The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The mosquito is going to be made
responsible for leprosy also. DIR. Blan-
chard stated at the Paris Academy of
Medicine that leprosy could be trans
mitted by mosquitoes" and DR.. Chan-
tennessee remarked that ''lepfosy was
caught generally at night" "Other
vermin," it is said are the carriers of
Malta fever relapsing fever, typhus
and perhaps several skin diseases.
lord Avebury's experiments and
observations lead him to think that the
ant possesses d glimmering of reason.
Darwin considered the ants brain,
looking at the intelligence the creature
displays, the most wonderful thlhg
in the universe. Prof Wheeler, hav-
ing examined compound and mixed
nests of ants arrives at the same con-
ciusion as Wasmann, that it is "un-
necessary to assume the existence of
anything beyond instinct and simple
intelligence" and that there are no
evidences of ratiocination. The pro-
fessor goes on, however, to assert that
this result, even if extended to all the
lower animals, does not imply the ad-
mission of any qualitative difference
between the human and animal
psyche.
The Royal Commission appointed
last February to investigate the causes
of the arsenical poisoning epidemic
confirms the conclusions arrived at by
Independent authorities. AS regards
the complete elimination of arsenic
from beer, it is pointed out that cer-
tain tests are so delicate that any
beer, however carefully prepared,
would show minute traces if examined
i'll sufficient quantity. At the same
time it is not conceded that it would
be right to declare any quantity of
arsenic, however small, as admissible
in beer and it should be the aim of the
manufacturer to exclude arsenic alto
gether. The commission proposes to
prescribe a standard test for beer, fix
ing a maximum limit, above which
there shall be no discussion.
Mr.. F. Napier Denison, a meteor
logist of Victoria, B. c., read an in
teresting paper at the recent Glasgow
meeting of the British Association,
pointing out the fact that the horf-
zontal pendulums of the Milne seis-
mograph indicate vertical movements
of the earth's crust in accordance with
the variations of the barometer, and
hence are really barometers them
selves, and especially valuable because
their warnings are given from eighteen
to twenty-four hours before the regu-
lar barometer is affected. Mr. Deni-
son said that seismogra phs could and
should be used to give warning of
the great Atlantic storms. When a.
storm is approaching from the west
the pendulum moves steadily eastward
and vice versa. Mr. Denison's expert
Tnents extended over two years and
he has examined over 5000 feet of
Photographic records. so that although
his statements are very novel they de-
serve the careful attention of meteoro-
logists. 1t will certainly be curious
if the Milne sesmograpb proves to
be more sensitive weather forecaster
than the barometer itself.
One receives almost a shock on ar
irving in Hanava to learn that the
first street you reach on your way up
town is ''OReilly'' street, and that this,
with Obispo street., is the principal
business thorouoghfare in the city,
says Havana correspondence of the
Baltimore American. But a stay in
Havana accustonls zone to seeing Irish
names in high places. There are hum
dreds of O'Farrells, ODonnells, O'Reil-
lys and other fine old Irish names. The
particular O'Reilly for whom this street
was named was an especially likely
lad. 1rishmen can fight in every coun-
try save their own. O'Reilly, after
fighting in every army on the conti-
nent with calm Indifference as to the
cause of his quarrel, finally entered
Spanish service permanently and be-
came Captain General of Cuba. He
led the Spanish forces that took Lou
isiana from the French, and was his
Kings constant resource when the oc-
casion demanded man of action.
While in TO11iSiann ha or ya6
a score or more of the French civil Of
ficers. This. together with some grave
discrepancies in his accounts, led to
temporary disgrace; but he finally died
in the sunshine of royal favor, if not
in the odor of sanctity, and his name
has been made immortal by the street
that bears it. 1t was told that the
number of Irishmen who won fame and
wealth in Spanish service is due to
the fact that after the battle of the
Boyne thousands of Irishmen left
home with only their swords and their
courage. The Duke of Tetuan, who
was Spain's Minister of War during
our recynt war with that country, is
an O'DonneN. the first of his family
having emulaied O'Reilly and having
amassed wealth like OReilly while
Captain General of Cuba. l may add
that a day or two before l left Ha-
Ndnd the papers were Iuil OF luflO dc-
counts of the garroting of one O'Far-
rell, murderer of most remarkable
villainy. O'Farrell was a Spanard
and the degenerate son of a one time
excellent family, which, as its name in
dicated, had left the Emerald Isle in
the days when they were hanging men
and women for the wearing of the
green.
"A dog story which is, or at least
seems to be, of an unusual sort, has
been sent to us by Mr.. G.. H. Knight
of this city, says the New York Times.
1t concerns a setter who lives in one
of a row of houses, each standing in
a lawn surrounded by high picket
fence. communication with the street
is through self-closing gates, provided
on the inner side with latches, which
can also be reached from the outside
through openings in the gates. The
secret of these latches has been solved
by the setter and he let's himself in
and out of his yard a pleasure, rising
on his hind legs, pressing the iron lever
with one of his forepaws, and then
either pushing or pulling the gate, ac-
cording to whether he is in or out of
the yard. This is well within the rec
| ognized limits of canine intelligence,
but what follows is not: One day the
setter, while doing on his own veranda,
heard a little terrier who lives next
door, whining and scratching at his
| (the teTrier's) gate. outside of which
the smaller animal happened to find
himself After listening a while, the
setter rose, opened and passed through
his own gate, went to that of his neigh