Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-01-19
gIfs Of TsroRMxTror:

IT was Dean Swift who said "Bread
Is the staff of life a. sisss ssE
The entire loss of the German armies
IN l87O-'H was So, 900 men.
!GUNPowDER is composed Of potassic
nitrate, charcoal and sulphur
EDWARD YOUNG is the author of the
line, Death loves shining mark"
The game of polo was introduced into
the United States in 1876. The game
originated among the British officers in
India. 1a..5z D. s.5..' 81 5r5s =
THE salary Of the President is $50, 600
a year Vice President, $S, 900; Cabinet
900; Speaker of the House, IS, 900.
.g5 The custom of appointing men for
palf bearers comes from the Romans.
Julius Caesar had magistrates for his
/ pali-bearers.t Augustus Caesar had Sen
ators. ~ D.. l. = y 80 2 -
59iVTRCHow, an eminent German anato-
mist, has written treatise on the WE'LL
authenticated cases of human beings
with. tails. Helsays an infant, born at
Aldenbufg, had a. tail whose movements
were under its control, though it was
usually doubled up like pigs tail.
THE word rs thoroughbred =, does not
| mean an animal Of pure. blood, that is
unmixed ; it is used to designate animals
raised from the best blood, but origin
ally derived from a mixture of IIces. A
pure or full blood is an animal whose
pedigree is clear, and which was bred
without admixture from the same source,
as a pure Clydesdale horse. A thorough
bred may also be pure blood, but not
{ necessarily SO. h-
In the reign of George II, the Rajah
Tor Prince of Bengal, India, marched
suddenly to Calcutta to drive the En-
glish from the country. As the attack
was unexpected the English were de-
feated and 146 persons were taken pris-
oners. They were driven into place
about IS feet square, and Is or 16 feet
high, with only two small grated win.
dows. This is what is known In history
as the g Black Hole of Calcutta" One
hundred and twenty three of the prison
ers died in one night, suffocated in few
hours from confinement in this close,
hot prison-hole, the oxygen of the air
being soon consumed by so many lungs,
and its places supplied by earbonic acid
exhaled by the hot breath. The victims
all died sleeping, because the carbonic
acid gas, being narcotic poison, pro
duces drowsiness and death in those who
inhale it. OF the twenty three who sur
vived, the larger portion died of putrid
fevers after they were liberated.
The national anthem, "The Star
Spangled Banner" was written by q
Baltimorean, in Baltimore, ard put IN
type by Baltimore boy, in the office
of the Baltimore american, on the
night of the bombardment of Fort Nc
Henry. Francis Scott Key, under the
protection of flag of truce, went on
board the cartel-ship Menden to en-
deavor to procure the release of friend
of his, who had been captured by the
British. For fear the intended attack
upon the city would be divulged by him,
Mr.. Key was detained q prisoner, and,
during the conflict, the poem was COM
posed, notes of it being written upon the
back of an old letter. When he was re-
leased he wrote out the song in full, and
by the advice OF his uncle, Judge Mich
olson, had it sent to the printer 1t was
taken to the american office; the men
were all In the army, and to Mr.. Samuel
Sands, then an ofiice-boy IA years of
age, and now the veteran editor of the
american Farmer, was the copy hand
ed to be set up. He set it up, printed
it and distributed it among the people.
Set to music, it was first sung in res
taurant next to the Holiday Street The
alter, by Charles Durang.a It was re-
ceived with great enthusiasm, and was
sung nightly for some time afterward at
the theater and was soon adopte6 as the
uauonaI anthem. a.