Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-07-09
FACTS IN A FEW LINES.


The best corks come from Algeria.
There are 2. 900, 900 acres of cork forests
in that country.
If all the houses in England were
placed side by side, they would cover
space OF $50 square miles.
Over IL, 000 900 pounds Of onions are
annually exported from the Bermudas,
chiefly TO the United States.
The resident Italians in China were
20 in 1882 and 1873 in 1891. The Italian
trading firms were in 1882 and in
1891.
In the early machines electricity was
generated by turning large glass wheel
which rubbed against silken band or
cloth
During the reign Of Justinian Thebes,
Corinth and Argos were the leading
European centers for the manufacture
of silk
Superstitious persons say that q wart
cut off by tying silk thread round it
and drawing the ends tightly will never
return.
The silk from cocoons containing
male insects is said to he stronger and
better than that from cocoons made by
| females.
The art Of engraving on crystal stones
plans, Egyptians, etc, is comparatively
] unknown TO us.
! The canopy of Mohammed's tomb at
Mecca is made of the heaviest variety
of black silk manufactured especially
for this purpose.
Italy is more celebrated for its thea
tiers than any other country iii Europe.
The theaters at Naples, Parma and
Milan are the largest i'll Europe.
Pictet the great Swiss chemist, has
found that combination nj sulphurous
and carbonic acid gases possesses re-
markable power as disinfectant.
In Russian Poland all trains must
stop at every station until the chief of
police Cor gendmmerie) of the place
gives permission for their departure.
The Duke of Sutherland owns nearly
the whole of the county of Sutherland.
The area of the county is ,297, SAG
acres, and the territory claimed by the
duke is ,l7G. I54 acres.
All persons born in her majesty's do
minions, whether of British or foreign
parents, are by the British law deemed
TO be British subjects; also children and
grandchildren of natural born British
subjects wherever born.
The Manchester ship canal is 49,
miles long. Its average width ut water
level is ~ feet and its minimum depth
of water 20 feet. 1t differs III this re-
spect from the Suez canal, whose mini
mum width at bottom is 20 feet.
The following strains are said to be
united III yourg Prince Edward of York
Norman, Flemish, Scotch, Saxon, Span
ish, French, English, German and
Dutch. As indicated, the various mar
riages with French counts, ETC., are
here reckoned as French.
The carp or golden Dream is, in q
wild state, the most invincibly shy and
cunning of fish, hence the most diff
cult TO catch, though when kept i'll q
and easily tanned. The carp has been
called the fresh water fox.
Tortoises live to great age. In the
library Of Lambeth palace there is the
shell of "a tortoise brought there in 1923,
and it lived until 1880. Another in
Fulham palace, procured by Bishop
Laud III 1928, died i'll 1853, and one al
Peterborough lived 220 years
In 1921 Mr.. Kent of Glasgow is
said to have invented machine by
which he was enabled to walk ON the
surface of the water with perfect safety
at the rate of three miles an hour. A
trial was made OH the Monkland canal
which was witnessed by 200 persons.
Shanghai owes to Italians the estab-
.lishment of silk spinning factories ac-
cording to European systems, which
gives good positions to Italian directors
and overseers. The silk furnished by
these factories is sold at rather high
prices on the markets of New York and
Lyons.
The parrot seems Of all birds to take
the most intelligent interest III music,
for good one will reproduce tune
with great accuracy, and the attention
they show to almost any form of music,
especially when of IA simple and tuneful
character, seems to prove keen appre.
citation.
The United States possesses the cheap
est coal in the world. The census OF
1890 established the fact that the aver
age price of bituminous coal throughout
the United States i'll 1889 was 80 cents
per ton. The average price of English
coal during recent years has been ~
cents higher.
In l74l the first advertisement Of q
public auction Of plants appeared in the
Client Gazette. The same journal an
nounced i'll l1I9 that French nursery
man was coming annually to offer for
sale at Client well assorted collections
of fruit trees. The weekly market OF
plants commenced in l772.
Tradition is that many rich gold and
silver mines, worked both by the old In
dians and Spaniards, exist in Venezuela,
not over 80 miles from Puerto Cabello.
Fine and valuable specimens of both