Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-15
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Ocean cables stretch 12O, $50 miles
The sweet olive was brought from
China in III,
street in Paris.
Austrian women ar. said TO make most
efficient wives and mothers.
The Romans began every banquet with
eggs and ended it with apples.
in ancient theaters, spectators were
seated according to their rank
Away back in the year 1913 eggs sold
IN London a 3 pence for two dozen.
More than third of Great Britain 10
owned by members of the House of Lords.
The wigs of the time Of Louis XIV.
we're of horsehair. the cheaper kind of tow.
Three counties of Missouri raised Q
surplus of9O,OOO bushels Of onions last year.
The members of club of rich young
men in Venice are pledged to marry poor
girls.
Women in Finland compete with men
as physicians, dentists, bank cashiers, house
builders clerks, etc.
Only eight of the $4,000 Frenchmeu
who fought under Napoleon at Waterloo
are now alive and in France.
"A large body of musicians in Vienna
have entereda public protest against the
playing OF military bands in public places.
An Austrian engineer proposes to carry
passengers from Vienna to Pesth Dy an cleo
trio locomotive at the rate OF l23 miles an
hour.
AT the present day most heavy tunnel
work is done by machine drills, driven by
compressed air, which also serves TO VENT
ilate the works.
"A party of three sportsmen killed 125
stays this season in the deer forests of Inch
bae and StrathvaIch, in Scotland. Twenty
one were shot in single day.
The officers of the German army are to
have new coat that can. by an ingenious
device be made either thick or thin. IL ia
adapted for summer or winter use.
james L of England introduced q
fashion of turning up the brim of the hat
at the side and holding it in place with q
group OF feathers and diamond star.
1t is estimated that the photographers
of this country consume annually in the
making of the millions OF photographs com
pounds Of silver anu gold to the value of
nearly 100000.
-Stenography was first used in the
French parliament about the year 1880 and
one of the few official stenographers OF that
now u Senator of France.
"A resident of Burke county, Ga, has
a couple of peculiar fowls-a cross between
q common barnyard chicken and a guinea.
Their plumage is darker than that of q
partridge, while they are speckIed as a
guinea.
To such an extent does religion prevail
at Gonoatoa, in the South Seas, that every
man, woman or child on that island who
on n at lea at tlrpts inn a
week is liable to be arrested and fined, the
fine gong to the King.
The Miner Smith House, near STRAIT
ford, Conn, one OF the most famous hostel
ries on the New England coast, was de-
strOyed by fire on Saturday. IL was built
over 200 years ago, ana it is said General
Washington was once guest there.
lingo county, Cal, has a wonderful
natural curiosity, which closely resembles
monster petrlned elephant The rock
which nature has given such an extraordi-
nary form is a dark gray granite. almost
the exact coiors OF the Asiatic ELEPHANTS
skin9
An investigation which has been prose-
cuted by the British Royal Labor Commis-
sion indicates that in England the servant
is far better Off in regard to facilities for
legal redress than is the employer, and that
legislation would not bring These TWO classes
closer together.
About 100 species of deep sea fishes
have been obtained by the Albatros in the
depths of the ocean off the continental slope
of California. These creatures are, as rule
very soft in body, covered with phosphores-
cent spots by which they can see their WI
i'll the darkness.
The Society for the Protection of Bird
of Great Britain has increased in member
ship during che past year from 1000 to 5,2OC
Its annual report says the English goldfncI
is threatened with extinction, because o.
the present demand for its feathers fol
''murderous millinery"
The singing nettle was introduced into
Great Britain by the Romans. They trans
ported the obnoxious weed that they might
chate their benumbed limbs with its leaves
when overcome by the unaccustOmed colo
OF this Northern isle. To our ears sucn rig
orous treatment hardly sounds well
Switzerland is not drinking more liquor
this year than last, and has not increasedin
her consumption OF alcoholics for three
years past There the Government COZ.
trolls the sale of liquor. and tine profits are
divided among the cantons. 4 third goes
toward remedying the effects OF alcohol.
The French Canadian emigration from
Quebec to the United States was astonish.
ingly heavy in October. The emigration
lever has extended to Chauteaugay and
BeauharnOiS, the two counties of the
20 be the most prosperous and contented.
Fishing was a favOrIte pastime of the
Egyptian gentlemen, both in the Nile and il
the spacious sluices or ponds constructed
within their grounds. This favOriJe occupa
ton was not confined to young persons, MOI
thought unworthy of men of serious habits
and an Egyptian of rank is frequently rep
resented in the Scriptures catching FISH witt
rod and line.
On a recent rainy Sunday two nice.
looking, welI-mannered men stationed
themselves in the vestibule of an EnSlisI
church and relieved all who entered of theiI
umbrellas, saying that the Vicar dislikec
having wet umbrellas carried into the
church. When the services ended the
people looked for tile two men, but they
had quietly stolen aWay-and also the um
brellas.
"A new alloy of silver with cadmium
and zinc has been Introduced in practice il
silver-plating in England. This alloy
although more costly Than the ordinary
alloy of silver with copper, is said to work
well and to show greater resistance TO aora
sion and to be less readily tarnlshed IL lS
however, cheaper than pure silver, Wnlch
has hitherto been alone employed tor exec
troplating purposes.