Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-17
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

| JULES JANIN declares that beasts feed, but
man Dimes The hour of dining should be at
the ebb of the day, when the most important
/ occupations have been finished.
In railway building across sandy deserts the
! French engineers are beginning to employ
! iron ties. A late pattern consists of a
wrought-iron bar, supported IN the middle
! and at both ends by glObular plates OF cast
! iron.
THE natives of Stonington, Conn, assert
that it has never rained there on Aug. 10 for
| lO1 years. This is the day they celebrate,
/ and the weather record, they say, has been
| accurately kept in the town ever since the
| first anniversary of the battle of Stonington.
| AN interesting game of chess was begun
/ last February between the famous clubs of
! Vienna and Paris, and was continued by tele-
/ graph from week to week till lately, when.a
! recess of two months was granted to the play
! ers to enable them to gain needed rest to re-
new the contest. The game will be resumed
Sept. 10.
WENDELL PHILLIPS was once waiting for
train at Essex Junction, VT, where passen-
gers exercised at times great patience. He
saw graveyard away from the village, near
the depot, and very full. He inquired the
reason, and Green Mountaineer calmly in
formed him that it was used to bury passen-
gers who died waiting for the train.
THE increased severity of the administra-
ton in Spain in collecting taxes is producing
marked results. Much taxable wealth which
has hitherto evaded the tax gatherers is con-
tinually coming to light. The cases of de-
falcatiOn in Madrid alone now exceed 1900,
and the evasions of direct taxation all over
the peninsula reach large amount.
THE Turks succeeded IN getting up new
style of exhibition during the last Ramazan
in the court yard of the mosque of Sultan
Bayazid at Constantinople. This was an eX-
hibition of handwriting. Choice specimens
of printing were also admitted. Cahgraphy
is still an art there, and the late Sultan chose
this for his trade. Examples of his work
could be freely bought
SIR JOHN LUBBOCK recently added happy
phrase to the sarcastic literature which is
accommodating on the subject of the passion Of
the British Peers for the franchise bill.
George Eliot, he said, describes one of her
characters-a certain boy as being very
fond of birds, shat is tC say" she adds, ''Of
throwing stones at them" such was the
fondness of the Peers for the county fran
chise.
WEST of Los Angeles Cal, about a mile
and half and about quarter of a mile from
the Cahuenga Pass road Is a low hill, which is
literally covered with tarantula nests. The
yermin swarm there, and at times a hundred
or more may be seen in the vicinity, while at
other times nothing IS visible OF the colony
except the nests. Some Of the tarantulas are
very old, aud enc has been noticed which is
about as large as four ordinary tarantulas.
THE Barnard comet is sim receiving atten-
ton at the Cambridge Observatory. 1t is vis-
BILE in clear weather in the southern horizon,
and will so continue till some time in October.
From the popularity of its orbit it Will re-
main during all the intervening time at about
the same distance from the earth as at the
present, that is, about 900 miles from
the sun. 1t is not yet fully determined that
the COCet is periodical one, as the Oppor-
tunities for observation have recently been
unfavorable at the early evening hour.
MARTIN KEEsE, Keeper of the City Hall Of
New York, found the other day, in the rubbish
which is being taken out OF the city library, a
brick on which is pasted a paper which bears
the following inscription: This brick was
made IN Holland, and is one of those given by
the city of New DIRK TO Thomas W1llett, their
first Mayor, with which to erect his chimney
on his plantation in Swanson, now Seakonk,
Miss on his return from New York about the
wear 1866. The chimney of house rebuilt on
the same site about the year III is mostly
composed of the same bricks. A. d. 1874"
BY reason of the socialishc sympathies of
certain of its inhabitants, Leipsic is for the
fourth time in a state of semi siege, and many
of those expelled in 1881 find themselves COM
PEELED to keep entirely clear of the city limits.
When they desire to visit the town on special
business they are accompanied by police
agent in citizens Clothes Two of the gentle
men thus under surveillance are members of
the Reichstag. The Berlin TdgebLdtt says that
the sight of the representatives Of the people
escorted by police is one offered by no other
country.
IN Transatlantic steamers, which are now
being trained almost as carefully as trotters,
the whole question of speed other things
being equal, as to get as much power for as
little displacement as possible. Aside from
the mechanical eXpedients resorted to TO get
power in the machinery and strength IN the
hull, with as little weight of material as pos
sible, it is apparent that the large ocean
steamers which attain such high speed sacrl-
fee a proportion of the freight and storage
room which slower steamers possess to accom-
modate the more bulky machinery. That
such sacrifice is, in reality, money saving,
due to the great number of trips Of the steamer
and to a possibly increased passenger traffic,
it is fair to presume.
THE Nashville american announces the
death, on Sunday Last, of Buck Lewis, the
colored body servant of Andrew johnson
during portion of his time as President Of
the United States. Lewis, it will be remem-
bered created quite a sensation in Washing
ton by revealing some OF - Presidents
AFFAIRS to his opponents. was done
while the famous impeachm grail was go
ingon, and was common tn or specula-
ton during many months folISng: PresI-
dent johnson discharged Lewis at that time
and he went back to Nashville, where he re-
manned up to the time of his death. Lewis
has since frequently suffered great want, and
he told a companion that President JohnsOn's
words. when he discharged him. had often
come to his mind during his misfortunes. The
words referred to are THESE: "Take this 500
bill and go where you will. trusted you and
you betrayed my confidence for less than l
have often given you without asking. All L
can say to YOU is that you VIII never suffer as
much as you have caused me to suffer by your
base treachery."
THE late Gen. Todleben, the defender of Sc
bastopol, died literally of overeating. BY the
direction of DR.. Schwenninger, the daily
meals of the General were divided into six
portions, and the hour was fixed when to take
each meal. But Todle0en, who never in his
life had listened to the advice Of doctors,
laughed at DR.. Schwenninger's instructions.
''The doctor is mistaken" he said, 'my or
ganism is weakened, and needs strengthening;
my good appetite is a clear proof of this"
The six meals were taken, but at each Of them
he ate all the six portions assigned for the
whole day. Thus three weeks went by. The
condition of the patient did not grow worse,
and the day was fixed for him to start for
Russia, when he tainted suddenly during
walk. He had hardly reached his residence
after recovering consciousness when he asked
for the bill of fare. When 1t was given to him
he expressed his astonishment at having re-
ceved a blank sheet of paper-he had lost his
sight. HIS feet had for some time past shown
signs of dropsy but, curiously enough, the
General had hidden this from those around
him. He fought indomitably against the dis
ease, but in vain. Two days before his death
he lost consciousness, and died on the day
which had been fixed for his return to Russia.