SECULAR NEWS | AdventAI

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 22, 1878

SECULAR NEWS.

—The railroads are beginning to refuse to carry mails for the compensation the Government allows.

—The largest flour mill in the world is now being built at Niagara Falls. Capacity, 1,200 barrels per day.

—The number of deaths in San Francisco during the year 1877–78 was 4,977 against 6,170 the previous year.

—The entire yield of wheat in Michigan this year is 30,000,000 bushels, an average of from 19 to 20 bushels per acre.

—For 151 regiments England has 828 generals, about 1,300 colonels, and nearly 2,000 lieutenant-colonels. The United States has one general and three major-generals.

—The Mechanics' Institute Industrial Exhibition opened in San Francisco on the 13th, and bids fair to be a success.

—Stanley is said to have agreed to make another exploring trip through the continent of Africa, at the expense of the king of Belgium.

—The total length of railroads in the world at the end of 1876, was 184,002 miles. America has nearly as much as Europe. The United States have 74,095.

—An English paper states that the slave trade in Zanzibar is largely on the increase, owing to the withdrawal of the cruisers, which leaves 2,000 miles of coast unwatched.

—Strong proof of the rapid stride which education has made in France is derived from the fact that only 4,992 of the 294,382 men admitted into the army last year were unable to read and write.

—The Brandon (Miss.) Republican says that lands can be purchased in that State for 10 cents an acre, while whisky costs 15 cents a drink; and yet there are people that are landless who spend $1 a day for whisky.

—The Primitive Methodists of England have flourishing missions in Australasia. At the annual meeting of their missionary society, held recently, it was reported that there are 95 ministers and missionaries.

—The total expenses of Russia during the late war, including its issues of paper money and its outstanding debts, were, up to the 24th of June last, considering the depreciation of the rouble, about $592,800,000.

—Upward of 600,000 acres of land are now set apart in New Zealand, to provide funds for educational establishments. There is a university whose degrees are recognized as equal to those of the English universities.

—The cotton crop of the present year will be the largest since the war, and is estimated at 4,700,000 bales. In 1859-'60 the crop amounted to 4,861,000 bales; 1670-'71, 4,437,000 bales; 1875-'76, 4,632,000 bales; 1876-'77, 4,474,000 bales.

—August 17, the Mormon Temple at St. George, Southern Utah, was struck by lightning, which demolished the dome, blackened the ceiling and tore up the floors and plastering. This makes the third temple struck by lightning since the organization of the Mormon church. The first was at Kirtland, Ohio; the second at Nauvoo, Illinois, and the third at St. George.

—Sixty-seven failures were reported in New York city in July, in which the aggregate liabilities amounted to $5,738,171, and the assets were estimated at $2,702,442. This shows an increase of thirteen failures and $1,400,000 of liabilities, compared with the record for the previous month, and an increase of 50 per cent in number and double the amount of assets compared with July, 1877.

—America's contributions to the Old World carried by ocean steamers are varied. The cargo of the lost Idaho comprised 141 packages of agricultural implements, 77,000 pounds of bacon, 98 packages of clocks, 17,311 bushels of corn, 1,994 bales of cotton, 94 bales of hops, 58 horses, 200 tons of fresh meat, 75 tierces of salt meat, two cases of machinery, 5 pianos, 12 kegs of ink, 25,258 bushels of wheat, and 12 packages of manufactured wood.