Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-22
NNoR ToPICs.

MINOR TOPICS.
The late Duke of Portland, who was
well-known as friend to the newspapers
and who spent over $6, 900 a year in news
paper subscription, used to subscribe for
four copies of any paper that pleased
him.
The Scotch law makes provision for a
verdict "not proven" which means that
the defendant is guilty. but the evidence
was not sufficient in law to make out the
case. Even in Caledonia it has happened
that after such a verdict and the acquittal
of the accused, crime like that alleged
against him was committed in the neigh
borhood.
THE New York World, after long par
turition of typographical improvements, -
each one of which made it uglier than be
fore, has como forth in new suit. Its
former head, about the only surviving
beauty of its dress, has given place to a
homely one in imitation of the New York
Herald, and the other changes are good,
bad and Indifferent. It's editorial page,
however, always handsome and never dull,
keeps up its wonted brilliancy of aspect
and Of expression.
AT the elections for members Of the
Chamber of Deputies in Spain, of 147 seats
only about twenty were obtained by the
various shades of the opposition. The re-
suits of tie French elections as far as they
are known at present are almost exclu-
sively Republican. In both sections of the
Paris reimbursement the struggle has
been fierce, and NJ. Gambetta, though
generally believed to have been in each
elected, in each came within all ace OF
being beaten.
DESPITE the presidents critical condi-
tion, the country has something's to be
thankful for. The hail has not hurt all
the tobacco, there will be half crop OF
corn anyway, the dog days are getting
toward the tail end, and 10. Howard's
" tale of two cities" has come to an end
in the Philadelphia Times. He killed off
all the characters except three, and these
he left for the coming American novelist
to dispatch only because those whom he
slew were so numerous that lie had ex-
hausted all the devices of cath-dealing in
getting them off his hands.
A BURIAL of the uncut watermelon in
leo for two days is wise. Then cut length
wise, and eat between meals. People deal
unjustly with this fruit sometimes by eat.
ing hearty dinner first, and then topping
off with melon, and then if a moral earth
quake sets up in the interior, they charge
! it to the melon. The watermelon was in
tended as en- episode-an interlude-a ro-
nance without words-a nocturne in green
and red-not to be mingled with bacon
| and green's. Its indulgence leaves Ger
tain epigastral expansion, but this is pain
less and evanescent. The remedy is to
| loosen the waistband and-take another
slice.
WITH view to atfording relief to per-
sons who receive abusive and annoying
postal cards through the mails the follow
ing general instructions to postmasters
will soon be issued from the postoffice de.
partmenJ When any one is annoyed or
expects to be annoyed by postal cards,
sent from any particular place or from any
known person, lie may direct the post
master at the point named to destroy all
postal cards addressed to him, or cards
from any person named, so addressed, and
as far as the discharge of the duties of the
Office permit sufficient examination, the
postmaster should comply with the re-
quest. The same request may bc made of
the receiving postmaster. The direction
to the postmaster should be in writing
and should be filed for preservation.
THE Chicago Tribune cannot sec any
sense in Il big navy for this country. Ac-
QUESTION Of territory in any other part of
the world is inconsistent with the mission
of our government. The Americans will
never need Il fleet in the British channel,
or the Baltic, or the Mediterranean. They
will never want to lombard Liverpool, or
Cork, or Havre, or Marseilles, nor to un-
dcrtake the destruction ofany foreign city.
Hence We want no great battering rams
for use on the high seas. The first aud
most important naval need in this country
is for defense. Big guns and torpedoes
are the most necessary appliances. The
chief requisite for aggressive warfare on
the ocean is fleet of independent and
swift vessels to prey upon foreign COM
merce-ships that can overtakc merchant
vessels and run away from the ponderous
men-of-war. The time to provide the
most approved ships of this description
will DO when they shall be actually
needed.
Drowned In canals.
Two dead bodies have been taken from
4 l., r -.