General News

The Grand Commandery of the Sons of Veterans of the United States is in session at Minneapolis, Minn., this week. The Saaie Zeitung, of Berlin, i Germany, says Prince Bismarck is afflicted with drowsiness and is losing his memory. Age is rapidly telling on the ex-chancellor. Chas. Hawkins, who perhaps fatally shot Don Bruce, at Shelbyville, Ind., last week, was lynched by a mob on Saturday night. His victim is yet alive, with a very slim possibility of recovery. Hawkins was buried Monday. A furious battle was began last Friday, near Valparaíso, between the Chilian government troops and the iusurgent army, and at latest accounts was still raging, with the chances apparently favorable to the insurgents. It way be .the decisive battle of this ruinous internecine war, and settle the controversy finally. Large numbers of the peasantry in the Russianprovince of Kazan are said to be fn a condition of absolute starvation, and have been compelled in their hunger to sustain life on grass and leaves, no bread being obtainable. There is much excitement among the poorer classes in the province, and an outbreak is imminent. The building of an inter-continental railway, which, when completed, will link the South and CentralAmerican republics with each other and with the United States, is in contemplation. The project aims to join the markets of North and South America, and if successfully carried out would doubtless be of vast benefit to this country. Socialism seems to be growing alarmingly among the soldiers in all the European armies. Socialist tracts and papers are carefully distributed by agents to the soldiers of the garrisons and are causing considerable interest and excitement among them. The socialistic spirit is especially strong in the French army, but to a lesser degree in those of England and Germany. It is estimated that the British mines will be exhausted in less than 600 to 800 years. It is further calculated that, drawing upon only one of their fields, the Westphalia, Germany, will not exhaust that before the end of the2 7thcentury, but that by the beginning of the year 3,000 the big coal fields of Bavaria and Aachen and the Silesian districts will be entirely used up. Right Hón. John Inglis, Lord Justice General of Scotland, died tast week Thursday. He was edu caled at Glasgow University, but took the degrees of B. A. and M A. at Baliol College, Oxford. He was a very distinguished man. He was a tory in politics, and once represented the borough of Stamford in the British parliament. Glasgow university conferred upon him the degree of LL. D. He was in his eighty-first year, and died with honors thick upon him.There is a rattling row in the ranks of the religious denomination known as the United Brethren in Christ. A portion of the church objected to the clause in their new constitution permitting members to unite with secret societies. They withdrew, organized a new conference, and termed themselves Radicáis. A contest for the church }roperty at once began, and is now n progress. It is a big split and cannot fail to be disastrous to the church. Prof. Barnard, of Lick observatory, says: "An interesting phenomenon will be witnessed by astronomers during the d, 4th, and 5th of September. Wolf's comet, whose return was first announced from the Lick observatory on May 3 last, will pass through the Pleiades on the above dates. I believe no comet has ever' been seen to pass through this cluster. The phenomenon will be of interest, principally from the probable pccultation of some of the considerable stars." Martin Engle, of New York, is a living example of the perfection of the surgeon's art. Last June he had his face so pounded by a political rival that his friends failed to recognize him. He was placed under the care of Dr. Kelly at Bellevue hospital. The man now wears a new nose, the internal part of which is artificial, the external part being constructed of flesh and skin taken from other parts of his body. In mending the broken cheek and jaw bones it was necessary to give Engel's face a much rounder appearance than it formerly had, and the corners of the eyes were drawn in a way foreign to their original appearance. With the exception of his changed facial expression, which causes his friends to doubt his identity, Engel's face is free from disfigurement, all ugly scars being hidden under a luxuriant growth of beard. The Pall Mali Gazette of the asth inst. says: "One of the features oí the excitement which prevailed in the grain markets last week was the abstention from buying by British millers and factors, though they have vet the bulk of their winter stocks to buy. This evidences the belief of millers and factors that the present prices willnotbe maintained. With the bad prospects here and the poor crops in Europe and India, it is likely that America will make importers pay stiff prices for their grain." A terrible occurrence at Ironton, O. , last Friday afternoon has driven the place wild with excitement. George Hamilton and his wife went visiting on that day, leaving their three children, Leslie, Edith and Emma, aged eight, four and two years respectively. On their return, after a lengthy search, the parents found their little ones confined in an old tooi chest, where they had died from suffocation. The mother is almost insane in her grief. A stick fastened in the staple of the chest indicates premeditated murder, and the pólice are investigating the case. At a recent meeting of the board of trade of Halifax, N. S., a resolution was unanimously adopted calling the immediate attention of the Dominion government to the advantageous treaty concluded between the United states and Spain regarding imports into the island of Cuba, and praying it will make a prompt representation to the ImDerial government and invite its good offices in placing Canadian trade with Cuba on a satisfactory basis, so that Canada's producís may be admitted on as favorable terms as similar producís from the United States.