The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-12
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

The annual income Of the Salvation Army
in England is quoted at 100000.
Is it "Jeffersonian simplicity" that now
calls it 'the Presidents House?" 1t used to
be the Executive Mansion"
According to careful calculations made by
a stenographer, ordinary everyday English
speech employs only about 1900 words.
1t is believed that dozen shots from the
new German bomb, charged with dynamite
shells, would destroy the strongest fortifca-
tions in the world.
A lady in New York recently advertised
for the return Of a pair Of opera glasses
which had been lost in fashionable church
on Fifth avenue.
Prof. Huxley estimates that the goldfish on
the Norwegian coast require nearly a million
barrels of herring to supply them with one
meal.
Alexandra Dumas, the elder, used to say
that the good God invented the Partisan to
prevent the stranger from ever discovering
what Frenchman was really Ike.
On the farm of Mitchell Hooper, at Bridge
water Mass, is mark showing the height
of the overflow of the Taunton river in 1850.
During the recent flood in that locallty tne
water reached exactly the same point.
Justice Chitty, of London, was recently
from the ceiling upon the canopy under which
he was sitting ''Ffat justitid rudt cel,1a,"
he exclaimed and went on with the trial.
The typewriter dates from 17l4, when one
Henry Mill obtained in England q patent
for device to write in printed characters,
one at time and one after another" but 1t
was not until 1867 that it was improved so
that 1t would work satisfactorily.
Arnold Morley, the new whip Of the Lib
erals in the House of Commons, is young
and singularly handsome man. He is a law
yer, and has worked as diligently at that
profession as Though he were poor and friend
less, instead of the son of man whose in
GENE is $1,000,000 year.
George Bancroft, though In the frosty time
of life, does not let the flowers of his fancy
get nipped. Says he: "The man of many
years can look before and after, and seated
under the tree of life, enjoying sweet rest
with full content, he finds that the leaves
which have fallen from its branches have
fallen from its branches have but opened
clearer vision of the eternal stars"
'God help the stranger that is taken sick
there" writes an officer of the United States
steamship Galena, speaking of Aspinwall,
1T is not uncommon for people to lie down
in the street and die in broad daylight, and
when dying to receive no offer of assistance,
even In answer to an appeal for drink OF
water. The people appear to be heartless,
as If their familiarity with death had made
them callous."
Historian Bancroft has with him this win
ter granddaughter, beautiful girl OF 70,
who was born in Germany and has lived In
| that country all her life. She has never been
in the United States until now, and although
her father was born in Massachusetts and
lived there until his marriage, the daughter
can speak but few words OF English. Mr..
Bancroft, instead of employing teacher for
her, gets up at in the morning, takes cup
of coffee, and proceeds to give her lesson
in English himself.
Senator Tom Merritt of Illinois went to
call upon President Cleveland when he was
in Washington during the Christmas holi-
days. He received hearty welcome. Il
am surprised said Mr.. Cleveland, that you
have never visited Washington before"
"Well the t-trouble is" said Tom in expla-
nation, "t-that | m-made up my m-mlnd not
to c-c-cOme here IT'LL Democrat was cleo
ted, and ever since the f-fOurth of last March
I've been waiting to f-f-find out for certain
whether y-you 9cGs D-d-democrat?"
There are evidences that the noYellst's
calling is becoming hereditary. The names
of Julian Hawthorne and Miss Thackeray
naturally suggest themselves in this connec-
ton, and others can be mentioned. A
daughter of W. D. Howells is making ready
to try her hand at felton, a daughter OF Mrs.
A. ID. L. Whitney has just published nOv-
ell; a son of William Black has begun writing
stories for children; sister Of Z. 7. Roe
publishes novel, and son OF Justin Nc
Carthy has recently given book to the
world
Last Monday Simon Cameron was eighty
seven years old. When he was born there
were only sixteen States in the Union. Now
there are thirty-eight and four more coming
He has seen over fifty million added to the
| population. John Adams was President and
| only six Congresses had been elected. Mr..
| Cameron first entered the United States Sem
ate fOrty-One years ago. He was Democrat
| then, and succeeded Buchanan, then men,
| Der of Folks cabinet. The men who were
prominent in that BODY at the time nave all
| passed away.
A venerable tramp pickedup on the streets
| of Joliet, ILL.,, proved by papers on his per
son to be Polish count named Lanaski. He
was born in 1871, entered the French army
| in 1906, and took part in the battle OF Aus
| terlitz. He was in the memorable marchtO
| Moscow, and witnessed the burning Of that
| city by the Russians. He was one of the 45,-
| 600 out of half million men that returned
| to Poland and thence through Germany to
France with Napoleon. Lanaski left the ar
my on the abdication of Napoleon, but when
the latter returned from Elba he again
joined the army and fought at Waterloo. AZ
ter the overthrow of Napoleon, Lanaski fed
to Germany, thence to Austria, where, in
1881, he Joined Louis Kossuth. He was cap
| tured by the Russians, exiled to Siberia, es-
| beginning of the late rebellion Though sew
| enty wears old he enlisted in 1861 in the Un-
| ion army. and Jought under Sigel until the
| close of the war, soon after which he OBJ
| tanned admission to the milwaukee, Soldiers
| Home. He soon got tired of the Home, and
wanted to go to the National Soldiers Home
in Washington. He was sent on his way
toward the capital