, 1890-09-27

the leading Boulangists proposed to make it
public that they held MN. Carnot, Tirard,
Constans, Cl6menceau, and Ferry as hosta-
ges for the life of their chief" NJ. Poignant,
who was the author of that proposal, declares
it to be absolutely correct. Thousands of
citizens" be says, "would certainly have
signed that dramatic pact. 1t is needless to
add chat this Vehmgerioht would never, 1
hope, have had to execute it's sentence. 1t
was simply a device to reassure our friends,
and to deprive General Boulangsr of all prs.
text for g. departure which we have always
regretted" Can anything more thoroughly
characteristic of the French nation be-
imagined?
A recent Report from the British Vice
Consul in Bulgaria, abstracted in Tuesdays
Times, gives a curious picture of that logged
little Principality. It's area, including Eas-
tern Roumelia, is about $4,000 square miles,
Of which only one quar- ter is under %cultiva-
ton, The population is over 3 900 900, 70
per cent. of whom are BulgarianS, 30 per
cent. Turks, 9 per cent. Greeks, and tie
remaining 3 per cent. S~ervians, Roumanians,
Russians, and Gipsies. The people are
chiefly engaged in rural pursuits; but ~ota
has 300 300 and Philippopolis - 900 inhabi-
&ants, and four other towns each something
between 10000 and 10000. The Bulgarian
Debt, all told, is less than G6. Don, OO0, or
shout G2 per head. The Report also
includes an account Of a very curious
system Of cooperative agriculture carried
on in Bulgaria by associations known
as ~"ZadroUgas.', Similar organisations for
market.gardening are often very successful,
and are extended to places as far distant as
St. Petersburg or Brussels. During the
Franco-German War a body of co-operators
wandered 80 far afeld as Metz, and amassed
a large sum Of money by selling vegetables
at famine prices. In 1888, no less than 1856
gardeners left their villages to join such
associations. The Bulgarian people have
obviously many of the qualities Of the Scotch
and the Swiss and unless all historical
analogies are utterly misleading, they will
succeed in their efforts to prevent themselves
from being absorbed by Russia.
The wet autumn threatens Ireland with
another rather serious potato famine. The
disease was serious in the poorer soils when
the last report was given to the Land
Commission on August 10th, and since then
We have had a fortnight more of cold and
wet. Even if September should turn out
as favourably as anybody can hope, the
potato. disease will spoil a great part of the
crops in the West of Ireland and if Sep
TENDER turns out as badly as August, there
may be o very serious catastrophe indeed.
Whatever the result, we hope that Unionists
will compete with Home-rulers in their
efforts to alleviate the force of the calamity,
and to show the Irish some of the practical
uses Of a living union with England.
The inventors will never rest till they have
got @ submarine vessel as perfect as that
imagined by Jules Verne. The Standard
correspondent at Rome telegraphed on Tues
day q long description of a new boat design
ed by a Signor Balsamello; which was tried
the other day at Civita Vecchia. The prin-
cipal feature Of the vessel is that she is
spherical, a piG ~naWtica, or nautical ball,
which is yet able to move rectllineally
through the water. Inside she is fitted with
lenses, which enable those in the interior not
only to find their way, but to see objects
which it may be desired to bring to the sur
face. For instance, g beam with weights
attached was thrown into the sea. After it
had sunk, the ~s'nautical BALI followed suit
ana soon reappeared, bearing along with it
the beam which it had seized by means of
It's gr&pnels. Il seems curious that, in spite
OF it's spherical shape, the ball will not only
move in a straight line, but change its direc-
ton with the greatest ease. At present the
propelling force is supplied by hand-labour,