The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-07
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

]
! of all this as a mere tradition and point
to the swamps in that locality as the re-
suit of years of gradual accumulation of
earthly matter in the space between North
and South America, says an
exchange. The Mississippi and
other United States rivers are all the
time carrying immense quantities of sedi-
ment down to the Gulf states, which serve
as barriers to hold the deposits within the
waters of the gulf The Mississippi alone
annually deposits mud sufficient to cover
one square mile Of the bottom to the
thickness of 24O feet.
There has been a remarkable growth
Of Christianity in Uganda, Africa. whose
King Mwango ordered the massacre of
Bishop Harrington and a number of
Christian converts less than eleven years
ago. During Bishop fuckers recent visit
to the country he ordained five natives
to the deaconate and three to the priest
hood, licensed twenty-five as lay readers
and confirmed more than 1900 converts.
One of the natives recently ordained was
Samwill Mukasa, who, in 1880, was one of
the ENJOYS sent to the coast by the king
to see the consul general with regard to
the political situation. His earnestness
| and devotion" the Bishop writes, ARE
| beyond all question" The ordination ser
vices was attended by 5000 or 1900 per-
sons, and lasted for nearly five hours.
step which may have great influence on
Oriental politics; he is to choose a wife,
says the New York Tribune If she should
be a woman of strong character like her
predecessor, who had almost the entire
power in her hands until her violent death,
many changes in the interior and foreign
relations of the country may be expected,
for an oriental woman in power with po-
| litical ambitions Is capable of many in
! MI. III
! queen took place only few weeks ago,
the king having ordered it's postponement
until the disturbances in the kingdom had
been quelled. But the burial has brought
| joy to the hearts of manageable maidens
of the country. According to an old Gus
| tom, Korean women dare not marry until
| a widower monarch has chosen queen.
But the ruler may select a sharer of his
| throne among the highest or most lowly
| of the land. If a maiden of low degree find
| favor in his eyes, she is Immediately
adopted by a noble family and goes from
her adopted home to the royal palace.
| Thus, all Korean women are in tiutter.
1t is to be hoped that his majesty will
make wise choice in the interest of orien-
tai peace
The days of the time-honored carbine
boot, so long worn by the troopers of the
United States cavalry, are numbered. Its
place is shortly to be taken by the more
! modern carbine scabbard, a step made
| necessary by the introduction into the SER
vice of the improved magazine carbine,
says the New York Herald. The new
scabbard, which is of thick harness
| leather, thoroughly protects the carbine
to the small of the stock and permits
! easy insertion or withdrawal 1t can be
suspended from either side of the sad
die. When in position, with the trooper
mounted, the small part of the scabbard
| passes under the hollow of the leg, just
below the knee, and thus, without dis
| comfort to the rider, the whole is secure
| ly held in position, without annoyance or
| fatigue from the constant motion so trou-
| blesome with the old method. The caVal-
| ry service has, from time to time, expert
| mented with various forms of this Scab-
bard, and it has always found favor with
the trooper in hard service. 1t will doubt
less be made a rule that, on dismounting
for any purpose, the trooper at once re-
| move the carbine from the scabbard, so
| that when separated from his mount he
will still be completely equipped and pre-
| pared for any emergency. With the pass-
ing of the carbine boot one of the most
| picturesque, cumbersome and oath-pro-
ducing accoutrements of the mounted arm
| of the service will have gone out of exist
| ence. The boot looked very businesslike,
as it was carried slung down the side OF
| the saddle, or from the shoulder of the
| fully-equipped cavalry man, but to those
| who were obliged to use it it was a con.
slant source of annoyance and of posi-
tive danger in action.
Without its rubber tire the bicycle
would have remained mere toy of no
general utility, says the New York Tri-
bune. With it, it is taking swift possess
sion of the whole world, and will be mui-
tiplied in increasing millions so long as
any of the instruments of civilization are
preserved. 1t is obvious that this uss
! alone will require an immensely increa sed
production of rubber as the years go on,
! and every new source OF supply becomes
of much commercial importance. 1t Is
thought that the trees can be grown to
| advantage in Florida, and experiments in
that direction are being made with fair
| prospects of success. The annual con-
| sumption of the crude gum is now be-
tween sixty and seventy million pounds,
| of which Brazil supplies about two-thirds,
the rest coming from other parts of the
tropical and sub-tropical world Formerly
India was the main source of supply and
| England is now endeavoring to restore
the wasted forests there and make them
again productive. Africa presents unlim-
tied resources in this direction as soon az
commerce can find a way to penetrate It's
equatorial jungles, and in time will, no
doubt, exceed Brazil in the amount Of its
| production affording a supply equal to all
yet, or only in a limited degree. Wherever
the rubber tree will grow to advantage
1t invites cultivation, and if Florida be
found a region favorable to it, it is likely
in time to exceed all the other productions
| of her soil put together. The increase
! in the consumption of this commodity Ia
| enormous. In fifty years it has mounted
| up from 100000 to 10000, 900 pounds. and
new uses are constantly being found fo-
it on every hand. The cycle tire Will
no doubt, consume a much larger auar-
tity of this substance than any single ar
| ticle manufactured from it, but its utili-
ties are manifold and the world is ready
to consume all that can be obtained from
| every available source. Only a limited
| section of our territory is adapted to it's
| production, and it is not quite certain thar
any is, but the Floridan experiment win
test the question, and If it turns out sue
cessful the states forests of caoutchouc
trees may become of greater value to II
than its orange groves or any other pro-
! duction of its soil.
awarded