The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-20
Curious
CONVERSATIONS


In the State of Montana there are about
30,0ol-0 acres OF lnoccupied public lands.
AS many as III. 00ooo0 bottles of cham
payne are stored in the vaults Of French
Producers. They represent a cost OF
tlo0G009O.
Great Brita:ns public income for the
fiscal year since Ia March has increased
S140e9, g0n; expenditure has increased
$25o, Oo1.0oo.
ASIDE from the amount due the State
permanent school fund and The noses due
the State sinking fund, Arkansas owes
70 outside parties or creditors only
$2l6,0G0.
The Cape 10 Cairo telegraph has now
been LAID to a point titty miles beyond
K3sanga. in German East Area, and 100
miles beyond the southern end OF Lake
TanganyIka.
during the fiscal year ending October
81 1850 Indiana paid out $l,29t, 1908 for
the regular maintenance expenses of the
State charitable and correctional institu-
tons.
The California newspapers are rejoicing
over the discovery that, While 800 Medi-
terranean lemons yield only 1910 ounces
OF cicrc ac-d, 800 California lemons yield
2664 ounces.
In Germany it is considered necessary
that a child should go up before It
goes down IN the world; SO it is ed
upstairs rs soon as born. In case there
are no stairs the nurse mounts q table
or chair with the infant.
BY means Of large kites with cross-wires
a New Jersey man has measured the aiti-
tude at winch Wild ducks fly After
many observations he has fixed the aver
age height at 1,500 feet, and the speed at
+iIlA miles an hour.
The ten largest German cities are to-day
Berlin. I.S24,3fJ inhabitants; Hamburg,
I0l,GC9 Munich, 10000; I.eipsic, l55,l29,
BEesiau 49, 10, Dresden ne
$10,5S5: Frankfort 2SLSI3; Nuremberg. 250,-
49, Hanover, 234,9SG
Astronomers are discussing the theory
that the moon is III its glacial epoch
ice cups, .nnd 1.-THE streams along their
sides glacial weather. Another insists
that the signs OF volcanic action are
unm stakablc.
III Philadelphia a charitable society that
has been III operation e.gaty-rhrea years
has given away every day for fourteen
weeks during each cod season seventy
| FIVE gallons Of soup and 300 loaves Of
bread. The superintendent has been con-
nected with the work sixty-four years.
The distribution Of congressional garden
seeds This year VIII he the largest ever
made it is said, the appropriation for
this purpose having increased from $4,000
TO $1IG.G5J which will add 5000 packages
of seeds to each congressman's quota
The town of Beehe PLAN is on the Dor
der line between Vermont and the Cana
dian Province of quebec the line running
Though the middle of the principal street.
The postottice for both counties is in
the same building, which was built some
ScVEnty-iiVe years ago.
y Corger eel nearly feet long. > feet
and inches III sirth and weighing AS
pounds. was recently cau.ht on the beach
at Snettishan, near Huntstanton. Eng
land The fsherman's attention was
attracted 10 it BY some seaglIls hoverng
over shallow water, where the eel was
capturd after a long struggle.
y penny luncheon, opened in Chicago.
by the ST. Luke Society. has been so
successful that it IS TO be followed by
nineteen others. Every article on the
menu is l cent and the bill includes coffee,
with sugar and cream; doughnuts soup,
weinerWurst, pork and beans In one
Gay no less than 200 were fed at this
room.
The main gateway Of the Paris EXPOSE
ton grounds and the statue. la Paris
ienne. which surmounted it have bzen
sold to q dealer in scrap iron for 10000
francs. The lot comprises 210.000 kilo-
grammes of iron. 1919 cubic meters Of
wood, 1909 colored-glass ornaments, and
a quantity of bricks and ballast.
The navy of Spain is now made up of
battlo,h:p, coast-defense vessels,
cru. sers Of the first class > Of the second.
and of the third with an auxiliary feet
Of 50 gln-boats and p yorpedo-hoats.
Eight ships arc under construct on
second-claSs and / thrd-class cruisers. /
sun-boat and torpcdo-boats of the high
est type.
Notwithstanding the warnings repeat
ctly gwen those intending to emigrate To
South Africa. many are ANXIOUS to try
their luck there. l t is said that q con
siderable number of families from the
for the Cape in January. In view OF
the unsettled state of affairs this is rather
surprising.
\ generation ago the universal custom
IN Western New York was to make the
Christmas turkey as drunk as possible
Just before he was killed The brandy
with which the bird was made tipsy gave
I, flavor uneGualed by Italian chestnuts
any latter Improvement, and even the
flesh of the hardened old Sobbler became
tender.
Seventeen old fishing boats, one of which
is said to have been built between 1910
and 1850, form tire odd little fishing village
of C3rracrcss, in the west coast of Ire
land. TIE only building in the place which
IS not constructed of an Old boat is the
priests house, and this is built almost
entirely OF the ,lriftwood whicn the ocean
tide piles upon the rocky coast. There
is not {, tree of sufficient size TO give
building timber within eight miles of
CurracroSs.
Odd Senate Custom: Origin Not Known
According TO ancient and established
usage, United States senators send out
small envelopes containing their cards at
the beginning of every session, and the
dainty little nlissives are distributed
through the Senate postofficc. This Gus
tom dates back beyond the memory OF
any living senator. and even beyond the
NT.,ff, n f.,r,,,