The New York herald., 1879-08-26


Where are $4,000. 900 to come froms However ! an
assured lsays the London correspondent or Sasn-
der that the purchase OF the island has been
the consideration of the Treasury and that we shai
probably hear more of 1T in the autumn, when
people are unusually prone to look with favor upon
freaks OF sensational policy.
curious anecdote OF Count Won Moltke is related
in morning paper which. il not true. will bear re-
peating. AT the moment when war was declared ~
France the great General was seriously lndisposod.
On learning the news at an advanced hour IN the
evening the King went to consult Count Won Moitke
and had MIN aroused; Mar Is declared. AiT with itS
France" was the reply 1.-The third portfolio on the
left" was all the Count vouchsafed to say. and he
fell asleep immediately.
DR.. Strousberg, tho great railway king. whose dis
astrous fall much spoken Of at the time, is
doing his utmost to regain by degrees his former
to whom he paid small dividend. he has joined
company for the construction OF street railways in
Berlin which bids fair to be very remuneratiye he
likewise intends to start new political paper which
is to compete with the best organs OF the press In
the newspaper business he is in position fully to
know the requirements ofthe task oy MN.
London .Ecko-'The passage OF Russian govern
ment vessels through tho Suez Canal recalls fact
which has disappeared from many English minds
namely that Russia also has possessions in Asia, and
on that account expect to be heard in the set
tlement of future difficulties connected with Egypt.
An idea seems to prevail among the lmperialists
that Great Britain through her Asiatic possessions.
enjoys almost exclusive rights with regard to the
canal but they forget that If the possession of
Asiatc territory involves such rights Russia has
Empire in ASIA measured by miles is at least fifteen
times larger than the British Empire in the Same
region aud her actual coast line is larger than our
own"
Swarms of caierpillars are reported in the French
papers to have recently descended upon Bordeaux
and covered the alleys of Boutaut III such multtudes
to form species OF curtain across them to
certain height. The insects, from one to two CEN
timetres in length. appeared to be enveloped in a
sort of spider web, from which 1t was most diihcu
not to say impossible to get free when once en-
tangled in it. One courageous woman who resolved
to traverse this living hedge was literally covered
with the small pests and would never have succeeded
in disengaging herself from the mingled mass or
web and caterpilars had not assistance been given
by others. At least dozen trees in the alleys have
been stripped of their leaves, and there is strong
to fear that if the insect plague extends tho
OF its ravages all the gardens OF the neighbor
hood will suffer enormously.
The Pungolo Of Naples. published a somewhat
minute account OF conspiracy to assassinate the
King in Genoa. Ten men, mostly foreigners, were
in the plot, and their plan was to conceal gun in
the staff of banner and to place the apparatus out
side window in street in Genoa with the trcolor
flag displayed. When the King passed the flag was
to be waved the standard pointed ut His Majesty and
the gun discharged The Questura. according to the
Pungoto got due notice of the conspiracy and took
measures to insure the safety OF King Humbert.
That newspaper alleges that the conspirators finding
their plot discovered effected their escape But the
whole story is denied by the official journals and s
supposed to be an invention. The King was received
everywhere on his route from Rome to Mona with
acclamatons aud applause One OF the chiefs of this
alleged conspiracy was a German of bad character,
well known to the police, and two others were
Frenc chmen OF Marseilles, but some time resident
Leghorn.
London Daily Neps:-''The usual quarterly and
half yearly statistics of the foreign trade with each
foreign country and British possession are more in
terestng than usual. In the six months ended 30th
June last the value of the imports into England
from foreign countries was l29.U00OJ0. as COM
pared with f147 100000 in the first half of 1878.
This represents decline of over twelve per cent.
The largest provder Of the foreign commodities
coming hither has been usual the United States
but tho value of the produce coming to hand has
been f7 500 000ess than last year. This is almost Gu
elx, uitrf IN ha n m hnd n
cotton, and the more than corresponding fall in the
selling value of these two articles. There is, more
over, the rather pleasing fact that America has
shown some sign OF buying more largely on this
side. the value OF the British exports thence having
increased eight per cent III the half year-being,
however still very disproportonate to the pur-
chases of raw produce il the States.
The Vienna Nec Free Press gives statistics Of
the number of postal establishments in Europe at
the end OF 1877. Altogether there were, it appears
on the 3lst OF December 1877 IS, ,466 post offices,
with 2235l7 persons employed; there being, there
fore, average one postal establishment for
every 6, ,134 inhabitants throuehout Europe. These
pest offices most thickly planted III Switzerland
and after Switzerland Great Britain and Ireland.
striking contrast these two countries is afforded
| by Russia and Turkey. there being in the former
the the latter one to every LOS square miles
| With regard also to tho proportion of
the number of post oiices to- TO inaaoitants ANTS
| being such establishment to every 9s3 inhab-
tants, while in Norway and Sweden there is only one
post Office to every 2224 inhabitants Altogether,
again $50 600 900 letters; papers &C., by
post in Europe in i877-3 900 being letters
post cards. 522 900 newspapers, and 563 0000 900
patterns and the like. Finally, learn that the
greatest number of letters, papers and so forhnot
only absolutely but also in proportion to the mum,
ber of inlabitants-were sent III Great Britain and
Ireland, the total number despatched being
LASS. .075,000 at the rate of 34.7 letters and "a
newspapers for every inhabitant. In Switzerland
every inhabitant OH average. sent 237 letters and
49, papers in the years in Germany. 1873 letters and
10.1 papers, in Holland 1868 letters and % papers;
in Belgium. a. letters and IA. papers; i'll France.
Il. 7leters ana 56 papers; in Denmark, 1913 letters
and 123 papers, while IN Russia the numbers fell as
low 1.2 letters and 0.9 paper, and in turkey to
o. letter and OIL paper.
The German newspapers are just now amusing
their with transiations from NJ. Edgar Mon
tells new book upon the river Rhine. NJ. Monteil
is Frenchman and having made the tour of the
river Europe most famous for beauty OF scenery,
boldly asserts that it is not merely overvalucd but
that it, its people and its products are OF such
character the French ought to be thankful that
the Germans now have it all to themselves. He
entered the territory OF the barbarians as he calls
the beautiful country OF Baden, at Constance from
that city to Mainz he found nothing to please. lie
thinks the German language Is horrible lit ought
not to be called speech. 1t was unfortunate that
so fine a genius Goethe. who belonged happily
no better vehicle for his finely conceived
works. The climate OF this overestinated river
is unwholesome. II produces more rheumatism
much increased by drinking Rhine wines. all of
which intolerable. NJ. Monteil tried in turn
Hochheimer, Marcobrunner. Rudesheimor, Nier-
steiner and the famous Schloss Johannisberger.
and found them all equally atrocious. The burgo-
masters OF the Rhine towns are irresponsible
autocrats. The anecdote which NJ. Monten employs
TO prove this assertion must have boon Related 10
him by some wicked T6utonic wag. pipe is part
of the regular uniform of every Finnish Judge adj
vocate aud station master. Ho thinks that the poor
river is rather to be pitcd than otherwise because,
after having its origin free Switzerland II Is COM
PEELED to how through such miserable and nasnlic
land. Its only consolation is that ..t enters the
French Meuse before reaching the sea" and s thus
a little sweetoned. What the BelgaEs of Namur and
Lege and the Dutch of Maastricht will say to NJ.
Nontels assertion that the Mas. of which thoy
so proud, is o French river We cannot guess.