The Louisiana populist., 1897-05-28
this year In Europe will exceed those

this year In Europe will exceed those
established in 1895. The city Of Ber-
lin. which now has only horse tram
ways and omnibuses, will soon intro
duce electric tramways. The electric
tramway systems of Hamburg and Leip-
sic are nearly completed.
1t is not generally known that all
the minor coins of base metals such as
pennies and nickels, are made at the
Philadelphia Mint, and that nearly 100,.
100000 pennies are coined there every
year. This large humber is occasioned
by the fact that thousands Of pennies
are lost annually, and the Government
has some difficulty in maintaining d
supply. The profit of the Government
on their manufacture is large. The
blanks for making them are purchased
for 81 a thousand from a Cincinnati
firm that produces them by contract.
Blanks for nickeis are obtained in the
same way, costing Uncle Sam only
cent and a half apiece. Gold is coined
in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Not enough of it comes into the mint at
New Orleans to make the coinage Of
1t worth while. Gold pieces are the
only coins of the United States which
are worth their face value intrinsically.
A double eagle contains $40 worth of
gold without counting the one-tenth
part copper.
Of all the diplomats in the service of
Russia there are few who have manag-
ed to achieve greater reputation for
perspicacity and skill than Count Cas-
sini, who for the past five years has
been officiating as Muscovite envoy at
Pekin. 1t is thanks to him that with
out war and without the expenditure of
any treasure the czar has reaped all the
benefts-aye, and more-of the victory
achieved in China by the armies of the
mikado. To-day it is Russia that con.
trolls everything at Pekin, the emperor
OF China being reduced almost to state
OF vassalage of the czar. All this has
been brought about by Count Cossini,
and he has been assisted In his SO suc-
cessful negotiations by his niece, a
lovely girl of about II years OF age.
Possessed OF remarkable gift of lam
guages she has attained an extraordin-
ary mastery over the Chinese tongue,
and has for the past three years, that
is, during the most critical time, offici-
ated as secretary Of legation, and more
particularly as interpreter to her un-
Gle. Russia having always offered
field for female diplomacy, the young
Countess Cassini bids fair to have
great future before her.
Perhaps persons will not be 50 eager
to have their anatomies photographed
by the Rontgen ray process, just for
the fun Of the thing, when they e6nsid:
er the experience of DR.. Weymouth
Reid, professor Of physiology in Uni:
versity College, Dublin. Having to de:
liver lecture, Prof. Reid took photo:
graph Of his own body through the
clothing in order to exhibit the con.
tents Of his pockets as we'll as the skel.
etal structure. The exposure lasted
an hour and half, the Crookes tube
being three inches from his waistcoat.
Shortly after the exposure marked cry.
thema Of the skin of the chest and alb.
domen was noted, and also of the skin
OF the back where the rays made their
exit. In seventeen days the skin began
to peel of. leaving raw surface. It
was not apparent that any of the Or
gans beneath the skin were injuriously
affected, but it was obvious that the
affected skin did not stop all of the in
furious rays. as they passed through
the body and affected the skin Of the
back in similar manner. It is curl
Gus fact that though the rays passed in
close proximity to the nerve terminals
there was no accompanying sensation.