The Savannah morning news., 1901-06-28
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


As lighting men Mr.. Savage Lander
thus sums up the Allies in his new book
on China. says the London Express. The
American soldier is a general and a tao
tician in himself. He has plenty of dash
and natural intelligence. With a better
physique he would probably be the best
soldier in the world For neatness. ex-
enplary conduct, discipline, perfect trans
port and hospital arrangements, and adj
mirable coo.nessN he commends the Japa-
nese. The French were plucky, but many
were i'll and weak The Germans were
beautifully armed and drilled, but "too
heavy in build for Colonial warfare OF
the Russians, as may be expected, he has
nothing but praise, but for their sturdy
marching and fighting they certainly seem
TO have deserved it. Great Britain's Sikhs
won generous admiration from all quar-
tiers. For the British soldiers and sail
ors their actions speak better than words
Speaking of cheap restaurants" said
a gentleman who has just returned from
visit to London, to a Washington Star
writer, reminds me of a dining saloon
in the Whitechapel district of London
where a relishing and fairly substantial
meal may be had for half penny, or
cent in our money. This cheap repas.
is not served up in the shape of a cut
from a joint and two vegetables. 1t is
big brown pie, very juicy and very hot
The absence of beefsteak is evident when
you cut the pie, but you find inside a lib.
eral sprinkling of sleeps liver, onions
and turniDs, and a plentiful supply of
gravy. For a half penny extra two
slices of bread and a cup of tea are sup
Piled. Between the hours of u and 2
the poor and hungry from all parts of the
east end of the city flock to this DINING
room. Most of the patrons are shoe
blacks, penny toy men. costermongers.
and now and then young clerks whose
salaries will rot permit them to indulge
in more costly dinner"
Horses are so cheap in Auckland that
pedestrianism bids fair to become ex-
tinct, says an Auckland correspondent
The postman does his round on horse
back. The butcher, a huge basket slung
over his arm, canters up with ordered
provender. Schoolboys, two frequently
sharing a mount. ride to school, where
a paddock is reserved for their ponies.
Even the lamplighter performs his duties
perched on an ambling nag, while the
droves of live stock passing along the
roads are always under the care of a
mounted escort. When an outdoor man
is sent on an errand that would entail
walking a quarter of mile he invari-
ably spends ten minutes in catching
= horse that he may ride. But more ludi-
crous than all else was it to see
sweep his attention to the kitchen chin
ney completed, canter off on his nag with
the bag of SCOT perched on the saddle be-
fore him. AS an instance of the topsy-
turvy state of things antipodean it may
be mentioned that it is considered smart
er to drive in a hired carriage than in
your own trap.
"A report has been received from Sir
Henry Johnson. special commissioner to
Uganda. of new discovery made by him
in the semlike forests of peculiar and
interesting animal belonging to a species
long thought to have been extinct. This
creature, as huge as an OK, but in build
shaped more like a giraffe-having a
neck much longer than hotse-seems to
combine the characteristics of many ami
mails. His ears resemble those of an ass,
but with silky black fringes. The head
taper-like and the nostrils like those of
the giraffe. He is vari-colored, parts of
his body, neck. shoulders and stomach be-
ing of a deep reddish-brown hue, while
other parts are almost crimson and some
parts black-the hind quarters striped
purplish black and white-and the fore
head strange to say, a vivid red. Surely
a creature to strike terror to the boldest
heart, 1t is hornless, though there are
traces of three horn cores. 1t is supposed
to be the living representative of the fos-
sil animal helladctherium, the remains of
which are frequently found in Greece. The
natives have given it the name of okapi.
A complete skin and two skulls have
been sent to the British Museum in Eng
land.
The distance at which the reports of
large naval guns can be heard is a
much mooted question, and doubtless is
dependent almost entirely on the atmos-
pheric conditions prevailing at the time
In tee case of the naval demonstration
at Spithead on the occasion of the funer-
al ceremonies of Queen Victoria the at
mospheric conditions appear to have been
especially suitable for the transmission
OF the sound to great distances. 1t also
gave an opportunity for a host of peo-
PIE to make observations. The distances
at which the booming of the minute guns
were heard are almost Incredible Care
fully collected data shows that the
sounds were first of all refracted by con-
trary winds over the heads of observers
between ten and forty miles distant and
that they were afterwards brought down
again by favorable air currents, so that
the reports were clearly audible beyond
fifty miles from Spithead." They were
1t is asserted, so loud at a distance of
81 miles that the laborers in the fields
put down their spades and listened As
the guns doomed regularly at minute in
tervals, there was no confusing the
sounds with any extraordinary or ordi-
nary local phenomenon.
The old-fashioned system of devising
and appropriating crests by newly rich
Americans with social ambitions has been
superseded by a more subtle method re-
certify introduced by a well-known IN
town carriage builder, says the New
York Mail and Express For some time
man in his employ has had no other
occupation than to paint crests on the
equipages of customers. Recently his
sphere of activity has been enlarged. "It
very often happens" he explained, that
a man or woman who has just bought
landau or victoria will say Now should
like to have my crest put on this. but I
haven't a copy of it in town I have or
ders what to do in such case. You Just
leave 1t to- me-. / say. I will guarantee
that the crest on your coach will please
you Then l give them the benefit Of my
experience. and invent crest You see
it is a good thing all around A mans
new crest on his carriage doesn't meet
with criticism that it might if he sud
denly sprung il on his note tpaner TT