The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-03-27
TIMELY TOPICS.


A curious display OF folly and stub.
bornness on the part Of Russian noble
man is reported. This man owns 40,-
500 acres Of arabic land, which he will
not cultivate nor lease to anybody else;
and he will not permit the extirpation
from his acres Of the Siberian marmots
or OF the beetles, which spread over the
country, destroying large portion Of
the crops every year, and for whose ex-
tirpation many thousands of people are
elsewhere employed by the authorities.
Blondeau, the French aeronaut, sent
his pupil, Coulter, up in balloon near
Naples, and on its descent in the SUBJ
urbs the population Immediately cut it
in pieces and ran away with them.
Blondeau wrote to L'Nalia, a Naples
paper, that the balloon comprised $500
feet of silk and thread, and had cost
~twenty-eight workmen thirty-four days
of labor. He had travelled with balloon
for thirty-fve years, and often among
Arabs and other barbarians, but had
never experienced similar act of bar
barism. The men most noticeable in
the outrage were subsequently arrested.
Wurtemberg, in Germany, is often
visited by tenible hailstorms. In some
parts Of the country whole districts
are exempted from the land tax. on
account of the damage caused blythe
hail. And these hailstorms are ap.
parently becoming more destructive. As
regards liability to being visited, it ap.
pears that pine woods enjoy compare
tive immunity, while beach woods and
bare hillsides are particularly unfortun-
ate. The parishes most frequently de-
vastated lie on the outskirts of wooded
hills, but it does not appear that clear
ance Of wood has any deleterious in flu
ence. The valleys of the Neckar and
some other rivers are the least troubled
by this annoyance. ....
"Serkys Tea," as it is called, is now
turning the heads of Philadelphia ladies.
Olive Harper describes it in late let.
ter. It is aecoction of various Orient.
al herbs, has slightly resirous and
aromatic taste, and is said to confer on
the ones who drink it faithfully almost
the bloom and beauty of eternal youth.
Miss Harper saw it often and drank it
in Turkey, and really believes it will
prolong the freshness of a woman 8
complexion to an advantage. 1t seems
to act on the skin, and to promote O
general health and vigor. Only one
firm sells it in Philadelphia, and their
rooms are thronged from morning till
night, by ladies seeking to renew their
youth. The story sounds fishy.
Botel Tobago is an island in the South
seas which has been visited by party
of United States naval officers. They
were surveying rock east of the South
cape Of Formosa, and called at this is
land. They found curious rnce of
Malay stock. These aborigines did not
know what money was good for. Nor
had they ever used tobacco or rum.
They gave the officers goats and pigs for
tin pots ard brass buttons, and hung
round the vessel ell day in their canoes
waiting for a chance to dive for some
thing which might be thrown overheard.
They wore clouts only, ate toro and
yams, and had axes, spears and knives
made OF common iron. Their canoes
were made without nails, and were orna.
mented with geometrical lines. They
wore the boards of goats and small shells
as ornaments. Such is the account of
these strange people given by DR.. Seig-
fried in letter read at the last no eet-
ing Of the Philadelphia academy of
natural sciences.