n is kept up until 10 o'clock every night.

Of items thrown out this evening, I remember only these: from Europe,
that the Pan-Catholic Council of the three historical churches (so
called), has decided to admit the precedence, but not the supremacy, of
the Pope over the Patriarch of the Greek Church and the Anglican
Primate. Between the latter two, the question of relative rank has not
yet been decided. From Asia, report comes of a terrible battle between
the Persians and the invading Tartar army, in which the latter was
defeated, with great loss on both sides. All the European and American
ambassadors are instructed to urge the conclusion of this useless but
ferocious war. From Africa, we are told of the election of a new
President, of Dutch descent, for the South African Federation. Of United
States intelligence of to-day, I am most interested to learn that the
intercollegiate prize for oratory, at Washington, for which the students
of twenty-five colleges competed, has been awarded to Miss Minnie
Stephens, a young lady of Atlanta, Georgia.

* * * * *

The International Weather Signal Service now covers, in its
communications, all portions of the globe. Predictions, or at least
indications, for three days ahead, are posted daily at Washington
(whence they are sent to our other American cities), and at London,
Berlin, St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Bombay, Calcutta, Canton, Tokio,
Cairo, Cape Town, Sydney, Rio Janeiro, Lima, Havana, and Vera Cruz.

What a practical comment upon the uselessness of our petty standing
regular army of twenty-five thousand men is the act of Congress just
passed, making West Point a school for Signal Service officers, and for
training those preparing for Arctic, Antarctic, and Ocean-dredging
explorations!

Speaking of institutions of education, the National University has
completed its endowment of six million dollars, and has commenced its
organization by the appointment of a Board of Directors. It is to be
located at Chicago, St. Louis, or Omaha, as the Board shall conclude.
For the President of this University, an evening paper rather lightly
says: "so much difficulty exists in selecting an individual belonging to
this world, combining all the desired requisites, that it is in
contemplation to wait (our moon being uninhabited) until one can be
obtained from the planet Mars, or possibly Jupiter. The latter will no
doubt be best,--as one who can bear the