The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

I
some bolt connection with the motor APP
paratus or by induction, the wire be-
/ came charged with electricity and when
she took it up she was knocked down 10y
the shock she received.
In Germany a new process of coloring
leather is being exploited. Electricity is
utilized as the active agent. The leather
IS placed upon a zinc ia BILE, which forms
4 the positive pole. The dyeing materials
Is poured over this, and the negative pole
connected to the leather. Under the
ton of the current the coloring matter
penetrates the leather, and patterns may
be designed upon the surface by covering
1t with a pattern plate connected to the
negative pole.
Queen Wilhelmina of Holland will at
tain her majority and assume sovereign
power on Aug. 81, 1898 Already the retire
ment of the queen regent is being discuss
| ed How to show the national appreciation
| of her valuable services during the years
she has so ably and graciously ruled over
! the Netherlands is the question. A gift
| from the people has been suggested and
seems to meet with general approval. Com
mittees have already been appointed to
| start subscriptions.
1t seems that the report of the escape
of Capt. Dreyfus was true, after all, with
a reservation, viz, that he was recap
! tured and is still serving out his sentence
! for the crime of giving away French
| army plans to the Germans. The French
| authorities are now trying to discover how
! the English found out about his attempt
/ to escape. Some one must have given
| away the information, and it would be a
coincidence if another "Dreyfus case re-
! suited from the attempt of the captain
| to get away. He is confined on the ap-
! propriately named lie du Diable, and IT
! is not probable that he will be heard from
again.
The Turkish army which has a peace
establishment of 100000, and which can put
over l 900 600 men into the field in the time
| of war, naturally attracts much attention
| at the present moment. Compulsory service
| prevails in the country. The Turks can
fight, too, as has been shown on many
occasions. This is to be expected, not mere
| ly from their national characteristics, but
| from the tenets of their creed. The Sultan,
'iSick Man of Europe though he be, is
still power in the world, and, If he had
good sense enough to heed the warnings
given him, his position would probably be
| as strong as that of any sovereign on the
face of the globe.
The British soldiers in the Soudan
have amused themselves during the hot
season just passed with an original game
of chance, called taking your tempera-
ture." AS nearly everybody had a slight
| touch of fever, a mouth thermometer
would be borrowed from a surgeon and
the temperature of each one taken Each
| man would put up a small stake, and the
one having the highest temperature would
take the pool. The winner would some
| times need temperature as high as l02
| Fahrenheit, which speaks for itself. 1t
| is a good Illustration of the recklessness
| possessed by the average British soldier
and the philosophical way in which he
takes his troubles.
Many years ago Queen Victoria erected
a handsome granite fountain on bup-
bling wayside spring, near Balmoral In
Scotland. She had once stopped to drink
at the spring, and the idea of the foun-
tain then occurred to her and was subse
quently carried out. Carved in the stone
was this inscription, signed Victorian
REST, stranger, on this lovely scene,
And drink and pray for Scotiand's
queen"
The other day the following was found
written in chalk underneath the inscrip-
ton, evidently by some wandering sports
man from the southern country who did
not relish Scotland's appropriation of his
queen. 1t read:
"We'n pray for Queen Victoria here
But go and drink her health in beer"
At last some details are forthcoming
as to the cause of the Italian defeat at
Adowah, says the Philadelphia Ledger.
From the official report as to the circum-
| stances which led to the catastrophe to
the Italian army, it appears that two rea-
| sons may be assigned, viz, Typographical
error made by the commanding general
| in the sketch of the locality, and which
| made Gen. Albertones brigade appear
| nearly four miles ahead of its actual po-
sition, and noncompliance with orders
| received on the part of the vanguard OF
| this brigade, who instead of taking up
a position as ordered by Gen. Albertone
at the mouth of the defile through which
the brigade was to arrive, proceeded at
once to attack the outposts of the enemy.
| This shows on what seemingly trlfling
circumstances the issue of battles may
sometimes depend. In the opinion of a
French critic, but for the Typographical
error the premature attack on the part OF
the vanguard could not have occurred, and
the fight would not have been nearly so
disastrous.
The German emperor may compose
music, poetry and kilograms in way
that no other sovereign can equal, but
the same cannot be said of his speeches.
says the Philadelphia Ledger In them
he is a little too liable TO let his mag
ination run away with his judgment. For
| instance, in his Breslau address of well
come to the car. he referred to the fresh
and youthful form" and the 'knightly'
manner of that august monarch. Perhaps
Kaiser Wilhelm meant to fater the car
| by dilating upon those qualities not pos
sessed by the subject of his eulogy on the
same principles as that of trying to please
a clever woman by telling her she IS
beautiful The figure of the czar seems
a particularly unhappy thing to refer to-
He is Insignificant in size, his young wife
being head taller than he is He is said
TO be sensitive about his figure because
of the contrast to his father, who was
one of the most superb physical speci-
mems imaginable. Alexander ii and Mich
olas l. his immediate ancestors, were also
men of great great hight and command
ing presence. There is nothing par
ticularly "knightly" either about the
bearing Of this mid-mannered, reserved,
well-meaning and commonplace young
| sovereign.
| awarded