St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-03
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

Paris is to have two hundred
thousand electric lights planted in its
streets.
King John of Abyssinia claims to
be descendant Of the Queen of Sheba.
There is a proposition to cut ship
canal across the instep of Italy's great
boot
Baby King Alfonso XIII. of Spain
has received present of ten thousand
cigars from tobacco merchant OF
Havana.
AN Amati violin, which originally
belonged to King Louis XIV, has re-
Gently been sold at Buda-Pesth for
thirty-fve hundred dollars.
The carriages and engines of the
express trains on several of the Rus
sian trunk lines are now lighted by
electricity.
The recent successful transporta-
ton in France of torpedo vessel by
railroad, from Toulon to Cherbourg,
a distance of 847 miles, is alleged to
show the Residences of the Eads
ship railway across the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec. Assistance of only about
one hundred and fifty miles.
"A company in Buenos Ayres has
recently ordered the material for a
complete system Of telephones from
Paris. Over two thousand subscrib-
ers have been obtained, and the COM
pany proposes to erect tower in the
river, which will serve as maratime
telephone station.
st. Petersburg has only one steam
fire engine, and the same precautions
against fire are taken there and at
Moscow as were in use a century ago.
Watchmen are stationed on towers
seventy-five or one hundred feet high,
and when fire is discovered a signal
is given and the fire department. turns
out.
The Pail Mall Gazette tells of a
unique kind of torture in London
shops. In certain large West-E nd
shops the female assistants are all
doomed to a uniform size in waists
varying from eighteen to twenty
inches. Tall girls and stout girls all
must conform to measure six inches
at least below the natural size.
A curious museum has been erect
ed in Paris. 1t is building in the
Pompeian style of architecture, and is
placed near the Trocadero. This
structure will contain vast collection
of art objects, library and other de-
partments, relating exclusively to re-
ligious affairs. The whole is the gift
of a Frenchman named Guimet, who
has expended over two millions of
francs in gathering the various objects
together
The construction of another Alpine
tunnel through the Simplon, as rival
of the successful St. Gothard. has for
some time been talked about in Paris.
The length of this new tunnel would
be about twelve miles. and it would
shorten the time between Paris and
Central and Southern Italy by several
hours. Itswould take from four to six
years to build it. and the cost is esti-
mated at about $4,000. COO
Southern Japan possesses a |
Bishop, thirty European missionaries,
fifty catechists, thirty Nuns of the
Holy Child Jesus. and fourteen Sisters
Of st. Paul of Charities. The mission
sixteen districts, eighty
seven Christian settlements. forty -one
churches and chapels, seminary
with twelve pupils. nineteen schools.
with 6Oo pupils, six orphanages.
seven girls schools and three pharma-
,ies; 1867 baptisms, of which 9S9 are
adults, were administered during
1856.
The story it going the rounds of
cowboy of the Wild West show who
vent into London restaurant and
ordered steak. which was brought
o him exceedingly rare. He looked
1t it moment. then drew his fe- I
,olver. and blazed away at the meat.
Of course there was panic. and the
,olice came about the time that the
evolver had been emptied. 'What
IN earth do you mean BY this con-
IuctP" asked the proprietor. ssWhat
10 I mean. pardp" answered the cow
10Y. why" pointing to the almost
aw steak. Il wanted to kill the
hing.