Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-28
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The battle OF Blenheim was fought 156
years ago.
The only printed language generally
understood in Malta is English.
up to the present l, ,23O, 900 PERSONS have
visited the Edinburgh Exhibition.
| A number Of women doctors are attend-
ing the medical congress at Berlin.
"A statistician has estimated that court
ships average three tons of coal each.
There were but nine deaths in England
and Wales in the last quarter from smallpox
"A branch of the Primrose League, the
first established in Canada, has been formed in
Winnipeg.
During the first quarter of this wear the
marriages Of S1.64 persons took place in En-
gland and Wales.
"A letter was received in jacksonville
Thursday bearing the postmark, "Lloyds, Fla,
July 10, 1887" over three years ago.
One stroke of lightning killed 80
sheep in flock belonging to the Mayor of
Caste1l, near Prades, in the Pyrenees Orient
ales.
"A bell, cast recently for the Kharkow
Cathedral. contains 6S per cent of pure silver.
It weighs 646 English pounds. and its vibrations
last several minutes.
Ninety years ago Mr.. Palmer, an actor,
Ieli dead on the Liverpool stage. The moment
before his death he had exclaimed. so God o
NOu' tnere Is another and better world"
The Primrose League of England is
nearing the millionth member When the re-
turns were made up at the close of last month
the registered members numbered 939 100 and
the habitations q l0S
The Indian Government publish a re-
turn showing that in the years 1887, 1888 and
1889 372 males and l32 females were tortured by
oaeolts in the central division of Upper Bur.
man. One hundred and eighteen cases resulted
in death.
"A train was recently brought to a stand
still at Brierield, near Nelson owing to a truck
laden with seven barrels of strawberries COM
ing into collision with the engine The fruit 80
elogged the machinery that it took 20 minutes
to clean it.
-Ihe three reasons which a good woman
presented for objecting to a preacher were
striking ones. She said that, In the first place,
he read his sermon; in the second he did not
read It well; and In the third place. it was not
worth reading.
-The craze for passing floral tributes over
the footlights to stage favorites seems to have
reached its height at Boston a few evenings
ago. A minstrel performer received Iife-size
moral image OF himself seated in a chair and
playing the banjo.
The population of the Dominion of
Canada, according to the census of 1881, was
4S24,SO0 and it is estimated that by 1891 the
ngures will have increased TO 52703T7. Prep
arations are in active progress for taking the
census OF next year.
The peace strength Of the German army
will, on and after the lst of October, be as fol-
lows: Infantry, 53S battalions: cavalry 465
sQuadrons; field artillery, 434 batteries; foot
artillery, 0l battalions; pioneers, ~ bat.alions;
frQi in hart fali
A Rome correspondent says it is pro-
posed 20 convene an International conference
some time next year to deal with the question
Of the meridian. The suggestion is to select
Jerusalem instead of Greenwich or Paris as the
meridian line. A proposal will also be made to
nx a universal standard of time.
How many fountains did Sir Richard
Wallace erect in Paris? II fine" says a corre-
spondent, ''that there are no fewer than 81,
and that the llth ACCOMPLISHMENT alone pos
sesses II. The 18th and l7th have 10. the I'd
and 9th only /. As to the other arrOndisse-
menrs, the number varies between and D."
During all ages the strange fashion of
mutilating and adorning the human ear has
been practiced, and has been in vogue all over
the world. 1t has especially enjoyed great
favor among the Orientals. and by Persians,
Babylonians, Lydians. Lybians, and Cartha-
genians the earring was worn as commonly by
men as by women.
-'Sometimes, writes a correspondent of
a trade paper, II have had TO make holes in
steel that was too hard TO cut or file easily.
Then make a mixture that will cut hole. 1
mix one ounce of suphate Of copper, quarter
of ounce of alum, half q teaspoonful of
powdered salt, gill of vinegar and 20 drops
Of nitric acid. This will make a hole"
George W. Keene, of South Boston, is
a man whose life is a record OF figure mines.
His father died in 1852 at the age of &c. and
was buried on January29 Mr.. Keene himself
was married May 29, enlisted in the Civil War
July IL, 1858, was mustered out June 49, 1865
and was discharged July9. His son was mar
month he received an injury which necessi.
tated his removal to the city hospital, but he
was discharged on the 18th. He is SO years old.
There are four letters IN the Pencoyd, Pa,
Postoffice, the addresses of which would puzzle
most people. They are as follows: Ann
Herrn Karl burst, Penkoyd. Contri Monto-
gamr, Stadt Penselfenie, PhieladeIfa Nord
America" ''Yohan Krosh, Penkoid. Upps-st..
Penselfenie, Nord America" "Mr. Pant
United st. Amerika, via England,
Montgnmore, Peneoyed." "Ar. Hern, Yosep
Kandroc, Contri Montgumri, Pencod, Nord-
amerika, Pa"
The eccentrieity of the famous '1eather
man. IS equaled. if not excelled, by man who
appeared on the streets of Middletown, Conn.,,
last week clad in red gingham and an old skin
Jacket. He carried an old kettle which he
used for cooking purposes a well filed bag
and an immense club. He inquired for the
turnpike road to New York, and seemed to be
out the route of the 'sleather man."
with the avowed intention of becoming his
successor.
"A New York man says he has discov-
cred a fly destroyer that discounts all the fly
papers and fly poisons that have yet been put
into use Last spring he went into the country
and brought back with him when he returned a
number of punches of clover blossoms. He
hung them in his rooms to ornament the walls.
The clover dried, and since then he says not
1y will stay in the room. He watched and
studied, and says he has discovered that flies
;annot stand the scent of dried clover.
Something in the wheel pit at Cooks
Mills, Prestontown, Conn.,, the other day, made
he wheel gurgle, wheeze and catter, so the
mill man shut of the water and the machinery
topped. Then the water oozed out Of its pit,
he and his man went down into the dark hole
10 see what the matter was. Lying on their
aces, they gazed into the gloom. and heard
creak and splash about in the wet
bit. Two big swapping turtles were in the hole
md they appeared to share the miller's desire
hat in some way they might be got out. The
leighbOrs rallied at the mill, and after good
leal of work and by means of tackles and ropes
he beasts were hoisted out of the pit. One
turtle weighed 43 pounds the other 81.
FLIPPANT AND FANCIFUL.