Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-01-03


The discovery OF two very ancient
cities has recently rewarded Oriental
archeologsts One is near Samarkand
and is thought, to date back to the
time Of Moses at least the other is
called Achsy and stands on the right
bank OF the Anu Darya, in Turkestan.
|, is reported that fifty years ago a
Russian general deposited $4,000
roubles in the Imperial Bank OF Russia,
which was to accumulate till io2s, and
then to he handed over to the author
OF the best biography of Gar Alex
ander |. The sum will reach at that
time a lump of something like $1,000.
600. II would be curious to know
how many biographies will be presen.
ed for competition.
An expedition OF BIOLOGISTS and geo.
graphers has been organized under Mr..
II. o. Forbes, well known as an Asiatic
explorer, for the study of Mount Owen
Stanley Range, the great central mount.
ain chain Of the eastern peninsula Of
New Guinea. As there is great danger
connected with this "trip, its progress
will be watched with much interest;
but the results, if happily secured, will
probably be Of unusual novelty and
importance.
One hears so little of the Argentine
Republic and Buenos Ayres that the
information in recent correspondence
that the steamboats, on the La Plata
are magnificent and fitted up in the
most luxurious way will be general
news, The gentlemen's smoking
room" on the steamer in which the wri.
ter happened to travel from Campana
to Rosario, was cooled by fountain
playing in its center, and the dining
room was lighted by electricity.
The French Government is about to
experiment upon transplanting sponges
from the coast of Syria and the Grecian
Archipelago to the shores of Algeria
and France. The best will be selected
by the divers, who will bring them up
rooted to detached pieces of rock.
The fragments will then be put into
perforated boxes and to the new
ground 1t is expected that by the
third year crop will be ready to
gather, If success attends the expert
ment
The reputed site Of the Garden OF
Eden, at the junction of the Tigris and
the Euphrates (Which united become
the Chat FL Arab, is now occupied by
a sterile tract, where the only life con-
sists Of clump of date trees near a
very small and dirty village, called
Gurna, at which the Turks maintain q
small garrison and telegraph Office
The inhabitants point out to stranger.
the "Tree of Knowledge most at
tenuated specimen, bearing "a small
green berry, which would certainl,
cause well-fed goat to turn away II
+ disgust"
Coated or furred tongues have beer
found by the microscope to contain
upon their surfaces the following sub
stances Fibres of wood, linen anc
cotton fibres of spiral vessels por
tons of potato skins, scales, moths
hairs from the legs Of bees and spiders
pollen of various flowers mosquito
wings and hairs from cats and mice
hairs from various leaves fragments O
the leaves of tobacco and chamomile
starch grains, cheese mould and fibre
of muscles. Hence, it is evident tina
the mouth should be shut in breathing
: and not be made trap for all tn
loose microscopic rubbish which goe
flying through space.
. A freshly imported elephant escape,
s recently in London on its way iron
y Paddington to the Geological Gardens
d He ran down the Edgeware Road, an,
y finally rushed into passage where h
a had not room to turn. His attempt
e to free himself threatened to "brin
J, the house down" in non-theatrical an
n literal sense. The neighbors might a
d well have been in an actual earthquake
. except for the impossibility Of applyin
}. buns, biscuits, and other sedatives t
that terrible scourage of nature. B
!. aid Of delicacies the elephant was ker
}. tranquil till he had been gradual
d backed into the street, where he wa
# induced by similar arguments to NOV
q on to the Geological Gardens withou
n hurting anybody.
d "a party of scientific explorers tina
e should make journey from the 18th
C mus of Panama to the shores of Ma
IS gellan Straits, keeping east of tn
Andes, on the table lands, would do
good thing for geographers and tn
a world at large. The possibilities @
81 that inland region must be great, an
l. the river expeditions count for little il
n determining the actual resources of S
h great a territory. Before the close @
re another century North Americans wi
IS be colonizing the best parts Of Sout
America, and, whatever England an
rs the other great powers choose to d
al with Africa, the part OF the world c
N most importance to this republic is tn
h rest Of this hemisphere" says "Al
k American /" in the New York Times.
!. The French war cruiser D'Estree,
A which left New Caledonia for Che
i bourg, last October is to do some SUI
Il vey and exploring work on its voyag
~ home, which will last ten month.
4 Soundings will be made at Por Ker
!, nedy in Thursday Island. and the exas
!. position Of several banks in the Cor;
!, Sea ascertained, which were discovere
!, BY Cook, but are only vaguely dete
mined up to the present At Compan