The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-30
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

PERSONAL AND PECULIAR
The crystal palace at Sydenham is cap
able of holding greater number of peo-
pie than any other building in the world.
More than 100, 900 can be accommodated
within its walls.
Eleanora Duse has signed a contract
to appear in Berlin. Her appearance in
the German empire will have a tendency
to injure her in eyes of the French people,
and the newspapers of Paris have already
indicated their displeasure. None of the
great French artists have had the temer-
ity to appear in Germany.
The late DIR. Wilberforce, bishop of Win
chester, was keen sportsman, and on
one occasion, when he was on a visit at a
ducal seat was persuaded to join shoot
ing party. His grace's head keeper was
a Scotchman and Presbyterian, and the
bishop tried to engage him in a friendly
chat, but, finding the keepers replies
were short and reserved, he said ~ sup
pose, Grant, you think bishop ought
not to go out shooting" 'sWeel, my lord. y
said the Scot frankly, 81 doubt yen find
no warrant for it in the Screeptur. Did
ye ever read of the Apostles going out
shooting?" ''No! true,i replied the bis
hop. ''They had no game in Palestine in
those days; they went out fishing in.
s tead. -
A method has been devised by means
of which a naturalist may, with little
trouble, secure large number of aquatic
specimens at the same time. Place a
small storage battery like those of bicycle
lamps on the bank of pond, and connect
it by wires of SUI fficient length to an in
candescent lamp Of three or four candle
power. The lamp, too light to sink in
the water, is fixed to sem icircle of iron,
and below is placed a net having an open
ing of thirty-two inches across. The net is
made of coarse pack thread and provided
with a string. The whole, lamp and all,
is lowered slowly into the pond. When
tadpoles, insects and larvae of every kind
make toward it. The net is closed by
pulling the string, and large capture is
the result.
The movement for building suburban
or outlying theatres, says the London
Globe, is still in full flow. London is al
ready almost surrounded by chain of
such buildings, all of them prosperous.
There are, however, a few localities as yet
unfed, and among these is Noting Hill
Gate, where, we believe, it is in contem-
plation to erect theatre which would
hold about two thousand people. The
promoters, we understand, are identical
with those by whom the new theatre at
Deptford is being launched, and have a
practical knowledge of theatrical matters,
which should induce the public to regard
their scheme with interest.
A Swiss paper relates characteristic
anecdote of the late Professor Hirzel. 1t
was his custom, whenever he orally ex-
amined a candidate, to wind up the affair
by looking very serious and saying:
"Now, I must ask you one more ques.
ton" After solemn pause, he added :
'Do you prefer wine or beer?" When the
candidate heard that question, he knew
he was all right, for the professor offered
to treat those only who had passed the Or
deal successfully.
Miss Agnes Weston, known in England
as the mother of British bluejackets y
has done more for the uplifting of the
English sailor than any other woman.
She has established many "rests," and
during the thirty years of her labor has
QOuC lOI uu0 CSbuSo VI IlpSThAC6
among the tars. Her temperance maya
zine, "Ashore and Afoat'' has met with
such flatterng success that the United
States authorities have especially reques-
ted her to mail the magazine to American
warships.
An improved diving bell of great capac-
ity, moving along the sea bottom by
means of screws moved by electricity, is
on exhibition in Paris. 1t is the inven-
ton of an Italian named Patti del Poz-
70. He states that it can be worked at
very great depths and holds air enough to
supply the crew for forty eight hours with
out renewal. 1t is lighted by electricity,
which also furnishes motive power for
any tools that may be used. On tipping
over the cases of ballast the bell rises to
the surface itself.
Two links with the past have died dur
ing the English Jubilee period-Mrs.
Empson, who was the only child of Lord
Jeffrey, and the widow of Professor Emp
son, the third editor of the Edinburgh Re
ivew, and Mr.. AnQerstein, probably the
Madame d'Arblay, who died in 1910, and
who in her youth was on terms of init
mate friendship with Burke, Garrick
and DIR. johnson.
A tapestry map of Warwickshire,
Shakspeare's county, twentyfour feet by
eighteen, and made in 1898, is now on ex-
hibition in London, where it had been
sent to be repaired 1t is one of five made
by Flemish weavers imported from Eng
land, and is the largest and most minute
Typographical record of the time. 1t once
belonged to Horace Walpole, but is now
the property of the York Museum.
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