The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-02-05
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS.

The Italian government will pro-
pose TO the chambers to issue bonds, in
Il series, for Il years, for $4,000, 900,
bearing interest at per cent, for i'm
proving the sanitary plight of Naples.
Rocky Mountain squirrels, which
are considerably larger than the ordi-
nary American squirrel, with rich
golden brown fur and silver-gray
heads, are in demand Tor shipment to
England, where they are valued at $50
per pair.
The viii Of the late Maria L. Chism,
which has just been admitted to pre-
bate in New York. is model ofbTevi-
ty. 1t says: 81, Maria Chism, do give
to my daughter, Sarah Phelps, all my
real estate ard personal property, to do
as she sees fit. Sole eXeCutriX."
Harrison Hahn, Of Wind Gap, Pa,
an engineer on the Easton 81 Bangor
railroad, has a two year-old daughter
whose ears are bent forward and
grown to the side OF her face. She
was born III this way. A surgical
operation failed 10 relieve her. There
is no OrIfice, but the girl hears dis
tinctly through her nose and mouth.
The story is published, respecting
the origin of balloons, that Madame
Montgoltier had washed her petticoat
to wear to a great festival on the next
day, and hung Il over q chatingdish
to dry. The not air. swelling out the
folds of the garment, lifted it up and
floated it. The lady was aStonished,
and called her husbands attention to
the sight. 1t did not sake Montgoltier
long to grasp the idea of the hot air
balloon.
w. w. Ogilvie, the grain king of
Manitoba, has closed his mills from in
ability to compete with Minneapolis
mi!lers. Since the season began $780,
COD barrels of American flour have
been shipped TO the Dominion, pTinci-
paily for consumption in the province
of Quebec. Grain, according to this
Manitoba authority, can be had by the
Minneapolis milleTs at go cents a
bushel, while he has to pay Y, and
even with the duty on flour of 80 cents
d barrel, they can still underSell him in
Canadian markets.
The San Franciscans are very proud
of what they term their Golden Gate
park Of over Thousand acres. OF all
the great parks Of the world, they as
seFt that there is none so picturesque
and none having SO many resource.
for variety of arboricuiture. Nearly
all semi-tropical trees viii thrive in it
For ten years the work of tree plant
ing has been going on, and the park is
rapidly becoming most attractive
spot. One of the best features of the
place is the ocean view, the ark being
located on the shore OF the bay, with
a driveway along the beach
The New York Sanitary Bureau re
port for 1884 records 30.527 births,
1886 marriages, and 35,044 deaths.
The figures for 1883 were respectively
1882, II, $50 and SO, 9S2. Ofthe births
10, 49S were boys. There were 292
twins. Of the mothers, 459 had their
tenth child, 2C0 their eleventh, III
their Twelfth. rs their thirteenth, 81
their fourteenth. 10 their fifteenth,
their sixteenth, | her seventeeth, 2
their eighteenth, l bar nineteenth, 2
their twentieth and one her twenty
first. 1here were 1850 deaths from
violence; "a were homicides. No
death from smallpox is reported. The
suicides numbered 226, of whom 80
were women; 12l persons, of whom
20 NSIS WOuGUs 11fSO DSJ OLlu ~ yCli y -,
ID centenarlans died.
Balloon races are about to be started
in Paris. A ''steeplechase de ballons"
was announced for January 4, the
start to take place at some point with
in the Notifications, and the church
spire of one of the neighboripg vii
lagos to be fixed upon as the winning
post. Other experiments in balloon
ing are to take place in February.
Great things are expected of an aerial
velocipede" Just invented by an anna
teur. The motive power is supplied
by wheels working by pedals as in an
ordinary bicycle or tricycle.. NJ. Go
dard will make a trial trip about the
same time with his new "9rial torpe-
do" a species of military balloon de-
signed 20 accompany an army on a
campaign. NJ. GODDARD says thdt with
this balloon it will be possible for him
to take his station over beSieged city
and drop into it 1900 pound weight of
| bombs.