Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-08

The Chinese Government has taken the
first steps toward the organization of
pa tent system. Lieutenants Tsen and
Fang, of the imperial army, are now in
vesttgation Of the methods pursued at
Washington, and a few days ago they
made their first trip through the Patent
s Ues m ireland e rReae orenfa
gentlemen will spend the entire winter
here, acquainting themselves with the
details Of the operation of this DEPART
Viii WITT deroVe the
ganizing the new feature of the Imperial
Government.
Private John Allen, Of Mississippi,
and stnator Mason. Of illinois,. were
discussing and experimenting with irri-
SAY, john said Mason, II under
stand you sa the. G. a. r. parade here
last fall
Fine body of mem continued Mason.
Sure" replied Allen who fought in the
Confederate army from Beginning to tho
end Of the war II recognized quite q
How in thunder did you recognize any
of those mtn??" inquired Mason, wonder
ingly.
Recent fatal accidents to Alpine climb
ers recall the gloomy fact tha4 in the
3o1 deaths, have occurred to people
climbing the Alps. Yet for every death
recorded between three and four thou
sand persons make the journey in safety.
half the accidents; the Central Alps, In
Guiding Switzerland, claiming 81 per
cent, and the Western Alps the relnain..
der Germany and Austria .i have paid
having occurred as the result Of the ex-
petitions; the SWISS come next with IS;
Italians follow in order with %. and
England with is. Seven women are
mum bered among the victims: not a sur
prisingly large number, considering how
many women risk the climbs nowadays.
Over, seventy guides and close upon
twenty porters have sacrificed their
lives in ministering to the pleasure Of
tains.
AS to the origin of the potato, says the
pringfield Republican. the cyc!opedias
tell us that it is well-known. They. say
that it was first brought into Spain from,
Quito. which is south Of Colombia, but
the wild plant exists in a good many
other places. They do not say that It
was native to North, as well as South,
Indians of the Atlantic coast cultivated
it. "A river in Nova Scotia--the Shube-
neutrality-suspicious. its memory. for the
name is a corruption Of the Algonquin
word segeeben. the wild potato. and the
ed to "quoddy." as Passamaquoddy. and
has suffered other changes, ard gave it
self to "Acadie,N the Acadia OF Evan
the Colorado beetle, the "pota to- bug"
which finds the cultivated potato so
much to its taste. These wild tuberous
plants are all Of the solanum family,
perhaps all varieties Of the solanum tube
rosa.
Peanuts as. a cure for consumption are
widely known and believed in, says the
Philadelphia Record. Now. a Roxbo-
nut cure for insomnia. He says Of it.:
Violent exercise. drugs. and other rene-
II had been a poor sleeper for five years
the suggestion Of a vegetarian, tried the
peanut. I put beside my beds5 a bag of
peanuts. newly roasted, shelIed: and salt
ed. and on my first attack of insomnia. I
ate fifty, ma ticating them very thorough
ly-giving. in fact, tWenty-fvs chews to
each nut. While taking this large dose
I felt a gradual 5drowsiness stealing over
fell asleep. Since that time s have az
ways kept fresh peanuts by me at night
They have never failed. -.
The new musket to be used By the
United States army has been conf lsted
and tried with satisfac Glory results. the
various charges not only Improving the
weapon. but cheap ening and accelerating
the production. e:
The rod bayonetE is feature Of the
now rife. Its advantage is said to lie
in the fact that 1t ightens he weight Of
the gun and dispenses with the bayonss
and ba yonet5 sea bhard now in use, and
may be carried by the soldier. The new
piece weighs a little less than nine and a
ha! f. pounds. which is considera bly, light-
er than the German rifle and the Mausssr.
vet has greater velocity and greater
penetrat lion. It is noted tina s opinions
differs as TO the value OF he rod bayonst
The construction OF 5000 of q the new
m1skets has been uthorize1.