General News.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3980, 11 October 1881, Page 2

General News.

Those who concern themselves much with questions of diet will be interested to hear that Europe is shortly to be favored with a new drink. A contributor to the llevue Scientih'quo has constituted himself the advocate of the South American drink ''mate," and warmly advises everyone else to adopt, it. According to " this enthusiast, " mate " possesses all the cheering and refreshing properties of tea and coffee, without producing any of the unpleasan- effects upon the nerves which are too often attendant upon both tea and coffee. It will be recollected that in Mr Oarlyle's famous study of the dictatorship of Dr Francia this "male" figures „ prominently. The stern Paraguayan ' Dictator was a man of few wants, but amifiug those few „•'• mate " stood high, and wherever Dt Francia was, a cup of it was sure to be handy. All Europe, we are told, is destined to follow the Die- - tator's example in this respect. "Once introduce ' mate' into Europe, and the reign not only of tea and coffee, but even of alcoholic drinks, is over for ever." Such k tha case of the devotees of the South American beverage.

The United States Government -gives a . timber claim of 160 acres to every American citizen, man or woman, of the ,- age of 21, and they are not obliged to live on it, for plantiug ten acres of.timber, and;' the timber belongs to the planter.

The tomb of JDean Stanley is in one of the recesses of the bay windows of Henry • VII,, Chapel in Westminster Abbey. His wife lies buried there, a slab in tne floor mark ing the spot.., The Dean /T a . number of years ago published the besti, book on the Abbey ever written, with a" ghostly but very interesting account of explorations in the faults 'where 1 tb'uf sovereigns of England from Elizabeth to the Georges were entombed.

A flower farm has been started- in California, and all the necessary instruments procured for the purpose of, extracting the, perfumes of the flowers. " The flowers' under cultivation are principally made up of tuberose, English violets, jessamines, orange blossoms, and tlie Provence rose, and were mostly obtained from the south of Europe. ""

: " Well, Father Brown, how did you like the sermon yesterday P " asked a young preacher. " You see, parson,,* was the reply, "I havn't a fair chance at those sermons of yours. I'm an old man now and bave to sit pretty well hack by the stove; and there's old Miss Sniithie, Widder Taff'n, Kylan's darters 'n Naddy Birt 'n all the rest setting iniront of me with their mouths wide open swalleriri' down all the best of the sermon, 'n what gets down (o me is putty' poor stuff', parson, putty poor stuff."

It may not, perhaps, be known that a man wearing dark clothes' is .more liable ioAufection from contagious < disease than he who wears light-coloured garments, because particles which emanate; from diseased or decaying bodies are much more readily absorbed by dark than light fabrics. This is easy of proof. Expose a light and dark coat to the' Fumes' of tobacco for five minutes, and it, will' be found that the dark one smells stronger than the other of tobacco smoke, and it -JJ3.11 retain the odour longer. •

"'Se'e^ißljnyjjrave is kept green," he, warbled undeTfhe "tf'iadoJyM'tbe fair one's' domicile one pleasant nighrTsrsfrxwaelr,,----"I'll tend to the grave business, young man," shouted her enraged paternal* ancestor, as he poked an old musket out of a second story window. No more concert that evening.