The weekly examiner., 1891-01-17
FOREIGN GOSSIP.


 Ut is estimated that 90, 900 piano f0rtes are manufactured every year in London.
 cabins in Ireland. consisting of but single room.
 The Geographical Institute inSWei- mar estimates that German Africa con- tains 935. 900 square kilometers. All European Germany contains approxi- mately $40, 900 square kilometers.
 The French Minister of War lately offered a prize for the swiftest bird in a flight from Perigueux to Paris, BIO miles. There were s.746 entries, and the winner did the distance in hours and 34 minutes.
 In Tepe- an ancient town In Crimea, platina coin has been found bearing the image of Antiochus of Syria, who died B. c 164. The coin is the only one of the kind known to exist and for this reason its value is in- estimable.
 London to-day is five times as large as 1t was at the opening of the present century. Ffom 900. 900 at that time the. population of London grew to 1.5o0. 900 in 1880, and by 1855 it had increased to ?. 5O0. .O00. Since 1855 1t has more than doubled Century.
 The largest reservoir or artificial lake in the world is the great tank of Dhebar. twenty miles southeast of Udaipur, Rajpootana, which covers an area of twenty-one square miles; the masonry dam Is one thousand feet long by ninety-ive feet high. fifty feet wide at the base. and fifteen feet at the top.
 The Russianizing of all institutions in the empire of the Car is being pushed energetica1ly in matters great and small. Some fifty railway em- ployes Tn Warsaw, whose knowledge of Russian was considered defective. were dismissed in body recently. Prince Nikita of Montenegro has decreed that Russian shall be an oblig tory study in every school in his little island.
 "A year from next March the railroad now building from Jaffa to Jerusalem will be completed, and tourists will then te whisked away from tho coast to Je- rnsalem in two or three hours, journey that Is now made by camel or in di1i- gences over horrible road. The money required to build the line Is in the hands of Paris bankers, who have just forwarded tue second installment of the funds to the contractors.
 The average daily supply of wster delivered to London from the Thames in August last was e6, ,2O2 gallons; from the Lee, 59, ,s79. .6o6 gallons; from thesprings and wells. 2s. 520. .5s2 gallons; from ponds at Hampstaad and High gate, S59, S39 gallons The daily total was, therefore, 165, OH, T2s gallons for a popuIation aggregating SGT. .6e6. repre- genttng daily consumption per head of Se 62-10o gallons for all purposes
 One of the least advanced races that have come down to modern times was the aboriginal race of Tasmania- There is now Mrs. Fanny Corcornn Smith, aged Il hfty-ssven. who claims to be tho 1ast aurgfvor of the Taamaufa peopIef bht she is pronounced by sani ninvestiRato of theiF history to be a half-caste. The last unquestfonAble Tasmanian, asWora- m. Truganfna. died in 1876. At the close Of their exfstence tho Tasmanfans had reached degree of davelopmont hardly equal to that of the flint workers of the stone.age
 ss'--M. Freycfnet, the French War Min asser, has retired lot of old Generals, and number ofdashfng young Colonels will soon take their places The oldest General in France. and probably in the world, Ia General Maudnit, who is one years Of age. He has never askedt sol be retired, and he stiA figures among the officers of the reserve. He isrery proud of his St He1sna medal Three other old fellows also wear that snedzl t4eneral Mellinet. born in i79S, who commanded q division of the Inn psriaf Guard at Magentas General Rich ard, born in 17e5, and General dhAn- thouard vaincourt, born in 17o6. They entered the service in 1913. But Man duit's military career goes back to 1S07.