The Portland daily press., 1893-08-04
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

J President Cleveland has thus far ap-
pointed fifty-nine newspaper men to
office.
bilt's place at Ashville, NC, is of mar
BILE, and is said to have cost S25, 900.
What is said to be the smallest species
of tree in the world is the Greenland
birch. 1t reaches a height of less than
three inches, though it covers radius OF
two or three feet
The tirailleurs of the Russian army
are to be equipped with snowshoes next
winter The Prussian troops on the Rus
sian frontier have used snowshoes with
satisfaction for several winters.
A second test of the constitutionality
of the Geary law is to be made at the Oc-
tober session of the United States SUI
preme Court The death of Justice
Blatchford removes one of the five juri-
SITS who upheld the law.
So fond are the Russian women of
smoking that the Czar's minister of the
interior has ordered the railway officials
in the empire to provide passenger trains
with the smoking compartments for the
use of the fair sex.
The great fall of "manna" in Mardin
and Diarbekir, Asiatic Turkey, has been
explained. Chemists who examined the
stuff report it to be species of lichen
(Lecanora esculanta), which is not known
to grow outside of Tunis, Morocco and
Algeria.
One of the most interesting novelties
aboard the cruiser New York is the beau
tiful dovecote presented by George W.
Childs 1t is the first cote ever placed on
board war ship for regular carrier pig
con service.
The experiments with carrier pigeons
on board of war ships have not been
numerous, but they have showo a won
derful intelligence in the birds, and fur
ther practice in "homing" back to NOV
able home may develop unexpected naval
uses for the pigeons as carriers OF news
and information.
Ella Rodda, Turk, who has been ap-
pointed quarantine interpreter at the
ports of New York, can talk nine lam
guages, and is to do SO hereafter, in such
proportions as he may be required, for
81 a day.
James Berry, the English ex-execu-
tioner, has reached the end of his rope as
a lecturer, and is anxious to drop back
on the other platform. He is appealing
to the sheriffs in the United Kingdom to
give him " q fresh start in life" as he
says, by helping others to start out of
it.
A bottle of whisky, which had been
dropped accidentally into the hollow of a
tree at Norwich, Conn, SO years ago, was
recovered a few days ago. The liquor,
it is said, when poured from the bottle,
had the consistency and color of olive
oil"
A new method of watering stock has
been invented by capitalists of Chicago
and Philadelphia engaged in the trans
portation of cattle on the way to Eastern
cities. The method is to refuse the beasts
water for several days before the end of
the journey. Then they quickly drink
from fifty to sixty pounds OF water eachs
and are sold speedily. The sufferings of
the animals have been very great.
Almost the sole hereditary trade in the
United States is that of the deepwater
pilot At most of the important seaports
pilotage has been confined for generations
to few families. The Delaware pilots
congregate at Lewes, where they have
lived these many generations. To be a
deep-water pilot in Delaware is to be
man of consideration, with houses, lands
and portable goods ashore, snug home,
weIl-clad family and local honors of
various sorts.
The finest perfume in the world next
to the rose, is the scent of fresh rasp-
berries. The persistence of this delicate
scent is shown even in the wood OF the
raspberry. An umbrella that has for
stick head made of the raspberry root
is always a lovely-scented thing to han
die, and it's owner uses the head in her
hand occasionally as a refreshing natural
vinaigrette.N Yet though we have the
raspberry favors, no one seems to have
caught the scent, which, perhaps, is as
Elusive as that of the wild grape bios
som, another rare and-exquisite perfume
in June.
A new kind of paint is announced,
which, it is claimed, possesses in a pc
culiar degree the properties Of preserving
metal from rust and is unaffected by
either, heat or cold. When applied to
sheet iron it is found that the coating is
not affected by warm water or steam, nor
is it at all Influenced by the action of
acid and alkaline LIQUIDS ammonia pas