Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-10-24
TIMELY TOPICS.

Il lAOt
the spleen is an organ Of the body
which for years has been a piece de re
sistance for the learned, as its precise
uses are puzzle. Il is not essential to
life, aud has been removed from the body
without any apparently dangerous cons1-
quenccs. AT recent German medical
congress, man was exhibited from
whom this organ had been taken two
years and a half before, on account of
disease. The man seemed quite we'll
Other cases of similar character were re-
feTed to or exhibited.
Elisha Z. Everett, cabinet maker and
inventor, of Philadelphia, who has taken
out twenty or thirty different patents for
mechanical appliances, is now at work
on an invention that, if successful, may
completely revolutionize ocean and rail-
way travel. This is nothing else than
the reduplication of steam power. He
has designed a steamboat which, by
means of a succession of paddles beneath
the water, may attain speed of thirty
kno's an hour and accomplish trip to
Europe in three or four days.
A human relic of Pompeii has been
discovered among the ruins in an excep-
tionally well preserved state. 1t is the
full length fossil of a man who was
probably struck while in flight at the
time of the destruction of the city, up
ward of eighteen centuries since. The
features are we'll defined, the mouth be-
ing slightly open, showing the teeth in
either jaw; the hands are perfect, and
one is supposed to have held two keys,
which were found close to it, while the
legs are spread out and slightly raised.
The left member had, however, been
broken, as the bone protruded.
Khartoum is a name that is known
among the widest savages of equatorial
Africa who never heard of Paris or Lon
den; to them it is the center of all that
is great, and it is the capital of every
thing. The abandonment of Khartoum
would, in their estimation, be the dis
ruption of a central power, which would
imply impotence. The slave hunters
have been suppressed by the authority
from Khartoum, and the force required
for that suppression has emanated from
that center OF strength and government;
if, therefore, Khartoum should be aban-
doned, the protection that was the sup
port of loyal tribes of the interior would
have been withdrawn, the supporting
power would have been oveIthrown, and
the slave hunters would again be in the
ascendant.-Sr Samuel Baker.
1t will be remembered. that in the
spring of 1888 it was announced by
Queen Victoria that the royal household
would not eat lamb during the season.
This edict has had the effect, according
to the official statement of live stock for
1884, to place the proportion of lambs
to sheep at fifty-nine per cent, also
showing an increase of nearly 1000, 600
in the number of both. or about four per
cent. During the past two years the
number of cattle has also increased by
433, 600 head, or II per cent. Notwith-
standing the increase in number of cattle,
Great Britain still draws a large part OF
its supply of meat from other countries.
The official statement of imports OF
animal food for the year 1888 shows that
not far from II, 100000 hundredweight
of meat food was imported, amounting
to about twenty eight pounds for each
inhabitant, and costing about 81 pei
head.
Richard A. Proctor, the eminent as
tronomer. says that the age of the earth
is placed by some at 500, 900, 900 years,
and still others of later time among them
the Duke of Argyll, place it at 10, 900,
600 years. None place it lower than
10000, 900, knowing what processes
have been gone through. The
earth must have become cid.
Newton surmised, although he
could give no reason for it, that the earth
would at one time become perfectly dry.
Since then it has been found that New
ton was correct. AS the earth keeps
cooling it will become porous, and great
cavities will be formed in the interior
which will take in the water. 1t is esti-
mated that this process is now in pro-
gress so far that the water diminishes at
the rate of the thickness of sheet of
writing paper year. At this rate in 9,
600, 900 years the water will have sunk a
mile, and in Is, 900, 900 years every trace
Of water will have disappeared from the
face Of the globe.
''From the frontiers of Guatemala to
those of the United States" SAYS the
Merican FGn0ncier, "we have a vast do
main whose growth of precious woods is
truly enormous. Along almost the en-.
tire length of the coasts, both of the
Pacific ocean and Gulf of California, a
variety of wood abound that are remark
able for their perfumes as we'll as
such valuable cabinet timbers as rosewood,
mahogany, ebony and the cedar. The
Mexican cedar is especially priced in
foreign markets, for overlooking its
rich aroma, it possesses such a lightness
of weight and grain so fine that it is
considered superior to the ordinary wal
nut, now so largely used in the manufac-
ture of rich furniture. While the interior
States rival the coast States of Mexico in
valuable timber resources it is a note
worthy fact that the woods which com
mand good prices in many foreign mar.
kets are here almost everywhere burned
carelessly as the cheapest fuel. The
coming exhibits in Boston and New
Orleans should attract to the neglected
regions of Mexico, so rich in wooded
wealth, their deserved attention"
A New York paper asserts that 'the
nun Of Kenmare, MISS Cusack, hasopene6
school in connection with convent al
nottingham, England, for the training
of domestic servants, and her enterprise
suggests the need of schools for servants