Flotsam

In Vlerma there is a very stringent law against begging. A person found begging in the street is instantly arrested. . Wine tablets have been invented by a chemist of Algiers. One of them dissolved in half a pint of water makes a glass of wine. II Rochefort asserts that ne nas never smoked in hls Ufe, never drunk black coffee, and that he does not know the taste of cognac. Explorations of Northern Siberla demónstrate that that región was inhabtted by tigers untll within a comparatively recent date. The paupers in Japan number less than 10,000 out of a population of 38,000,000. It is considered a disgrace to te an idler in that country. The Empire of the Spaniards, founded in America after lts discovery by Columbus, comprised about twelve million Equare miles of territory. The Chinese train the cormorant as a flshing bird. A ring is placed around the bird's neck, which prevents lts swallowing the fish it takes. Addison's gTeat misery was his incurable diffldence. He never overéame It, but to the end of his life was slient and embarrassed when in company. A mathematician has discovered that a bicyclist can travel flfteen miles over a good road on his wheel with less exertion than he can walk three miles. A llvely and ingenious machine recently invented will count and pack in bundles oí one hundred each five hundred thousand postal cards Ín ten hours. Australia Is a country without orphans or an orphanage. Every walf is taken to the receiving house, where It is kept until a country home is found íor It. The costllest fur Is that of the seaotter. A single skin of this animal, sold last year in London, brought no less a sum than Jl.OOO. it was six feet long by two feet wide. In the mountains of Sweden, Norway and Lapland all vegetation would be utterly destroyed by the Norway rats were it not for the white foxes, that make special game of the rodents. Reports agaln come from Florida that the alligator Is rapidly Deeoming e.tinct. It Is reported that fully two million, flve hundred thousand of them have been killed in the last dozen years. Kaiser Wilhelm carrles with him a small but serviceable revolver, either in hls pocket or in hls belt, when he is in uniform. His majesty is extremely skillful in the use of the weapon, and his chasseur, who accompanies him everywhere, inspects it every morning to make sure that it is in working order.