Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1880-09-18
WHOLE NUMBER, 469
The Worklngman In Portugal.


figures in the landscapes. In Italy the
mendicants swarm in every gorge, re-
placing the banditti who have been
hunted down by the bersaglieri. In
Switzerland they beset you at each pass
and col, whining at your heels as you
enter the villages and leave them. Even
in Germany, where begging is strongly
forbidden, they make silent appeals
while the carriage changes horses, and
limp nimbly along at the side of the
forewheel, where they have you at an
advantage when pulling up steep. In
the rural districts of Portugal there is
no nuisance of the kind. There is an ex-
cellent system of voluntary relief. The
country is decidedly underpopulated,
and the peasants, for the most part, are
well-to.do. In some provinces they are
worse off than in others; but everywhere
they are well fed and comfortably
clothed; while in the more fertile and
populous parts of the north they may be
said to be relatively rich. 1t is not un-
usual to see laborer's wife wearing
gold ornaments on her person on Sunday
of the value of from twenty-five to one
hundred dollars. And the good man
| himself has his gay festa clothing, with
buttons of silver on glossy velveteen,
and rejoices in the dandyism of spot
less white shirt front, lighted up by
gold stud in the central frill. He works
hard, to be sure; sometimes his toll, in
the long days of midsummer,w will extend
to sixteen hours; but then he lives un-
commonly well. He can even afford to
be something of an epicure, and he re-
joices in variety OF diet that laborers
might we'll envy. Ills bill of fare in
cludes beef and bacon, dried goldfish
which is the common deIicacy OF all
classes-lard. bread and rice, olives and
olive oil, with luxurious profusion of
succulent vegetables. He is allowed
gourds and cabages ut discretion, nor
can anything be more suitable to sui
try climate. And, like the Frenchman,
and his nearer neighbor, the Spaniard,
he is always something of cook. Not
that he has studied refinements of cui-
1
dients of his banquets in fashion that
is inimitAble so far as it goes. The be-
lated wayfarer who is asked to sit down
to the stew that has been slowly SIM
mel ing in the pipkin over the embers-
it is, in fact, the Spanish ola podrida--
has, assuredly, no cause to complain
HarpeT'S Weekly.
A Daring Young Lady Traveller.
There is no woman of our day, asserts
the London Saturday Re0iew, whose
life has been richer in romantic incident
or whose death has possessed a more
tragic interest than that of Alexandrine
Time. That young, wealthy and beau
tiful girl, should give herself up dehb-
erately to African travel is of itself an
astonishing thing, that she should carry
out her resolution as Miss Time did,
with the constant purpose of bringing
light to bear uson the habitations Of
cruelty" is heroic. AS mere Traveller
she almost rivaled Speke and Cameron;
and there is facination in her story, in
the passionate devotion she inspired in
those who formed her escort, that be-
longs to her alone. She was murdered by
two treacherous Touareg chiefs in Fez!
zan, south of Tripoli, in March, 1868,
in the thirtieth year of her age. Miss
Betham- Edwards, in her new book,
''Six Life Studies of Famous Women
says
A few days after her departure the
murderous scheme was put into execu-
tion. Early in the morning quarrel
broke out--as il is supposed, Intention
ally-among the camel drivers, and.
hearing the noise, the young mistress
of the caravan hastily quilted her tent
to see what she could do in the way OF
pacification. Her appearance was the
signal agreed upon for the massacre.
One Touareg first disabled her right
hand by a saber thrust, in order TO pre-
vent her from using her revolver, then,
with rifle ball in the breast, ACHE ged
his deadly work. The others rushed on
to the slaughter. The three Dutch
sailors, her sole European attendants,
were next assassinated, and then the
plundeling of the rich caravan began.
The faithful negroes, who adored their
kind young mistress, were Carried on
with the spoil, end the bodies of the
victims left unburied on the sands.
Thus perished in the flower of her
youth, one OF the most enterprising
lady travellers, and one of the most
courageous women who ever lived.
Facts for the Curious.
A rifle ball moves 1000 miles per
hour.
A hand (horse measure) is four
inches.
Rapid rivers flow seven miles per
hour.
Electricity move. 2ss,oOo miles per
hour.
The first luciier match was made in
1929.
Gold was discovered in California in
lals.
: A mile is $3.50 feet, OF l,76O yards, in
length.
Until 1776 cotton spinning was per-
formed by the hand spinning
:. The first steam engine on this CONT
nent was brought from England ~
, 1853.
Much machine betting is now made
IN California from the entrai S of sheep.