Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1882 — BITS OF INFORMATION. [ARTICLE]

BITS OF INFORMATION.

St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great in 1703. Cbcbsus was King of Lydia in the middle of the sixth century B. C. The invention of keys is ascribed to Theodore of Samos, 730 B. C. The “death watch” is a small insect of the beetle species, the male of which makes a peculiar ticking noise, which superstitious people imagine is a premonition of death. Gunpowder was known to, and made by, the Chinese at a date by no means certain. It is said to have been made known by Schwurz, a monk of Geslar, in Germany, about 1330. The word “limited” following the name of an incorporated company publishes the fact that, by the act under which the company is incorporated, the liability of each stockholder is limited by the amount of stock which he owns. For centuries past, in Scotland, the jack-knife has been known as a “ jock-te-leg,” which barbarism is neither more nor less than a corruption of “Jaques de Liege,” the name of a Flemish cutler, whose knives were once highly esteemed in North Britain, and always bore their maker’s name. No doubt Jacques de Liege sent cutlery to England as well as to Scotland, and from Jacques’ knife to jack-knife is a very short step.

The annuities of the royal family of England are as follows: Her Majesty, the Queen£3Bs,ooo Prince of Wales 40,000 Princess of Wales 10,000 Crown Princess of Russia 8,000 Duke of Edinburg 25,000 Duke of Connaught 25,000 Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein... 6,000 Princess Louise 6,000 Prince Leopold. 15,000 Duchess of Cambridge 6,000 Duchess of Mecklenberg-Strelltz 3,000 Duke of Cambridge. 12,000 Duchess of Teok 3,000 Tots), £546,000, er about $2,600,000. There are a number of theories for the origin of the dollar mark. One is, that it is a combination of U. S M the initials of the United States; another, that it is a modification of the figure 8, the dollar being formerly called a “ piece of eight,” and designated by the character 8-8. The third theory is, that it is a combination of H. 8., the mark of the Roman unit, while a fourth is, that it is a combination of P. and 8., from the Spanish peso duro, which signifies “hard dollar.” In Spanish accounts, peso ia contracted by writing the S. over P., and placing it after the sum. But the best origin of the sign is offered by the editor of the London 'Whitehall Review, who recently propounded the question at a dinner-party in that city, at which the American Consul was present. As no one could tell, the editor gave the following explanation: “It is taken from the Spanish dollar, and the sign is to be found, of course, in the associations of the Spanish dollar. ‘We littered the table with books in the course of our researches, but I proved my point in the end. On the reverse of the Spanish dollar is a representation of the Pillars of Hercules, and round each pillar is a scroll, with the inscription, ‘ Plus ultra.’ This device, in course of time, has degenerated into the sign which stands at present for American as well as Spanish dollars—*s.’ The scroll around the pillars, I take it, represents the two serpents sent by J uno to destroy Hercules in his cradle. ”