Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-16
EDITORIAL NOTES.

People got out of "the dumps" fast yester- day Sunshine and work cheered them up.
 It is feared by some who don't know how maple sugar is made that the unusual depth of snow in the Vermont woods is likely to cut short the supply. Not while brown sugar is cheap and plenty.
 Love laughs at locksmiths, but blizzards will make love weep. Many maid and many youth have been anxioualy awaiting the success of the noble army of SHOW shov- elers with but one thought. Interrupted business, meat famines, etc., are nothing to them. They want letter.
 Things have been happening, even if we haven't heard about them in New Haven. It is related that s Rochester New York; farmer went to his barn to water his stock the other night, when black snake, which was taking nap on beam, dropped part of it's length, took a turn around the farmers neck and swung him up, and he was rescued from his psrilous position with difficulty.
 New Jersey liquor sellers are already trying to evade the high license law which
 
 of excise has oheckmated the saloon keepers in that city by refusing to grant a new license before May to any person holding an unexpired license, or to any saloon that has changed owners since the passage of the law The present license fee is $75, and the new fee is $250.
 petition signed by many prominent of &fo cal professors, medical examiners and mem bers of the State board of health has been presented to the legislature protesting against the passage of any law allowing the manu- facture of "water gas' or any illuminating gas containing more than ten per cent. of carbonic oxide, ''as the intensely poisonous properties of that element of gas are well known, and are dangerous to health and life."
 Senator DoIph's coast defense bill seems to be reasonable measure. It provides that there shall be appropriated $126, ,S7s, 800 for the purpose of providing Notifications at various ports. Of this amount $21, ,500, 900 is to be expended during the fiscal year 1889, l $9, GOO, ,O00 during each of the eleven fiscal years thereafter, and $5,S77, 800 during the l fiscal year 1901. The money is to be ex- pended according to the recommendations of | the fortifcation board appointed under the act of March 3, 1885. The floating batteries and torpedo boats recommended by the board are to be constructed by contract, un- der the supervision of the Secretary of the l Navy, according to plans approved by a board of naval officers. The guns for their armament are to be fabricated at the Wash ington navy yard.
 Some comparative tables of the population and area of the various countries of the
 werld, taking them with their dependencies,
 appear in the "Statesman's Year Book" In point of area the British empire stands at the
 head of the list, the number of thousands of
 square miles being 9,339, Russia following
 closely with s,644. China, with her 4O4 millions, tops all the countries of the earth
 in population. The British empire comes
 next with 3O7, and Russia with only 1O4 mil lions; while France has but 71, the United
 States 5s and the German empire AS. While
 the United Kingdom has since 1900 riser
 from 1614 to 37 millions, Russia in Europ'
 from 35 to SS millions, and the German ern
 pire from 27 to 47 millions Gncluding Alsac
 and Lorraine), France has only advance'