It was thought at first that it was one of the birds which had been
taken by Andrée on his expedition, and that the North Pole had been
discovered.
It was found, however, that Andrée's birds were all marked "Andrée,
A.D. 1897," and after a few days of excitement and wonder, it came out
that the bird belonged to a German pigeon-flying society, and that it
had been released in Heligoland.
Carrier-pigeons are a particular breed of pigeon which have the
wonderful quality of flying home no matter how far away they are
carried.
Societies have been formed to fly these wonderful birds, and they have
been taken hundreds of miles away, over seas, to test this strange
quality.
The result has always been the same: the moment they are released they
circle round and round for a time, as if trying to make out their
bearings, and then fly off straight for home.
This attribute has made them of great value to man in many ways.
In times of war, messages have been sent by their aid.
A man has made his way out of a besieged city, taking one of the birds
with him, and by its aid has been able to send word back that he has
reached his friends and will bring the needed help.
The Emperor of Germany has just got himself into trouble over
carrier-pigeons.
Wishing to see for how long a distance they could be relied on in case
of war, he sent a messenger over to England, who carried with him a
great number of these clever birds.
They were all marked so that they could be recognized, and on the shores
of Dover, England, they were set free. Six hours after they had all
found their way back to Düsseldorf, Germany.
The despatching of these birds attracted the attention of the English
people about Dover, and when it was discovered that they were the
property of the Emperor of Germany there was a good deal of talk over
it.
The English people are always afraid that some foreign nation is going
to try and invade their country, and imagining there was some deep and
dark foreign plot underlying the pigeon-flying, they demanded of the
authorities if the German Emperor had obtained permission to fly his
birds.
When it was found that permission had neither been asked nor accorded,
the fear of a plot grew so strong that the matter was finally carried to
the House of Commons, and an explanation demanded.
The Under Secretary of War stated that the subject was already under
consideration.
* * * * *
A rock covered with curious characters has recently been discovered in
Mexico, in the mountains of the Magdalena district, state of Sonora.
The characters appeared to resemble the Chinese so closely that a
well-educated Chinaman was asked to go to see the rock and give his
opinion about it.
He had no sooner looked at it than he declared it to be a veritable
Chinese inscription. He made a copy of it, and has already translated
enough to show that the writing was cut in the stone about two thousand
years ago.
There are ten lines of characters on the parts of the rock exposed to
view.
The Chinaman who translated the inscription said it was an account of a
Chinese settlement that had once been established in the place where the
stone was found. He said that in the history of China there was a
record of an expedition which had been sent to that portion of the
western coast which is now Mexico.
If this is true, the Continent of North America was discovered by the
Chinese centuries before the time of Columbus.
Evidence is coming to light in various parts of the globe of the
tremendous journeys that were undertaken by the Chinese in the early
days of civilization.
It has lately been discovered that they at one time formed colonies in
the islands of the Pacific Ocean.
In Australia evidences have also been discovered of Chinese habitation.
* * * * *
It has been reported that King Menelik of Abyssinia has appointed a
Russian General to be the Governor-General of those provinces of
Abyssinia which lie in and around the equator.
The appointment of a foreigner to such a post shows very distinctly that
the Negus is really anxious to shed the light of civilization upon his
people.
M. de Leontieff, the Russian appointed by King Menelik, has already made
two visits to Abyssinia, and is therefore well known to the King. He was
at one time the bearer of rich presents from the Czar to the Negus.
The position which M. de Leontieff will hold under Menelik is similar to
that held by General Gordon in Egypt. Gordon found many opportunities to
improve the condition of the people under his authority, and as M. de
Leontieff is a very intelligent man, he will undoubtedly do all in his
power to help King Menelik to develop his country. G.H. ROSENFELD.
THE GREAT ROUND WORLD AND THE
PEOPLE WHO LIVED ON IT. 1144