GENERAL NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8044, 3 February 1906, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

According to the English thcosopbist, 0. "• Leadbeater, ghosts are classified in seven types. Those are: Thought forms, elven, churchyard ghosts, astral impressions, double ot living man, animal apparitions and tha geneine ghost.

An inhabitant of Crcglingen, in Wurtsm. burg, whose name is Fritz Koltman, claims to be the champion benedict of the world, tie has been married no fewer than eleven times. His first three wives died the next two were drowned, one committed suicide, three died in succession, the tenth was gored to death by a bull, and be has just iecently married the eleventh, who had a leg cutoff by a railway train last year, so that the wedding had to be postponed till now.

A lawsuit, which may probably be claimed J« the oldest in the world, is reported from br T rentina. The two communes of (iallio »na Jroza have been for four centuries in Solution for the possession ot an cxtonsive trau- of woodland, which has assumed the character of a virgin forest, with trees of toiossal Eize, which no man dares to touch. Bpota aro still pointed out where two hundred rears ago tho two communes fought pitched battles for the disputed wood. Apparently die homorio struggle is as far from closing iw ever.

Experiments are now being made by the French in their submarine boats with a material called "oxylithe," a new chemical compound which liberates oxygen freely when Diixed with water. This not only purifies the air. but it burns up ail animal impurities. In fMilion, experiments arc b«ing made with inc.. motor to which ox.vlitho furnishes the fuel. It this proves successful—aud the prospect is at present favourable—the motor will do for both surface and uwler-water running. Much more powerful machinery can be installed, and a large part of the heavy electric batteries can be removed.

The sneeze-wood tree is a native of Natal and other parts of South Africa. Iti odd puine was to it because men cannot saw H without sneezing violeully. The dust of Us wood has just the same clTect as the Strongest snuff, and is so i.iritatiug to tile nose that wmkrjen nvc obliged to sneeze even rhen they are planing it. If a piece of this wood is put into the mouth, it is found to lave a very bitter taste, and no doubt it is ibis bitterness r'hicii prevents insects of any kind from attacking the timber of the sneezewood tree. The fact that, insects lind it ho disagreeable makes i'.s wood very valuable for work that is to iast a long time.

Everyone ivho has kept md studied many uf liin'.i must have noticed how very kunnn they often arc ia their feelings and the '.-aaiiifeslation theroof. ficnemlly, how. ever, birds have to depend on tho signlanguage cf wings and tail lor expressing th..!r emotions, their features not, being of the r.iost moliile kind ; and thus the signification of their gestures may be lost unless ane is well acquainted with tlirm. There are, however, a few species which approach U3, in that thei, faces change colour under ■lie iiilluenee of tho feeling u f the moment—iT nllier words, lliey biusii. And these, as will be seen in the sei|ucl. are always birds If character, presenting marked peculiarities In their habits. This is well seen in the most Inveterate blusher among birds, the common turtfy-wek.

a wnjurer antl ventriloquist of repine at the beginning of the l:tst eeiiiury, •uwl liimsult by his art. The following foot Jtote is still to bo scon on tlio programme 0 | in entertainment «iveil by him at thi; Leamliifjton A ltooms:*" Mr. Charles, the first venlrikxjuist in England, bciu» stopped by two footpads between Bristol and Bath, saved himself from being robbed by this most wonderful power, in letting voiocs appear as from beside the load. The fellows, thinking they heard the voices of some officers, went off as speedily as [ossible." Equally successful when in trouble w.s Louis Brabant, valet to Franeis I. Uoin,' to the mother of bis lady-love, lib cleverly limulated the voice of her dead husband. " Give my daughter to Louis Brabant; I suffer inexpressible pains because she is withheld from him," sounded as a mystic message in the kir, and the widow was so impressed by this portent Hut she gave the desired assent.

There arc some interesting facts about the 'unous iron pillar of Delhi in " Gassier'! Magazine." The pillar is a solid shaft ol wrought iron, 10 inches in diameter, and ol t, length that if, variously reported. The total length is from 48 to 00 feet underground and above, including a capital of itt feet. Tile pillar contains about 80 cubic feet of metal, and weighs about 17 tons. The metal is, of course, charcoal iron, made directly f-om ore in small billets; but how it was welded up no one can tell, as no record exists of any early method of dealing with great masses of wrought iron. An inscription roughly cut ov punches upon the coluinc stater, that ltajah Dhara subdued a people in the Surdhu, named Yahlikos, and obtained with his own arm an undivided sovereignty on the earth for a long period. The date ol the inscription has been referred to the third or fourth century after Christ, but on this Authorities are at variance.

The voyage of the Argonn.uls, the date of Which is uncertain, was professedly a rush for gold, lobe collected in fleeces placed in the torrents flowing down the flunhs Oi Mount Caucasus, lint older much was the westward movement, which Chaldean records of n.c. chronicle, to the gold-hew ing land of Melukkha, afterwards known as Midiwi. Later on, but still at a very early period, there war, a rush from Egypt to n spot inland from the present Snakim. Loiif afterwards tills was described by Diodorus Biculus, wlw left a map, still extant, show ing the wells provided for the gold seekers between the lied Sea and the mines. About 1000 ii.c. there seems to have been another rush of miners in search of gold into South Africa. Its numbers can only bo guessed at from the extensive remains that still exist, but, it has been calculated that at least £75.000,000 was secured by these early adventurers.

The first periodical newspaper of the English Press appeared in lG'i'2, but advertise menls were not developed till 1017. In April of the latter year was published No. 13 oi I' Perfect Oecuno-ncics of Every Daie Journal) in Parliament, and other Moderate Intellf gence," which contained the following an nounccmcnt: "A Book applauded by thi Clergy of England, called ' The Divine Right of Church Government,' collected by suniirf eminent Ministers in the Oitie of London; corrected and augmented in many placoa with a briefc Ileply to cerlain Queries against the Ministery of England ; Is printed and published for Joseph Iliniscot and George Calvert, and Are to be sold at Stationer's Hall and at the 1 Golden Fleece ' in the Old Change." The "London Gazette" waf the first newspaper to publish commercial advertisements, which soon began to occupy Bo much space that the proprietors, not wishing to ..'charge the 1 Gazette ' with advertisements unless they be matters of State," issued a Special Advertisement Supplement, " printed apart, and recommended to the FuWick by another hand." Older still is an advertisement in a black-letter Dutch paper of an auction of sugar, ivory, and tobacco, btlil at the close ol 1026.