Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-13
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

1
The first English clocks were made in
1905
Two centuries and seven different men
claim the invention of gunpowder.
Young men in Boston have turned the
tables by cIamoring to be admitted into the
Normal School.
AS late as 1850 human skeleton 10 feet
long was discovered at Rouen, France. The
skull, which was perfect with the exception
of the under jaw, held over bushel of
wheat.
In Samoa the Kings adviser lives in a
handsome house, and the King in shed
alongside; the adviser receives a salary of
So, 900 year and the King $40. The Chief OF
Police even gets S, 500 a year,
Out in Mashonaland, South Africa, but
ter is So 10 a pound jam and milk, 81 90 q tin;
cheese, 50 go pound, and brandy has been
sold for s19 80 bottle. And with this pros
pecting is very poor, no gold being discov-
cred.
BY far the greater number of diamonds
brought to Europe go to Amsterdam to be
cut by the Dutch workmen, who are unsur-
passed in skill in this way. Twenty years
ago there were only two steam diamond
cutting establishments in this city. There
are now no fewer than ffty-5ix.
Everybody knows the poem, ''The Old
Oaken Bucket" but who knows the grave OF
Samuel Woodworth, the writer of that piece
of immortal verse, is buried either in San
Francisco or Oakland, Cal, probably the
former; but such is the case.
There is said to be cat in Russia that
was born with only two legs, the forelegs
being absent from the shoulder blades. "It
is healthy, and goes about easily, the body
n ata ad
watching anything, it raises itself to the
attitude of kangaroo, using the tail as
support"
In 1924, near the castle of Dauphine,
monstrous tomb was discovered. 1t was 30
feet long, Is wide and high. The inscrip-
ton, "Kintolochus Rex" was cut in the
hard, gray stone. The skeleton was found
entire. 15h feet long, 10 feet across the
shoulders. and feet from the breastbone
to the back.
Snuff is often allowed to Sisters of
Charity in France, as it renders the nose in
sensible to the bad smells of slums and hos
pitfalls, and acts as q disinfectant of the air
taken III by the nostrils. The greatest num-
Der of pipe smokers are along the coast from
Nantes to Calais. Fisher-women as well as
sailors use the pipe.
According to an author, there is very
astonishing curiosity in Thibet in the shape
of plant that flies. 1t resembles dog in
shape, is the color Of a tortoise-shell, and is
very tame. If lions or elephants see it they
are frightened, "hence it is the king OF
beasts" There is also a kind of black donkey
which can cope in fight with the tiger.
Seventy Ii from h'asa, in Thibet, is a
convent on top of hill and a great hole
full of white clay that is good to eat. As
fast as the clay is eaten more takes its
place. Behind the convent is a large lake,
and evil doers who go near always tumble
Sv,fN TI1ea Mil o.< RNTd(
in copper, and the smaller they were the
more they were worth.
1t is said that the locating of st. Paul
where it is was due to TOO much whisky
elsewhere. According to Father Galtier, the
officers at Fort Smelling drove away the
settlers who had located across the river
because they furnished too much whisky to
places along the river. Many having located
at "the Cave" now ST. Paul. church was
built there and a city grew around it,
The Hindoo, though as primitive in his
bread-making as the BedOuin, is little
more dainty. He waits until the wood fire
he has built on the ground has been burned
to Goals; then, putting two or three stones
around it, he places on these shallow
metal bowl, the under side being up. When
his dough OF flour and water has been
pressed and pulled into cake Of an inch
and q half in thickness, he bakes it on top
y
be despised.
Death by spear wound or stroke OF
wadGi the aboriginal Australian can under
stand, but death by disease or old age he
does not believe in, attributing it. in every
case, to sorcery, exercised by the wizards of
some alien tribe. This death by sorcery it
is the religious duty of every young man re-
lated to the deceased to revenge by the
slaughter or murder of member OF the suS-
pected tribe, or of any. other, including
American blacks, Cinnamon or Kankakas,
but not white men.
I'm the vicinity of Quito, the capital of
Ecuador, o o1ty about twenty miles from the
equator, yet having in sight eleven snow
capped mountain submits and possessing
climate like a raw New England spring,
earthquakes are the weather sharps' strong
very very severe shock of earthquake
there three Or four weeks ago,
followed by a still stronger shock two
days later. The last shock was followed by
q heavy hail storm, (which" a local paper
says, "isa sure sign that the winter will be
as severe and as long as the summer we have
had this year."
Stones OF healing are far from uneom-
mon. In Carmarthen are still to be found
traces of a belief i'll the alluring stone,
whose virtue is that it will cure hydro
phobia. ait is represented" writes Mr..
Writ Skies in his "British COLLINS (1sS0, 365),
"as soft white stone, about the size of a
mans head, originally found on farm
about Twelve miles from Carmarthen. Grains
were scraped from the stone with a knife
and administered to the person who had
been bitten by rabid dog. And the
popularity Of the stone was, that though
generation after generation had scraped
it, nevertheless it did not diminish in size"
Eff es and inscriptions have been
found in an underground city in Central
Asia, and also designs upon gold and silver
money which lead to the belief that the
town dates back to two centuries before the
birth of Christ. There are a number of
streets and squares surrounded by houses
two and three stories high. Urns, vases,
cooking pots and other utensils have been
found in great abundance. The symmetry
of the streets and squares and the beauty OF
the baked clay and metal utensils, attest the
fact that the people had reached an ad-
yanced stage of civilization. 1t is supposed
the town was concealed in the earth TO give
the population a refuge from the incursions
of savages and robbers.
PICKINGS FROM PUCK.