The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-04-22
BITS OF INFORMATION.

The Bank of England was founded in
1894. The capital is fl4, 533, 600.
The number of miles of telegraph
wires in the world is placed at 492, 573.
The mileage of telephone wires in the
United States Is estimated ut 10000
miles.
THERE are about 1900 locomotives
running on the railroads Of the United
States, and 500, 600 cars of all kinds.
"ARKANsAs" was originally spelled
Ar-kan-cea" and has always been pro-
nounced Arkansaw" by the old settlers.
The Suez canal is 100 miles in length.
Ii is seventy-two feet wide at the bot
tom, about 800 feet ut the surface, and
twenty-six feet deep, easily passing the
largest vessels.
THERE are three Major Generals in the
regular army-W. S. Hancock, Irwin
Mcdowell and John M. Schofield and
six Brigadier Generals-John Pope, o.
o. Howard, A. H. Terry, G. @. Augur,
Geo. Crook and Nelson A. Miles.
THE Aryan languages are Sanskrit,
whence Hindoostanee Zeud, whence
Persian Greek, whence Romaic; Latin,
whence italian, French, Spanish, Portu-
guese, Wallachian; Celtic, whence WEIGH,
Irish, Gaelic Gothic, whence Teutonic,
English, scandinavian Slayonic, whence
Russian and Austro- Polish.
THE average duration of vitality in
seeds of some of our cultivated plants is
as follows: Artichoke, 5 years; broad
bean, 6; beet root, 5; cabbage, 5; carrot,
4; cucumber, s.; lettuce, 5; maize, 2;
melon, 5; onion, 2; parsnip, 2; peas, or
8; radish, 8; spinach, 8; tomato, 5; tur-
nip, 5; egg plant, Z; endive, 8; parsley,
3; strawberry, 3.
The expression IA l." popularity used
to designate the first quality of articles,
is copied from the symbols of the Brit
ish and foreign shipping-list of the
Lloyds. ga" is used to designate the
character or conditions of the hull of
vessel, and the figure 81" to denote
the efficient state of her anchors, cables
and stores. If those are insufficient in
quantity or quality, the figure 80" is
used to indicate the same. When it is
said of ship, "she is A l." it means
that she is all right as to hull, rigging
and equipments.
BY estimate, the surface of an average
sized man contains about sixteen and q
half square feet, or 50, 900 inches. AL
lowing $500 pores or openings to each
inch, we have the aggregate OF 7,OOO,-
900 for the whole body. Connected with
these are about twenty-eight miles of
tubing, through which the decaying and
waste matters of the body-ever dying,
particle by particle, while life remains
pass off, freeing the body of putrid mat
ter. This waste is gathered up in all
parts of the body and hurried out of the
system, as an important means of avoid
ing disease and death. 1t is also esti-
mated that of all taken into the stomach.
tive-eighths pass off through the pores |!
FROM 1889 until 1916 the rates of
postage in America we're: For single let
ter (that is, one composed of single
piece of paper under 40 miles, 8 cents;
under 80, 10 cents; under 300, II cents;
under 500, % cents. In 1916, these
rates were modified as follows: A single
letter, not over 30 miles, 81 cents; over
30 and under 80, 10 cents; over so and
under $50, 12f cents; over $50 and un-
der 400, 49, cents; and an additional rate
for each piece OF paper. If the letter
weighed one ounce, four times the rates
were charged. Again, in 1915, the rates
were lowered: For letter not exceed
ing half an ounce in weight, under 300
miles, cents; over 800, 10 cents, AMI an
additional rata for each additional half
ounce or fraction thereof. The present
rates of letter postage were adopted in
1863.
The name Gypsies is q corruption of
the word Egyptians, and it has been sup
posed that the Gypsies originated in
Egypt. But the conflict of authorities is
SO great with regard to their origin that
it is now extensively believed that moth
ing absolutely authentic is known on the
subject In the year 1927 band of 100
strangers arrived in Paris, who claimed
to be Christians of Lower Egypt who
had been expelled by the Saracens. They
said they had last come from Bohemia.
They professed the gifts of fortune
telling and other necrOmantic arts, and
we're great thieves. They were expelled
from Paris, but continued to wander in
France. Other bands succeeded them,
and in the course OF a century they APP
peared in Spain, England, Sweden and
other countries of Europe. They were
what are now known as Gypsies. They
are usually great thieves, and have but
few redeeming traits. They are fond of
stealing children and bringing them up
as Gypsies, and also take persons into
their tribes who are willing to adopt their
mode of life.
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