New-York tribune., 1881-12-12
GENERAL NOTES.

The island of Scio still suffers from frequent
earthquake shocks and the gardens and vineyards have
been terribly devastated.
Coffee culture bids fair to become one of tho
leading industries Of Liberia The soil and climate
emincntly well adapted it, and thousands OF
being planted, While ready market 10 found for all tho
crop.
The new car shop of the Union Pacific Railroad,
at Omaha. Neb. will, when completed, be the largest
building city, and OF the largest shops IN
America. 1t npon piles ana its main floor is
strange say six inches below the highwater mark Of
last spring. but the builders nope the river VIII never
rise so high again.
A city ordinance prohibiting smoking on the
wharyes of late been strugeDty enforced in Charles
ton s. c. and many offenders have been locked up in
the guardhouse by the police including not few visit
ors who innocony erred through ignorance Of the law
In other cities where such ordinance is enforced
TO that effect prominently displayed ana
would perhaps be well for Charleston 10 ioo" thef eA
ample.
The restOrations have been completed of tho
three portals OF northeast anscept OF Westminster
Abbey outside the principal entrance In st. Mary's
churchyard, cost Of about 100000 The scuptured
figures embrace all the putrarchs from Adam to Solo
man. and all The major and minor prophets. There ia
also esized figure of Christ surrounded by the twelve
apostles and another ueslzed set OF statues OF the
apostles.
Initiatory steps have been taken for an In
ternatonal Exhibition OF the Industrial Arts, 10 be held
in Paris from October / to November 15 next year.
A boat, eighteen feet long and five feet wide,
Ia in course of in Paris shipyard, the
pecuiarity of which s that is TO be propelled entirely
by electric motive power. Its proprietor intends, as
soon as it Is completed 10 essay trial trip the
British Channel, from Bouogne To FOiAestOne
London is said to be more poorly provided
with public libraries than any other city town in
the United Kingdom. The for this, which is also
the for many other ills is the lack of healthy
municipal lie in the metropolis "Were London says
The Telegraph. within the postal governed by
central authority, public libraries could be maintained
in every quarter of the town at comparatively tnhLs
cost and metropolitan centres OF knowledge might he
organized to parts OF network OF mutual obsa-
tiOn In the spread enlightenment before whose
beauty and virue-COmpeng strength the coarser vices
and more brutal crimes VIII gradually fade away"
Some experiments were made last week at
Salem Mass to ascertain tractye force requisite 70
move street cars aud vehicles on macadamized road
The apparatus used consisted OF inclined plane. AZ the
upper end OF which iron Wheel over which passed
a rope loaded boN-car, weighing, with its contents
H. $50 pounds, drown up the grade by weight OK
go pounds suspended at other end Of the rope The
empty car, weighing 4,S20 pounds, was drawn up the
same grade by weight of 2s3 pounds smaller box
car weighing when empty 2.730 pounds, was occupied
by fourteen persons and drawn up by 339 pounds and
unocouped, by 176 pounds An ordinary load OF sand
on maoadamzed road started by 51i pounds, and
an eppty hack weighing $50 pounds, by 1863 pounds.
The hack with four passengers inside required 2jo
mounds 10 IL. On level road the load OF sand
started by 2i0 pounds while the large yielded 10
90 pounds The experiments were made Dy morse
usually to the horses and the result appears 10
have been altogether satisfactory.