National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-05-09


My little one, Joy,
JOY , .i..I.. l-....,.
FRANCIS HOWARD WILLIAMS.
GREAT BRITAIN has in her navy nifty
vessels capable ofsteaming around the worl
at speed Of twelve knots per hour withou
recoaling.
EVERY day the London postmen walk
a distance equal to twice the circumference Oh
the earth There are i,03o OF them, and they
average twelve miles day each.
PUPILS in Chicago public. schools arc
taught practical monetary transactions In q
practical way, real greenbacks and silver coin
being provided by the city for their use.
THE current of Lake Erie has an effect
upon tho adjacent shores sufficient to mako
the spring season. from two to four weeks
earlier in and around Toledo than at Buffalo.
THE Baroness Pritcha, who lately hr-
ured in social sensation at Biarrltz, Is the
daughter iof Jan Englishman and siamese
woman. She was expelled from Siam by the
king and collected 100000 damages from him
therefor by the aid of English influence. HAY
ing run through with that sum, she sold her
self to the king of Cambodia as q slave for
| $1,000.
AT the recent funeral of Con. Eabrizi,
almost the last Of the heroic group of patriot
soldiers who supported Garibaldi, small
| company OF tho original Garibaldians fast
thinning), in red shirts and breasts covered
with medals but otherwise many cases show
ing signs of extreme poverty, attracted the
reverential attention of the crowd. All the
Garibaldi family came from Caprera to attend
| the funeral
ABOUT year ago traveller in Ger
many came across an officer employed in
experimenting some details of military rail-
road transport lie had been a captain during
the FrancoGerman war, and had allowed his
company 10 be, surprised. After being i'm
prisoned for eighteen months he was placed
in the military railroad transport service and
told that he was never to receive promotion.
Being surprised--by an enemy is regarded as
the one objectionable sin by the Germans.
IN days gone by there was often heard
acry from Ireland for a royal residence, but
of late mo royalty need apply" has been the
prevailing sentiment, There may yet be seen
the remains OF an abortlve attempt at royal
palace at Jigginstown, near Mas. On account
of the excellence of the brick the walls and
yaulted cellars have come down to our day,
STAFFORD built 1t, 'deoming 1t uncomey his
majesty should not have u house of his own
here" Perhaps the princes OF the house Of
Parnell may yet occupy 1t. ..
THE, Ameer of Afghanistan's name ID
variously given in the newspapers as. Abdul
Rahman, Abdurahman, and Abdur Rahman.
The two first are right, but Abdul Rahmon il
preferable Us translation, In Arabic, and
those other languages which follow the
Arabic in some particulars, certain letters be-
come assimilated with certain other following
letters for the sake OF euphony Thus, Abdul
Rahman is pronounced Ahdurrahman by the
Afghans, and in writing It the "r' Is dropped.
and sign put over the "r," which indicated
duplication.
The most curious book in the world 10
one that is neither written nor printed Every
letter Of the text is cut into the leaf, aud, az
the alternate leaves are of blue paper 1t is az
easily read ps the best print. The labor re.
quired and the patience necessary to cut each
letter may be imagined. The work is 80 per-
feet that 1t seems as. though done by ma
chinery, but every character was made by
hand. The book is entitled 1.-THE Passion Of
Christ" 1t lisa very old volume, and was a
curiosity as long ago as the year 1910 At this
time 1t belongs to the family of the Prince do
Ligne, and Is kept at museum In France.
NINE. DE KALoMINE, the divorced wife
Of the Grand Duke of Hesse, who is now
known as the Countess Czapska- Romrod has
left Dresden for st, Petersburg, and after a
short stay there she is going TO Italy and will
probably settle at Florence or Naples. II is
understood that modus Uipendi has been es-
tablished between the countess and her late
husband, and that she is to receive a hand
some allowance from the grand ducal treas.
ury, while on the other hand all papers and
correspondence have been given up, and she
undertakes not to return to Darmstadt.
/ THE ancients used to indulge in prac.
teal jokes to Il considerable extent for In
stance, the Thraoans at their drinking parties
{ sometimes played game of hanging. They
fixed round moose to the Dough OF a tree and
placed underneath 1t stone of such shape
that 1t would easily turn round when any one
stood on 1t, Then they drew lots, and ne who
drew tho.lot took a sickle in his hand, stood
, on stone, and put his neck into the halter.
!, The stone was kicked away, and II he could
i cut himself down with his sickle well and
i good, but II he was not quick enough he was
hanged outright and the rest laughed, think
y ing II good sport.
THE giraffe has perhaps tho most as
tonishing lnimicry OF any animal. Its great
I size, which enables 1t to live on lofty tree
: boughs in Its native African forests, makes II
4 also most conspicuous object to It's enemieR.
. of which the most dreaded are tho lion and
u man. Such is its mimicry, however, that the
= most practlced eye has failed to distinguish
}, the giraffe from one of the dead and blasted
: trees which abound in the haunts OF this ami
NAL, Reliable evidence assures us that lions
= have been known to gaze long and earnestly
at n motioness giraffe, and being unable to
!. decide that 1t was not tree, to turn and skulk
4 away.
THE word "pamplet" is derived, from
II the name of u Greek authoress Pamphylia,
who compiled history OF the world into
o thirty-ive little books. punch and Judy"
g is IL contraction from Pontius and Judas. 1t
. is a relic OF an old miracle play" in which
= the actors were Pontius PLATE and Judas Is
- carlot. "Bgot" Is from Yisigothai in which
n the fierce and ntolerant Arianisln Of the Vis'
" goth, conqueror OF Spain, Is handed down TO
infamy. "Humbug" is from Hamburg "a
u piece Of Hamburg news" was in Germany
u a proyerbial expression for false political
o ruinors. "Gauze" derives its name from GAIA,
where II was first made. "Tabby cat is all
unconscious that her name is derived nom
Atab, famous street in Bagdad inhabited by
. the manufacturers Of slken stufis called atabI
L or tNffety, the wayy markings of the watered
70 silks resembling pussya coat, "old Scratch"
o is the demon skratt who still survives in the
superstitions of northern Europe "old Mex
NJ is1ppe other than Rikiy, The dangerous water
&. demon Of scandinavian legend. The lemon
takes It's name from the city Of Lima,