The Louisiana populist., 1898-01-21
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Japan has more hot springs than
any other country in the world.

The inhabitants of the German En-
pire use up about $4,000 tons of TO-
bacco every year, eighty per cent. OF 1t
being imported.
The newest thing in letter boxes is
a box with an electrical attachment,
which will ring a bell in the kitchen
when the letter is dropped in.
Onions sell for S. pound on the
Klondike. Thus for the first time that
humble but pervasive tuber has risen
to an actual plutocratic altitude.
Statistics prove that nearly two
thirds of the letters carried by the
worlds postal services are written,
sent to and read by English-speaking
people.
Stantzapolatavskayatis Is the name
of station on the Siberian Railway.
BY the time the brakeman gets
through calling it the train will be at
the next town.
After Luka Jantje, the Bechuanaland
chief, had been killed in the recent at
tack by the Cape forces on his camp,
his head was cut off by British SOL
dier at the order of his superior offi-
Ger.
What is probably the most vener-
able piece of furniture in existence is
now in the British Museum. 1t is the
throne of Queen Hatsu, who reigned
in the Nile Valley some 1000 years
before Christ.
An English expert declares that he
knows of at least 600 counterfeits of
the old masters which are now hang
ing in private galleries Of the United
States, and all of which were orig
inally purchased in Europe at very
high prices.
Not to be outdone by the pin, the
needle has become an enormous fac
tor in German export trade. Last year
there were exported 100000 pounds
of needles as compared with 100000
pounds in 1895. The factories of AK
la-Chapelle alone produce 50,O00,O00
needles a week
There are all sorts of conventions in
this country. One of the latest was
that of the Kentucky State Horse
Swappers, who met in Covington to
the number of 1000 or more. One man
brought twenty-five horses, and an
nounced his intention to swap every
horse three times before the conven-
tion's three days session was over.
Dr. Marpillero, an eminent Italian
scientist, who has for a number of
years been making experiments and
observations relating to childrens
ideas of life and death, has published
his experiences. He found that in
answering questions about life the
poorer children almost invariably took
a brighter view than the children of
the rich.
approximately 100000 pounds of
prunes were harvested in the United
States last year, which was only 5,000,-
600 less than the French crop of 1885,
1t is estimated that France will pro-
duce this season not above 33,000,000
pounds, and that our crop will attain
to the enormous aggregate of 100000
900 pounds, all of which, excepting
100000 pounds, will be supplied by
California growers.
The German military authorities in
tend soon to make some interesting
experiments on an unusually large
scale, to test the value to the troops
of mounted cyclists. Bodies of men
on bicycles will be portioned out
among the cavalry divisions. These
will act as pioneers with the recon-
noitring cavalry, and their tactical
value as support will be tested. De-
tachments of cyclists will be fitted out
as fighters, and their value in sup
porting the larger bodies of ordinary
troops put to the proof. 1t is pro-
posed to make the regulation rate of
speed for the military bicyclist fifteen
kilometres (nine miles, an hour.
The Moorish pirate is an ancient in
stitution, but he still exists. The
British steamer Onfa has reported that
she fell in with the Italian three-mast"
ed schooner Fiducia, which had been
becalmed off the Moorish coast. When
in this helpless condition band of
twenty Moorish pirates fired on the
ship and then boarded her. The Italian
crew, being unarmed, hid themselves
In the hold while the Moors looted the
ship. And when they came out from
their hiding-places they found that
the pirates had taken away all the
provisions, had polluted the ships
fresh water, smashed the vessels COM
pass and destroyed the chart. The
Fiducia then drifted into the sea with
a starving crew until she sighted the
Onfa.
The domestic cat is henceforth not
to be carried on the roster of the Ger
man Army. Puss has until now
formed part and parcel of the latter
and been in the receipt of regular
ray, intrusted with the responsible