The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-02-17
NATURAL FRUIT FLEyoRS.
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The Marquis of Lorne is happy man. He is
computed by the Industrious to have written
| more poetry than Lord Tennyson, and now he
has been made governor aud constable of Wind
sor castle, at salary OF 41,200 year. When
| parliament meets the government may prop
erly be invited to explain what functions the
| governor OF Windsor castle performs and how
Lord LoTns is specially qualified to perform
| them. That Lord Lorne is the queens son-n-
! law must OF course be dismissed as a wholly ir-
relevant and immaterial circumstance.
MANY stories, says a Washington special to
the New York sun, are still being told about
| the remarkable jam OF invited and unlimited
people that converted last Tuesday nights card
reception at the white house into free -for-all
| scramble. Some Of the stories relate to serious
| mishapS to persons and clothing and others are
amusing. Paul Desprez, the handsome first
| secretary of the French legation. is the proud
| possessor OF the decoration known as the Order
| or Tunls which ne pinned upon his breast before
| going to the white house. When the crush was
| at its hight he suddenly missed his order and
notified the ushers and servants of his loss A
| search was begun, but it was unavailinR for
some time, and Mr.. Desprez was on the point of
notifying the police, when, being in a more
than usually crowded corner of the room, he
| was joStled against q handsome woman in
front Of him. Raising his eyes to hers to apol-
1 oglze for his apparent mistake, he dis
covered his missing jewel caught in her
luxuriant hair. Mr.. DeSprez politely called the
ladys attention TO her new decoration, and she
surrendered 1t with blush and an expression
OF wonder as to how in the world it ever got
caught in her tresses. The wife o. a new
western western senator is telling her friends
| party or friends, were, like hundreds of
| other guests, absolutely unable to reach the
dressing rooms after gaining entrance to the
| white house. They were undecided what to do,
| when one OF the party spied bundle of wraps
| in the corner. and suggested that they all add
| theirs TO the pile. This was agreed to, and the
| three ladies removed their carriage hats and
cloaks and threw them on the heap of clothing
| in the corner. AS the last garment fell into
place the heap Of clothing. which happened to
be another senator's wife tying her shoe, indig-
nantly arose and demanded an explanation.
| This action showed the absurd mistake that had
been made, and the whole party lost their en-
oarrassment in an outburst of laughter They
were hardly clear in their own minds, however,
as to who was the real victim of the mistake.
| ASTRONOMERS are intensely interested just
| now in the great sun spot recently developed
on the eastern limb of the sun. By means of a
piece of smoked glass anybody may observe
TINS great chasm on the suns face. and it will
| wen repay observation. warning must be
| given, however, against the inexperienced eye
OF an opera glass In this connection, as the CON
| centration or the suns powerful rays is snff1
clent TO crack the glass or burn the eyes SIM
| spots will probably be much talked of this year.
as spot period is now approaching. and dur
Ing maximum the suns surface is hardly
| ever free from them. Sometimes as many as
forty or fifty will be visible at once while at a
minimum not one will be seen for weeks The
spot period is about eleven years. The last
| behind time. 1t has been established that
| there is a decided connection between these
violent disturbances on the sun and
| se-caled magnetic storms on earth
such manifestations, for example, S. the
gorgeous aurora borealis Sun spots are vast
cavities on the philosophers of the sun, and It Is
as yet uncertain whether they are caused by or
| are the cause of eruptions on that intensely
| heated luminary They are usually found in
TWO zones extending from 50 to 40' of latitude
north and south of the suns equator and de-
| lasting n ivalxy
short time-from few days to a month or two.
| one spot was known to have lasted for over
| fifteen mouths, but that vas an exception
| They are usually quite irregular in shape and
| are composed OF two parts-namely the
| umbra, or black center, which is dark because
| filed with cooler gases and vapors which con-
sequently absorb light; and the fringing gray
| penumbra, consisting of long feathery fila
ments reaching toward the middle of the UNI
| bra, and usually very lovely in form. The di-
| ameter of an umbra varies from 500 to 1000
miles In small spot to tremendous rents of
! $4,000 or 60. 900 miles In large one into which
| our little earth might be dropped many times
without making an impression on the
| penumbra.
WHISKY, drink divine" as Burns calls it.
has not been long, as things go. the uin d,s paps
| of Scotland Perhaps the earliest notice of its
| use is in the household accounts Of King James
| w., where we are told tailor from Dundee on
| two occasions brought aqua Vita" to his
majesty, and where there is note of a delivery
to Friar James Cor of eight bells of malt to
and the common people ale. Until well on to
l. the close OF the last century whisky was made
only to very limited extent. Since then its use
has become, as every one knows, common
enough. In the beginning OF the present CEN
fury Illicit distilation became very general in
consequence or an act of parliament which
prohibited whisky being made from stills hold
ing less than 500 gallons. A great staff of ex-
else men were employed to put down SNUG
| Cling, and in 1928 there were 400 prosecutions
"oonnily on, Notwithstanding all efforts to put
a stop TO it In every little clachan there were
several stills constantly going, and devices more
credltaole TO the ingenuity Of the Celt than to
his obedience TO the civil powers were followed
to evade the law. Then there came a pause In
this peculiar industry, The spirit duties were
lowered Stills Of smaller capacity were per
mitted which took up the produce OF a district:
ana proprletors. feeling the demoralizing effects
OF the traffic. resolutely set themselves to put IL
down. In 1884 the detectons had fallen IN Scot
land from 400 to ~, and it seemed as IL SNUG
CLING was TO take his place among other cher
ished Celtic traditions This expectation has
been realized: within the last few years there
/ has been a great revival of the old practice.
The 'ewie WI the crooked horn"
ls at work in many northern
glen; and Donald and Sandy
have begun to pursue to a large extent the du
blous commerce of their ancestors. The reslls-
citation of highland smuggling, Of which there
| can be no doubt is due to various causes The
| staff OF excisemen was largely reduced in Scot
| land Barley of late years has been cheap. Ow-
ing to the crofter agitation there has been a
breach In the friendly relations between propri-
etor and people, and the moral influence of the
| former in this as in other matters has greatly
| decreased. But perhaps the chief reason Is that
malt which formerly was allowed to be manu-
tactured by no one without license, is permit
ted to be freely made. The smuggler can either
make it or buy it openly, and he is now onIy
llaoie TO be bounced upon by the excisemen