Fact And Fancy

Mrs. Eilen Sllar, of Trenton, N. Y., and II otbcrs have reccived nul ico that br the dcatb of a rclat.ru in Eugland tbey bare fallen bcirs to $7,500,000. Mrs Silar'a busband ia a flagiii ji ii un tbe Punnsylvanla Railroad. Tbe largeat colton mili In the world la sald to be Incaled iu Krunholm, in Russla. Tbe establlsbmeut contalus 340,000 splndles and 2,200 loums, disposes of a forcé of 6,300 horsepowcr, and gires cinploymeót to 7,000 hands. Tbe famous Bo tree under wblcb Budilha, sat and meditated uutll be became "enllfcbtened and overéame tbe last temptatlun" la sald to be falllng to pieces. It is belicved to be tbe oldest tree iu tbe world, bcing creditud wltb 2,300 years. Railroad men in California estímate that up to Jan. 1 40,000 California excursión tickets were sold in 1887, representing $4,000,000 profit to tbe transcontinental rallroads alone. Tlils does not include tliu first-class mul secondclass, or cinigraut, tingle, trip tickets that have been largely sold, whlcb are estimated aa iucreasing tbe number of tickets to $100,000 for the year. The presenta glven to Pope Leo in honor of hls jubilee alreadr amount in value to 90,000,000 francs, and still continue to pour in on him. The Pope Intends to endow a museum aud send aid to poor churches and chapela througbout tbe world. The Convent of the Grande Chartreuse stands at Ihe head of the list so far as jubilee contributions go, havlng forwarded to the Pope gifts amouating to 500,000 francs. A vegetable new to American markets bas been iuiroduced in New York. It is 6omctbing like one hundred ycars since sea knie cama to be used es a food In England, altboiigh It was eaten by the anclent Romans. In this country it has scaicely been known until nowThe vegetable Is a deliclous one of the cab. bnfre fum ly and icrows wild on thé sea eoasts of Europe, and in some manner is safd laiely to hare made lts appeurance aloug our American coast Central Europe bas still some Immense tracts of uncleared forest lands. In somft Austrlan provlnces, such s Croatla and Siavonia, the proportlon of woodland Is so creat to the pouulation that If it wcre divided among the inhabilants nearly two cres would fall to the lot of ench person. In the tbree principal wood producing districts tbere are nearly 4,000. UO0 acres of foresta, the yearly lacrease of whlch is valued at more Iban $2,500,000. The eiport of wood is a large item In Austrian trade. New Bedford ia interested over the prospect of a new industry. It ia discovered thut extract of whale is quite as good as beef extract, and much more ccomical. A whale, welghing two uundreJ tons, ylelds flve thousand pouuds of extract, and one pound of extract makes one hundred pints of souji. Thus one whale will furnish five lmndred ihoutand peuple witn dlnners; and one bundred wbales w 111 g!v ' all the peop!e in the United States olil enough to eat soup one comfortable meal apleee; and five tbonsand two handred whnles woulri glve ns a wbale dlnner once a week. Tbre' millions In it. Tbe people along the sbore of the Hudson, near Newburg, haTe been catching ome quecr fieh latei;, whlch, for want of a better name they cali "llttle devils." Tbey are aboat rlghtecn incbes In length and hart four legi witli four toce, ahead like a írog, a flat tall llke aa eel, a raouth tbat Ijeggars deacnptlon, and eau swlm cqually well on the back or ttomach. Three Sus are found on elther side, wblch ars fringed wlth balr. In tome respecta tbay rasemble llzards, but tbe fisbermen declare they have never seen any creaiuret llke thm UDtil tbls winter. Among tbe curioslties reeently cqulred by a San Francisco museum are a numbor of mummies, iound imbedded in a stratum of lime In Mexico, justsoulh of tbe Arizonallne. Juclging from tbelr posltion tbey must hav died In terrible ajony. One of tbe bodlea It tbat of a woman, and her ears are ornamtnted wlth tubes stuck tbrough them. Tbev are covered with a coarse nettlng composed of gmss and the bark of trees. Tbey are mmpoted to bare lam in the a drled-up state at least 800 years, and it Is not knoirn to what race they belonged. The perfect form of a rat appears.whicb shared tbelr burlal place. Sadia, tbe town at wblch has been dlacovered the sarcopb agus supposed to contaia tbe remalns of Alexander tbe Great,bo died In 824 B. C, from a fever contracted whlle surveying the mnrsbes arnund Babvlon, and to wbicb be was more susceptible because ba had just gotover a protratted drunk, Is about twenly-four miles from Bvrout, In Syrla, and U tbe anclent Bidon or Zldon. In 1850 gold coins of tbe time of Alrxander, vahicd at $40,000, were unenrthed tbere, and It was wblle all the bead of tbe Frencb cxplorlng expeditlon ibere In 186) Ihat M. Rvnan plcked upa good iTiany of tbe points uhlch he used In hlsfamous "Life ot Christ." A sclentlst bas the following good word for tbe earth-worm: "He neeils for hls support onlv the pooiest food. He eats the eartb In or.li'r to as.simllate a llttle of tbe soll that It i-Diitains. He linrrns no roots, :ind only mes s littlc of tbe material In whldi be dies. Tblt Imlefatigable unO silent laborer bilng the eartb to tbe surface froui below. Rnd the pits and galleries blch be imkea allow beat and moisture and all tbe atmna beric agenta to penétrate the carth, tbus rendering it lichter ! and consequentlv more favorable for tbe giowth of the roots of the trees aml shrubs. ; As be entere these Rallarles he draws Id with bimleaves and mosses, finil tfafl vtsy important result of hls bnrjing them Is Ui basten tbeir deeomposltlon nto mo!d. Tbc earth-worm drains, cultivates and enricbes the soil, soon ' must not destroy him."