Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-21
All Around.

Herr CHASER, the Austrian explorer,
is about to undertake new journey in
Southern Arabia. He will 90 first frca
Sana to Marib, and will then visit IN
succession Wadi -Davassir, Nedjd,
0maun, and Hadramaut. In similar
Journey which he made some time ago
he brought back 27G Inscriptions of the
Sabeans, who were regarded in the time
of the Ptolemys as the wealthiest pec-
pie Of Arabia.
Browsing animals are proving as de-
structiye to California forests as fire is
elsewhere. Herds Of sheep and cattle
are driven up to the mountains every
year to Craze, and they deyour every
green thing from the foothills to the
meadows on the summit Of the ranges.
When the grass fails the young Seeding
trees are eaten off, or the bark peeled
so that the underground is entirely de-
stroyed.
The dome Of the Pantheon where
Hugo is entombed rests on rollers. Re-
Gently an exact duplicate Of this dome
was constructed for the observatory at
Nice, but by an ingenious arrangement
it was placed upon a reservoir OF air,
which, in turn, rests upon water IN a
circular basin. This system Of sus-
pension is said to be so perfect that, in
spite of its great weight, a single per-
son can turn it completely round.
Lightning has killed 1900 persons in
France since 1885. An equal number
have been seriously though not fatally
wounded, and five times as many struck.
The hot years were the most fatal, and
these are remarkable as having been the
best wine seasons. There has not been
a single death from lightning in Paris or
the Department of the Seine since 1864,
though there have been many violent
storms there during that time.
There are now established on the
coast of Great Britain 2S4 liie-boat sta
tons. In the current year there were
1864 casualties to shipping around the
British isles G33 lives and Is vessels
were saved, in addition to lS9 lives by
shore-bOats and other means, where re-
wards were given, being a total of 1872
lives saved through the agency of the
Society. During the year liie-boats
were launched 252 times, and not one
man Of their crews was lest.
The employment of cast-iron columns
as main supports has been greatly re-
stricted at Berlin by a regulation is
sued from the architects department
Of the police authorities of that city.
The order has been issued in conse-
Quence of a discovery made last winter
at fire, when it was found that the
caSt-iron columns had been cracked by
the effect Of the cold water playing on
them while hot.
The first cherries which reached
Chicago in carload lots from California
last month sold for fifteen cents pound
on an average. The cost Of transporta-
tion was from nine to ten cents per
pound, which left a profit Of 800 per
ton. The orchardists of Alameda coun-
ty say that, if the freight rates were re-
duced one third, they could send a
loaded train every day for sixty days.
A thrifty cherry orchard at these rates
ought TO return from $500 to 81 900 per
acre TO its owner.
The famous Panama hats are all
made in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and get
their name because Panama merchants
formerly controlled the trade. They
are made Of the pita fibre, a sort OF
palm. and are braided under water by
native women of strands often twelve
and fifteen feet long, and fine ones are
very expensive. 1t often takes two OF
three weeks to braid single hat, which
sells for IS and sc and lasts forever.
4 traveller speaks Of one made of a
single straw or fibre, as fine as thread
and soft as silk. The woman who
made it was engaged four months II
the work, and it was valued at $3.50.
The area Of the dominions Of thu
Shah of Persia is Loaf, 070 square
kilometres, and the population is es
timated at 7,653,000, contained il
ninety-nine towns, with total popula
ton Of 1903, 500, while the village
and rural districts contain 3,7S0,000
and the nomadS are estimated at 1909,
500. The statistics Of the creeds are
Sheeahs, CISCO, 600; Sunnis and othe
Mohammedan sects, 100000; Parsees
5000; Jews, $4,000; Armcnians
$4,000; HISTORIANS and Christians
$4,000. OF the Armenian population
52.S per cent. are males and 47.2 fe
males. OF the Mussulman population
the mean proportion is sos per cent
| feu,alec and 40 < maids