Omaha daily bee., 1888-11-24
OTHER LANDS THAN OURS.

the popular feeling on the question.
OTHER LANDS THAN OURS.
We all know in America how dreadful is
the condition of France, and that our ancient
ally is upon the verge of bankruptcy, aud
that bankruptcy will inevitably bring revolt
ton and anarchy in its train. But 1t VIII be
news to many that our ancient enemy Of
England is exhibiting uneQuivocal symptoms
of dry rot, of the same character as that
which led to the downfall of the Third Ma
polcon. 1t was the atrocious iobbcry of the
army contractors that defeated the French
even more than Won Moltke's skill or Ba.
zalnc's double dealing. And similar jobbcry
has been discovered to be rampant i'll Eng
land. a contractor named Ross has been
supplying aCcoutrcmcnts to the army and
navy, and it has come to light that his ar
engagements with the authorities enabled him
to appoint many of the government agents
charged with the duty of inspecting his sup
plies. Two of these inspectors NOT APP
pointed BY hlm-madc reports very damaging
to Mr.. Ross, and they would promptly have
been discharged had they not invoked the aid
of a patriotic member of parliament. No one
has been punished, and very probably Mr..
Ross will soon receive orders again. 1T is
obvious that those who profit most largely by
the frauds are persons too highly placed to
be attacked, in other words members of the
iOSt I'll idllilly, VI DIu liililoVSio'
~
The vicious character of slave labor ha
long been patent even to the former slave
holders of our southern states. The emanci-
patton of slavery in Brazil has brought to an
abrupt termination the pccunlary embar-
of the coffee planters who, like
our own cotton lords, were invariably one
year behind. Year by year the landholdcrs
obtained by a mortgage on his ensuing crop
the supplies necessary for the slaves.
When they were freed and had to be paid
ready money wages in lieu of food and
clothing, the Brazilian planters found them
selves metaphorically up a tree. They had
no money with which to pay wages and they
had no adequate machinery for husking and
cleaning the coffee berries, having hitherto
relied greatly uron the ruuest implements IN
the mistaken notion that they could cCono-
mize in machinery as they had abundant
slave labor which cost them nothing. In re-
/ atty slave labor is the dearest in the world,
and the Brazilian planters were behind hand
because it was so, and not because they were
luxurious or extravagant. The beloved en-
peror, Dom Pedro, Immediately came to the
relief of his subjects, and loaned 81, 900, COO to
the planters at 6 per cent. This was a de-
cided Improvement on the old order of
| things, and the planters will soon realize
that they have been released from a great
burden, and are in a fair way to obtain last
| ing prosperity.
The Australian land owner must keen
down his rabbits, or the government will en-
| ploy men to do SO at his expense. In many
instances men have given up their land be-
cause the cost of killing rabbits was so great.
| This shows what perils are run when men
thoughtlessly disturb the balances of nature.
For this tremendous pest was not indigenous
to Australia, but was introduced because
| fhot ,nt,ptpy, ,xroc ,yorty lpiriant in pn m, hnx-
ing only kangaroos and wild dogs, and several
kinds of rats. When the whole Doundless
continent of Australia was thus handed over
to the English rabbit with express orders to
increase and multiply, it Obeyed orders with
a vengeance, and the land owners have cal
| culated ruefully enough that a pair of rabbits
will in two years be the progenitors of nearly
two million rabbits. One farmer has ceased
cultivating the soil, aud has gone into the
| rabbit canning business, taking contracts
from friends to keep their lands clear. Each
| can contains rabbit and a half, and the
| profit on a dozen cans is 81 cents. But as he
has sent to England 40 200 dozen cans every
year for the past three years, he is making
money. The poor of England might be sup
posed eager to buy canned rabbit, but on the
contrary they show repugnance, and the de-
| mand comes from the middle classes and tue
Well-to-do.
Cheshire is a county IN England bordering
on North Wales, and it is famous for the
| number and value of its brine pits, which
supply England with all its salt. These
places have for the most part, names which
| must be Cymric, for they certainly are not
Saxon, such as Sandbach, Nantwich, Droit-
witch ,sNorthwich, etc. The last named is the
scene of a tremendous sensation. The earth
has been sinking in a most extraordinary
way, and particularly under a ahotel called
the Cheshire Cheese. The first intimation
that the landlord received was a startling
one. He had in his cellar fourteen barrels
of the ale for which Cheshire is as famous
as for its cheese, and one day when he went
to send one up to the tap room bar. he found
a yawning gulf but no barrels. That same
evening the floor of a part Of the stable dis
appeared, and a horse with it. Finally the
whole hotel went down, and also a neighbor-
ing store. 1t is clear that pumping brine dis
arranges the interior economy of the caverns
from which the saline liquid comes, but it is
strange that the superficial earth should be
drawn down without any preliminary falling
in Of the subtenranean cave walls. Had
there been a caving i'll OF such a kind, there
would have been an earth tremor, or a posi-
tive earthquake shock. The present phenom-
| enon seems to be essentially the same as the
sinking of the ground above the coal pits in
the Wyoming vallc.J and elsewhere, but it is
less easy to understand, for the coal which is
| removed is solid, and was the support of the
superintendent carty. but the brine could
Il SuDDoll HOlllpB'
~
Some Partisan ladies who are leaders of
society are attempting to bring about d re-
form in the manners of their frivolous city
They wish to discourage display and extrav-
| agance and fast living, and have formed a
| league which is called the Morning league.
The association derives its name from the
| new hour of dinner which is to be strictly in
the middle of the day. When the clock
strikes noon the members of the league have
their dinners served, even when there are
invited guests. The menu is as simple as is
consistent with ,FIpnch cookery and re-
fined taste, and the tollettes are in harmony
with the hour. The ladies of the league
reco gnize that balls are a necessity, but they
limit the hours of dancing strictly from 9 TO
midnight, and they forbid suppers. All that
is permitted in the way of refreshments are
waters and champagne ana ices, brought in
by servants. There are to be no butfcts, and
- 1000. arEN .aAK.n nh a N.--.l