Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-04-15
BITS OF INFORMATION.

1hREb uttSnAPOo law ONCl AieSSto W.
assassinate Queen Victoria.
The theater of Marcellus, at Rome,
was capable Of seating 20, 900 persons.
IT has been estimated that 1000, 900
men perished in the wars begun to re-
cover the Holy Land.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON was the
Oldest man elected President, and Gen.
Grant the youngest.
AN italian writer says that 10000
operas have been written since 1900, Of
which 10000 have been produced by the
sons of Italy.
IT is stated that it takes 10000 roses
to produce half an ounce of the altar,
which accounts for the high price de-
manded for the pure article.
ENGLAND produces more tin than any
other country in the world. There are
tin mines in Bohemia, Saxony, Spain,
Portugal, Malacca and Australia.
WARREN HASTINGS, Governor General
Of India, was tried by the peers of Great
Britain for high crimes and misdemean-
ors. One of the charges was his accept
ance of G100,000 from the Nabob of
Dude. The trial lasted seven years and
three months, terminating in his ac-
Qmtta1.
TIE White House was first built in
1892, at a cost of $3.50, 1000. It was not
occupied until 1900. 1t was rebuilt in
1913. Its porticoes were not finished
until 1929 Altogether, it is computed
to have cost for building, rebuilding and
furnishing about 81, 700,0O0 The whole
structure hhs frontage of 40 feet and
depth of 68 feet, and its vestibule is
50x40 feet. The garden and park which
inclose the m ,nsion occupy twenty acres.
The Cabinet-room, 40x3O feet, is on the
second floor. The White House was
modelled after the palace of the Duke of
Leicester.
The phrase Speaking for buncombe"
originated near the close of the debate
Oh the famous " Missouri Question, in
the sixteenth Congress. It was then
used by Felix Walter, who lived at
Waynesville, in Haywood, the most
western county OF North Carolina, near
the adjacent county of Buncombe,
which formed part of his district. The
Old man rose to speak, while the House
was impatiently calling for the "ques-
ton" and several members gathered
around him, begging him to desist. He
persevered, however, fora while, declar-
ing that the people Of his district ex-
pocted it, and tlat he was bound to
"make speech for Buncombe."
THE phrase according to Gunter"
refers to Edmund Cunter, q distin-
g1ished English mathematician, who
was born in 1851 and died in 1928: He
is known as the inventor of the chain
commonly used by surveyors for meas
uring land, and OF the fiat wooden rule
marked with scales ON equal parts of
sines, chords, etc., and also with loga-
rithms of these various parts, which is
used to solve problems in surveying and
navigation mechanically with the aid of
dividers alone Hence in the use of the
phrase, anything is according to Gun
ter" which is done quite right and ad-
mits Of no improvement
A LONDON paper once printed the fol-
lowing in regard to the "origin of the
custom of making fools on the 1st of
April" ''This is said to have begun
from the mistake of Noah in sending the
dove out of the ark before the water had
abated, on the first day of the month
among the Hebrews winch answers to
the LIST Of April aud to perpetuate the
memory OF this deliverance it was
thought proper, whoever forgot so re-
markable circumstance, to punish
them by sen, ing them upon some sleeve
less errand imilar to that Intellectual
message upol which the bird was sent
by the patriai ii. The custom appears
to be Of grefS antiquity, and to have
been derived " the Romans from some
of the Eastern nations.