The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-12
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The seeds of the Philippine bean from
/. the coast near Manila SO closely resemble
the quartz pebbles, among which they fall
in shape, size and color luster hardness
and stratification as to be almost indis-
tinguishable. sr.
In 1870 Holland had coionies in the East
Indies covering 10000 square miles of area,
with population of 24,o00o0O but now it
has expanded its possessions until they en-
brace 10000 square miles. with more than
100000 people.
"A sheet" consists of the number of
pages of a book or magazine that are
printed on one sheet of paper, the num-
Der varying with the size to which the
sheets of the paper are cut; thus, on octa-
vo paper, 16 pages are printed, or quodeci-
mo, "a; quarto, 8, and so on.
The highest observatory in the world
is that which has been erected by a num-
Der of wealthy men interested in science on
Mont Blanc, at a hight of Is, $50 feet above
the level OF the sea. Since it was not pos
sible to reach solid rock for the founda-
tons, the house was built in the frozen
snow.
An extraordinary coincidence connect
ed with the Zola trial was the fact that
while the novelist was being so pluckily
defended i'm one court by Maitre Labor,
in another and adjoining court man nam
ed lola was condemned to three years
hard labor for forging the signature of
certain Nine. Labor, neither the convict
nor his victim being in any way connected
with NJ. Emile lola or his advocate.
The action of the Russian Government
in giving its minister to the United States
ambassadorial powers recalls the tact
that it is just about $40 years since Rus
STA sent its first embassy to England, says
the Pittsburg Dispatch. Ivan Vasilivich,
the reigning Emperor, thought it high time
10 establish formal commercial relations
with the Britons, and to that end dis
patched a nobleman named Osep Napea
and a goodly company to Philip and
Mary, King and Queen of England" with
suitable greetings and many presents. The
latter were unique. There were number
of sable skins, with the teeth, ears and
claws of the animals preserved; four NV
ing sabes, thirty luzarues, rich and
beautiful six great skins, "such as the
Emperor himself WORE" and big jen-fal-
con, with a silver drum, used for lure
to it in hawking The expedition was so
unfortunate as to encounter bad weather.
Several of the vessels were Obliged to re-
turn, while the Edward Bonaveture, with
Russian ambassador on board, required
four months in making the voyage be-
tween Norway and the English coast. only
to be wrecked finally near Kinnaird Head,
with the loss of nearly everybody and
everything on board, excepting Osep Ma
pea and one or two others.
AS queer bill, probably, as was ever
drawn is now awaiting action by the
Massachusetts legislature, says the New
York Times. Its object Is to protect from
threatened determination within the
states limits the plant known to some
New Englanders as the trailing arbutus
and loved by them all as the mayflower.
To accomplish this almost pious end the
bill provides a fine of $40 or Imprisonment
for twenty days as alternative punish
ments to be inflicted upon anybody who
in any town of which he or she is not
resident, "disturbs, gathers, and carries
or sends away a single root, leaf, or
flower of this species. At a recent COM
mittee hearing advocates of the measure
stated that in Southeastern Massachu-
sets it was common for Italians and
Portuguese to make invasions on private
lands and gather the mayf1ower to send
away lOE Sdle. Iu6y not Only look the
flower, but the roots as we'll and their
depredations were having a sad effect
on the supply of this New England favor
lite. The foreigners, however, are not the
only Offenders for it was also asserted
that in Hampshire county girls from
Smith and bays from Amherst gathered
vast quantities of mayf1owers, and took
no care to avoid extermInating the plants
in any locality to which they had access.
When Lieut.. Henderson was captured
recently by the natives of the Gold Coast
Hinterland they got into a wordy discus
sion as to how they would kill him, saws
an exchange. The victim listened while
till he was weary of 1t. "Oh, we'll" he
said, Il can't be bothered with YOUR ar
guments. I'm very sleepy; let me know
when you have made up your minds" and
off to sleep he went. The unexpected per
Torrance saved his fife. His calm indiffer-
ence persuaded Samory's men that they
had to do with some one of immense i'm
portance. Unwilling to take on themselves
the responsibility for his death, they sent
him unframed to Samory's court, in the
Jimini country. Once again Lieut. Hen
derson saved himself by like exhibition
of courage He found Samory on throne,
surrounded by 1900 warriors, yet when
motioned to do homage on his hands and
knees he did nothing of the sort. He SIM
ply sat on the throne beside Samory, shak-
ing that monarch warmly by the hand.
Thanks to this, and to nothing else he
was accepted as the representative of
great sovereign, instead of captive doom
ed to death. He talked to Samory of the
Queen, and Samory talked to himself.
Thus a mission which might have ended
as so many African missions have ended,
in a terrible silence and a suspicion of I'M
speakable horrors, did in fact end in
valuable basis of future relations between
Great Britain and a Mahometan power.
The most remarkable application of the
x-ray was recently made in a case in
which childs mouth was made to do
duty as a Photographic camera. It was
part of an operation in dental surgery.
A progressive dentist in New York state
had a case in which he suspected a delay
ed second tooth, but no external examina-
ton could either prove or disprove the
theory. He finally decided on recourse to
the x-ray. A mold of the upper part of