Morning journal and courier., 1893-11-24

EDITORIAL NOTES.

HDAEOhhAL NoHHSs
What next9 An electrical engineer
wants to throw advertisements by electric
light against the falling sheet of water at
Niagara Falls.
It is announced that this earth will not
support more than 5,994, ,000, 900 people,
and that according to the present known
rate of increase this limit will be reached
In 2072.
The argument for Mr.. Beach Is that he
will in time make rs good q postmaster an
Mr.. Sperry Is. This is q strong argument,
but 1t strikes Us as quite as strong an ar
gument for kssping Mr.. Sperry In office as
1t Is for pu .ting Mr.. Beach in.
The ger sral inventory of the famous
Bibliothsque Nationale-National Library
of Paris-wss begun in 1875. 1t has just
been finished under the direction Of NJ.
Marchal, assistant librarian. This inven-
tory shows that the Bibliotheque Nation
ale, which is to France what the British
Museum is to England, contains In its COL
lections 2,150. 900 volumes, without men,
tioniDg the provincial newspapers of
France, which are not yet in bound form.
A traveller in the Himalsyan mountain
region has discovered that the natives of
that country cultivate Q grain hitherto un-
known in civilized agricultural operations,
which has something the look Of wheat
but has very much longer ears, and which
has q peculiar inward curve. The shiny,
brown grain, unlike wheat, lie, on the
other hand, much smaller than wheat
grains should be for so large an ear. Bat
the interest is that cereal of this charso-
ter should yield such heavy crops in so
high an altitude, where the seasons are
necessarily short and the temperature
low. The natives call the grain kownee.
On the African shore, near the Gulf of
Alden and connecting the Lake of Assal
with the main ocean, may be found one of
the most wonderful rivers In the world.
This natural curiosity in the shape of q
river does not flow to but from the ocean
toward the inland. The surface of Lake
Assal Is nearly seven hundred feet below
the sea level, and 1t is fed altogether by
this parsdo1icsl river, the latter being
about twenty-five miles in length. 1t is
said to bs wonderful fact that the river
of immense volume Especially at high
tide) furnishes exactly enough water to
counterbslsncs the extraordinary evapors-
tion of the lake, and that In consequence
the lakes surface remains at a uniform
level year after year.
Colorado is recovering from the silver
question. A committee of business men
of the State. organized to advertise Colo
RADIO in the East and Europe, has decided
"to concentrate the frat effort upon ad
vertising the gold resources of the State"
Indeed, it is now pointed out by those
papers and psople who lately svowed hys
terisslly that the downfall Of silver meant
ruin to Colorado, that the State has more
wealth in gold than in silver, and that
"there is gold enough here to supply labor
for all the silver miners and to restore the
old-time prosperity" Already the gold
boom has been strongly felt, and what
were mere prospects have been developed
into wellpaying gold properties.
Mobile is becoming formidable rival Of
New Orleans ss a fruit port, especially ss
regards the banana trade. The port
charges and incidental expenses are much
lower at Mobile, and the railroad time to
the big northern markets Is less. Import
ers pay no wharfage and pilotsge fees at
Mobile, whereas at New Orleans the wharf
age per ton is 20 cents and the pilotage
per foot draft Is S. so. The quarantine fee
at New Orleans is $35 during the qusrsn-
tine season, and at Mobile 1t is only $l5.
Coal at the latter place is only Sc 25 per
ton alabama cosl), aud the cost at New
Orleans is So 25 (Pittsburg coaD. As tbs
steamers consume about 100 tons on each
trip, the saving on vessels plying to Mobile
is considerable item. Dlschsrging ban
anas comes TO 8 cents Q bunch at New Or
leans, as compared with cents at Mobile.
The saving on an average cargo of $4,000
bunohes shipped TO the Alabama port is
therefore $l20. An importer ssys: "All
in all, we can save anywhere from $400 to
$500 per trip by running into Mobile In
stead of New Orleans, aud the objections
to Mobile as port of discharge are few"