The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-06
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR.

In d short time We can ReS d ooPJ VI
Queen Victoria's Life" revised by
herself, for $40.
An English writer o fferr some curious
reasoning to prove the inacouraoy OF Sam
Weller's slang. "My acquaintance with
London" he says, sis extensive, II not
peculiar. but I have never seen Sam
Weller in the flesh, and doubt whether
his lingo ever was talked. But the
London vernaouiar of today is not that
of dftJ years ago. and Dlckens's testl-
mony, despite his caricaturing tendon
cies. is sufficient evidence that sam
Weller's language was not uncommon.
General Boulanger is the latest histori-
Cal figure to be put into play. He will
appear on the Paris stage before long,
personifed by M. Albert Darmnnt, who
was Bernhardt's leading actor on her
latest tours of this country.
Mis- Soph onisba P. Breckenridge
daughter of Col. W. G. p. Breckenridge.
is the first woman ever admitted to prac-
tice before the Court of Appeals Of Ken
lucky.
The appeal from the citizens of Floida
for an appropriation to remove water
hyacinths from the streams of that state
UoDh lloo bAcy ODSeA 0Cb t16h cuSSOnu
that the Russian thistle came into this
country in small bag of seed wheat
carried In the chest Of a Polish emigrant,
and the gypsy moth was imported into
Boston by scientist who desired to ex-
anime it under his microscope. He was
old and his fingers wers clumsy. The
gypsy moth slipped through them, and,
the window being open, 1t was soon en-
joy ing the boasted freedom of Boston
common. The result is that the k1assa
chusetts legislature Is approaching $780,
600 year 10 eradicate. the pest from the
state. The farmers of the northwest
call for. 81, 900. 0O0ato pay the expense of
| getting rid of the Russian thistle, and
now the water hyacinUhs, which were
| imported intos florida for the purpose OF
| identifying stream at a winter resort,
have become such nuisance that the
| shipping interests are asking SIC. GOO to
clean them out of the channels.
The proper and classic length Of q
womsn's foot is the distance between
| her wrist and the elbow.
The taxable wealth of the negro popu-
lation of the United States is over $780,
OO0 0O0. There are .25, 462 negro church
| bodies, with church property valued at
over S26, 600, 600. There are over 1000 col
| lege-trained colored ministers.
Proportionately there is no great town
in the civilized world that sshas SO few
morning papers as London. This is due
to the large expenditure involved instart-
ing paper there. Any one contemplate
ing this must be prepared to lose from
81 so. 600 to $500, 900 year for two or
three years and then perhaps to fail
Nile Borniche, an eccentric old lady
who died some time ago in Paris, leav-
ing fortune CT $500, 600, had one extraor-
binary diversion. She used to have her.
self wheeled about the town of Mary-sdr-
Marne in wheelbarrow, to the intense
delight of the small boys Of the place.
who acted as her Lodyguard. She used
to make her gardener count all his fruit
daily, and one of her whims was to Lhave
fresh vine leaves put on her statues OF
gods and goddesses every morning.
Apla, the principal town of the Samoan
islands, has 1926 inhabitants and is with
out wharf, public school, fire en-
gine or a sidewalk.
The young Queen of Holland has been
passionate collector of postage stamps
since she was eight years of age. Those
bearing her own eHigy are not wanting
in her collection. 1t is related that lately
her majesty repronched her president of
the council because the present Dutch
stamps still bear her portrait when she
was only 10 years old. II should like
very much. my dear minister Ia new
series OF stamps which will show me to
my people just as l am at present. she
Is reported to have said. But the Dutch
ministers have decided that the new por-
trait of their queen shall be engraved on
- ctot. on1 on the aim
of her marriage.
There seems to be big money In college
athletics. Yale during the year 1895 re-
ceived from all sources for athletic pur-
posss-that is--to say, from voluntary sub
scriptions, gate receipts, and so on-$59,
739. So; Harvard, a bout (fcr the report of
the graduate manager Of athletics is not
yet public property $3.50, 600; Pennsyl-
vania, s46, s59.7s; and Princeton, s4e,
615.8l. This gives rough total OF
1908, 314.95 taken IN one year by the
athletic sports of four of our leading
athletic colleges.
According to the San Francisco
"Chroniole'' the children of the late
James G. Fair are likely to DO confront
ed with the unpleasant news shortly that
| their inheritance has been heavily over
valued. The truth of the matter is that
the Fair estate has deprecated in value
since the death OF the man who made IT..
| To-day it is not worth over $15, 900, 600,
and il put under the hammer those con-
versant with the renl condition of affairs
say it would not bring sl2, 100000, and
possibly very little over slo 600, 600. If
this il the case, Fair, instead OF being
| the richest of the BONANZA kings, died
tho poorest Mackay today is worth
$40, 000,0 0. James L.. Flood died worth
500 900. OcO. O'Brien had nearly as much
| to leave. while the man who was the
commanding genius that paved the way
to the gigantic wealth these four omassed
in tho end was outolHssed in the race.
Should the trust be knocked out, the
direct heirs will receive about 50, 500, 00(
apieos.