The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-04-18
NOTES AND CoMMEsrs.

1T SENS only the other day that hari-
kari ws1regarded as the national method
of scttl Vg personal differences In Japan.
The maS Who considered himself insulted
or aggrieved, fnsteS6of demanding salts.
faction 0f his aggressor, was accustomed
to retire 70 his house, and deliberately to
rip himteH open; not, however, without
previotR u inditing letter to his friends
and rehHvcs consigning his enemy to
their td6der mercies and demanding
venaaaake. All this appears to have gone
OUT and the European cAstoHu
We and -c0fSe.46s5euf} 30
have For according to
the INST, Iec desp Hpatches from japan,
the Mkado ha or on obliged to issue de-
cree imposing ae severest penalties for
duelling. IS5 mere issue of challenge
involves TWO years. imprisonment, while
if the meeting actually takes place the
punishment is increased to five years
penal servitude. In case of bloodshed,
both the principals and the seconds will
be held liable for the crime of assault
with intent to KILL" while if death en-
sues they will be punished as if for man
slaughter of the first degree.
THE Chinese Government is now con-
templating revolution in the coinage of
that country, which is now of copper,
ranging in value from about mill to
coin worth about 90 cents in face value,
without either gold or silver coins. Bars
of gold and silver bullion, however, are
used in commerce, and the Mexican silver
dollar circulates extensively in the sea-
board cities. It is now proposed by the
Chinese Government to make silver
money metal, and to issue series that
will correspond sokewhat to ourS dollars,
na9v't tsuarters, ~ ulHIes. Tne CoInage
will DC i,niform throughout the vast en-
pire, JwithSfts 430, 900, 600 population
at least six and a-half times that of the
United States. This will open n new
market for the silver of the world, and
ought to make silver higher in price and
aid in establishing its old-time ratio
with gold.
THE discovery of lode of uranium at
the Union mines, Cornwall, was an
nounced several months ago. This is
believed to be the only known lode of
that metal in the world, as it had pre-
viously been found only in isolated
pockets and patches. Since the discovery
was made steps have been taken to de-
velop the lode and to work the mine.
Experimental works for procuring the
metal from the orc were fitted up in
London, and there tho ore has been sub
mitted to treatment in order to determine
the best and most economical method of
extraction. The market price of the
metal is about ten thousand dollars per
ton. 1t is proposed to substitute it for
gold in "lcctro-plnting, and it is also ex-
pected to PfoSoSery useful in electric
lighting.
RECENT excavations in Rome go to
show that the short t-lived water pipes of
this age are sadly at discount when
compared with the work of the old
Roman plumbers. The commission in
charge Of the improvement of the city of
Rome has unearthed great numbers of
lead water pipes, each plainly stamped
with the name of the owner of the house,
the yearNf the plumbing, the name of
the consis for that year, and the name
OF the r,igning emperor. In opening
| eighty-tvo miles of new streets in that
city, matGial has been found sufficient to
| add to or present knowledge n thousand
details pncerning the baths, heating
tiuess, watr pipes and sewage system of
ancient tipes.
UpwABs Of 81, 900 tons of cement.
101, 900 klbic- feet Of granite, 1T, 900
cubic yardkpf masonry, were employed
in the founJtions and piers of the Forth
bridge, and ihe weight of steel used in
the constitution of the supcrstructure
was 81 ,O0{ tons. The rivets employed
in the For bridge would, if laid end
to end, coSr about $50 miles in length
the numbel of rivet holes drilled have
been over 5000, 900; if put together
they would form tunnel 40 miles in
length, while the plates used in the con.
struction of the tubes would extend q
distance of "A miles.