The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-05-28
FOREIGN GOSSIP.


THE obelisk ordered by her majesty to
he erected at the spot where the Prince
Imperial fell, has been put in position by
Maj. StaDb and n small party of royal
engineers, who proceeded on this duty
from Mmitzburg.
TIE first needles made in England
were manufactured in London by ne
gro who came there from Spain during
the reign of Queen Mary. He died with
out imparting the secret of his art, but
it was subsequently recovered III 1865 by
one Elias Growese.
The oldest policeman in London, III
point of service, is dead. His name was
Richard Burgess and he joined the force
in 1891, five years after the present force
was instituted by Sir Robert Peel. For
46 years he had served as n police con-
stable, always remaining attached to the
division he was appointed to when he first
joined the force.
On the night of March 29th a shower
Of iron fell ut Catania, in Sicily. For
several hours there was q constant fall of
metcoric dust, accompanied by rain and
this dust contained fragments of iron,
either in a pure metallic state or in
metallic particles surrounded by an
oxidized crust. The fragments were of
many shapes and sizes, and were readily
attracted by the magnet. They only
differed i'll size from shower of nrolites.
HIBISCUS, now called Tyssa, river in
Hungary, must be Il perfect anglers ely
stun. at is so replenished with fish
that, in summer, when the river is low,
the people say 'the river smells of fish,
But the River Bedrock excels even this
in its piscatory claims, it being said to
consist of two parts water and one of
fish, Tockay, famous for its wines, is
on this river. "-1H the Year Round.
The present attraction at the Jardin
DIES Plantes, in Paris, is female bear of
the American species and her cub. The
latter is so comical in its motions that
crowds of visitors constantly throng
around the pit in which the pair are con-
fined. Two or three times n day the
and teaches him to swim. The lesson
and shakes him to and fro till the exer-
else and the warmth of her breath have
dried his hair. The cub promises to
develop into the most wonderful dancer
of its species.
NJ. GUIzoT, while on a visit to Lord
Aberdeen in Scotland, while talking to
him in the park one day about the Eng
lish system of elections, when his host
stopped before a modest cottage. This
little house." he said, "recalls to me
shameful deed in my political life"
"What, an act of violence?" "You
shall hear. had as tenant here an i'll
dependent fellow, who annoyed me nor
ribly. In every election he strenuously
opposed me. made up my mind to be
rid of him." "Ha! you turned him
out?" "No. l reduced his rent by
guinea and destroyed his qualification.
A mean trick, and I've always been
ashamed of it."
PRINCE OSCAR of Sweden before leav-
ing Paris was anxious to see little of
the shady aspect of society in the capt.
tai, and went ut night, accompanied by
two trusty police officers, to visit a no.
torioua low drinking establishment known
by the name Of its proprietor, the Pere
Lunette, in the Rue des Anglais. A
popularity in this house is that in one of
the rooms boards project from the wall
httlC III
customers can indulge in nap reclining.
This accommodation is included in the
price of the drink, which is excessively
moderate, although the prince paid fifty
francs for three small glasses of brandy
for himself and companions.
THE Princess Mary Village Home at
Adlestone, England, is collection OF
charming cottages, each holding ten
little girls, who, if old enough, are
taught to wash, sew, knit, clean and
cook. The institution was founded for
the reception and training of the girl
children of criminal mothers, and for the
rescue and bringing up of little girls
likely to drift into career of crime, and
for the education of girl pauper children.
Children are admitted from the earliest
infancy, and none are rejected on the
ground of bodily infirmity They are
kept in training until sixteen years of
age. The system of village homes for
homeless children is now in favor, and
deservedly 80.
LATELY an inhabitant of Naples in
formed his friends that he was about to
make IL trip to Paris. Immediately he
was overwhelmed with commissions.
Upon his return to Naples the traveller
brought with him, however, only part
of the purchases ordered through him.
GLOW in the world could you be so for
getful?" said several of those whom he
thus disappointed. twill tell you how
it happened" said the Neapolitan; "such
and such one i'll giving me their COM
missions gave Inc the money ut the same
time. folded each ones money Ill the
paper on which his commissions were
, written and placed all the paper on my
table. A sudden gust of wind came and
, blew away every paper that did not con-
tain money-possibly your commission
was among them.
1 SOME sensible alterations have recent
ly been made in the bird collections of
, the British museum. Hitherto the stuff
ed birds have all been set up on plain
Y wooden stands. Now bush of furz all
ablaze with golden blossoms has taken
i the place of the bare wooden perch on
which the linnets used to stand, and III
I the bush is the egg-flled nest of the lit
tie songsters. River weeds, rushes and
Q the marsh marigOld form the new set.
@ ting of the meor-hen's nursery, the birds
+ standing ut the edge of the imitation
water into which-an old crony of the
+ moor-hens, no doubt-a kingfisher il
also gazing from an oyerhanging branch
!, The pheasant looks out from pleasant
e covert of bracken and blpe-bells, with ;
J. primrose tuft and dead leaves for carpet
o and brier for canopy. Gulls are seer
e by the side of their iedglings on thu
70 lichen-covered rocks they haunt in tn,
distant Hebrides, and the sky-lark hover
II ON trembling wings over the nest will
its treasures, built on the ground by
e tuft of grass, with the mother on tn
1t watch beside it.