The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1893-02-18
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

For more than three hundred years
fruit, vegetables and flowers have been
sold on the present site of Covent Gar
den market. In 1861 King Charles the
Second granted to William, carl of Bed
ford. the right forever to hold market
in the parish of St Paul's, Covent Gar
den.
Experiments show the German rife
to be the most merciful weapon in use
in European armies, while the Lebel
rifle, used by the French in Dahomey,
makes a very ragged wound. The new
English magazine rife seems to be
the cruelest of the three, as its bullet
smashes bones and tears flesh at dis
lance of one thousand yards.
Some of the tribes of India have
marriage custom which calls for the
presence of COW and a calf at the
ceremony. The principals and the
priest drive a cow and calf into the
water, and there the bride and groom,
as well as the clergyman, clutch the
cows tail, while the officiating person.
age pours water upon it from glass
vessel and utters religious formula.
The cruiser Rurik, recently
launched on the Neva in the presence
of the car and czarina, is the most for
midable war ship of her kind in the
world and the largest of any kind ever
built in Russia. Her displacement is
1928 tons, her maximum speed eight
cen and one-half knots per hour and
her coal capacity 1000 tons. She will
10 able to steam 10000 knots at the
rate of ten knots per hour without
putting into port for fuel or provisions.
1t has not been generally consid-
cred that in the various arctic expedi-
tions which have been made the arctic
dog has played an important part. In
the recent journey of Lieut.. Peary L.
800 miles were made by sledges drawn
by these faithful and useful animals,
and they averaged, according to Mr..
Peary's statement, about 81 miles day.
The dogs require about the same
amount of food as one man, and draw
n load about one-fourth greater than
could a man.
-Theaters in Paris are not paying.
There are eighteen leading play-houses,
and their receipts fell off from twenty
two million of francs in 1890 to seven
teen and a half millions in 1891. The
only prosperous theaters seem to have
been the Vaudeville and the Renais-
sance. At meeting of the managers
some said the cause was toe rsany free
admissions; the young dramatic au-
thors were incompetent; the Theater
Libre had had a bad effect. But no
good explanation was given.
The monument to the late emperor
of Russia at Moscow, which has been
been in course of erection for the last
seven years. will be completed in few
months, and early next spring it is to
be inaugurated, with n stately ceremo-
NAL, in presence of the imperial family.
The building has frontage of one hum
dred and sixty feet, and the interior
will be most sumptuously decorated,
the principal object being colossal
bronze statue of Alexander ii. repre-
sented in the dress he wore at his cor
onation, with his left hand holding the
Ecepter, while his right is extended in
the act of blessing his subject.
"A remarkable scene occurred at a
recent meeting of the Bewdley EN-
gland) town council, which was held
for the purpose of electing mayor for
the ensuing twelve months. The re-
firing mayor (Mr. Kitching) was pro
posed for reelection, and one Mr.. Crump
was also proposed. There were eight
,,o<as f<,r a., ob ~ 1d;5a<a fbo r,,ovor ~
cording his vote for himself. Then the
mayor (who had persisted in presiding
at the election in defiance of a vigorous
protest from the friends of his oppo-
nent) proceeded to record a casting vote
in his own favor. and declared himself
to be duly elected