30
THE SUNDAY OKEGONIAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER '!! 1900.
(Copyright. 1900, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
SHANGHAI. Sept. 30. Can China pay
lis war debt? This the powers would like
to know. Each will demand satisfaction
for the expenses it has incurred, and also
a good round sum for the injury to his
citizens. As to the war bill, the averago
will probably be $100,000,000 apiece. This,
Including Germany, Russia, Japan, Eng
land, France and the United States, will
foot up about $300,000,009. The damage to
the merchants at the various ports, the
wrecking: of the legations &t Pekin, and
the destruction of the mission stations
everywhere, including compensation for
the lives of missionaries, will demand
millions more. In fact, the powers will
probably ask for about $1,000,000,000, or
Just as much as Germany demanded; of
France at the close of the Franco-Prussian
-war.
Can China pay it?
Li Hung Chang says she cannot, and
that she will have to give up territory
instead. U Hung Chang, however, is a
OMaese official, a oog in the most cor
N rupt political machine of the world
a machine that will have to be rebuilt if
the Empire i to continue. He knows
that a big national debt means the tear
ing of himself and his class from the ma
chinery and the modernizing of the Chi
nese Government.
The truth Is, the Chinese could pay the
Interest on a billion-dollar debt and not
feel It The present taxes are enough for
all legitimate government expenses and 6
per cent on a defot three times that size.
They have now a smaller debt than any
of the great powers. It does not equal a
dollar a bead, and amounts to less than
$300,009,000. There arc no local debts to
speak of. The nrovlno sr iin(ni.m
bered and the cities and villages are un
bonded; indeed, there is no country in a
better financial condition.
As compared with tho great powers,
China is rich. England has one-tenth the
people, and carries a deox 10 times as
groat; the debt of France is 30 times that
of China, and the debts of the other pow
ers are proportionately large. Here is
what they are in round numbers: Eng
land owes $8,309,000,000; France, $6,250,008,
000; Germany, $2,400,000,000. while Russia
has a debt of $4,760,000 000. Austria-Hungary
and Italy each owe eight times as
much as the present national debt of
China, and poor little Spain is paying in
terest on loans six times as groat.
Have Horror of Debt.
The Chinese have a horror of debt. "With
thorn bankruptcy is a disgrace. They
pay their bills, settling all accounts at
New Year. They especially dislike debts
to foreigners, and it is the national pol
icy to keep out of them.
Their first foreign loan was in 1874, when
they borrowed $3,000,000 at 8 per cent
through the Hong Kong and Shanghai
Bank. The loan was secured by the cus
toms. Their chief deb,t was incurred after
lew, in order to pay the Japanese indem
jiltyi Darin? that year they borrowed
30.0H0.000 taels of the English on a 20-year
loan. In 1895 they negotiated another En
glish loan of about $15,000,003 at 6 per cent
t run for 3 years, and at the same time
one of about $80,009,000 of the Russians and
French, to run 96 years, at 4 per cent.
In 1806 and 186 they made two other
leans of $S9,00.(X each of the Anglo-Germans,
one at 6 and the other at 44 per
cent. The first loan was to run 36 yeirs,
and the second 45. These and a few
other very small loans, some of which are
to pay the guaranteed interest on railroad
undertakings, comprise the total debt of
this nation of 400.000,000 people, owning
eome of the richest agricultural and min
eral lands upon earth.
No one knows what the revenues of
China are. The taxes collected are enor
mous, but TO per cent of them never get
to Pekin: the balance is either swallowed
up in the form of costs or presents to
official superiors, or remains in the hands
of the tax collectors.
There is no country so office-ridden.
There is a class of men known as yamen
runners connected with all government
places, who are pMd out of taxes and
squeezes. It is impossible to tell what Is
collected. Accounts are rendered In plcce
ieal, and no province furnishes a balance
Ffeeet of Its whole expenditure and reve-
sues. There is never a surplus and there
are often deficits. j
' No increase Is ever reported. No one
expects an increase, for he knows that if I
suoh a condition occurs the surplus will '
ge into th collector's pockets. Indeed, ;
If tho official figures of China ore correct, '
the geverament i avenue have been fait-,
In? off.' although In commerce, business ,
and wealth the Empire has been steadily j
The revenues actually paid today aroj
4Gflffw: -'-
estimated at 77,000,000 taels. Call them
even $77,000,000, Increasing thereby the es
timate one-third, as the tael is not worth
much more than 75 cents. In 1655, the rev
enues were estimated at $100,000,000. One
hundred and fifty years later they approx
imated $200,000,000, and still later Sir
George Stanton estimated them at $330,
000,000. By the best figures attainable they
are now somewhat as follows, in taels:
Sources of Income.
Imperial customs, 22,000,000; land tux,
20,000,000; salt tax, 10,000,000; likin, 15,000,
000; native customs, 3,000,000; grain trib
ute, 3,000,000, and miscellaneous sources,
4,000,000, making a grand total of 77,000,000
taels actually received.
The taxes of the empire are collected by
the board of revenue. This is one of the
seven great departments of the Govern
ment. It corresponds to our Treasury De
partment and has to do with all financial
matters. It will probably have charge of
the national debt, and all matters of In
demnity will be laid before- it.
The board of revenue is known as tho
Hu Pu. It has two presidents, one a Man
chu and one a Chinese. It has four vice
presidents, and from six to eight direct
ors. It has its superintendents, secreta
ries, assistant secretaries, comptrollers
and clerks. It nominally levies all taxes
,ond duties and pays all salaries and al
lowances. The mints are under it, and it
has charge of the imperial factories which
are situated in different parts of the em
pire. One of its bureaus, that of the three
treasuries, is devoted to the storing of
the metals, stationery, silks and dyestuffs
of the imperial family.
The board of revenue sends out once a
year to each of the provincial govern
ments a statement of the amount It is ex
pected to furnish the general government.
To this must be added the local taxes, the
civil and military taxes, and then the rate
is fixed. After receiving the estimate the
Viceroy or Governor gives his directions
to the different officials. In many cases
the taxes are farmed out successively by
j the higher officials to those beneath them,
j and so on, until they reach the men who
actually get the money from the people.
It is from this collection of taxes that
I the Chinese officials are able to pay such
high prices for their offices. The real sal
aries are practically nothing, but the per
centages which they can hold back from
their collections mako the high places ex
ceedingly profitable. Some years ago a
collector of customs at Canton was ex
pected to send about $1,000,000 to. Pekin,
whereas the annual receipts of his office
wore known to be over $3,000,000. This
man probably had a salary of a couple
of thousand dollar a year.
The Chinese merchants of Hong Kong
I told Lord Beresford that mandarins who
had salaries of $1000 were accustomed to
spend $20,000 to keep up their establish
ments, and that Viceroys who received
.but $0000 had often necessary expenses
amounting to as much as 5io,000 a year.
Notwithstanding this, such officials usu
l ally retired from their offices rich,
i Only Big Stealings Count.
j Moderate thievery In Government work-
Is not considered dishonest. It is only
I when the steals are of enormous size that
I they create comment.
! Take Ho-Kwan, for instance, who was
one of the hleh officials of the Emperor
K'len Lung. Ho-Kwan was a poor Tar
tar, who became an official of great
wealth and power. When K'len Lung
died tho next Emperor feared him, and
had him decapitated. His estate was con-
fiscated and was found to be enormous.
He had more than 200 strings of pearls
! and precious stones, and one of the pearls
-was bigger than any in the imperial
crown. He had precious stones In the
rough and diamonds made into buttons
and also millions of ounces of silver and
i gold.
Take LI Hung Chang. No one knows
how rich he Is. He has bank stock, rail
' road stock and factory stock everywhere.
1 1 Imagine he owns foreign bonds. His
i real estate possessions are large, and ho
I has much in Jewels. He wears a diamond
button in his cap, the stone of which
i is as big as the end of your thumb, and
he has many diamond rings. Sheng is
I said to be rich, and so in all probabality
is Kang Yi and the other close friends
I of the Empress Dowager.
The land taxes of China could pay a big
interest on three times any indemnity the
powers will demand. More than this sum
is annually collected, although out of It
the Government gets only 20,000.000 taels.
China Is a big country, and a vast amount
of it Is cultivated. If half the cultivated
land were taxed at 75 cents per acre the
j gross revenue -would be more than 300,-
000,000 taels. Let us' estimate it roughly
at $300,000,000.
t Set aside $25,000,000 instead of 25.000,000
taels for the Government and you have
' still $250,000,000 to pay the expenses of col-
i lection, and in addition the enormous sum
oi iiw.wu.wa;, or per ccui oil u iua.ii ui
$3,750,000,000. The powers cannot ask more
than one-fourth or at the outside, one
third this amount. Tho estimate of 75
cents an aero is very low. and this Is on
j only one-half of the cultivated land. It
j shows you what a surplus China might
j have without the addition of a tenth of
1 per cent to her tax rate for govern-
CANAL STREET- Ef -CANTON, CEQtn.
ment improvements, if her officials were
honest.
The lands of China nominally belong to
the Emperor, and all taxes como directly
from the crown. The lands are chiefly
held in clans or families. They are di
vided up Into small tracts or farms, many
of whloh aro less than an acre In six;.
There is a thorough system of Govern
ment records. Real estate Is bought and
sold and the transfers are registered.
The taxes are levied upon tho lands as
described .in the government records, but
the expense of transferring lsr-so- great
that the ownership often passes without
a government deed. The estate descends
to the eldest son, the other sons having
certain rights which must-he satisfied be
fore the ownership can pass. The daugh
ters never inherit.!
A part of the land tax' Is paid in kind
and a part In money. The tax Is esti
mated somewhat according fo the amount
under crops, and the farmers 'bribe the
collectors to report less crops than they
actually have,-in-order to escape taxa
tion. All money taxes are In sliver, 98 per
cent fine. There are' bankers connected
with the Treasury Department at .Pekin
who pass upon the purity of the tax
money as it comes in, and who are re
sponsible for it.
A curious tax levied upon lands in
China Is the rice tribute. This comes
chiefly from certain provinces in the Val
ley of the Yangtse. It was originally In
tended for the support of the Manchu
soldiers in the capital, but a part of It
now goes to other funds. The tribute
amounts to about 101,000 tons of rice an
nually. This does not represent half tho
amount collected. In all the large cities
there are Imperial granaries built to
store rice for times of famine and for
the use of the soldiers. I saw rice barns
at Nankin and elsewhere.
The rice fleet which carries this crop
to Pekin is of enormous extent It Is to
be seen upon the grand canal, and It has
Its chief depot at Tung Chow, 15 miles
from Pekin. The rice tribute Is handled
by the transport department, and there
are thousands of boats and Junks en
gaged In carrying it from one place to
another. The amount the government re
ceives from It Is said to be in the neigh
borhood of $4,000,000 per year.
Salt Monopoly.
The manufacture and sale of salt is a
government monopoly. The salt comes
from sea water, there being evaporating
ponds in the provinces near the sea. One
of the largest is not far from the mouth
of tne Pelho. After the sale Is made It Is
turned over to the Salt Commissioners.
These me.n hand it over to those who have
salt-selling licenses, and they farm It out
to others.
The salt licenses are limited In number.
They are perpetual, and are passed down
from father to son. In a good district a
license Is often worth as much as $10,000
a year. The government fixes the price
at which salt Is to be sold to consumers,
so that the man who gets a contract
makes or loses, according to his selec
tion of a district and the price at which
he gets his salt. Some wholesale dealers
make as much as 25 per cent. Indeed, It
Is believed that the salt revenues could
be greatly Increased without Increasing
the cost of the salt to the people. At
present salt costs only about 2 cents a
pound at Shanghai, and not more than 3
cents a pound at Hankow.
Tho total government revenue from It,
CHINESE WOMEN WHEELBARROW PASSENGERS HIDING THBIB
according to one authority, is $10,000,000.
It is estimated that the actual receipts
are about $50,000,000, and of this the mer
chants and middlemen make a profit of
more than $30,000,000.
The Chinese salt is not so fine as that
sold In the United States. It is dark,
porous and full of lumps. It is stored In
salt warehouses, and you often see great
hills of It near the large cities. It Is
piled up there and covered with matting
until needed for use.
Squeezing the Merchants.
One of the greatest squeezes in China
' is the likin, tax. Thla Is a tax on goods
in transit. It is collected along all the
waterways of the Chinese Empire, and It
fills the rivers and canals with little reve
nue boats, each equipped with sold ers
and cannon. The officials thus guard the
waterways and take their toll from every
bit of merchandise that passes through
them. The taxes are supposed to be fixed
ones, but the officials make them a mat
ter of bargain between themselves and
Che merchants. Some of the merchants
i-nnlons pay lump sums to have their
goods escape likin taxes. The Shanghai
Piece Goods Guild, for instance, has -U
of its duties on foreign goods so com
muted for a number of years. The little
gunboats often blackmail the merchants,
and they make all sorts of squeezes.
No one knows how much money is col
lected under the plea of likin taxes. Mr.
Jamleson, a former English Consul at
Shanghai, estimates that about $10,000,-0
of likin taxes annually goes' to the pub
lic revenues. Tho amount actually col-,
lected probably la several times that
which comes from the Imperial maritime
customs, or several times 22,000,000 taels
annually.
China has all sorts of queer taxes. The
Jinriksha men in Shanghai are taxed; the
wheelbarrow coolies pay licenses, and
there are licenses for pawnbroking, bank-,
ing and goods selling. There are pawn
shops In every town, which have to pay
not only for the privilege of engaging
in business, but an annual tax thereaf
ter. In some cities the license costs as
much as $5000, and the yearly taxes are
from $50 to $100.
There are taxes on all land sales. The
legal charge Is 3 per cent on the money
value of the transfer. Less than thla Is
usually paid, because the parties to the
contract put a less consideration in the
deed than is received. There is a legal
tax on mines, now amounting to noth
ing, but which may yield a large Tevenue
when the country is opened up. There
aro export taxes and Import taxes. There
are taxes on silk cocoons, and. In fact,
little taxes on many things.
There Is a tax on opium imports which
brings in about a million dollars a year,
and one on, the reeds and rushes which
grow in the lowlands of the rivers. This
stuff belongs to the government, and
those who gather it must pay so much
cash per bundle. There are quantities of
reeds In Manchuria, and also along the
lowlands of the Yangtse Valley and else
where. They are sold for thatch and
for fuel.
The reorganization of the empire win
necessitate the employment of foreigners
In nearly all places of trust. China can
no!; pay Its debts without Europeans
manage Its tax collections. The only hon
est collectors In the empire today aro
the foreigners In the customs and tho
natives under them.
For some years the Imperial maritime
customs have been managed by Sir Rob
ert Hart, who gets a salary twice as big
as that of our President. He collects all
the Import duties, turning Into the Im
perial treasury somewhere between twen
ty and thirty million taela a year. He
has a large corps of officials, and his
foreign clerks are the best paid men In
Asia. They get big salaries, and every
few years are allowed to go to Europe
for a vacation, with their salaries paid.
The members of the indoor staff can have
two years' leave at the close of every
seven, and those of the outdoor one
year after every ten. Even, the custom
are managed along clvll-servlce lines, and
although Sir Robert Hart is the auto
crat, everything goes by promotion and
general efficiency.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
ROMAN TABLE DELICACIES.
Queer Recipes Culled From Earliest
European Cook Book.
To the Romans belong the honor of hav,
ing produced the first European cookery
book, says a writer In Chambers's Jour-
nal. Although the authorship is uncertain,
it is generally attributed to Caellus Apl
clus, who lived under Trajan (A. D. 114).
Here are two recipes from, this ancient
collection:
"First, for a sauce to be eaten with
boiled fowl, put the following ingredients
into mortar; aniseed, dried mint, and
lazer root; cov,er them with vinegar, and
dates and pour in llquamen (a distilled
liquor made from large fish which were
salted and allowed to turn putrid In the
sun), oil and a small quantity of mustard
seeds. Reduce all to a proper thickness
with sweet wine warmed, and then pour
this same over your chicken, which should
prevlpusly be boiled in aniseed water."
The second recipe shows the same queer
mixture of ingredients: ''Take a wheel
barrow of rose leaves and pound In a mor
tar, add to It brains of two pigs and
two thrushes boiled and mixed with the
chopped-up yolk of egg, oil, vinegar, pep
per and wine. Mix and pour these to
gether, and stew them steadily and slow
ly till the perfume Is developed."
The Romans were very fond of surprise
dishes, such as pigs stuffed with live
thrushes; and, to anticipate a little, this
taste descended so near to our own times
as -the reign of Charles II, as witness a
recipe of that date for making two pies
which were to be served together one
containing live birds and the other live
frogs. When the latter was opened, "out
skip the frogs, which make the ladles to
shriek and skip," While the birds, when
released, were to add to the general con
fusion by flying at tho candles and put
ting out the lights.
A dish of peacock was a favorite plate
at Rome, and was served at the beginning
of dinner. The bird, having first been
done to death by stifling, was then
skinned; the Inside was filled with the
flesh of other birds, and the whole sewn
together, and finally sent In to table af
fixed to a small branch as If alive.
Did Ke Get It? Weill
An ungroomed man slouched up to Ed
P. Smith In Farnunt street the other day
and accosted him as follows:
"Say, mister. If I was to tell you that
I wanted a quarter to get a square meal
you'd think I wanted It to buy whisky,
wouldn't yonT'
"That's exactly what Z would think,
replied Smith.
"And If I said I wanted a quarter to
buy whisky you'd say you didn't propose
to encourage the drink habit, wouldn't
you?'
"That's what I'd oay."
"And If I said I wanted a quarter to
buy fo.od for a starving wife and eleven
children you'd think4 1 was a liar, would
n't you?"
"I would.'
"Well, say, mister, l,want a quarter to
pay fer having me mother-in-law's .trunk
hauled to the depot Do -I get" it 7"
He got It Omaha World-Herald, .
VESUVIUS ISTHREATENIM
OBSERVERS SAT VOLCANO WILL
SOON BE IN ERUPTION AGAIN.
Do Not Predict its to the Violence of
the Outbreak, hut There Are Signs
' That It Mar Be Severe. '
The committee .of scientific men ap
pointed to Investigate the matter has
announced that an eruption of Mount Ve
suvius Is to bo expected soon. It has
been somo time since there has been a
dangerous outbreak of the volcano, and
no prophecies are made as to the proba
ble force of the one that Is now pre-
CHINESE TAX
dieted. The observatory at the base of
the mountain enables the scientific ex
perts to tell what the condition of the
interior of the crater may be and the
premonitory signs of an explosion are un
failingly indicated by means of the deli
cate Instruments Invented to mark the
phases of the volcano. The observatory
has now existed for 61 years, and the
predictions of past explosions have al
ways been verified. Nowadays the explo
sions of Mount Vesuvius are not accom
panied with tho disastrous consequences
they were usually supposed to bring, and
this is in a largo measure the result of
- FACES FROM THE CAMERA,
the preliminary knowledge that the vol
cano is about to burst forth. There have
been losses of life In the later explosions,
but, they were generally due to sudden
accidents, such as the flow of lava,
which killed 10 persons at tho outbreak
in the early "70s. At that time, from the
report of the professors in the observa
tory, the Inhabitants of Naples and
other near-by cities knew that the erup
tion was coming, and that it would be
possible for them to go up to the top of
the mountain and view the outbreak.
Ten persons who had taken advantage of
this opportunity were vengulfed In an un
expected outpour of lava, and died a
horrible death, says the New York Sun.
Mount Vesuvius is the eastern extrem
ity of a chain of volcanoes that reaches
to the Island of Ischla. It is eight miles
from Naples, on the eastern shore of the
bay, which Is thought to have been at
one time the great crater of a volcano,
and before the Christian era its volcanic
activities were confined chiefly to the
Island of Ischla, The base of Mount Ve-
.tiMHHMHifek- J&ttfs-Jw - jfc t wlwffaS -r .if z 'jBmkKH
suvius is more than 30- miles In circum
ference, and to the base of the cone the
ascent Is about 2300 feet. The height of
the summit varies in accordance with
the condition of the -volcano.. Its maxi
mum, taken after an eruption, was 4253
feet. The valley Atrio del Cavallo,, sepa
rates the two cones by a distance of 700
feet.
The mountain has two peaks, called
Somma and Vesuvius, at the present
time, although there Is ground for the
belief that In ancient times It had but
one. This took the form of a truncated
cone, with an uninterrupted outline. The
Rresent cone Is thought to have been
formed by the eruption of 73 A. B Al
though eruptions took place In 208, 472,
BIS. 6S5 and 993, It was not until 103S that
a. flow of lava Is reported. Then It flowed
down to the sea. Formerly only ashes
and scoriae had been ejected, and In the
eruption of 472 the ashes were carried as
far a3 Constantinople and to Tripoli. The
COLLECTORS.
mountain has significantly Increased in
size during the past century and a half,
chiefly by means of the lava which is so
frequently ejected. Some of these lavas
are so liquid In character that they flow
readily down the sides of the mountain
into tho sea, while others only move an
inch or two forward during several years.
When the lava flows slowly down, as
It did in 1S5S, It becomes wrinkled and
folded, or twisted like ropes on the chilled
surface, from the effects of the warm
lava underneath. When It rolls down
quickly, as In 1872, after that noted ex
plosion. It Js broken Into great edges
of the appearance and character of cin
ders. The greatest flow of lava ever no
ticed In any of the eruptions came in 1794,
when the stream that flowed down the
mountain was estimated to contain more
than 46.000,000 cubic feet of lava, and
reached to the sea In a mass 15 feet
high and 1204 feet wide. It can readily
bo seen how destructive such a phe
nomenon would be.
Eruptions in the present century have
been those of 1S04. 1S05, 1S09, 1813, 1S13,
1817, 1820, 1822, 1828, 1831, 1834, 183S, 1S41,
1S4S, 1847, 1849, I860, 1855, 1853, 185L 1865,
18CS and 1872. The explosion In 1822 broke
up the top of the mountain.
For nearly 1C00 years after the historic
eruption of 79, which destroyed Hercu
laneum, Pompeii and Stablae, Mount Ve
suvius was comparatively Inactive. The
historians occasionally mentioned explo
sions, but few particulars are given, and
by the end of tho 17th century the moun
tain had come to look as it was in the
times of Pliny, before the eruption of 79.
The walls of the crater, Ave miles in cir
cumference, were overgrown with trees
and vines, and at the base were broad
plains on which cattle grazed. The cen
tral tract was a lower plain covered
with loose ashes and dotted with pools of
hot, salty water. Tho eruption of 1631
was the more unexpected as It was
thought that no danger was to be antici
pated from a mountain thus covered with
foliage and affording pasturage to the
flocks of the shepherds who lived on Its
slopes. It began on December 16, and had
been preceded by earthquakes recurring
Intermittently during the preceding six
months. The violent volcanic outburst
came on unexpectedly, as the Instruments
now kept In the observatory to tell the
condition of the volcano were, of course,
not at that time In existence. The erup
tion continued until February, 1632. Dur
ing this violent and continued outburst
the cone lost so much of its height that
It was 1500 feet lower than Somma. Great
clouds of dust and stone Were belched
from the crater, and some of these were
carried, so strong was the force of the
eruption, as far as Constantinople, and
fell Into the Adriatic. The clouds of
steam that constantly flowed up from the
crtaer condensed, and formed, with the
dust, hot and muddy streams that flowed
down tho sides of tho mountain. The
flow of lava that came from the open fls-
CHINESE FINANCIERS RECKONING REVENUE
sures in the mountain ran Into the sea at
13 different points. This eruption nearly
destroyed the towns of Torre del Annun
zlata, Torre del Greco, Reslna and Portlcl,
and In spite of the warnings of the earth
quakes 18,000 persons lost their lives
through it.
The mountain has never been entirely
qulot since that outbreak. It has from
time to time broken Into eruptions,, emit
ting steam, dust and scoriae, and. less
frequently lara. Tho eruption of 1779 was
one of. tho grandest In the history of th
mountain. Great douds of white vapo
floated above the crater, and into thl
were thrown pieces of stone, fiery matte
and masses of me4ten reck. Torre del
Greco, at fhefoot of the volcano, whlca
had been TebullP- sf ton the eruption oi
1631. was again destroyed in 1794 by thl
flow of lava front" the mountain at thai
time. The- new crater formed by the exl
plosion of 1822, which continued through!
out almost the whole month of October
Is three miles In circumference and about
1400 feet deep. In 1S65 there was an erupl
tlon that nearly surrounded with lav;
some of the dwellings near the base o
the mountain. The explosion In 1SC1 wa
very .violent, but continued for cnl:
seven-"hours. It again overwhelmed Terr
del Greco, but as the weather was es
tromoly eo4d, the lava soon cooled, ani
less damage -was done taaa had been en
peoted. In the middle of November, lSq
a cone about 70 feet In diameter, forme
within the large crater during the twl
preceding years, poured out a great r.ov
of lava. Besides the principal flow frcr
the Wg crater, there was a 6tream fror
an outside orifice 20 feet In diameter ar.i
these rapidly rolled down the mountal-
The crater also constantly projected In. I
the air huge stones. This eruption ccrJ
tlnued until January. 1&&
It was on April 24, 1S72, that the nexl
great outbreak oarao. It bad been pr
ceded by warning premonitions, and It
greatest force continued from the first
outbreak for two days after.
The seismograph In the observatory haJ
begun to show signs of agitation as ear!
as 1S7L and Professor Falmlerl, In chargl
of the observatory, predicted an erupticrl
Cones formed during the year, and In the
beginning of 1S72. At this eruption ID perl
sons, who had come to the top of tv
mountain to see tho beauties of tho d
turbance, were swept under the stream
lava that suddenly broke out from differ
ent parts of the mountain. Even trj
base broke open on this occasion, arJ
tho eruption was visible at so mar
points that Palmlerl described the sltu-.l
tlon in these words: "Vesuvius sweatc
fire." From the time the manlfcstat.rr.l
began crowds of spectators came up frcrj
Naples and the other towns to wltr.csl
the wonders of the explosion every n!gh5
The observatory stood between two flex
torrents so hot that the glass wlndawl
broke. The unfortunates who pcrishci
were submerged In a flow of lava 10
feet wide that burst from a rent In thl
cone and overtook them in the Atrio dt
Cavallo. The damage to villages ani
crops In the region was more than $1,0001
000.
If the force of the eruptions at this tire)
had not abated when it did, the flow
lava would have threatened the City
Naples Itself. The lava streams on thl
occasion gave off volumes of smckq
which made them look like small voles
noes as they poured down. Heavy ralnfl
fell from the condensation of the ateaij
pouring out of the crater, and the eled
trie disturbances caused the skies to flass
with lightning. One phenomenon of thl
eruption was the projectiles hurlel
through the air with great force fror
the crater. The streets of Naples wer
covered to a depth of several Inches witl
black sand. Many persons fled from thetj
houses, others remained only becaui
they knew Professor Palmlerl was stll
In the observatory.
The observatory on Mount Vesuvlv
was founded by Ferdinand II. in 1841, anl
put under the charge of the famous phyH
iclst, Professor Mellon!. He was succeed
ed by Professor Lulgl Falmlerl, He wa
also a professor at the University of Nri
pies. Professor Palmlerl has had In thl
meteorological observatory on Vesuvlii
the opportunity to test tho disturbance
i and their causes with the greatest acct
racy, as the institution Is supplied wlti
. the most delicate Instruments. This
! his theory as to the approaching eruptlcl
of Vesuvius:
"When the central crater begins
heave with slight eruptions, one may a
ways predict a series of slight convul
sions of greater or less duration, whlcf
are preparatory to the grand explosion
after which the volcano remains for tt
most part In ropose."
Feld of the Cloth of Gold.
A talo of the olden time.
A tale by minstrels told.
How they held a royal tournunent
On a field of tho cloth of gold.
Only Kings and Princes strove
And Knights of high degree.
For the base-born churl might not eontec
In tho ranks of chivalry.
And the story echoes still
From those far days of old.
Though they aro dust who rodo the lists
On the field of the cloth of gold.
Here In a happier ago.
And In a wide, free land.
Where rank on rank, Uko soldiers tall.
The tawny cornfields stand,
A million sunflowers spread
Their glories, fold on fold.
To make the woof and to weave the web
Of a, field of tho cloth of geld.
Woven of earth and air.
Star dew and burnln: noon.
A darzle of yellow flame by day,
Pale gold In the argent moan.
Along the bronzlnjr slopes.
Wide to the Autumn sun.
As bright in hue as Banae's robe
And rich as silk unspun.
A million sunflowers spread A
Their glories, fold on fold.
To make the woof and to weave the web
Of a. field of the cloth of gold.
Loulso A. McGafley in Chicago Postl
Oar Naval Terror.
The excellent work of the Holland
pedo-boat at Newport shows that her el
flclency has not been at all overrated
RETURN:.
her inventor. The United States mlg
have have had this -terrible engine of wa
as potential in its effect on the Imagli
tlon as in Its effect on the sides cfj
helpless man-of-war, long ago, had r
hidebound bureaucrats held the matt
under advisement.
As It is, says an exchange, the
marine boat Is winning all along the lit.
both here and abroad, and even the
conservative of bureau officials have
recognize-tho new situation.