Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-04-12
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

IT seems only the other day that hari-
kari was regarded rs the national method
of settling personal differences in Japan:
The man who considered himself insultcd
or aggrieycd, instead of demanding salts
faction Of his aggressor, was accustomed
to retire to his house, and deliberately to
rip himself open; not, however, without
previously inditing letter to his friends
and relatives consigning his enemy to
their tender mercies and demanding
vengeance. All this appears to have gone
out Of fashion, and the European custom
of pistols for two and coffee for four to
have taken its place. For according to-
the most recent dispatches from Japan,
the Mikado has been obliged to issue de-
cree imposing the severcst penalties for
duclling. The mere issue off challenge
involves two years. imprisonment, while
if the meeting actually takes place the
punishment is increased to five years
penal servitude. In case of bloodshcd,
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.
TIE 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 a..
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 1t is now proposed by the
Chinese Government to make silver a.
money metal, and to issue a series that.
will correspond somewhat to our dollars,
halves, quarters and dimes. The coinage
will be uniform throughout the vast en-.
pirc, with its 43O,O0O,O00 population
at least six and a-half times that of the
United States. This will open a new
market for the silver of the world, and
ought to make silver higher in price and
aid in re-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 the 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 electro plating, and it is also ex-'
pected to prove very useful IN electric;
lighting.
RECENT excavations in Rome 60 to.
show that the short-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 uneartkcd great numbers OF
lead water pipes, each plainly stamped
with the name of the owner of the house,
the year of the plumbing, the name OF
lilC CODSuio 4Oi 'N"Ns
of the rcigning emperor In opening
cighty-two miles of new streets in that
city, material has been found sufficient to
add to our present knowledge Il thousand
details concerning the baths, heating
fues, water pipes and sewage system OF
ancient times.
UpwAnDs of $1,000 tons of cement,
1000 cubic feet of granite, III, 900
cubic yards of masonry, were employed
in the foundations and piers of the Forth
bridge, and the weight of steel used in
the construction of the superstructure
was 1000 tons. The rivets employed
in the Forth bridge would, if laid end
to end, cover about $50 miles in length
the number of rivet holes drilled have
been over 100000; if put together
they would form tunnel 40 miles in
length, while the plates used in the con-
struction of the tubes would extend
distance of A miles.