The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-22
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

RIGA, ii is not surprising, says the west
minister Gazette, to learn from report
just made to the colonial office, that mon
key skins are scarcer than formerly on
the gold coast, the increasing warfare
which is carried on against these unfor-
tunate animals having resulted in a total
eXtermina ton of the species in the less
distant provinces. In 1894 no fewer than
16S, 405 skins were exported, valued at f4l,-
col, whereas last year the number fell to
81. $50,
While in Europe, says the Washington
ID. c. Star, Gen. Miles observed that the
soldiers and sailors of nearly all the great
nations wore the insignia of the crown or
some other imperial mark upon their uni
forms. He believes the idea worthy of
adoption in this country, and that the uni
form of the soldiers of the United States
should similarly display the emblem of the
Republic. He has accordingly suggested
that a national device, preferably the coat
of-arms of the United States be placed
over the chevrOn of every non-commission-
ed officer of the army and IN the collar or
other convenient place on the uniform of
every officer In his opinion, the national
coat-of-armS, with the motto "E Pluribus
Unum'' on scroll underneath, would be
an appropriate device for display on the
uniforms of the United States army.
"A cracked silver half dollar which had
been turned out in an imperfect condition
by the Mint, arrived recently al the sub
treasury, says the Philadelphia Record.
The holder of the coin thought it was
counterfeit, because it lacked the genuine
ring, but the experts found it all right eX-
ceptng for the crack which extended
nearly through the coin. 1t is one of the
few imperfect coins that get out of the
mint into circulation. 1t was very badly
made, and an ordinary blow would have
split 1t in two. The mint officials could not
understand how it was passed by them as
"all right" but it showed bad workman
ship in the stamping department. The
holder of the coin was given a good half
dollar in its stead, and secret service men
were ordered to investigate and determine
if any others had been turned out with the
same defect.
The Isthmus of Korea has long been
under conservative, ignorant and unpro-
gressve administration, and the natives
themselves have never appreciated the
many undeveloped resources of the coun-
try. The 81 Kota Abin Mountains fringing
the Japan sea are gold-bearing, and the
extension of this system into the Korean
Isthmus gives Korea a valuable natural
resource in their mineral veins The Ger
mans, who seem to be extremely quick to
recognize commercial opportunities, have
not failed to note these facts. After pre-
lirninary examination number of German
capitalists are sufficiently well satisfied
with the prospects to invest their capital
in a gold mining syndicate whose field of
operations will be on the Isthmus of Korea
This syndicate has its headquarters at
Dusseldorf, on the Rhine, the head of
which being the firm of II. c. Edward
Meyer, in Hamburg and Korea. The Ko-
rean government has further granted con-
cessions for gold mining to a Russian and
to an American syndicate. These facts
seem to show the possibility Of a competi-
tor to the Klondike in Asia.
Rabies in dogs and hydrophobia in men
are almost unknown in Germany, the elm
ination of the maladies being largely at
tributable to the strict supervision exer-
cised by the authorities over the canine
population. During the first fortnight of
the year every dog in the empire must be
taken to the nearest police station and
carefully examined by a veterinary sur
geon, who destroys painlessly any animal
suffering from an incurable disease or so
old as to be a nuisance If an animal pass
muster, the owner pays a tax and receives
disk to be suspended from the dogs
neck different color each year enabling
the police at glance TO discern whether
the dog is on the eligible list In addition
to the disk the owner receives a paper
minutely describing the animal and con-
tanning information regarding the symp-
toms of rabies in the early stages. Delay
in tax payment doubles the tax; the owner
is fined for allowing his dog to be on the
street without label; owneTless dogs are
destroyed, and muzzlng is compulsory
when rabies breaks out in a neighborhood.
when very large dogs are taken through
the streets and where animals are known
TO be vicious. In consequence of which reg
ulations the German dog is healthy and
happy.
The new English torpedo boat destroy
er Express, which has just been launched
from the works of Messrs Laird Bros. al
Birkenhead, will be the fastest vessel in
the world except the Turbinia says the
New York Post. She may, indeed, eclipse
the performances of that production OF
naval architectural genius, for her build
ers expect that she will exceed the con-
tract speed of thirty-five knots. The Ex-
press is 235 feet long, with a displacement
OF aus tons, and her indicated horse power
VIII be 10000. She will thus be consider
ably larger than the Albatross, which is
building al ChiSWick, and the sixteen 9th
er destroyers of thirty-two knots speed
which are in various stages of deveIop-
ment at other yards. She shows an i'm
HehSe progression IN this type since the
construction of the pioneers of the torpe-
do boat-destroyer flotilla, the Havock and
Hornet, which were only $50 feet in length.
240 tons displacement and had an indi-
Gated horsepower, respectively. of $500
and 1900 each, their speeds being 26.77 and
N.S1 knots per hour. An English naval
journal remarks that sit is impossible
to help wondering how far these dimen
sions and speeds will go on increasing. We
are asked upon all sides, who is TO COM
mand the new IS and S9-mile streaks of
lightning? No one of ordinary nerve can
undertake to do so. Two fotillas of such
vessels would approach one another at n
combined speed of seventy miles per hour
and under such conditions, tactics WIN
ships 235 feet long would be fraught with
extreme denger as turning movements
would be almost impossible at full speed.'
The Supreme Court of Kansas has re-
Gently handed down a decision, the essence
of which will have interest for religions
persons in general, and for Roman Catbo-
lies in particular, says the Springfield Re
publican. A devout Catholic woman who
died about ten years ago, willed to each
member of her family a sum of money as