The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-06
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The Washington correspondent of the
Chicago RECORD says: Representative
Shattuc of Cincinnati has found in the
Congressional Library an old book called
The Royalist,' which was published to
commemorate the service of prominent
American families that remained loyal to
the King during the War of the Revolu-
ton. Mr.. Shattuc says that 1t contains a
complete genealogy of Edward Atkinson.
eulogistic sketch of his ancestors, and
an account of the assistance they rem
dered to the royalist forces and against
Washington during the revolution"
-Kang Yu-Wei, the famous Chinese re-
former, recently visited Japan. He was a
passenger on the Empress of india from
Vancouver, and when The vessel arrived
at Yokohama he wished to land, but the
japanese authorities objected. He was
permitted, however, to land at Kobe. A
report that he was still on board the YES
sci when it returned to Chinese waters
reached Shanghai and in order to prevent
an insult to the British flag on the part
OF the Chinese authorities the torpedo
catchers Fame and Whiting went out to
meet the Empress of India and escort
her in.
A few months ago the British Admit
rally put their old naval training ships,
which were full-rigged vessels, out of
commission, and replaced them by modern
cruisers, without mastS or sails. 1t is in
ferred therefrom that the government has
decided that it is no longer necessary to
train young officers in a form of seaman
ship which, in the royal navy at least.
has become obsolete. Their action has pro-
voked such criticism in the daily press,
many writer's, including a large proportion
of naval officers main tanning that the
practice with ropes and sails, even If SUI
perfluous as modern naval education, is
nevertheless invaluable for its develop
ment of resourcefulness, nerve, activity,
and other virile qualities essential to the
ideal officer. This evidently is the view of
the Uni ed States authorities, as is proved
by the recent launch of their new sailing
trainingship. II is interesting, also to note
that the North German Lloyd Company
is about 10 sci up a trainng-shp having
sail POWER only, for the practical educa-
ton of cadets, who, later on, when they
have passed the necessary examinations,
w II receive commissions as officers in their
great steam feet. The teaching Of these
cadets will be under the supervision of
the Bremen School of Navigation
DIR. Barrata has advocated in the Ital-
ian Parliament a compulsory insurance
against earthquakes. says the Scientific
American Owners of vineyards and 9TH
nail and, therefore, why not against an
other calamity even more destructive, az
they average about $50 shocks a year, and
certain parts of Italy have occasionally
suffered terribly. The idea of the insur-
ance is a shrewd one from the point of
view of public economy. 1t shifts the
burden from the exchequer 10 private
purses. The business would be of a pc
culiarly risky nature, for such an epi-
demic of earthquakes as has devastated
Calabria between 1888 and 1856 might east
ly bring any ordinary company to bank
ruptcy. The risk would have to widely
spread, and actuaries would be puzzled to
calculate the premiums for different
places Some parts of the peninsula en-
Joy practical immunity. The great plain
of Venetia has never suffered. Rome and
Naples are occasionally shaken, although
as a rule not seriously, but disaster fire.
duently occurs in volcanic districts, as in
Ischia in 1881 and 1888, when the loss both
of life and property was serious Calabria
is far the worst as an earthquake region.
over 1,4OO people persisted in one locality
in the period mentioned above.
The French newspapers are discussing
somewhat prematurely. the details of NJ.
Berliers great scheme for constructing a
tunnel between Gibraltar and the coast of
Morocco. He believes that there would
bottom of the straits is compact rock,
while the engineering difficulties, he
thinks would not be greater than those
which have been overcome in the Mont
Gents, st. Gothard or Simplon tunnels.
There remains, of course, the delicate
point Of diplomatic difficulties about which
he is less sure. though he declares that
he has been promised the good will of
the Spanish government and is now in
negotiation with the government of Mo-
rocco. Supposing diplomatic obstacles TO
be surmounted, he believes in the perfect
success of the proposed tunnel, and ex-
presses the opinion that 1t would do more
to develop Africa and extend French COM
merce than any number of expeditions
Goods, ne points out, could be sent from
France to Algeria and Tunis without their
having to be shipped and unshipped for
the crossing of the Mediterranean, not to
mention various other advantages result
ing from the scheme. With regard to
the expenditure Nj. Berlier takes the St
Gothard tunnel as a basis, the cost of
which was 100000 francs per kilometer
The tunnel under the straits would be for
ty-one kilometers in length. This work.
according to the sanguine estimates of NJ
Berlier, could be accomplished in seven
years. Englands view on the subject
apparently has not yet been taken into
consideration.