Topics Of The Times

While the Swedes are disoussing the roject for obtaining a guarantee of neutrality and abolishing their army and navy, the Danes, fearful of the menaces of their "powerful neighbors on the East," are strengthening their coast defences and constructing armored gunboats. In ploughing the battle-field of Seven 'ines a few days ago some farmers nrned up a great number of human bones and several complete skeletons. A number of belts to whioh their brass )lates with the letters C. S. A. still ïered were found, but it is not suppos3d that the bones are those of Confederóte goldiers exclusively, for the removal }f the remains of Union soldicrs several rears ago was accomplished nnder many difflculties and largely by guesssrork. A large and influen;ial society has oeen organized in Germany, ouder the pecial patronage of the Crown Prince, ;o suppress the dangerous evils of medcancy throngh the agency of relief stations working in connection with an agricultural colony at Wilhelmsdorf. Shelter, food and clothing are there nrnished in exchange for work, and every inmate is enabled, in addition, to sarn a small sum of money with which to enter up some employmentelsewhere. Chis is the kernel of an economie sysem which its promoters hope to extend over the empire. It is time for Americans to demand government proteetion against dynamite. Only a fe n days ago a mysterious youth entered a store on Bleeker street, New York, deposited a suspicons looking bundie on the counter, and ïastily departed. The shop wornan wisey guessed at its contents, and, holding it at arm 's length, she carried it to the nearest pólice station. Here the offlcers, with due oaution, and standing at a safe distance, carefully opened the package and disclosed to view five bars of common washing soap. An explosión imnaediately f ollowed, but it was an explosión of laughter. An cath was administered in accordence with the f orm prescribed in Austria to a former citizen of that country in the United States District Court in Pittsburg the other day, in order to make valid a deposition about to be sent to Vienna. The character of the oath, Lts importaneo and sanctity, and the civil and clerical penalty for perjury were stated to the deponent and he was asked if he could take such an oath conscientiously. He then took his place before a crucifix and two lighted wax tapers, and holding up his right band and raising his thumb, forefinger and middle finger repeated the prescribed formula. The Russian Government has begun to execute its scheme for colonizing the lower part of the Amoor province, adjoining the Chinese frontier, by dispatching from Odessa 810 emigrants, constituting 250 families. If the projeot, which contemplates the removal of 100,000 persons of the new settlements, is carried out on the scale on whieh it has begun, the expease will bo enormous - not much less than $10,000,000, in the opinión of The Moscou) Gazette. The colonists already dispatched were supplied with flour, oats, agricultural implements, 40 mill-stones, 2,000 wagon wheels, aeveral thousand pairs of boots, and othor articles of clothing, nails, screws, axes, saws and window glass, and each family received $50 with which to build a hut. The late Sir George Jessell was a was a man of extraordinary diligente. It was his habit to lise early every morning- sometimes at three o'clock. According to the rules of Court, a copy of the bili, aaswer, and printed evidence in each case is left with the Judge's clerk the day before the trial. These he carefully studied, and knew the points as well as the counsel on either side before the case carne on. Many ft barrister on beginning to state an intricate case would be stopped by the Judge after a few sentences with; "Never mind all that, Mr. So and So; apply yourself to such and such a point;'' showing that Sir George knevr the whole facts and only wanted the law argued. Cases that would havo taken other judges days to dispose of were heard and tried in two hours. Nor was this rapidity at the expense of accuracy. It was the result of his wonderful powers of labor, working every day six hours in court, and at least six more in his chambers and at home. The remarkable statement comes from St. Paul that from the Red River of the North westward to the Missouri, for fifty miles on either side of the Northern Pacific Railroad, scarcely aa acre of good public land remains for the settler, and "he must either buy of the railroad company or a private owner if he desires to be in easy distance of Transportation iacilities for his commodities." Furthermore, it is alleged that this state of iffairs has not been produced by honost settlement, butthat under the loose provisions of the preemption, homestead and tree-culture acts, speculators have been able to get hold of vast tractsof the public domain oy hiring "settlers" to squat on quarter sections and suborning perjury at a nominal price. There is scarcely a doubt that enormous frauds have been perpetrated, whoreby tho Government has been swindled out of thousandg of acres of the richest wheat land in the world. Until lately the Interior Department appears not to have detected the dishonest doings of land sharks. Now that the facts are known, it reojains for the Government to see what can be done to stop fraudulent practices and to recover stolen lands.