Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-01
ITEMS OF INrERE.sr

4 GIGANTIC Christmas tree is being ar
ranged in the New Orleans Exposition, 50 feet
high and lighted with 500 variegated electric
lights. and it will be covered with toys for
distribution to children.
Two PEASANTS asleep in the garnet Of a
rickety house at Catania, last month, being
aroused by a heavy shock of earthquake,
jumped up and slid from the roof by means of
a rope into an adjoining backyard. where
they were attacked by ferOciOus dog and so
manged that they died next morning.
BELIEVING that the stories told by travellers
about the wonders performed by the East In
dian magicians were true, an American i'm
Dorted one Of them. The result is a dIsaD-
pOintment. The famous basket feat, so often
described, proves to be so clumsy that the
performer, instead of becoming a valuable
celebrity, is barely tolerated in the dime mu-
seums.
Col. PREJEvALsKY's latest explorations in
Thibet have been notably successful, and he
will remain there throughout the coming
winter. The climate Of the great plateau,
u. 500 feet above the sea, he describes as ter
ribly severe. The entire summer was cold,
with occasional snow, the thermometer in
July often falling many degrees below the
freezing point.
AHANDsoME proportion of Lord Mayors Of
London have founded families which are rep
resented to- day in the peerage, baronetage and
landed gentry. Some, however, quickly fade
away from their high estate. One unfortu-
nate old gentleman, who had sat with the
car Nicholas on one hand and another 20
tentate on the other, closed his days like good
old Col. NewcOme as a poor brother of the
Charter House.
ANEW INDUSTRY is about to be started in
ireland. A gentleman, whose business in the
Levant has been upset by the Egg ptian COM
plicatiOns has returned to Ireland and sees
his way to propagate spOnges IN some OF the
sheltered bays OF the Irish coast. lie mas al
ready secured shore rights, and is taking the
needful steps to set gong an industry which
will probably pay. as there will be no syndi-
cate, Board, or Secretary.
on st. Martins day a deputatiOn of the
orthodox Jewish community in Pressburg
attended at the royal castle of Ofen, and pre-
sented the Austrian Emperor with six fat
geese. The rabbi then, in accordance with
the usual custom, asked permission for the
deputation TO put on their hats. Whereupon
they offered up prayer in Hebrew. This
old custom, which is repeated every st.
Martins day, dates from the time of King
Charles III, who on one occasion being in
Pressburg ct Martinmas and in want of pro-
visions, the Jews brought him six geese.
AT a meeting Of the st. Petersburg Health
Committee some statements were made which
throw a curious light on the Russian hospital
authorities and nurses. Prof. Rotkin. the
Emperor's special physician, and one Of the
first Russian scientific authorities. speaking
of the large death rate in the st. Petersburg
hospitals, said: 81 have come to the cOnclu-
sion that the patients die mostly from weak
ness, for with their daily allowance Of thir-
teen or fourteen copecks they cannot even
buy pound of beef for broth. In addition to
this, the nurses, who are very badly paid,
steal the food of the patients whenever they
can" Considerable surprise Is also sometimes
expressed in st. Petersburg society at the
rapid growth Of wealth among hospital
authorities.
UNTIL England checked the slave trade on
the east coast Of Africa awhile ago. thousands
Of people living near the great Lake Nyassa