The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-31
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Count Alfred Szlrmay recently eNca-
waited in an Old chapel IN his park al Szir-
ma BesseuyOe. says the New York sun.
In a vault from which a strong smell
came a casket was found which crumbled
when IL was touched. II contained in A
gold brocade covering three antique nli-
gree work vessels full OF copper and silver
coins In two vaults opening from the nrst
there were many skeletons.
Austria IS turning out a new variety
OF Manulicher repeating rife for its army.
which is the Ightest rifle in the world,
weighing SO kilOgrammes. seven pounds
and four ounces instead OF - kilO-
gramrnes, nine pounds and eleven ounces,
the weight Of the Old pattern. says the
New York Sun. All the Individual parts in
the new rife. including the locking box,
the magazine. and barrel, are lighter than
in the old The bayOneC and sheath are
also made lighter.
The anti-cigarette law Of Iowa. which
United States Circuit Judge Walter San
born has just decided unconstitutional.
went into effect last January, says the
New York Tribune. II prohibited abs0-
lutely the manufacture or sale Of cigar
cites in the state or their importation
into the state. A man named McGregOr,
OF Cedar Rapids, was put on trial for
violating the law. His lawyer quoted the
decision OF the supreme court OF the Uni
ted States IN the famous prohibition case
that went up from the same state some
years ago after the prohibition law was
enacted there. That decision was TO the
effect that, the federal constitution haV-
ing delegated TO congress the power to
regulate commerce between the several
states, the legislature had no power to
prohibit the Importation of liquors into
the state or their sale in the original
packages by the importer. Judge SanbOrn
followed the decision of the supreme court
and granted tho writ.
The difficulties Of the photographer
desiring the inclusion OF nautical terms
in his list, says the Contemporary Review
are not a little increased by the sailors
love of conJractions, or his perversities or
pronunciation. Let me cite a few exam
pies. The word "treenau,' for instance
wooden sp4ke-in Jack s mouth becomes
"trunnel." ITO reach is to sail along
elose-hauled; but the sailor calls i,
raJch. "Gunwale," as every body
knows, is "gunnel,' and so spelt by the old
marine writers. "CrSssjack,' a sail that
sets upon a yard called the "crossjacS
yard on the mizzenmast, is pronounced
"croJjeck.' The strap" of a block is al
gle range of planks running from one end
OF the snip or boat to the other. is
"strake;' ito serve" that is, to wind
small stuff, such as spun-yarn, round a
rope, is 10 sarve." The numerous con-
fractions, however, are pre-eminently il
Illustrative of the two distinctive qualI-
ties Of the English sailor-nim bieEess and
alertness. Everything must be done
quickly at sea. there is no time for ses-
quipedalianism. If there be d oAg word
it must be shortened somehow. TO spring.
jump, to lead, to tumble, - keep MS
eyes skinned, to hammer his fingers in
10 hsh hOOks-these are the things re-
quired OF Jack. He dances, he sings he
drinks, ne is in all senses a lively hearty;
but underlying his intellectual and physi-
cal caper-cutting is deep perception of the
sea as mighty force, remOrseless foe.
The matter seems trifing, yet the national
character is in il.
The most curious experiment ever
made with a piece of ordnance was at
Portsmouth, England, says Invention. A
stage was erected in the harbor within
the tide mark; on this an Armstrong gun
OF 11O-pound pattern was mounted. The
gun was then loaded and carefully aimed
at target-all this, of course, during the
time Of low tide. a few hours later, when
the gun and the target were both COW
cred with water to a depth of six fees,
the gun was fired by means of electricity
We said aimed al a target" but the
facts are that there were two targets, but
only one was erected for this special ex-
pertinent, the other being the hull of an
old vessel, the Griper, which lay directly
behind the target and in range of the ball.
The target itself was placed only twenty
nVe feet from the muzzle of the gun. it
was NuhAlOSCu VI YAK beams ana DlaQks,
and was twenty-one inches thick In or
der to make the old Griper inVulnera bic,
sheet of boiler plates three inches thick
was riveted to the water-logged hull in
direct range with The course the ball was
expected 10 take if not dehscted by the
water. On all of these-the oaken target.
the boiler plates and the old vessel hull
the effect of the shot from the submerged
gun was really startling. The wooden
target was pierced through and through,
the Doiler-iron target was broken into
pieces and driven into it's backing" the
ball passing right on through both sides
OF tne vessel, making a huge hole, through
winch the water poured in torrents.
Taken altogether the experiment was an
entire success, demonstrating, as ii did
the feasibility of placing submerged guns
IN harbors in time of war and doing great
Damage TO. the vessels which an enemy
might dispatch to such points for the pur-
pose of Smelling cities.
How many, for instance says Cham
ber's Journal, speaking of the wife as "the
better half, know that they are quoting
Sir Phillip Sidney, or invoking Mrs.
Grundy' guess that her author was
THOMAS Morton, a playwright who lived
tlII 1883! Such phra SeS, or Snatches of
phrases are the small coin of conversa-
ton, which bear the same imprint as the
more important quotation, and we use
them freely without a thought of their
origin, as We pass the ''nimble sixpence"
from hand to hand in our daily traf9c
without glance at its workmanship. The
metaphor that struck our ancestors as
so admirable strikes us still, and we con-
tlnue to use the apt adjective which. first
given by Shakespeare or Milton. sounds
as fresh to-day as when originally an
piled. The bubble reputation the
itching palm" the milk of human kind
ness" the undiscovered country the
'green-eyed monster" still our favorite
synonyms for fame covetousness. human
ity eternity and jealousy, are from Shake
speare, who has indeed furnished us with
much of our small coin. His adiectiyes
are the most opposite, too, of any in the
language. Quoting him, we speak of an
ancient grudge," of "bated breath. - ''this
working-day world" good set terms. .
"a foregone conclusion" better davs >,
fell purpose" "even-handed Justice .
golden opinions" "a charmed life" "a
tale" "hairbreadth 'scapes," and many
more common expressions whose LIST #
We're but 'damnable iteration" to extend
Verbal phrases of his are also of the
most familiar. To dance attendance .
to scotch the snake, not kill it. to ian
plaud5 TO the echo to sup with horrors,
to die in harness. - d" making night hide
GUS" "a tale unfold" to cont Harod