Connecticut western news., 1885-05-27
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

MUsKRATs destroy the levees and alligators destroy the muskrats. The New Orleans Item therefore recommends that the protection and propagation of alligators shall be encouraged by an act of Assembly.
 Two GIRLS in Sacramento, Gal, who thought it would be fun to black their faces, unfortunately got & coloring prep aration that won't wash of. It acts like dye on the skin, and chemists say it will not wear of for months.
 THE Wisconsin brewers have dis covered that the new license law is so loosely drawn that brewing company may retail its own beer without license. The result is that new beer shops are springing up in the cities of that State.
 ACCORDING to Max Muller there will be in the world at the end of the next two centuries 53, 3,37O, 900 persons speak the Italian language, 72,571, ,000 the French, 157, ,4S0, ,000 the German, 505,- 2S6,O00 the Spanish, and 1887, 2S6, 153 the English.
 THE water having failed to flow freely from the tank on the top of San Fran cisco's City Hall, an examination of it was made, and the cause of the trouble discovered to be a large number of fish whose presence there can in no way be accounted for.
 A PHILADELPHIA clergyman said to his hearers the other day: 'There is much stealing by short weights and measures. Give some of our merchants the right to sell out the Delaware by the pint and they would cheat you in the measurement.
 A BELFAST, Maine, gentleman who recently returned from Portland, visited the Salvation Army while there, and discovered in one of the leaders tramp who spent the larger portion of the win ter in Belfast Jail. The tramp has be- come converted and is now leader in the Army.
 IT is said that the rural population of some parts of Illinois is at stand. still, and in some counties has retro graded since 1870. Farmers children abandon their. homes for the cities Iol the far West. Yet the price of land has risen and the big stock raisers continue to enlarge their already immense estates. Cattle raising pays where wheat dosen't.
 THERE are now fifteen bureaus of labor statistics, viz.: the National Bu- reau in Washington, D. O., and State Bureaus in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachu- setts, Connecticut, Ohio, Indiana, Hi nois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, Mich igan, Kansas and California. The Knights of Labor brought about the es. tablishment of them all.
 GATH says: 'It is seldom of advan tage to any young man under accountable years to have wife on the stage. The fact that his wife is there makes him uneasy, and if he gives her the proper attention at the theatre he become. something of nuisance to the profes. sion, and perhaps loses his own temper ance and sef-respect hanging around 6 profession in which he can take no part"
 CONSIDERABLE sensation, according tC the London Truth, has been excited il Vienna society by the announcement 0 the betrothal of Prince Lichtenstein tc the daughter of merchant in London such a marriage being regarded as mesalliance by the austere purists of tht court of Austria. The Prince was for. merly well known in London, and hi first wife was Miss Fox, the adoptet daughter of Lady Holland.
 CAPT. HOWARD, whose bravery savec the day to the Dominion troops in thei recent fight with the Riel insurgents, i native of Connecticut. He served il the war of the rebellion and also fivt years in the regular army, where he hat considerable experience in Indian war fare. He is brave, cool-headed soldier thoroughly familiar with army life, an, he is also skilful machinist, possessing complete knowledge of the mechanism of a Gatling gun.
 A FEW seasons ago an English Ouch ess, whose way is to go ahead il pleasure, went to try her luck a the Monaco tables, where she soon go to the bottom of her purse. She wen to the director to ask 8 loan, offering pair of earrings with solitaire dia monds as 8 pledge. "We don't talk gages," was the answer. "Our term are cash, and nobody is trusted" "Bu I am the Duchess of -" said he Grace. "That doesn't matter. So man, duchesses come here who want t borrow"
 IN his younger days Ben Butler was { fair performer on the flute. He learned to play the flute to strengthen his lungs which were weak when he was young A year or so ago he told the story or himself that he first took to the corne by the advice of his physician. He uset to sit at back window of his boardinI house in Boston and blow for his healtl without reference to tunes. His land lord told him he had to learn to pla, something or get out, whereupon ht compromised on the flute and actuall learned how to play.