The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-04-08
TOPICS OF THE TINES.

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Mr.. Archibald Forbes has high opinion
Of the late Emperor Of Russia. He says he
should characterize him In brief as the only
honest Russian he ever knew. "He had the
says Mr.. Forbes, "of being
better than his race. He was good man
who honestly strove for . long time to make
his people better, and who lived long enough
to come sadly to the conclusion that It was
and finally to become, in a shad-
owy way, perhaps, tainted with the univer-
sal corruption around him."
The way they start railway train In Ger
many Is thus described: When all Is ready,
q bell rings. Then another bell rings. Then
the engine whistles, or, rather, she toot-toot-
toots generally. Then the conductor tells
the station master that all Is ready. Then
the station-master looks placidly around and
says "So?" Then the conductor shouts
"FertigP" interrogatively. Then the station
master shouts "Ferig" positively. Then
the conductor blows q horn; the engine
whistles; the bell rings; the other bell rings;
the station-master says $50 ?" the passengers
swear in various tongues, and the train starts.
That Is, unless q belated fat man comes.
Then they do 1t all over again.
You can understand what patronage is in
volved in the Treasury Department for New
York State alone, by the statement that there
are 5000 postofices there, many of them with
$4,000 salaries, and with clerks and carriers
numbered by the thousands; and the saia-
ries at the Custom Houses of New York
State amount to nearly 5000, 900 year, and
the laborers to about 1900 persons. The
Collector of New York gets $4,000 year
salary. There are twelve Internal Revenue
Collectors, with salaries Of about $4,000.
"Who are the Beers ?" Is q question that
has been often asked of late, and many Won
dered where the peculiar word originated.
The word '.Boer" Is the Dutch for farmer or
dweller In the country, being the same as
the German "bauer and the Anglo-Saxon
"boor." The Beers are substantially the de-
scendants Of the Dutch immigrants who set
tied at Cape Of Good Hope under Jan Van
Riebeck in 1852. They were joined by
French Huguenots in 1857 and 1850, but the
latter were soon absorbed. The language OF
the Beers Is the so-called Cape Dutch, the
basis of which Is the language of Holland,
with the mixture Of numerous English,
French, German and even some Malay and
Hottentot words. This is the ruling idiom
In the Transvaal and the Orange Republic,
and of the rural population in the Western
part of the Cape Colony, while the Eastern
part and in Kahraris and Port Natal there is
more English spoken than Dutch. ofthe
entire white population Of South Africa, which
numbers from 3sO, 900 to 1000, only abou.
rs per cent. are of English stock, while "a
per cent. belong to the low German race and
about per cent. to other nationalitics. The
name Boer was first applied to the Dutch
colopists by the Enlish on account of their
agricultural proclivities, and was adopted by
hemselves.-Boston Herald.
Henry Clay's favorite recreation for many
years was game Of whist, to which at one
time he was passionately addicted-not for
the stakes but for the distraction and excite.
ment Of the game. Mr.. Winthrop says there
Is tradition that while Clay was visiting
Boston In 1913, and lodging as the old Ex-
change Coffee House in Congress street, .
servant rushed into, the parlor in which be
was at the whist table with few gentlemen
Of the old school, and announced that the
hotel was on fire. "Oh, there will be time
enough, think" cried Mr.. Clay, ITO finish
our game; and finish It they did before the
hotel was burned to the ground. A similar
tradition Was current In Washington at Ia
ter period that, while Mr.. Clay was Speaker
he and his friends had passed whole night
at cards, and were still going on with their
games when the hour was close at hand for
the opening Of the morning session, Of Con-
gress. swat few inmates, gentlemen"
said Mr.. Clay, sand will wash my face and
hands, and run down to the House and call
John Taylor to the chair, and then will
come back and we will have another rub
ber." ... al