The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-01-21
BITS OF INFORMATION.

The first steamboat that navigated
the Mississippi vas the New Orleans, in
December, 1911.
PROFILE pictures are said to have
originated with Antigonus, who had his
picture taken in this manner on account
OF having only one eye.
FATHER HENNEPrN discovered coal in
l669, III what is now Ottawa, ILL.,, and
tins appears to be the first record of the
nndlng OF coal in America, but it was
not mined until nearly century and a
half later. In 1913 five ark-loads of
hnty coal were foated down the Lehigh
river and sold III Philadelphia for $21
per ton.
THE phrase, "a Roland for an OH.
yer, Is equivalent To the ordinary ex-
preston " Tit for tat" or giving u per-
son as good as he sends. Roland and
Oliver We're the names of two pages at
tached to the court of Charlemagne.
Their qualities were so excellent and SO
equally matched that Roland was con-
sidered rs good as Oliver, and vice versa.
This is the generally ascribed origin of
the phrase.
The countries of Europe are governed
by the following personages The Aus
tro-Hungarian empire. Francis Joseph,
Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary
and Bohemia; Belgium, King Leopold I;
Bulgaria, Prince Alexander (of the
House of Hesse) Denmark, Christian
TX. France, President Grevy the Ger
man empire, Emperor William Greece,
George l.; Italy, King Humbert Meth
erlands, King William I'LL; Spain, King
Alfonso XII; Switzerland, President
Dr. e. Welt Russia, Emperor Alexan-
der H.; Norway and Sweden, King Os-
car Ii.
THE expression "Don't crowd the
mourners originated with one Of the
Mier prisoners i'll Mexico. The cap
trlred Texans overpowered their guard
Mt Rancho Salado and escaped, but were
afterward recaptured and compelled TO
draw lots. A number of beans were
placed in n hat, every tenth bean being
n black one. The man who drew black
bean was to be executed next morning.
One of the unfortuuates who had al
ready drawn n black bean was jostled,
accidentally, by fellow-captive who
was crowding up to try his luck. The
jostled party, whose fate was already
sealed, laughinRly remarked: $50
slow don't crowd the mourners. boys. Z"
In 1910 four COWS and bull were, at
ter a long and dangerous passage by
sailing vessel, landed i'll Virginia from
Ireland. These were the first domestic
cattle seen in America. In 1925
eighteen ewes and two rams we're intro
duced as a novelty into New York by
the Dutch West India Company The
first horses landed in any part of North
America were carried over to Florida by
Cabecca de Vaca in 1897 they all per-
ished. The wild horses fround on the
plains of Texas and the Western prairies
are probably descendants of the fine
Spanish horses abandoned by De Soto.
In 1926 part of the trade of the Dutch
West India Company was the carrying
of horses from Flanders to New York,
and that year six mares and horse
were safely transported from France to
America. The London Company were
the first exporters Of swine from Britain
to America, and in the year 1924 they
carried on their vessels no less than
eighty-four, which were all, on landing,
allowed to roam at large and feed and
fatten on the mast, which was very
abundant in the woods. They increased
so fast that in 1927 the colony was III
danger of being overrun with them but,
the Indians acquiring a taste for fresh
pork and the novelty of hunting hogs,
that calamity was averted.