The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-16
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

"A pet flea has been know to live six
years ,>.ss2s..--. -. ~
Each of the Queens state horses car
ries 1IO pos,nds of harness.
-English wedding cakes are now I'M
parted ny fashionable brides. so. -so,s~.-- ~;
Small znostrils are said by physiolo-
giststo Indicate small and weak lungs,
AT banQuets during Elizabeth's time
every guest came With his spoon in his
pocket. -
The Japanese are, as a race. so small
that it is necessary to build specially low
bicycles for them. r.
In some Of the farming districts Of
China pigs are harnessed to small wag>
,ons and made to draw them.
-Buenos Ayres, with population of
100000, now has 10000 houses provided
with water from the River Platte. r.
Certain Irish railways have a 5 feet
:s-inch gauge, which is 63A Inches wider
than the standard gauge$of England.
1t is one Of the privileges Of Chinese
commanding officers that they may only
be beaten by the hand Of their general.
More than T., OOO, 900 acres Of the Sa-
hara desert have been made useful for
raising crops with the aid of .artesian
wells. '@ - -
Probably the most expensive dinner
service i'll the world is the Sevres service
at Windsor castle.s 1t is said to be worth
$15O.OOO. Is
-Muskets were first used in z1414. dur
ing the siege Of Arras. They finally re-
placed the bows and arrows of the Brit
ish soldier in 1921.
In addition to the many reformatories
on land Great Britain has three reforma-
tory ships, where hundreds of hayward
Youths are sent every wear
In the Fourteenth century armor be-
came So heavy that many soldiers only
80 years old We're defOrmed or perma-
nenty disabled by its weight. aS@15.
-Nanillin, an artificial substitute for
vanilla, is made from the sap Of the
Scotch pine, while a kind Of rubber has
been obtained from the common birch.
The wooden bicycle used by Blondin
in his famous ride across the Niagara
Falls on IL rope is still in existence; and
was sold in Paris not long ago for half
crown. ~
1t is said that the amended penal
code for Japan does not contain any ref
erence to the death penalty, which means
that capital punishment is to be ab0l-
ished at the same time as ex-territorial-
ity.
There is great repoicing among the
farmers of the Riviera. Italy, because
new law has been made to protect small
birds. which are so. useful in DESTROYING
insects. A reward Of 81 is offered for the
conviction of offenders. 81 = =
Foreigners in China buy nearly every
thing on credit, giving signed s'chits" for
every purchase. the reason being their un-
willingness to load themselves down with
silver or native coin, while paper money
tluctuates too much. 49,; .$92e.tsSzs; q
Jack Tar used to get his rum undi-
luted till Admiral Vernon, whose nick
name was "Old Grog, 8 instituted the
was served out, and the mixture has gone
by that name ever since. 2Hezs
The sailor is lighted on his way
round the world by 335 lighthouses, of
which number SO are scattered round
EnglandS rocky coast, some Of the lights
being 50 powerful that they are visible
twenty miles out at sea.
AT Tekonsha recently gathering of
old ladies was remarkable n its way.
There were seventeen women present and
their total ages amounted to 1858 years,
an average Of "A years each. Two were
present who were s. years of age.
"A postal service has already been es-
tablshed in connection with Khartoun,
and letters are finding their way to Lon
don from that place in seventeen days.
y new stamp has been introduced for the
Soudan, bearing the name "khartoum"
and the superscription ''Soudan Postage
in English.
When the statistics now being col
lected are presented to Congress, as they
will be, it will be shown that instead OF
paying only 3 per cent. of the taxes of
North Carolina the colored population
pay nearly 20 per cent.-that is, about
$9OOO,0OO out of $5O,OOOOOO.
An English journal advocates as a
needed innovation the employment of au-
tomobile funeral cars, insisting that the
display of black horses, plumes and other
phylacteries of unreasoning mourning is
but the survival of the antiquated and
barbarous custom of Staying horses ut the
grave of their owner.
In the Sandwich islands there is a
spot called the Rock of Refuge: If the
criminal reaches this rock before capture
he is safe so long as he remains there.
Usually his family supply him with food
until he is able to make his escape, but
he is never allowed to return to his own
tribe. -: