DE OMNIBUS REBUS.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 409, 4 October 1875, Page 4

DE OMNIBUS REBUS.

Some carbonised tablets of wood, with written characters on them, have been discovered at Pompeii. The Tabard Inn, situate in the borough, made famous by the poet Chaucer, has been demolished.

A report was some time ago submitted to the Emperor of Austria recommending that the whole of the artillery should be provided with Krupp's guns. His Majesty has, however, decided in favor of a newly-invented hardened bronze rifled cannon. These are to be manufactured in Austria. The artillery now in use will be recast.

The celebrated astronomer, M. d'Arrest, professor in the University of Copenhagen, has died at the age of 53. He had acquired a European reputation for his researches into the spectrum analysis of nebulous stars. Egypt will probably soon become an important exporter of salt to India. Since the Ist of May last 6000 tons of that article, produced by the new salt-pans at Suez, have been exported to Calcutta. Amongst the recent inventions is a method of haidening glass to such an extent as to render it an efficient substitute for diamond dust. This important result is obtained by cooling the glass in refrigerating moulds. A Pan-Presbyterian Council of representatives of all the Presbyterian Churches in Christendom has been opened at the hall of the Regent Square Church, London, a social reception being given by the London Committee and their friends, followed by a meeting of welcome in the church. There was a large attendance of representatives, ecclesiastical and lay, from America, Canada, Australia, New-Zealand, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and from the Presbyterian Churches of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The object of the Council is to make plain the unity of belief existing among all the branches of Protestant Christendom, to apportion the mission and home-labour fieldfi with less risk of collision and waste of energy, to form and guide opinion on common points of difficulty, and to concentrate the moral influence of the Church at large upon the questions affecting edncation, social reforms, the defence of revealed truth, and the resistance to be offered to the foes of religious freedom.

"A shipbuilder of the Tyne hap," it is staled by the Liverpool Courier, "submitted to the Admiralty a plan of a new ' ram' specially designed for coast and harbor defence, Their lordehipi think so highly of

the suggestion that they have ordered drawings to be made in order that they may be submitted to experts. The ship will be from stem to stern 150 ft, with a beam of 25ft. Her draught is calculated to be not more than sft or 6ft. and her sides are to be protected with Gin armour-plates at the water line, but considerably reduced in thickness both below and above that mark. The peculiar part of the vessel is that the whole of her will be covered with the exception of six funnel-like projections designed for ventilating purposes. This peculiar-looking war machine will have, when floating, more the appearance of a tortoise than anything else, and anyone obtaining a footing on the round deck would be swept off by means of steam. She will be armed with two small guns in her stern, but merely for sinking boats that may attack her in that quarter. Her power of offence will consist in being able to attain a very high momentum, which will enable her to thrust her iron beak, Bft long, situated 4ftunder water, through the side of any vessel in Her Majesty's navy. For this extraordinary ship it ia claimed that no projectile in the world can sink her, even if they hit the small portion of her which will be exposed to an enemy's fire, owing to the rotundity of her sides and upper covering. Her crew, when in active service, will not exceed fifty men." The Astronomer-Royal, Sir George Airy, has received the freedom of the City of London from the Lord Mayor, and in returning thanks for the toast of his health, made a graceful speech, of which it appeared to be the chief object to prove that men of science are not an insulated caste separated by a sort of non-conducting intellectual medium from ordinary men, but are of like nature, like enjoyments, and like passions with the rest of the world. Sir George declared that scientific men have always had the closest relation with some utilitarian branch of knowledge—astronomers, for instance, with navigation—while practical men have always shown the power of easily acquiring a sufficient use for the practical purposes of the apparatus of scientific knowledge prepared for them by men of science.at least when their own interests required theni to do so. Hence scientific menarenotthe separate beings they are sometimes supposed to be, and of this Sir George gave a practical illustration by the original and ingenious, if somewhat extravagant, compliment which he paid to the Corporation of London. Men of science, he said, fully appreciated great historic Corporations, and he himself believed them to be " the guardians of the inner life of England and of all political progress." We nave no objection to make to this creed as regards " political progress," but Sir George's belief in Corporations as the guardian angels of the " inner life " of England is startling, —unless, indeed, by the " inner life," he meant the life of the deglutitive, digestive, and assimilative systems. The dream of Victor Hugo and a certain number of republican visionaries at the other end of Ihe wo r ld, has been partially fulfilled, says the Argus. The " United States" of Europe, Ameriea, and Egypt, may be now regarded as an accomplished fact ; that is to say, in so far as their postal arrangements are concerned. On the Ist ult the provisions of the International Treaty, concluded at Berne on the 9th of October last, came into force, although the full benefits to be expected from it will not be enjoyed until the Ist of January next, owing to the inability of France to complete her arrangements before that time. By this treaty the whole of the states of Europe, the United States of America, and Egypt have agreed to adopt uniform rates of postage for all correspondence passing from one part of the postal union to another. The minimum weight of letters will be raised to half an ounce, thus obviating the necessity of writing on " flimsy," and the charge is to be twopence-halfpenny (25 centimes) per half ounce, be the letter light or heavy. International post-cards will be issued with a penny farthing stamp impressed upon them; and a message can be sent for this trifling fee from Moscow to New York or from Iceland to Rome. Printed papers, patterns, legal and commercial documents, will pass through the International Post-Office at the rate of one penny per two ounces, while newspapers will be charged a penny for four ounces. Registered letters, or other documents, will be received on payment of an additional fee of four-pence; By the terms of this important treaty, it is declared that " there shall be full and entire liberty of exchange, the several post-offices of the union being able to send reciprocal'y in transit through intermediate countries closed mails as well as correspondence in open mails, according to the wants of the traffic and the exigencies of the postal service." We cannot doubt that the establishment of this postal union will be followed in due time by the institution of a telegraphic union, for the purpose of securing low and uniform rates of charge for messages by wire ; at any rate within the continent of Europe. All these beneficial changes are the natural consequence of the more enlightened views of international relations which have followed the steady growth of free trade principles ; and as such are a matter for sincere congratulation to all but protectionists, to whom they will, of course, be obnoxious, as tending to promote the interchange of commodities.