The Opelousas courier., 1898-10-08
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

In her next war with this country
Spain will probably insist that the
firing of earthquakes shall be barred.
1t is a mighty good plan to encour-
age heroism among our soldiers and
marines by Government recognition
of brave deeds.
The forests Of Cuba cover about
10000 600 acres, so forest preservation
will probably not be the first problem
the new government will take up.
Great Britain, in looking over the
history of this country, will be i'm
pressed by the fact that circumstances
alter cases when 1t comes to stamp
acts.
In the cotton-seed industry last year
not less than 100000 tons of cotton
seed were consumed, the total value
Of the resultant products aggrcgating
$500, O,0OO.
A Denver SCIENTISTS asserts that
eating prunes will make a person
cheerful" Those who are addicted
to the prune as III article of regular
diet generally have to be cheerful.
1--WE entered Santiago harbor with
out incident" announced Admiral
Cervera to his home government after
sailing into the neck of the bottle. 1t
cannot be said, however, that his leav-
ing was without incident"
The cost to Spain of the Cuban war
from February, 1895, to the end of
1897, is officially estimated at $240,0OO,-
600, besides the arrears due from the
Cuban treasury, which amount to
$40,O 600.
The population of the Hawaiian
islands at the time of their original
discovery aggregated 400, 900, and
since that time it has fallen to 10000
in 1882, $4,000 in 1913 and 35,S45 in
1906.
The government bought altogether
253 boats between the opening of hos
tilities and July /, and paid over
100000 for them. The smallest are
launches run by naptha Or electric en-
gines, while the largest are transports
Of 5000 tons.
The King Of Siam has sentenced Il
of his ministers of state to cut grass
for the royal elephants for the rest Of
his natural life. In other words, he
has been sent to grass by royal decree
| and will have a steady job until he Is
no mower.
Gaust Is the smallest republic in the
world. IT has an area of one mile
and a population of n hundred and
forty. 1t has existed since 1913, and is
recognized by both Spain and France.
1t is situated on the fiat top of a noun
tain in the Pyrenees, and has a presi-
dent who is elected by the council Of
twelve.
At the head Of the States of the
country in the volume of its manu-
facture of agricultural implements is
Illinois, with an invested capital of
nearly 100000, 900. Ohio follows, then
New York and then Wisconsin. Ohio
supplies most Of the Southern market
of demand and New York the Middle
and Eastern States. Of recent years
California has developed it's manufac-
ture of farming implements largely.
The horror Of the French liner La
Bourgogne calamity off Sable Island
is increased by the fact that only one
woma was saved. This disaster re-
calls the loss of the White Star liner
| Atlantic off the same coast on April 1,
1870, when, as in this case, six hun
dred lives were lost and only n wo-
man rescued. 1t far exceeds in fatal
ity the sinking, also by collision, Of the
North German Lloyd steamer Elbe in
1905, in which three hundred and
twenfy-nine lives were lost.
| The action of the British Govern
ment in sending troops to punish the
| natives of Sierra Leone for the MUIR
| der Of American missionaries Is a pay
ment in kind. The United States has
often done as much when Indians
have murdered British subjects. 1t is
pleasing to know that the British work
in the African jungles was we'll done,
and that the number of "war boys
killed was large enough to prove an
effective warning to the remnant left
against laying violent hands on their
| white visitors.
This war, in which the United States
has put itself forward as the cham
pion Of liberty and humanity, has
shown how strong the tie Is that binds.
says the Washington Star. The Eng
Iishman in far-off Australia sympa-
thizes with us as warmly as does the
| Englishman in nearby Canada, while
the Irishman in America shoulders his
gun and goes to the front as readily
| as be would were Ireland herself EN-
broiled. 1t is the spirit of kinship that
controls. The common language and
all that goes with it make for the
union.
The importance of the business car
ried on both at home and abroad by
he United States manufacture OF
farming implements is shown by the
figures of the last Federal census OF
1890. There were at that time, ap'
proximately, 1000 manufactures OF
agricultural implements in the United
States, the amount invested In this
line of manufacture being nearly