Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-04
MlTTERS AND THINGS.

There are now on the House calendars 800
public and 400 private bills, which have been
favorably reported by the committees, and
3oo bills on the Speakers table.
Great Northern railroad train, with an
eight-fcet single driver outside cylinder en-
CINE, lately ran from Leeds to London,
1851 miles, in exactly three hours-sxty.two
miles all hour.
The following saying of the late Sir Henry
Bulwcr, abou, the national character of the
Turks is good: when the Turk does any
thing consider what is the reasonable,
straightforward Interpretation to place on
that act Then eliminate absolutely that
conclusion. Any other may be possible,
blt that certainly will not be-"
To the address on Irish affairs which the
Canadian Parliament sent TO the Queen, the
Earl of Kimberley has replied, in substance,
that Her Majesty would accept advice from
Canada on Canadian affairs, but as to the
Irish question she thought she could get
along with the aid of the Imperial Parlia-
ment.
The first soldier who died in the service of
the Confcderacy was an Augusta tailor in the
First Georgia Volunteers. The knight of the
goose was not killed in battle nor kicked to
death by amule, but died from the bite of a
garter snake, which he had placed in his
bosom as joke, supposng it to be of q
harmless nature.
Two Denver boys, having read about kid
mapping, stole wealthy woman's pet dog,
and wrote a letter demanding S25 for his
return. II she did not leave the money in a
specified spot. they declared they would
send her every day an inch of the precious
brute's tail. Being easily caught they
proved to be Sunday. school pupils of good
standing.
| A female who may well he described as
phenomenon is just now being exhibited in
London She is just eighteen years of are,
and is said to he eight feet two inches 10
height. To crown the matter she is still
growing. Her face is rather progressing,
and her feet are simply prodgious. The
only disagrceablc popularity of this fair
| glantcss is that she can not hold herself easily
erect. She always appears to be sitting or
falling down.
A report has been spread that the horrible
disease known ms the plica polonica has made
its appearance in London, brought over by
the traders in false hair from Poland. The
disease is one of the most horrible kind, in
durable and rendering its victim an object as
hldeous to behold as the lepcr of the East.
The hair, instead of dividing into fine and
silky threads, conglomcrates into thick mat
ter, with only one thick root, which bleeds
on being cut. SO that no relief can be obtained,
save by cauterlzation of the whole mass. The
rcpoi! has caused greater scare than any
produced by the Fcnians.
1t is estimated that s05, 900 bales of hop.
are required every year to supply the worlds
demand, the greatest part of them being usec
in brewing beer, AS may be inferred from
the fact that 4,125, 466 barrels of mall
liquors were sold in this country alone last
year. Some years ago there was suddrr
, extension of hop culture in the United States
the prices then prevailing making 1t exceed
ingly profitable. In 1878 and 1879 the price
ranged from three to twelve cents per pound
but during the present week it has been more
than half dollar per pound. When there
is full crop this country produces 140, 0O(
bales. England 4S0, 900 bales, and the CONT
nent $50, 600 bales, the weight of hale
averaging 1856 pounds. It is reported thai
there will be less than half full crop THU
year, and the proprietors of hop yards art
happy
, AT the sale Of the Beckford library in Eng
land the following prices were obtained
"Franchini Poemata," with the monogram
of the Marquis de Manars stamped IN golc
on the back sold for $3.50. 'Frobishcr':
Three Voyages OF Discoverie for the Find
ing of passage to Cathaya by the North
west" in black letter, 1878, with two very
rare maps; and "Keymis's Second Voyage
to Guiana" 1896; both bound in one vol
ume, small quarto 1900, A collection o.
thirty six coiored drawings of maps and
plans of France, executed in 1902 and 1903
for King Henry Tvs own use, were knocked
down for 1915. The library at one tint
belonged to the author Of "Vathek."
STANLEY Jevons takes up in Nature tn,
pcriodicy between commercial crises ant
maximum sun spots, and shows that tn,
e agreement has continued uniformly through
1 the present century and most of the last
! with the exception Of the crisis of 1897 ant
t the panic of 1873. Recent enquiry show!
that maximum OF sun-spots, previously
! overlooked, existed in 1897, aud. in refer
ence to 1878, Mr.. Jevons points out that
while serious commercial disturbances and
e collapse of prices took place in 1873, tn
t records of failures in the United States anC
England show the collapse of credit came il
1 1877 and 1873. Indian famines for centur,
have conceded with the sun-spot cycle, ant
+ MIR. Jevons inclnes to the belief that the ia
distant occasion of commercial crises in Eu
rope is the failure of Indian crops, with it
r attendants, famine and disorganzation O
n trade This calculation makes the nex
!. panic likely between sc and 'Ss.