The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

ly by dogs, but by persons with sensitive
organs of smell. The case is mentioned of
a man, who. blindfolded, could pick out
each individual in a company of twenty
by his odOr. The smell is not born with
us, but develops gradually till the age of
puberty, after which il remains unchang-
ed. Members Of a family have a kind
Of common odor, which persists even when
they have lived apart for long time.
1t may be interesting to know. says
the Westminster Gazette, that the eight
ing Fifth which is marching through
Northumberland. to the delight of the in
habitants, is one of the very few regi-
ments in which a woman fought for many
years side by side with the men. On the
tombstone of her grave at Brighton which
is kept up by the officers of the regiment
is the inscription: I'm memory Of Phoebe
Hessel, who was born a Stepney in the
year lib. She served for many years as
a soldier in the Fifth Regiment in differ
ent parts of Europe, and in the year 1745
fought under the command of the Duke
OF Cumberland in the battle of Fontenoy
where she received a bayonet wound in
her arm Her long life extended from the
reign of Queen Anne to that of George
~, from which monarch she received COM
fort and support in her later years. She
died at Brighton, Dec. y, 1921, aged 1OS."
The following is from an old number of
the Gentlemans Magazine: AS have
studied more what appertains to the ladies
than to the gentlemen, 1 will satisfy you
how it came to pass that women of for
tune were called ladies' even before their
husbands had any title to convey that
mark of distinction to them You must
know, then, that heretofore it was the
fashion for those families that God had
blessed with affiuence TO live constantly at
their mansion houses in the country, and
that once week or oftener the lady of
the manor distributed to her poor neigh
bors, with her own hands, a certain guam
uty of bread, and she was called by them
Laef-day j. e., in Saxon, the bread
giver." These two words were in time cor
rupted, and the meaning is now as little
known as the practice that gave rise to it:
yet 1t is from that hospitable custom that
TO this day the ladies, in this kingdom
alone, serve the meat at their own tables.
1t seems that gold leaf for decorative
purposes is, as a regular matter of bust
ness, packed in little books made up of
the unbound pages of Holy Writ cut to
the requisite size for the purpose and
stitched together. On inquiry, says a
writer in the Ceylon Standard, 1 learn
that the practice of packing the material
in this way is a wei established one and
that the Bible is selected for the purpose
because, as a rule, the type is more even
ly set, and the printing generally finer
and better executed. On the other hand,
l hear from other sources that the use
of the Bible is looked upon as a sort of
guarantee that the leaf is of the best posi-
bic quality. 1t appears that the Book of
Common Prayer is also employed for the
same purpose. Gold-leaf books are made
up and supr2ied to the trade by an enter
prising firm in Birmingham. An enter
prising man in London also supplied them
is do
from the sheets in which they leave the
press and before they are folded.
Engineer officers of the army have re-
Gently been advised of the remarkable ac-
ton of lightning in exploding three sub
marine mines in the Potomac river with
out injury to the switchboard, cable or
electrical connections, says the Baltimore
Sun. These mines were in a field off Fort
| Washington, where the channel narrows
and heavy guns look down from the mask
ed batteries on the hillside. Each mine
seems to have been exploded separately,
although all were struck within a few sec
onds of one another, and the fact that
none of their neighbors were disturbed by
the conclusion is regarded as remarka bic
| by the experts who have examined the
remaining mines. Gen. Wilson SAYS it IS
not known whether one flash fired all
| three, or that one mine was hit and the
ed by the explosion Of 200 pounds of gun
cotton. He knows that the mines were
about three feet below wa ter at low tide
and probably five at high tide and that
neither the battery ashore in the case
mate was injured nor the cables connect
| ing the mines with it. The mines, he
| believes, We're undoubtedly by lightning,
and the fact that they were below
the water seems to have afforded no pro-
lection, although Gen. Wilson says he is
unable 10 state how the lightning entered
the water and hit them.
How much do Kings get?" asked one
of Mark Twains odd characters, and the
answer was not very satisfactory, says
the New York Herald If we apply the
title king to each of the chief executives
of the great nations, there is no wonder
an answer was difficult, for the pay of
rulers varies greatly and is governed by
no apparent rule of proportion, unless it
is that the pay increases with the liability
to assassination. The extremes of salary
are illustrated by the pay of the Car of
Russia and the President of Switzerland.
The former gets $4,000 a day, while the
latter is happy and satisfied with 81 80
each tWenty-four hours. These figures are
based on 365 working days in the year, for
monarchs are supposed to be always work
ing. Now these eXecutives-of Russia and
rulers payroll, the first getting 50, 1885, 600 a
year and the other $500. Between these
extremes the other eleven nations consid-
cred are scattered in a haphazard man
ner, with no uniform relation between the
amount of yearly salary and the number
of persons who must pay it. The Emperor
of Austria, with his 81 $4,000 annually,
comes under the Gar of all the Russias,
while President Mckinley, with his $4,000,
comes next above the President of little
Switzerland After Austria comes Ger
many, which pays Emperor William 49,
100000
Russia possesses the largest standing
army on earth, and each year it grows in
size. Every year some $4,000 conscripts
join the Russian forces, which in time of
peace number /, 600 men. On a war foot
ing this rises to 100000, and calling out
the reserves would Increase it to 6,9H,000
well-trained soldierE Should necessity
arise the militia would be called out.