The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-05-16
BITS OF INFORMATION.

THREE attempts have been made to
assassinate Queen Victoria.
The theater of Marcellus, at Rome,
was capable of seating 10000 persons.
IT has been estimated that 9, 100000
men perished in tho wars begun to rc.
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 1860, Of
which 10000 have been produced by tho
sons of Italy.
IT is stated that it takes 20, % roses
to produce half an ounce OF tn 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 arc
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 el00,000 from the Nnbob of
Dude. The trial lasted seven years and
three months, terminating in his ac-
quittal.
THg White House was first built in
1892 ut cost of ,330,OOO It was not
occupied until 1909 1t was rebuilt in
1918. Its porticocs were not finished
until 1929 Altogether, it is computed
to have cost for building, rebuilding and
furnishing about 81, 700, 900. The whole
structure has II frontage of 40 feet and
depth Of 6S feet, and its vcstibule is
50x40 feet. The garden and park which
inclose the mansion occupy twenty acres.
The Cabinct-room, lOA3O feet, i, ON the
second floor The White House was
modelled after the palace Of the Duke Of
Leicester.
THE phrase "Speaking for buncombc
originated near the close of the debate
on the famous Missouri Question, in
the sixteenth Congress. II was then
used by Felix Walter, who lived ut
Waynesville, III Haywood, the most
western county Of Nortl Carolina, near
tho adjacent county Of Buncomh',
which formed part OF his district. The
old man rose to speak, while the House
was impatiently calling ior the "ques-
ton" and several members gathered
around him, begging him to desi,t. He
persevered, however, fora while, decar-
ing that the people OF his district eX-
pected it, and that he was bound to
"make a speech for Buncombe.'
THE phrase According TO Gunter"
refers to Edmund Guntcr, distin-
guished Eughsh mathematician, who
was born i'll 1881 and died in 1926. Ho
is known as the inventor OF the chniu
commonly used by surveyors for meas
uring land, and OF the flat wooden rule
marked with scales on equal parts OF
sincs, chords, etc, and also with logn,
rithms OF these various parts, which is
used to solve problems in surveying and
navigation mechanically with the aid of
diyiders alone. Hence in the use OF tho
phrase. anything is "accorling to Gun
ter which is done quit right and adj
mits of no improvement.
A LONDON paper once printed the fol-
lowing i'll regard to the "origin of the
custom of making fools ON the lst of
April" "This is said TO have begun
from the mistake of Noah in sending the
dove ont OF the ark before the waterhad
abatcd, on the first day Of the month
among the Hebrews winch answers to
the LIST of April and to pcrpetuato the
memory OF this deliyerNncc it was
! thought proper, whoever forgot so rc
markable n circumstance, to pun.sl
them by sending them upon some sleeve
less crrand similar to that incilectug
message upon which the bird was sen
by the patriarch. The custom appear
to be of great antiquity, and to hay
been derived by the Romans from som
of the Eastern nations.