Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1881 — BITS OF INFORMATION. [ARTICLE]

BITS OF INFORMATION.

The Bank of England was founded in 1694. The capital is £14,533,000. The number of miles of telegraph wires in the world is placed at 492,573. The mileage of telephone wires in the United States is estimated at 60,000 miles. Thebe are about 17,000 locomotives running on the railroads of the United States, and 500,000 cars of all kinds. “Arkansas” was originally spelled “ Ar-kan-cea” and has always been pronounced “ Arkansaw” by the old settlers. The Suez canal is 100 miles in length. It is seventy-two feet wide at the bottom, about 300 feet at the surface, and twenty-six feet deep, easily passing‘the largest vessels. There are three Major Geperals in the regular army—W. S. Hancock, Irvin McDowell and John M. Schofield; and six Brigadier Generals—John Pope, O. O. Howard, A. H. Terry, 0. 0. Augur, Geo. Crook and Nelson A. Miles.

The Aryan languages are Sanskrit, whence Hindoostanee; Zeud, whence Persian ; Greek, whence Romaic; Latin, whence Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Wallachian; Celtic, whence Welch, Irish, Gaelic ; Gothic, whence Teutonic, English, Scandinavian ; Slavonic, whence Russan and Austro-Polish.

The average duration of vitality in seeds of some of our cultivated plants is as follows: Artichoke, 5 years; broad bean, 6; beet root, 5; cabbage, 6; carrot, 4; cifcumber, 5; lettuce, 5; maize, 2; melon, 5; onion, 2; parsnip, 2; peas, 4 or 5; radish, 5; spinach, 5; tomato, 5; turnip, 5; egg plant, 7; endive, 9; paisley, 3; strawberry, 3. The expression “A 1,” popularly used to designate the first quality of articles, is copied from the symbols of the British and foreign shipping-list of the Lloyds. “A” is used to designate the character or conditions of the hull of a vessel, and the figure “1 ” to denote the efficient state of her anchors, cables and stores. If those are insufficient in quantity or quality, the figure “2” is used to indicate the same. JVlien it is said of a ship, “ she is A 1,” it means that she is all right as to hull, rigging and equipments.

By estimate, the surface of an averagesized man contains about sixteen and a half square feet, or 95,000 inches. Allowing 2,800 pores or openings to each inch, we have the aggregate of 7,000,000 for the whole body. Connected with these are about twenty-eight miles of tubing, through which the decaying and waste matters of the body—ever dying, particle by particle, while life remains—pass off, freeing the body of putrid matter. This waste is gathered up in all parts of the body and hurried out of the system, as an important means of avoiding disease and death. It is also estimated that of all taken into the stomach, five-eighths pass off through the pores ! From 1789 until 1816 the rates of postage in America v. ere: For single letter (that is, one composed of a single piece of paper) under 40 miles, 8 cents; under 90, 10 cents; under 300, 17 cents; under 500, 2o cents. In 1816, these rates were modified as follows: A single letter, not over 30 miles, cents; over 30 and under 80, 10 cents; over 80 and under 150, 12J cents; over 150 and under 400, 18| cents; and an additional rate for each piece of paper. If the letter weighed one ounce, four times the rates were charged. Again, in 1845, the rates were lowered: For a letter not exceeding half an ounce in weight, under 300 miles, 5 cents; over 300, 10 cents, and an additional rata for each additional half ounce or fractioifthereof. The present rates of letter postage were adopted in 1863.

The name Gypsies is a corruption of the word Egyptians, and it has been supposed that the Gypsies originated in Egypt. But the conflict of authorities is so great with regard to their origin that it is now extensively believed that nothing absolutely authentic is known on the subject. In the year 1427 a band of 120 strangers arrived in Paris, who claimed to be Christians of Lower Egypt who had been expelled by the Saracens. They said they had last come from Bohemia. They professed the gifts of fortunetelling and other necromantic arts, and were great thieves. They were expelled from Paris, but continued to wander in France. Other bands succeeded them, and in the course of a century they appeared in Spain, England, Sweden and other countries of Europe. They were what are now known as Gypsies. They are usually great thieves, and have but few redeeming traits. They are fond of stealing children and bringing them up as Gypsies, and also take persons into their tribes who are willing to adopt their mode of life.