The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

ITEMS OF lNrERES
GOLD and precious stones as medical remedies
were once largely used by the rich. A Queen of
France, consulting her physician in 1870, secured
the Following prescription: "Nine-eighteths
Ot an ounce OF emeralds, flve-eightieths OF an
ounce of Alexandria rubies. and five eightieths
or an ounce OF 1acinths mixed with a ducat of
duced to the form Of powder and prepared with
honey.
AN animal growing between the high and low
water marks on the japanese coast is mud
worm called ISABELLA. 1t occupies a hard limy
tube or its own making. and gets its food when
the nigh tide comes up over its hiding place, by
thrusting out head bushy with tentacles and
sucking In currents OF water loaded with minute
particles or nutriment Out Of this wriggling
creature the shore people make a soup, which
IS true vermicelli, not paste imitation of ittle
wormsV and is said to taste as badly as it
smells
AFTER a fair translation of its old French
body, aver" into English, only horse" is
found, and the word becomes "horsage" The
change tends 70 confusion, but none the less,
'horsage" and average" are Identical since in
the old time French an aver was horse. It
was also horse in the Scotch dictionaries, and
In one or Burns poems, "A Dream" he alludes
TO horse as a noble aver" In oldeu times in
Europe tenant was bound to do certain work
dor s, the l9rd Of the manor-largey in carting
settlement or accounts the Just proportion of
the large and small work performed was esti-
mated according TO the work done by "avers"
horSes); hence our common word average"
In German engineering journal writer
contrasts the behavior of different animals to
ward steam machinery thus: The OK, that
proverbially stupid animal, stands composedly
on the track of a railway without having any
idea of the danger that threatens him: dogs
run among the wheels of department railway
train without suffering any injury, and birds
seem to take particular delight in the steam
engine. Larks often build their nests and rear
their young under the switches of railway over
which heavy trains are constantly rolling, and
swallows make their homo in engine houses. A
pair of swallows have reared their young for a
year in mill where q noisy 200-horse power
engine is working night and day, and another
pair have built nest in the paddle box Of
steamer. 90
THERE is great deal Of character in the mus
tache. AS the form of the upper lip and the
regions about it has largely to do with the feel
ings, pride, elfreliance, manliness vanity and
other qualities that give self-control, the mus
tache IS connected with the expression OF those
qualities or the reverse When the mustache is
ragged, and, as it were, flying hither and
thither, there is lack Of proper self-control
When 1t s straight and orderly the reverse is
the case, other things of course taken into &C.
count. II there is a tendency to curl at the
outer ends Of the muStaclIe there is tendency
to ambition, vanity and display. When the
curl turns upward there is geniality combined
with love OF appreciation, when the inclination
is downward there is a more sedate turn of
mind, not accompanied with gloom. Il is
worthy OF remark that good natured men will
in playing with the mustache Invariably give it
an upward inclination, whereas cross grained or
morose men will pull it obliquely downward
THE will suit of Parnell vs. Wood and others,
which Will be tried early next month, says the
Liverpool Courier, will be very costly litigation
if one can judge from the fees marked on the
briefs which have just been delivered. The at
torney general and Sir Charles Russell will each
receive 500 guineas, and zee guineas for reading
the massive pile of papers In the case. The
solicitor general has marked on his brief 600
guineas, and 200 guneas for reading, while fees
of the same costly character will be given to
Sir Henry James, Q. c.; Mr.. Inderwick, Q. c.;
Mr.. Bayford, Q. G.; Lewis Coward, Tindal At
kinson, and Mr.. Barnard. all of whom are to
appear in the action Sir Charles Russell
represents Mrs Parnel the plaintiff, who, I'M
der the last will of her aunt, Mrs Maria wood,
is left sole legatee the amount in dispute being
about f200.000. The case will be tried by Sir
Charles Butt and special jury, and is expected
to occupy at least fortnight. The defense
relied upon is undue influence. One of the in
teryeuers is Capt. o Shea and another is Mrs
Steele, the plaintiff sister,
The great Chinese river. which, rising in the
mountains of Thibet drains nearly 7l5, 900 square
miles of country and flows for 8 200 miles before
reaching the sea, has special interest attached
the scenes of many riots and massacres Of Eu-
ropeans within the last few months The higher
reaches Of the river above Chungking have
been seldom seen by Europeans, and what in
formation we have about them Is mainly de-
rived from the jesuit priests and missionaries,
who have for many years been spreading far
Their and farther into the interior The lower
reaches, however. are thoroughly well known
and for 600 miles up, as far as Hankow every
mile Of the river is almost as familiar to Euro
peans out there as the Thames is to US at home.
says the London Globe. Owing to the wonder
full abundance of water In the river. sea-going
steamers are, during certain months IN the
year, able TO get right up to Hankow; and when
the river is low communication is kept up by a
splendid line OF steamers. very similar in size
and build to those plying on the river The
NAVIGATION OF the lower Yangtse is without
doubt the most wonderful piece of pilotage in
the world, as it is 600 miles long. and passes
through innumerable shoals, which are eontinu-
ally shifting The pilots have to be very many
years on the river before they can be properly
qualified to take large ocean steamers through
sucn an intricate water way, especially as the
cargroeS OF these vessels are Invariably of i'm
mense value and in the season quick dispatch
and absence Of delay is every thing. The
junks, while passing up and down the
river have to pay ''likin" dues to the differ.
ent viceroys whose provinces they pass through:
and in case any attempt is made TO evade the
extortion they soon find themselves chased by
the little armed gunboats, which are always
lying in wait at the ''likin" stations. From
Hinkiang to Hankow the country becomes very
fiat, and in the season of food
it is nothing short of marvellous to
see the enormous extent of country under flood
Although over 500 miles from the sea, the
water reaches in some places TO the horizon on
both Sides and junks sail over what a month
before was green cultivated tract of country
Navigation at these times is extremely diff
cult, but so experienced are the pilots that a
mishap is almost unknown, in spite of the fact
that few isolated clumps Of trees or mounds
are the only leading marks for them to steer
by.