St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-04-27
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

Municipal ownership of street rail-
ways is making progress in London,
England, and the London county cOun-
ell is now advertising for proposals for
lease of certain lines, about four and
one-fourth miles long, from Holloway
road to the st. Pancras railway station,
which are about to be taken over by
the council under the provision Of the
tramway acts.
-lselgian rails to the amount of 4. 800
tons have been bought by the Dominion
government for use on the Inter
colonial, Prince Edward Island. Wind
sor and other government railways.
The contract was made with the John
Cockerill company, of Belgium, for de-
livery at Halifax before June, 1895.
The price paid Is said 10 have been
about $50 per ton.
Six poor travellers, mot being
rogues or proctors," were entertained
at Rochester on Christmas day at
Watts Rest, rs Dickens describes.
They received lodging and = dinner.
with pipes and tobacco, and on the
next morning after breakfast were
sent on their way with four pence
each, according to the terms of the be-
quest made centuries ago.
The new volume of "Debrett's Peer
age for 1895" contains in the preface n
quotation from letter addressed to
the editor By well-known countess,
who informs him that las long as you
put the date OF the births of ladies in
your 'Pcerage' l will never allow u
copy of your work in my house." This
sensitive peeress apparently does not
realize that the reason which induces
her to taboo the book is one which
leads great many others to pur-
chase it.
The largest gas engine in the
world, according to the Revue Techni-
que, is the go indicated horsepower,
simplex engine driving -four mills at
Psntin, France, and taking its fuel sup
ply from special producer gas plant
forming part of the mill equipment.
With regular city illuminating gas the
engine would be capable of indicating
about $50 horsepower, but even as it
is the load upon the engine is now not
more than $50 indicated horse power,
representing actually go horsepower
delivered.
The Prix de Rome. once the object
Of the ambition of every art student in
Paris, has declined SO much in value
that it is proposed to abolish it. 1t
carries with it q travelling scholarship
in Italy, and the plea of those who at
tack it is that n student possessing it
wastes his talent in slavish imitation
of the Italian masters, rather than de-
vcloping it by the Interpretation of
nature. The sculptor ROdin. the leader
of the antagonists, maintains that this
prize has only retarded the progress of
the great men who have obtained it in
the past.
Glass windows are known to have
existed at Pompcii. as early as A. D.
-. In the third century the windows
of royal houses throughout Europe
were glazed; windows of colored glass
were placed in many Italian and
French churches in GA, and the use of
glass became general in private houses
during the twelfth century. The panes,
however, were only three or four inches
square, and the material was so infe-
rior that while room was lighted it
was often Il matter of some difficulty
to discern objects on the outside
through the glass. For q long time
windows, in England were q subject OF
tnxation