The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

During the current financial year the pro
vince Of Broussa has exported abroad and TO
other provinces Of the Turkish empire 10 61S
boxes OF silkworm seed.
An illustration at the severity OF the times
is found in the fact that two London physt-
clans lately advertised in daily paper. Of
ferlng 5000 to man who would submit to an
experilL entail surgical operation involving
some risk. One hundred and forty-two
answers were received.
Postage stamp collectors viii please take
note. The French government intend to
bring out a new series OF postage stamps. to
represent the political regime OF the country,
and TO that END have appointed a jury TO de
eide as TO the value OF competitive designs.
This jury IS composed Of several high post
once functionaries two painters two sculpt-
ors, ana two engravers.
Lieut.. Totten, once professor Of military
tactics at Yale College. and who perhaps stiR
nils that important position. once figured out
the date OF the celebrated long day OF
Joshua" He calculated from the full moon
IN June, 1850 and after much laborious work,
found that the famous Reth- boron conjun ction
TOOK place at ll:l3 a. m, exaccly 3.43j full
lunar years before the full moon on the date
hrst given above. Prof. Totten delights in
curious and speculative astronomy, and is
said to have found, while, working on the
ABOVE that a similar conjunction toC k place on
Inc zenith Of Beth hOron during the SeptemLe r
IanauOn IN he year HIP A. D.
The letter G is superfiuous alphabetic
character-a nOndescript of the worst sort,
and of no more real value in expressing or
helping to express our thoughts in writing
than one Of the Chin 3se word signs would be.
IL never ends an English word and cannot be-
gin one without the aid of the letter O. being
invariably followed by the aforementioned
letter in all words belonging to our language.
The man doesn We that can tell the why
OF the peculiar relation of the letters 9 and
j. former civ itC -iN
name. some argue that its name was applied
because of the tail or cue at the bottom of the
letter. but the original Q, when sounded Just
as II Is today, was made without the cue, the
character much resembling the English sign
for pound.
Red haired people have found an ardent
apologist in physologist who ascribes red
hair to superabundance of iron in the blood
says the PittSburg Dispatch Red-haiIed peo-
pie are. as rule, we are told, more vigorous,
more robust, and more intense in their emo
lions than those whose hair is either black or
o. nondeSCript color. and the reason which
makes their hair red also causes this excess
or vitality, elastici y, and overflowing of
healthy animal life. .superabundance Of
iron in the flood. accord ing to this theory
Is a good thing especially when as the writer
asserts it renders the skin more delicately
white and makes 1t more liable TO freckle
with the heat Of the sun A dark-haired per-
son rarely freckles, the reason being that ow-
ing TO the at sence of iron in the system the
Shlu - SdllCH hul IHtapdDlC OF D6lQg dUeCte0
by the sun. Freckles. therefore, are iudica-
tions OF . delicate white skin Just al red
hair is the index of a ''superabundance of
iron in the blood"
According to a report in a Russian mill
tary paper. republished in the Broad Arrow,
the Geman military Authorities have decided
upon new smokeless powder, which will be
furnished to the troops as quickly as possible.
The existing brand will be d scarded ana the
cartridges already In store will leither be used
In maneuVrcs or sold to less particular ma
tionS. The same authority declares that
machinery for the manufac ure of The new
powder is now in process of construction at
Spandau and that a sufficient supply cannot
be made in less than two wears The story Is
important. If true as such condition of af-
FAIRS would be conductive to peace. II is also
reported that an excellent tyre Of
smokeless powder, apirite, has been perfected
at Stockholm; 1t evolves but little heat and
no flame. and can be transported without
risk and Is not susceptible of damp or heat
Comparative trials between ten rounds of a
nltre powder and fifteen ca h of ordinary
SWedlsh powder and apirite, fired from a
small caltbre magazine rifle, showed that
apirite heated the barrel less than either Of
the others 500 rounds OF apirite were hred
from rife left uncleaned for a week after
which the bOre-so it is Said-wls found to he
as clean ana lit for use as if Just prepared for
firing.
An old woman In village near Salisbury
recently died, says the Cardiff (Wales) Mail
Her death gave great satisfaction to the
other villagers for she was looked upon as
witch and feared accordingly. after the fun
eral several OF the chief inhabitants repaired
to the Wirthschaft to celebrate suitably the
relief experienced at getting this dangerous
person safely underground; but while they
were drinking. Pleasantly in came a messen-
ger 10 say ina the cow OF one OF those pres
ent. nelghuor Of the deceased had died sud
denly without any apparent cause. The meet
Ing, horror-stricken, adjourned in body to
O n q nfNVuN and
the animal had been bewitched. No DOUBTS
were entertained as to the perpetrator of the
deed. Evidently burying was not enough
to sop this dangerous old ladv and
1t was decided. after earnest discussion to
adopt the old plan OF making a horse iumD
over the witch s grave. and thus put an end
to her powers. horse was accordingly
ietched, Dut, strange TO say, nothing would
/ induce him TO Jump over the grave This in
! contestable proof of the unhoy influence
emanating from the spot caused the public
excitement TO increase. The MAYOR Of the
village decided to use a somewhat drastic
means, much in favor IN the middle ages viz
TO stab the witch body with a redhOt Mitch
iork' Inc body was eyhumed, the fork
heated, and the whole ceremony carried out
by the time the company had finished their
work and gone back to refresh themselves Mt
the with schatt. the authorities OF the town
mad heard OF what was going on, A partv Of
mounted police were sent 10 the village and
all those who had Teen concerned in the affair
were taken into custody
Japanned leather, generally called patent
leather, was first made in America. saws the
New Orleans Times-L emocrat, by Seth Boy.
den. Of Newark, N j.. 1880 A smooth
glazed finish was first given to calf skin In
France. The leather is curried expressly for
this purpose, and particular care is taken to
keep 1t as free as possible from grease: the
SKINS are then tackled on frames, and coate
with composition OF linseed oil and lumber
In the proportion Of eighteen gallons of oil To
hve OF lumber boiled into nearly solid. and
then mixed with spirits of turpentine to the
proper consistency. Lampblack is also added
when the composition Is applied in order
to give color and body. From three TO four
coats OF this are necessary to form n suh.
stance to receive the varnIsh. They are laid
on with knife or scraper. To render the
goods soft and plant. earh coat must be very
light and thoroughly dried after each applica-
ton. A thin coat is afterward applied AZ the
same composition of proper consistency
to be put on with brush and with suficient
lamptlack tclled in 1t TO make a perfect
black. When thoroughly dry it is cut down
with scraper having turned edges when IL
Is ready to varnsh. The principal yarnfsh
used is made OF ltnseed oil and Russian biua
Boiled to the thickness Of printers ink n is
reduced with spirits of turpentine to a suit.
lie consistency TO work with a
| brush and then applied in two or
three separate coats which are scraped
and pumiced until the leather is rerfeetIv