The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-02
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

the sea level
THE Rev. ALBERT GALIATIS MORTON of Ames-
bury, Mass. is still preaching in a pulpit that
he has regularly filed since 1925. without. in a
single instance. writing out sermon
WHEN You meet a man and ask him how he
feels. il he doen't stop to think he always says
First rate If he stops TO think minuts he
VIII always begin to unfold some tale OF woe
WITHIN a few days a stout iron fence will be
put around the Lincoln monument at Spring
field, Ill, and nobody will be allowed inside the
lnciosure except during certain hours of the
day. This step has been deeids1 on to prevent
the monument from being mutilated by relic
hunters
THE cost of municipal government in Paris
IS asserted to be now far greater than it was
under the empire by reason of the trebling of
pe hvefoldl for etes, carriage hire and the like.
Liberty seems to have taken shy at the Paris
treasury.
The meteorological observatory at the vat
lean, to be opened in May. is being fitted up
with the newest and most elaborate instru-
ments Besides the study of meteorology
proper and volcanic phenomena. the obserya-
tory is Intended to provide especial facilities
for photographing the heavens.
A LECTURE COURSE, known as the merchants
lecture" has been given in London for 22O
years. It was founded in the reign Of Charles
III. by merchants, with the professed design of
upholding the doctrines of the reformation
against the errors of popery, socinianism. and
infidelity. Lecturers of to-day are weekly car
rylng on the purpose OF the founders,
Two mammoth red bats, of the species iden-
teal with the vampire bat of the Brazils, have
Just been captured in Tensas parish, Louisiana.
They are in shape like bats, but many times
larger, measuring twenty-five inches from the
tip of one wing to the tip of the other. In
color thew revolving bln01 flint and n
a swapping, viudictive temper The animals
will be sent TO the geological gardens of soms
northern city.
A GENTLEMAN who has just returned from
South Africa says that it is one of the best
countries in the world for profitable real estate
investments South Africa, " he says, already
has beautiful and thriving towns, and it is
destined to be the seat of great and progress
sive English-speaking race. When was there
some years ago was surprised at the extensive
improvements, at the energy of the people, and
the natural resources of the land. 1t is the
place OF places to put away a few thousand
dollars to let them grow
THE FACT that the will of the late Sir William
Gull has been proved, showing property to the
amount of $!.750 900. has created much talk of
late. 1t is beyond doubt that for the last few
years, since physicians have doubled their fees
and since both branches of the profession are
constantly in receipt of verv large sums for ex-
petitions by rail, the earnings of members of
Tue meaning art nave very largely increased.
There are possibly dozen medical men in Lon
don who at their death will be found to have
amassed S500,000 but there is probably not one
who has put by anything like the fortune left
by Sir William Gull.
AN ENGINE DRIVER on one of the Scotch lines
reports that he has noticed that certain hawks
of the merlin or "stone falcon" species make
use of the passing of the trains for predatory
purposes They fly close behind the train, near
tie ground, partly hidden by the smoke but
carefully watching for the small birds which,
frightened by the train as it PUSHES roaring past,
fly up in bewildered shoals; the merips thep
while the little birds thinking more of the
train than of lurking foes, swoop on them from
the ambush of the smoke and strike them down
with ease. If they miss, they return to the
wake of the carriages and resume their fight
| and their hunt. They can, it seems, easily kee
pace with an express train, and outstrip it when
| they please
SOME remarkable statements are made by
Prof. Rein scientist who has been investigat-
| ing the material resources of Japan. They re-
veal national frugality and economy of
marvellous type. The area.of Japan is less than
| that of California. Its cultivated land is less
than one-teuth of its total acreage yet its prod
ucts support about 3S, COO, 900 people In Japan
2.5GO persons subsist from each square mile of
| titled land. A people existing in such crcum-
stances must from necessity of preservation be
provident, painstaking, Woodworking in leni-
GUS and frugal. The Japs appear TO deserve all
| tucoS dOJcCIlNtS Agriculture Win them is
| literally market gardening, because the soil is
| required to produce more than any other place
| in the world.
OUT in the wild west a mail bag was emptied
| of valuable contents by parties unknown, and
filed with stones. The loss was not discovered
until the bag reached it's destination. and no
one had any notion where the theft was COM
United within LOGO miles of the Journey But
petrologist was shown the rocks and he said
there was only one place in the United States
where such rocks were to be found. He told
where the place was and detective going
there it was $50 miles away-found two China
men at work in an isolated spot, where it
was subsequently remembered, the robbed
train had stopped for water. He promptly
charged them with the crime, and they were SO
taken by surprise that they confessed it. So
much for rocks.
MOST of the tomb-like fireplaces and mantels
erected in New York houses twenty-five or
thirty years ago are horrible to contemplate.
but now and then beautiful ANTIQUE OF this
sort is found. A decorator bought for SIS some
years ago b. aItiful marble nantel that was
being taken out of an old house in Greene
street He interfered Just in time to prevent
its destruction, and could probably have bought
it for half the sum he paid, 1t was of statrlarv
marble, delicately carved in relief. The pur
chaser sold it to a rich suburban resident for
$500, and would gladly have it back at that
price, for since the second sale there has been
discovered upon the marble the name of a
famous sculptor. The piece was brought over
from Holland by an early Knickerbocker.
SIG. NIcoLINI will probably rank in history as
the most perfect type of a Observation-Disclosures
in civilization. Apparently he lives only for
Patti. He watches her comings and goings with
the absorption of lover, and he presides over
her meals with the tenderness of a royal chat
Very often when special dish is in course of
preparation for the great singer Nicolni
descends to the kitchen of the Hoffman house
ana personally SUP erintends things He IA ex-
ceedingly popular around the hotel liberal in
his tips, and his only dissipation aside from an
occasional cigarette, is game of billiards. He
plays billiards extremely we'll and is popular
with the habitues of the Hoffman house as he
was in the Windsor. A great many stories have
been told about Nicolini, but the truth seems To
be that he is gentle, amiable, confiding and
polished Italian, with no very pronounced char
acteristic of any sort.
AN EXTENSIVE LEATHER DEALER of London
now travelling in this country, says that never
before was there such craze in London for
queer leather as at the present time. He adds.
IAN kinds of SKINS from elephants to frogs
are pressed into service to meet the demands IF
the fashionable Some of our shops are stocked
with supply of fancy articles that are made
from the skins of all sorts Of beasts. reptiles
and fishes, These queer objects are displayed
In the windows, where their appearance at
tracts wondering crowds. Made up into various
articles are yellow pelican skins, lion and nan
ther skins, buffalo skins, fish skins monkv
SKINS. snake skins, and the coverings of almost
every living thing known. They are tanned
and sometimes covered with hlua ora " or rod