The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-02
FROM FOREIGN LANDS.
News and Comments Of various Kinds
BrouRht bY Vail aud Cable.

and thus not very inviting. We bad but IL
naked stones for n couch. for there was, Of
course. no grass 10 be found in the scrub.
\ bi. fire was kindled: outside 10 was pitch
dark. My blacks had found In large fall
len tree some iaryT Of beetles (COlcoptera).
on which we Toasted. There are several
varieties of these edible Larvae. and all have
different taste. The best one is gilt
tering white. of the thickness Of a
finger, and Is found in the acacia
trees. The others live IN the
scrubs. and are smaller and not equal TO
The former in flavor. The blacks are 80
fond Of them that they even eat them alive.
while they pick them out of the decayod
trunk OF "a trce-a not very attractive spec
tacle. The larVr were usually collected In
baskets and so taken tO the camp. The
Australian does not as rule eat raw ami
NAL foods the only exception know Of be-
ing these cOlc0pterl laryT. The large fire
cracked Justify in the cave while We sat
round 10 preparing the Larvae. We simply
placed them m the rcd-hOt ashes. where
they M once became brown and crisp. and
the fat fairly huhhled in them
while they were being thus pre-
pared. After being turned once or
twice they were thrown out from the
ashes with stick, and We're ready % De
eaten. Strange 90 say. these laru were the
best food these natives were able 90 offer
me. and the only Kind which / really en-
i0yed. II such a larya is broken IN two IL
viii Dee found % consist OF a yellow and toll
erably compact mass rather like an ONE
ictte. In taste 10 resembles an egg. but 10
seemed 10 me that the best kind. namely.
the acacia larya. which has the flavor Of
nuts. tasted even better than a European
omelette. The natives always consumed
the entire larya. while ! usually biz Oh the
head and threw aside the skim but my men
ALWAYS consumed my leayings with great
gist0. They also ate the beetles as grcedily
as The Larvae, simply removing the hard
wings before roasting them.
A NEW fibre plant has Just been discoy-
cred in Port Of Spain, Trinidad. by an agri-
culturist named 4. j. ST. Hill, who has
called 10 "mah0itne.~ but whose scientific
nomenclature is AbIt I'm pcriplociiolium.
The great thing with this plant is that the
ribbons no nearly an times OF the year are
easily detached from the wooden portion boy
simply stripping them with The hand, and
therefore dcc0rticating machine is not re-
Quired as for ramie. When 10 is known how
readily The stems allow themselves 10 be
deprived oi their coating of bark and fibre
10 will De- seen what an advantage this sim
pie fact gives the new product over many
of The tbre-prOducing plants. All that Is
required is 10 cut the stems. which are fully
ten feet long. split the bark at the larger
end. and strip of the bark from end % end
without stopping, as fortunately the stems
have no side branches.
SOME interesting laboratory experiments
have been made on the effect OF spraying
considerable part Of the body surface Of
animals with cold water. So successful
were these that The spray has now been APP
Piled for The purpose Of reducing tebrllc
temperature in human beings. Tn the case
Ol man suffering ifOm uhthss. whose
temperature WAS high. DO was found that by
spraying about pint Of water at between
CD degrees and I'D degrees Fahrenheit over
his body. the temperature fell 20 normal
and continued SO Tor several hours. A SINH
Tar method WAS satisfactorily adopted in
the case Of "a girl with diphiheria. I'm rhe
the temperature nearly . degrees.
Is yiew Of the fact that a line Of steamers
is to De built Immediately that will make
the passage from sandy Hook to Queens
town in four days and half. it is interest
Ing Co note that fast passages have recently
ihe Atlantic. but on the longer runs from
England TO South Africa, India. and the
English colonies. The great steamship
lines ere rapidly awakening tO tle CONNER
cial Importance NJ increased speed. On,y
last month the Oceanl. one NJ fhe new yes
seis Of the Pcninsular and Oriental Steam
ship Company, made The passage from Bonn
BIAS TO- London in fourteen day, which D.
fully four days OF a gain 900 the time taken
DIS the same c0mplny's vessels ten year,
ago.
a NOVEL and most effective apparatus
for extinguishine fires in ships holds and
for rapidly yentilaiing the holds in emer-
gencics has been brought ont in England.
The scientific basis OF the invention Is the
fact of carb0nic oxide gas being inimical o.
r0mhusf'0n Fire is cNtIngushed in the
ships hold by the apparatus filling 10 rapid
ly with tune. extracted from the boiler
funnel and cooled and purified ON their way
% the hold. vents being lefi llr the eXpui-
sion of fresh air contained in the hold. The
fumes are injected with such rapldity as t0
produce an outflow through AN vents and
creF.cos i'm the hold. and thus prevent the
in-ress of fresh air. which would otherwise
occur.
THE second daughter Of the Empress
Frederick. Princes Victoria OF Prussia, has
solicited and obtained the Emperor VII
liam's permission % live out of Germany.
and he has granted her an allowance Of
$500 q year. Princess Victoria has de-
tested her native country since fhe tragical
miscarriage OF beer engagement 10 Prince
Alexander, of Bat en0urg. and she IS COM
ing 90 England on "a Visit to the Queen. and
Will probably remain with her Majesty for
a considerable period.
IN is rumored that DIR. knorr Of Ger
many, the discover OF antipyrine, The
great grip remedy, has made considerably
over q million of dollars by the winters
epidemic. The medicine sells at SLID AN
ounce, and Dr. kn0rr gets royalty OF
about sixty cents on every ounce sold. The
demand every where was something tre-
mendous. Five dollars per ounce was ire
uently paid for the drug, and 10 was often
unattainabie 80 amy price during The height
oi Che visitation.
q BOY. badly burned from the knee to the
ankle on one leg. has been under treatment
in one OF the London indrmaries. Shortly
after bis admission extensive skin-graiting
was pat i'm practice. the crafts being taken
from a greyhound pup. The skin strips that
were applied % the burucd Lex were about
six inches i'm length and half am inch IN
width They were all adherent except one
at the end of four days. The patient was
discharged cured at the end OF SIX weeks
aner ihe grating was practsed.
AN ingenious prisoner at karius, Bohe-
mia. recently constructed a watch three
inches i'm diameter with NO other tools or
material except two needles, a spool OF
thread. a newspaper. and some rye straw.
The wheels, posts and cogs are an made Of
the rye straw. which b. quite coarse and
tough. runs -iN hours without winding, ana
keeps good time.
DR.. ONOPROrF, a tall. slender young
Italian. with black hair and pale face, is
astonishing Londoners with bis power as "A
mind-reader. lie calls himselfa psyche
physi0OgIstr lie is performing at the
Aquarium. Ire ;. tine clcyerest mind
reader London has yet seen.
THE first consignment Of tea from Perak,
o settlement in the Strait. OF the East In
dies, has just reached the London markets
and was sold readily 40 GOOD prices. Tie
outlook for the roW field. which is ln b.