The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-09-05
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The name Baptist" has been borne
by the denomination which it now des-
ignates only about 200 years. 1t was
given to them, as is supposed, either
during the commonwealth in England
or shortly afterward.
The blackness of certain public build
ings in London and elsewhere, for a
long time attributed to the effects of
smoke, has lately been found to be in
great part the development of pecul-
lar fungus, the precise nature of which
has not yet been determined. This sug-
gests the possibility of so treating the
surface of the stone as to secure the re-
moval OF the coating, since any substance
that will kill the low form IF vegeta-
BILE life will probably permit its ready
removal-a result much less easily at
tanned ii it were deposit of smoke or
SCOT.
HE Bank of Venice, the first estab-
llshment of the kind in Europe. was
founded in I'LL, and owed its exist
ence to wars and the necessity for the
Government obtaining the means for
conducting them. Having exhausted
every other resource, the state was
Obliged to resort to forced loan from
its most opulent citizens. Then was
organized the Chamber of Loans. which
by degrees assumed the form under
which, as the Bank of Venice, at was
for many ages the admiration of Eu-
rope, the chief instrument of Venetian
finance, and the chief facility of COM
merce not surpassed by that of any Eu-
ropean nation" Funds once deposited
In the bank could not be Withdrawn.
but were transferable at the pleasure of
their owners upon it's books. So thor
oughly did the bank credits become the
means through and by which the finan-
clal operations of the people were con-
Quoted that during the entire exist
ence, with but slight exceptions, these
credits were at a premium over coins,
which latter were clipped and worn, as
well as OF various countries and uncer-
tain values. The Bank of Venice con-
tinued I'D existence without Interrupt
ton until the overthrow OF the republic
in 1877 by the revolutionary army of
France.
The invention of lucifer matches is
attributed to Isaac Holden, well-known
Bradford manufacturer, formerly mem
Der OF the British Parliament. He was
at the time classical master in an acad- |
envy at Reading, and was in the habit
OF giving chemical lectures twice a |
week to number of youths. In an ex-
animation before select committee of |
the House of Commons, Mr.. Holden
thus told the story of the invention of |
that exceedingly useful article, the lu-
offer match: Il began as an inventor
on very small scale" said Mr.. Holden.
in the course of his evidence. "For
what know, 1 was the first inventor of
lucifer matches; but it was the result
of happy thought. In the morning I
used to get up at o'clock in order to
pursue my studies, and 1 used at that
time the flint aud steel, in the use of
which / found very great inconven-
fence. l gave lectures in chemistry at
the time at very large academy. OF
course knew, as other chemists did,
the explosive material that was neces-
sary in order to produce instantaneous
light; but it was very difficult to obtain
a light on wood by that explosive ma
terial, and the idea occurred to me to
put under the explosive mixture sui
phur. did that, and published it in nv
next lecture, and showed it. There was
1 young man in the room whose father
vas a chemist ia London, and he imme-
lately wrote to his father about it, and
shortly afterward lucifer matches were
ssued to the world"