Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-28
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

/
"A petrifed forest has been discovered
in Mendocino county, Cal
The Druids are stated to have burnt
their human sacrifices in wicker cages.
More gold has been obtained from
Spanish America than any other part Of the
| world.
The theaters in Germany take no notice
whatever of Christmas, as pantomine is not
favorite among Teutons.
-Auctioneers' fees in England and in the
| United States are paid by the seller. In
| France and Holland the purchaser pays
them.
"A statistician gives the number Of
| newspapers in the world at 50, 600 About
one-sixth of these have the largest circula-
/ tion on earth.
| 1t is almost incredible that the average
production of novels tales, and other works
| of fiction during the past year was II u week,
or about four for every working day Of the
year.
| The Lamas of Thibet do large busI-
ness in fortune telling. Sometimes tbev az
| certain the fates with barleycorns. at otbers
they burn sheep bones for the same pur.
pose. F
There are said to be more than 5000
prehistoric buildings in Sardinia Thew ara
Quilt In groups which are separated from
one another by wide and generally barren
| places.
| Here is something new for people who
| keep their carriages. A mirror is attached
| to the girdle of the driver of fashionable
turnout in st. Petersburg. This enables the
| lady who rides in the phaeton to see all the
following equipages without turning her
head. eA
The Oldest striking clock in England is
one made at Glastonbury Abbey by Peter
Llghtfoot, one Of the resident monks in l325
and removed in Elizabeth's reign from Can't
erDury to Wells Cathedral. 1t was exhibited
HI tne south hens1ngton Museum, having
been lent by the Dean and Chapter of Wells
Nearly all of the Partisan funerals are
managed by syndicate of undertakers.
There are ten classes of funerals six of
winch are remunerative. The first six range
In cost from "a 600 to ESQ An eighth class
funeral costs about Ell; the ninth, IS: and the
tenth is free. The funerals directed by this
company average 673 a week.
Measurement of weight by the astonen
arose from the old custom farmers had of
weighing wool with a stone. Every farmer
| Kept large stone at his farm for this Dur-
pose When dealer came along he bal
anced plank on the top of wall, and put
the stone on one end Of it and bags or Wool
| on the other end until the weights were
equal. -0
European ladies are often invited to
visit the harems Of the rich Moors I'm Nor.
| occo. Some time ago one of the fnmates-a
beautiful young gtrl-fafnted at the sight of
one OF the Lady visitors removing her gloves.
Ihe young lady thought she was removing a
thick skin from her hand, and the siSbt
frightened her so much that # was some
t1mebefore she could regain consciousness.
Sweden is the most Protestant country.
for out of a population of l. ia 4Os only $40 are
Roman Catholics, or 16 out OF every 100 900.
and next to it in this respect Ia Norway
which Is under the same sovereign and has
only oO2 Roman Catholics out Of 1,sls.s5s in
| hab1tants, or q out of every 100 OOO In both
| OF these countries the mass of the population
adher to the Lutheran Protestant Church.
| On Mount Washington, in New Hamp-
| shire, lives little colony of butterflies that
never descend below 1000 feet from the
summit. They are completely isolated from
| others Of their kind. butterflies being found
In any other spot in their immediate vicinity.
| lt Is supposed that the remote ancestors OF
tnlS curious race were stranded on the
mountain at the close of the glacial period
| Specimens of the smallest known spe-
cfes Of hogs are now quartered at the Lon
don Geological Gardens. They came from
| the southern part Of Australia, and are
| known az "the pigmy hogs of the Anti
podes." They are well formed frisky and
| are about the size of a muskrat They are
real hogs, and are not to be confounded
with guinea pigs, which are a species of
rodent.
The origin of the word cigar is of some
interest, and is not TO be found in the or
dinary dictionaries. The word of course, is
Spanish, and is derived from cigarra, the
Spanish name for grasshopper. When the
Spaniards first introduced tobacco into
Spain from the island of Cuba, in the six.
teenth century. they cultivated the plant in
their gardens, which, in Spanish, are called
| cigarrales.
The Imperial eagle, the largest of
| species known, flies to a height from 10000
| feet to 5000 feet. 1t is a native of South
| America and its habitat is among the lofty
mountains OF that country Its power of
| flying to high attitudes is only exceeded by
| the condor of the Andes, which is said to
| have attained the height of six miles or
within one mile of the greatest height ever
attained by balloon.
MIR. Thomas s. Pyne has established
mint at Cabul, which has turned out hundreds
of thousands of neatly-coined rupees and
copper pieces: he has erected factory,
where the Afghans make from 1000 to 10000
cartridges every day: he has trained the ma
tives to make the best rifles and other fire.
arms with steam machinery, and he has even
established tailoring and boot and shoe
workshops on the most approved English
system.
One of the most remarkable sales of
old silver ever held was at Edinburgh lately
1t in ncluded pieces belonging to the late Earl
of Dunmore and the service of st. Martins
Abbey in Perthshire. Several pieces were
bought on commission from New York The
highest price ever obtained for old silver,
$50 an ounce. was given for an early Italian
double-handled cup and saucer, s420 being
the price, The highest price heretofore had
been $50 an ounce.
I'm the northern part of the historic
town of Castine on the banks OF the Baga-
duce river is a house with history. 1t was
built about the year 1871 by John Perkins
and Captain Thatcher Avery, and was Mt that
time the most imposing mansion in that SEQ
ton In 1914 the British occupied ib quar-
ters for officers of rank, and under the
mantel shelf in the principal room Is the
name of Lieutenant Henry Bishop, of the
British army, carved in bold letters.
Some genius in Syria, named Mousa
Rhouri. has discovered the secret by which
the silk worm makes silk. He can make the
silk by machinery, without the aid OF the
silk worm. In this way the cost of making
silk can be reduced one-half. A manufac-
torv is to be started in Georgia soon by a
SYRIAN colony. To manufacture silk in this
way a large tract of land has been secured
on which to plant mulberries, and the emf
grants expect soon to make their fortunes
The newly elected Queen of the Paris
Iaundresses is Henriette Delabarre. She
was chosen by the universal suffrage of the
profession. She is young girl, l6 years old,
fair haired and pale, and was one of the best
pupils with the Sisters of st. Vincent de
Paul. Her part is to ride in a triumphal car
at Mi-Careme through the streets. The
Sisters are very much displeased at her cleo
ton, and have warned her that the ride may