Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-26
MINOR TOPICS.


MINOR TOPICS.
THE Crown diamonds of France are to
be sold in order to provide for the better
of the public museums.
THE elixir of life has been found.
There is man begging ON the streets of
Prague who was born in 17G7.
One of the leading prospective indus
tries of Florida is the cultivation of jute,
and the Philadelphia capitalists who have
made large purchases Of land there have
this in view.
CHARLES SUMNER wrote in February,
1861 "Not that love the Union less,
but Freedom more, SO now in pleading
this great cause insist that freedom, at all
hazards, shall be preserved.
THE failure of the movement for the I'M
portation of William Penn's bones to this
country will probably not have the effect
to discourage New Workers from demand
ing of the Khedive Of Egypt the remains
of Cleopatra for interment beneath the
obelisk in Central park. At least this is
the sage prediction of the Philadelphia
Bulletin.
The reports of large and choice vintages
in all the most important wine-making
countries of Europe lend interest to the
announcement of an international exhibi
ton Of machinery, apparatus and imple-
ments appertaining to vine culture, eno!ogy
and distillation, to be held from the 1st to
the Goth of November in Conegliano, near
Venice. That place is the seat Of the
royal school of vine culture and enolOgy.
WESTWARD the tide of empire takes its
way. Ten miles from Deadwood. West
Virginia City, was founded the other day
and in 4S hours the town contained
nearly 1000 inhabitants, and nine saloons
were in operation. On the third day two
faro banks opened, restaurants were started
and on tho fourth the first copy of daily
newspaper, the Carbonate Reporter was
issued. Fifty buildings have been erected
during the last week, and as high as $500
has been paid for building lots.
AMERICAN visitors are not popular in
the gaming clubs of Paris, because, as a
rule, they do not play high enough.
"When an American has won or lost
$1,000 he thinks he is doing the thing hand
somely, while French players will stake
twenty times as much. - And yet an
American won s14O. 1000 in one season at
Monaco and lost $12O, 900 there the next
Another lost $50, 600 one night in Paris
and third was cleft" to the amount of
s45, ,00O.
STUNG to resentment by Richard Vaux':
bitterness against negro policemen in Phil
adelphia, tho famous and venerable Rob
ert Purvis calls him the degenerate son o.
noble and scholarly father and to thu
elder Vaux's memory he relates highly
creditable story. When Purvis wanted tt
60 to Europe in Jackson's time, he ap
piled to the state department for a pass
port and received a scrap of paper bearing
few hurriedly written lines signed by
Mr.. McLane and addressed to our cOnsul'
in Europe. This brief little official docu
ment stated that he was colored maj
travelling in Europe, and it closed by ex
pressing hope that the persons to whom
it wa addressed would assist him if hi
needed it during his travels. Very indig
nant Mr.. Purvis showed this to Mr.. Vaux
He said "This is infamous, but know
President Jackson intimately and 1 viii
see that you have passport at once
Purvis had but little faith at that time il
Andrew Jackson's sense of justice, for hi
was prejudiced against him on account o.
the investments he had in the State bank
and his opposition to institutions of that
kind. Two or three days later Mr.. Vau1
returned and handed him regular pass
port, signed by Andrew Jackson, presi
dent of the United States. Mr.. Vaux said
that when he explained tho case and
handed him the note President jackson
said By the Eternal it can't be pos
sible that an officer of the United States
would issue thing like this and send a
native-born citizen to foreign country
with it ?" A genuine passport was made
out at once and it is still in Purvis's pos
session. This was the first passport ever
given to a colored man by the United
States government, and it was secured
through the efforts of Robert Vaux and
Andrew jackson.