"A new patent, secured in England,
involves the mixing of paints and var
nishes;with phosphorescents salt, or mix
ture of lime and sulphur. This compo.
sition is to store up daylight and give it
out by night. Practically the patentee
applies it to clock faces, so that at night
the hands NAV be seen distinctly; but
his patent claims its use for all kinds of
lighting purposes. Rooms may be
painted with it, and streets so coated as
to become self luminous; also, ships,
buoys, and the other objects used in the
signal service.
limitation meerschaum pipes are
now manufactured from potatoes in