Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-03-19
TIMELY TOPICS.

A French scientist has invented a
number of small electric lamps which
can be used by the surgeon in illuminat-
ing the throat, the mouth, or even the
more internal parts of the body, while
performing an operation. 1t is now sug-
gested that it would be possible to ma
terially assist the physician in his dag
nosis, by means of a powerful electric
light. On the assumption that the hu-
man body is only semi-opaque, it is
proposed to place the patient in such a
position in connection with dark
screen, that it is probable a powerful
electric light would sufficiently illum-
mate his interior to enable the physician
in dark room to see so much of the
workings of the principal organs as
would assist him to arrive at correct
conclusion as to the nature of the case.
If such a scheme is possible it would
undoubtedly be of much advantage to
medicine.
One of the unexpected sources of
wheat supply for Europe is the river
Platte country in South America.
Large shipments of new-crop wheat
have already been made by steamers to
Liverpool and Bordeaux. Australia,
also, has now become a serious COM
petitor of the United States, and during
the past few months has shipped enor-
nous quantities of wheat to England
by Suez canal steamers. Countries in
the southern hemisphere finish their
winter wheat harvests at just the time
when the supply from northern coun-
tries begins to be exhausted.
The year 1880 will be memorable in
naval and commercial annals for the
promulgation OF new code of sea sig
nails and road rules. Great Britain,
France, Germany, Russia, Austria, Italy,
the Netherlands, Sweden. Denmark,
Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Chill
and the United States have agreed to
these rules, which include, besides sig
mailing with colored lights, a set of
blasts from the steam whistle or fog
horn, whose numbers and length of
duration talk plainly. For example, a
steamer sighting any vessel gives one
short blast to denote that she is keeping
to starboard, two if she is keeping to
port, and three if she is going astern.
Other blasts have fixed meanings. The
new rules should help to diminish the
number of disastrous collisions which
have been steadily increasing with the
increase of shipping.
Civil war is commonplace incident
in South America, but it is not often
that the contestants are so very civil as
the revolutionists who have overthrown
the government of the State of Antio-
quia, in the republic of Columbia. This
community was on the point of an out
break when M. de Lesseps arrived
there. The leaders had got their boom
we'll to q head, and were just ready to
issue the regular pronunciamento, when
they were appealed to by the authori-
ties to postpone the affair until the dis
tinguished guest should have departed.
With true Spanish politeness they COM
piled, and for the credit of the country
abroad, presented to the energetic pro-
jector the spectacle of d happy and
united people. AS soon as de Lesscps
had left they went on with their revo-
luton, which proved decided success.
The Moscow industrial exhibition,
which was to have been opened on the
first of May, rs an additional celebra-
ton of the czar's twenty-tifth anniver,
sary, is postponed till next year, chiefly
on account of the present disturbed state
of public affairs. 1t will not be inter-
national, as was reported, confining it.
self strictly to Russian produce. in
fact, it appears intended for a duplicate
of that of 1872, and will probably oc-
cupy the same site, viz, the slope around
the foot of the Kremlin wall. One of
the leading attractions on that occasion
was the appearance of number Of
Central-Asian Sarts and Kirghiz, whom
a shrewd Russian had hired to hang
around his refreshment bar, and draw
attention by their outIandish dress ant
features. Another curious episode was
the bewilderment of a group of Russian
peasants at the sight OF q small wooder
building, the character of which they
guessed at in vain, till passer-by in
formed them that it was model Of ONT
of their own cottages.