The Portland daily press., 1888-10-26
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.


Several Partisan papers note the decline of
population in France. One says: ''We can
fix the day, not distant day, when by the
perennial falling off of births, France will
have lost one-third of its population. The
result is fatal. Within half century
France will have fallen below Italy and
There is no denying the figures. Ii this con-
tinues, In addition to other causes of deca-
dence. we are a lost nation"
The Congressional Record for the session
is much longer than its predecessors. There
are now nearly 1000 pages, and as there
are great many speeches authorized to be
printed ON leave, it is quite possible, as is
frequently the case, that these additional
speeches will swell the Record 1000 more
pages. In the stereotyped form generally
not more than 800 pages are put in one vol
ume; so that the Record OF the proceedings
OF the first session Of the Fiftieth Congress
may reach twenty volumes
A bright-eyed young man from Maine
wandered into Delmonico's on Broad street
on saturday, says the New York Sun, and
met some old acquaintance. The young
man asked them all where Secretary Bayard
was to be found. He understood that the
Secretary was in the city, and he wanted to
swap codfshing stories with the august Sec
rotary Of State. 1t seems that the Secretary
was at York. Me-, several years ago and
became fascinated with deep codfshing.
You go out in sloop and haul 'em in from a
twenty-fathom line. The Secretary proved a
dandy fisherman, according to the young
I man, but z.the eitizfns t,f lfhA tagpe fhfyer,i
supply OF fancy colored kid gloves had to he
frequently replenished.
At the Essen Krupp Gun works. near
Cologne, Germany, says the Chicago Trib-
une, the metal aluminium is being rapidly
turned out In 100-pound ingots at a cost of Ok
GENUS per pound. Its full significance. how
e,oi' - not realized by the public, for this
siiVery metal is the most abundant in
nature. Common clays everywhere contain
IRON Two TO ten pounds of 1t in every 1oo
pounds. 1t is therefore more common thsn
iron or all the metals taken together Tbo
Cost OF extracting il has been the 0rest and
vniy ninderance TO its general use In 1879
us value was $246 per pound, and the fol-
loving year chemical discovery dropped its
Rsice 70 944. a steady decrease since them
Lag LA; taken place to about IS per pound. at
Mnlcn price Its uses are enormous, but moth
value. upP 20 cent
wager was made between two promi-
nent citizens of Detroit. Mich, on Monday
mhich was somewhat novel in its conditions.
Inc republican is. in case Cleveland should
De elected, to furnish the Democrat with ali
Tue oysters and clans that be and his family
may Wish to consume during the winter and
\ Cleveland carries New York by more
IMAM 5000 majority. be Is to furnish every
newspaper reporter in the city a box Of
'igars worth not less than IS. If Harrison
mould be elected the Democrat is TO nav the
aepuDllcan's expenses to Europe or Cali.
O0 I, and the Republican must 20 as the
democrat orders, whether it be Convenient
y uo.. II new York gives Harrison ma
y oa, 10y OF more than 5000 the Democrat is to
margin all the wheat deals of the Republican
intll January l. This agreement is div
igned, sealed and delivered into the hands
u third party aud is bona fide thing.