Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-09-23
TIMELY TOPICS.

A scheme of African exploration is
said to be under consideration in Portu-
gal, which, if carried into execution,
will probably result in the achievement
of the most important geographical
work. 1t is proposed that two expedi-
tlons should start simultaneously from
the Portuguese possessions on the east
and west coasts of Africa, and, after
founding series of scientific and COM
mercial stations along their line OF
route, meet at some point in the interior.
The wool-clip of the world has in
creased five times since 1880, when it
was about 800, ,OOO, 600 pounds in weight.
In l878-the latest year for which there
are complete figures produced
740. 900, 900, River Plate 24O. 900 600,
United States 208, ,00O, 900. Australia $50
pounds, making total of 1886 .OO0, 600
pounds. Great Britain and France con-
sumo each about the same quantity of
wool-3sO. 100000 pounds a year. Ger
many consumes about 165 000, 600
pounds, United States $50 OOO, 900
pounds. and Russia, Austria land other
countries 400. 900, 600 pounds.
1t is curious fact that the locomo-
tive which. with its train, went down
with the Tay bridge, is now running
regularly between Glasgow and Edin-
burg. For three months it laid in the bot
tom ofthe Tay, but when it was brought
up it was found uninjured, except the
funnel, dome and weather-board, which
had to be renewed. She ran on her own
wheels to Glasgow just as she came out
of her long bath. Strange feelings might
arise in the travellers breast on learning
that his train was drawn by that engine
but there is a locomotive engineer, it
is said, in the United States, running
regularly upon a railway upon which
he was one time the cause of q most
terrible disaster.
Cologne cathedral which has Just
been completed after centuries of labor,
is one of the largest and loftiest build
ings in the world. For the past sixty
years the work has been carried on with
but little intermission, the cost being
met by both public and private contri-
buttons, and a German architectural
journal has ascertained that the aggre-
gate amount expended within this period
is eighteen millions of marks, or about
SIS, 10000 When to this is added the
money contributed during past centur-
les and notably what has been sunk in
the colossal foundations and spent in
purchasing various necessary parcels of
ground" it appears that the cathedral,
as it now stands, represents about forty
millions of marks, or $I2.00O,00
The number of postoffice employees in
England 6.192) seems very large in
proportion to an exceedingly small num-
Der of offices (l3,9I2) until it is consid-
cred that the English postofice also
conducts large savings bank and tele-
graph business. The United States
postofices number AZ, ,989. The total of
returned" letters in England was
5. .345, ,678, while 2, ,996, ,5I3 letters passed
through our dead letter Office. Not less
than 526, ,469 persons forgot to put their
own address inside the letters they wrote,
and 2l 62l letters were posted positively
without any address whatever, of which
not less than l, l4l contained valuables.
These last figures indicate more care
fully conducted correspondence than is
common in the United States, for among
American dead letters were I3, IT'S con.
tanning 81, 100000 in checks, drafts, etc.,
besides ga, 900 others containing stamps,
etc. Among the novelties of the Eng
lish service is a system by which receipts
are given for letters posted (Which must
not be confounded with the registration
system) and the charging of q late fee"
by paying which domestic letters are
received after the mails have closed, as
is now done here for foreign letters.