Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-09-10
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

The secretary Of the Alliance Fran
calse, NJ. Foncin. writes bitterly of the
rapid progress made in Egypt BY the
English language at the expense Of
French The pupils in the Egyptian
schools are steadily transferring their
studies from French TO English. Also,
the donkey boys, who some years ago
always greeted the traveller with "bon
jour" now say good morning.
The Times Of India gives figures in
support Of its startling statement that
of the Indian pilgrims leaving Bombay
for Mecca and Medina more than one
third never return It appears that
out Of $4,000 pilgrims who left Bombay
between lsS4-9o, -, 600 have never been
accounted for. The awful mortality is
ascribed TO overcrowding on shipboard.
cholera. murder and hardships of all
descriptions.
The Eauxhall Il Southwark Water
Co. of London. has just built a tunnel
nine feet in diameter. beneath the
Thames at Kingston, in remarkably
short time. it having been constructed
in nine weeks. The roof of the tunnel
IS only three feet below the water in
the river bed. The material pierced
was clay, and the system employed was
that Of laying iron plates behind a cir
cular shield.
Recent tests of lances by the Bel
gian cavalry have resulted in favor of
the English weapon. Each lance is
about nine feet two inches long The
German lance IS of hollow steel. and
weighs about four and two-fifths pounds
The English lance is OF bamboo. and
weighs fully three-ouarters OF a pound
less The German lance was found too
heavy and poorly balanced for use in
battle The only disadvantage of the
English lance was thought to be its
weakness, and steps have been taken to
find a stouter material in India or the
Congo state.
The French have the only navy in
the world that has as yet departed from
white and black in painting ships. The
vessels Of the French feet now cruis-
ing about the European ports are all
painted a dull. sulphurous gray, exact
y the color Of cannon smoke as it is
sues from the gun. The contention OF
the French is hat this color has the
advantage Of being as Elusive and in
distinguishable IN fogs and sea mists
and darkness as during the smoke OF
battle. 1t IS more battling TO the search
light than any other tint
1t is pointed out by the Financial
Chronicle OF New York that there are
almost as many public paupers in Lon
don as in all the United States The
weekly return Of p2uperism for the
second week in June in the English
metropolis shows a total Of IS. 029 in
door and 50. 202 outdoor paupers-a
total of PSI. According to census
bulletin just issued, the indoor poor OF
the United States numbered sos and
outdoor p, 220-a total OF 1886. Lon
don has a population of 4.2l1, 056: the
United States OF over -, 900. 900.
"A remarkable instance Of parlia-
mentary obstruction has occurred in
the lower house Of Hungary. After a
debate. extending over five weeks, the
house decided by is votes TO $ to close
the discussion on the principle of the
administrative reform bill. Hereupon
twenty mem bers Of the opposition each
brought in a counter bill. backed in
every case by ten signatures. which, &C
cording TO the existing rules OF the
house. must be disposed OF before the
chamber can go into committee on the
original measure. The ministry has
resorted TO the only remedy in It's power
by decreeing that the house shall sit
continuously. without vacations, until
the reform bill is passed.