Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-03-27
HISTORICAL.

The Chinese claim to have specimens
of writing dating from B. G. 1900.
The first metal bridge in England
was cast-iron structure, built In 1777
over the Severn. The cast-iron bridge
across the Wear at Sunderland was
opened in 1895.
Marine lnsuran 70 was practised in
Rome b. G. 40. lt was very general in
Europe before the discovery of Ameri-
ca. and it is altogether probable tina.
the ships of Columbus were insured
for their full value.
The first American flag made of
American materials was raised over
the capitol at Washington on Feb.
"a. 1865. All the previous flags had
been made of English bunting, but this
was of American make, and given by
Gen. b. +. Butler.
The cold and apathetic manner of
John Quincy Adams created both dis
content and unpopularity. He was
called "the icicle." and spoken of as
His Presidential Highness. Even
his children called him 1.-THE Presi-
dent" and addressed their mother as
MADAM"
The Stars and Stripes have been
carried furthest north by Lieut.. ]. B.
Lockwood, between May 13 and 10.
1889, to latitude SO degrees "a minutes
north. longitude 40 degrees 46 minutes
west, and furthest south by the pilot
schooner Flying Fish. of New York,
under Lieut.. w. M. Walker, who
reached on March "a, 1889. latitude 70
degrees IA minutes south, longitude
100 degrees west.
During tho reign of terror in Paris
in 1898 many of the nobility were re-
duced to starvation and beggary. The
abattoirs sent their hides fresh to the
tanneries without removing the tails,
and in cleaning them the tails were
thrown away. One of these noble beg
gars asked for a tail, and it was will
ingly given to him. He took 1t to his
lodging and made (what Is now fam
ous) the first dish of oxtail soup; he
told others of his good luck, and they
annoyed the Gamers so much that q
price was put upon them.
What place, if any, does history hold
among the sciences? Is there anything
in the phenomena which she investi-
gates, or in the means of investigation
at her disposal, which should exclude
her from such a place altogether? Let
us begin by making some concessions.
The historical student labors under
several serious difficulties and is ex-
posed to some peculiar dangers. His
first and most obvious difficulty arises
from lack of information. The
student Of modern history feels this
comparatively little; the medi@valist
feels it more; the student of antiquity,
except for 8 few short periods in the
history of Greece and Rome, feels it
most of all. How little do we know of
ancient Assyria and ancient Egypt
How little can we hope to knowl How
dark are the dark ages! how shadowy
the personalities of Pericles and just
inian, of Attila and Theodoric! How
many empires have perished, like the
Mexican, and left scarce a wreck be-
hind! How small a portion of the
world is illuminated at any one epoch
by the light Of recorded facts
Of all the famous Elizabethans Sir
Walter Raleigh is the most romanti-
cally interesting. His splendid and
varied gifts. his chequered fortunes
and his cruel end will embalm his
memory in English history. But
Raleigh's great accomplishments prom
ised more than they performed. His
hand was in everything. but of work
successfully completed he had less to
show than others far his interiors, to
whom fortune had offered fewer oppor-
tunities. He was engaged in hun
dred schemes at once, and in every one
o.. them was always some taint of self,
some personal ambition or priavte OBJ
ject to be gained. Raleigh's life is q
record of undertakings begun in en-
thusiasm, maintained imperfectly. and
failures in the end Among his other
adventures he had sent colony to Vir-
ginia. He had imagined, or had been
led by others to believe, that there was
an Indian court there, brilliant as
Montezuma's. an enlightened nation
crying to be admitted within the
charmed circle of Gloriana's subjects.
His princes and princesses proved
things of air, or mere Indian savages.
and of Raleigh there remains nothing
in Virginia save the name Of the city
that was called after him. The starv-
ing survivors of his settlement on the
Roanoke River were taken on board by
Brakes returning squadron, and
carried home to England, where they
all arrived safely, to the glory of God.
as our pious ancestors said and meant
in unconventional sincerity, ON July
28, 1886.