The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-02
GENERAL SECULAR NEWS
Domestic.

Domestic.
For many years old John K, of
houston, Texas, has been known as mser. He
died few days ago of starvation, refusing food
up to the last moment. He left at least $50, 900
IN real estate and in money owning much pro-
perty In Houston He was hater of mankind
and hated women much that he would not
even rent his house to one of them. When he
was dying the room was so dark that the doctor,
who had come voluntarily to attend the man,
ordered another candle lighted; but old X.
raised his head and with his dying breath ex-
postulated and forbade the extravaganza.
INCREASED VALUE OF FARM LANDS
According to recent Government report, the
average value of farm lands in the United States
has increased during the past year eight per
cent The State of Virginia shows the least i'm
Provement- quarter per cent. while Flor
ida, with its cotton fields and orange groves,
takes front rank, showing an increase In value
OF twenty eight per cent The New England
States are up to the general average, while ILL
average increase of thirteen per cent.
The ELEVATED RAILRoAD.-The
following statistics of the Metropolitan or Sixth
Avenue Railroad In New York, are given for
the past year: The road having been run on
3l3 week days, being closed on Sundays, carried
ioo60, 4Ol passengers or an average $4,000 per
day.. For one month the average was 52,SO3
per day. The receipts, verified, were 81 2l3,
S455S, or about $4,000 per day. The fifteen
million passengers have, on an average paid
eight cents fare This little piece of road is only
four and half miles in length, and vet on it
the trains have run 1927 1884 miles
Foreign.
The fact that chemist at Munich
has succeeded In alphabetically producing indigo
is one that was telegraphed to the London press
from Berlin; but none of the vulgar blockheads
that preside over the press dispatches from Eu
rope, and tell us carefully how two athletes
practice from day to day on river. thought it
worth while to report this fact, which is vastly
important-not merely scientifically, but eco
nomically. A few years ago two Berlin chem
lists produced from coal-tar alizarine, the colorng
stuff of madden; and that destroyed the whole
agricultural industry devoted to raising the
madden plant in France aud elsewhere. Now
that Professor Bayer has made indigo out of
coal-tar products, by means of cinnamic acid in
nitro bromic combination, the indigo culture
of India is certainly threatened with speedy ex-
tlnctlon.-Independent.
Once at Stockholm Jenny Lind was
requested to sing on the Sabbath, at the Kings
Palace, on the occasion of some great festival.
She refused; and the King called personally
upon her-in itself high honor-and as her
sovereign commanded her attendance. Her
reply was-'".There is higher King SIRE to
whom | owe my first allegiance" And she
peremptorily refused to be present.
Lord Beaconsfeld is reported as
being engaged upon another political novel. 1t
is said to deal with that period of English his
tory with which Disraeli was so closely identi
fed and in which he denounced Sir Robert
Peel.
Lii Hung Chang, the conspicuous
Chinese statesman, in person is about six feet two
inches IN height. but, owing to his age Sixty two
years. his form is somewhat bent. He is described
as astute, keen, and cunning but withal has a
highly polished manner and overreaches a En-
roPean with the most winning politeness. The
only way IN which Ii, in common with the host
OF Chinese mandarins in power can be met is said
to be by counterduplicity. Independent.
Is that the way he got his name?
The great theoretical question now
before chemists is to discover whether the So
called SIMPLE elements are really simple or are
composed of simple elements. The recent in
designations of the solar spectrum and of the
spectrum of stars that are hotter than the sun
tends to show that at extreme heat the most of
the elements are decomposed. or ASSOCIATED, into
hydrogen and some other simpler forms The
only definite evidence yet obtained in the lab
oratory is in the case of iodine and some of the
kindred halogens. Iodine at temperature of
between 6OO' and 7OO0, begins to suffer dissocia
SS 'N' ',io"h ny IOIoI meyer, confirmed by
Meier and ats and by Deville and Troost.
At this temperature its vapor begins to suffer
dissertation and diminish its density "a proof
of dissociation) until at white heat it attains
not far short of one half its normal density.
Bromlne does not undergo dissertation so readily
as Iodine, but it is observed Chlorine, how
ever has thus far resisted attempts to separate its
ultimate elements.-Independent
Emperor Francis Joseph, of Aus
tria, gives a third of his annual income of "a.
$4,000 in charity, and is said to distribute it
without regard to race or creed.
President Gr6vy, of France, has
salary of two hundred and forty thousand dollars
per annum. His regular salary is one hundred
and twenty thousand dollars to which is added
sixty thousand dollars for receptions and sixty
thousand for travelling expenses.
-AFRICA-The slave trade in Africa
is still enormous. DR.. Livingstone estimated the
traffic for all Africa at half million yearly. |
Col. Gordon puts the loss of life in the Soudan |
alone at 10000 to $4,000 annually. Raouf
fasha, who was left to carry out the work be-
gun by Col. Gordon for the suppression of the
slave trade, is proving its active abettor, and |
the inquiry is encouraged by the Egyptian
government, 1.-THE sale and purchase of human
beings continues to be practiced on a large
scale in the Hodgey, Yemen, Nubia, Abyssinia. |
and at various points on the coast Men. |
women, and children are sold as beasts of burr
den"
-" Mucusse the powerful chief and principal
exporter of slaves on the east coast has lately
been captured by the Portucuese and sentancad