The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1889-05-18
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FOREIGN GOSSIP.

German cavalry officers hereafter
will have to include steeplechasing in
their studies.
In Rome there are 80 cardinals, So
bishops, 1,469 priests, 2,215 nuns and
5000 monks, friars. candidates, etc.
At the recent London diocesan
conference the Bishop of Bedford ad-
vocated card playing in workingmen's
clubs, but, rather strangely, disap-
proved of dominoes.
The Beers have whipped England
five different times. and one of their
prophets now predicts a coming war in
which Boer will be raised to the
British throne. -s' -.-.
In 1882 Iceland was visited by a
remarkable sand-storm, lasting two
weeks, which hid the sun and objects
few yards off like dense Jog, and
caused the death of thousands of sheep
and horses.
"A discussion as to the height of
trees in the forests of Victoria elected
from Baron Won Mueller, the govern
ment botanist, the statement that he
saw one of height of 525 feet. The
late chief inspector of forests measured
one fallen and found that it was 1856
feet long.
The commander of the French Ma
tional Military School at St. Cyr lately
issued an order forbidding card play
ing. He defends the order by assert
ing that playing for money was so COM
mon in the school that young men of
no fortune had frequently mortgaged
their pay for five, six, and even ten
years after leaving the college to pay
gambling debts.
"A German travelling on the Lake
of Como recently, gave waiter paper
of diamonds telling him that it was a
tip, and made similar presents to
others. The police asked him some
questions, and he replied that he lived
upon diamonds and he paid with dia-
monds, whereupon he proceeded to
swallow several of the precious stones.
He was locked up in an asylum and his
friends sent for. He had nearly fifty
thousand dollars worth of diamonds in
his possession at the time.
The population of Kamchatka,
which was carefully registered in 1878
and 1879, shows regular decrease;
since 1741 the population seems to have
been reduced to one-half of what it
was 148 years ago. Years of scarcity
Of fish, the staple food of the popula-
ton, are quite common. In such cases
the Lamutes and the Koryaks usually
bring to the Kamchadales a number of
their reindeer; but this voluntary help
is not sufficient to prevent starvation.
Rev. DR.. j. M. Buckley, writing of
Spain, says: bribery is general in
Spain. Almost any thing can be done
with fee. Not more than forty
per cent of the taxes levied by the
government can be collected. Mayors
Of cities get rich in year. One at
least of the most important cities IS
destitute of credit. No one will lend
it any money. Spaniards so distrust
each other that money is not forth
coming for great public works. The
English manage the water-works, the
street cars and almost every thing
else."
One of the strangest pieces of ar
tillery in Europe is at Metz and is
known by the maine of the 'Grifin,''
from the figure of the fabulous animal
which is to be found among the orna-
mental portion of it's workmanship.
The gun was cast in 1929 at Ehren-
breitstein, near Coblentz. 1t is II feet
in length and 3 in diameter. The bore
is 1o3 inches; weight. 22,500 pounds.
Its carriage is "a feet in length, and
the weight of the ball which it carries
is $50 pounds; AZ pounds of powder is
required for the charge. Napoleon
Intended it for the War Department.,
Paris, but found difficulty in transport
ing it.