Items of Interest March 25, 1905 Issue

Items of Interest

Professor Robert Francis Harper of the University of Chicago, who is director of the expedition of the Oriental Exploration Fund, now in Assyria, has received a telegram announcing that the work of excavating the ruins of Bismya, which was suspended last autumn, is to be resumed by permission of the Turkish Government. Bismya, which has been identified as the adab of ancient inscriptions, is one of the most ancient of Babylonian cities and flourished possibly as early as 4000 or 5000 B.C. No history of the place has ever been discovered and tradition does not record the name of the ruling dynasty. The site is between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, ninety miles southeast of Bagdad.

A despatch from Minister Bowen at Caracas confirms the report as to the proceedings against the French Cable Company by the Venezuelan Government. Mr. Bowen says; "A suit has been begun by the Venezuelan Government against the French Cable Company to annul its concession and seize its properly," It is assumed that the action is similar to that in the case of the Bermudez Asphalt Company, where the Venezuelan Government declared that the company had forfeited its concession by failing to live up to its understanding to exploit other resources of the country besides asphalt and to open certain rivers to navigation. The French minister at Caracas has been instructed to inform the Venezuelan authorities that the proceedings must close. Two warships have been ordered to the scene.

Dr. Perrine, of the Lick Observatory, discovered a seventh satellite of Jupiter. The discovery of the seventh moon was made on January 6, the day following the announcement of the discovery of the sixth satellite. Whether these new satellites are revolving around Jupiter in the same direction as the five inner satellites, or in an opposite direction, is not known. The planes of their orbits make a considerable angle with each other and large angles with the plane of Jupiter's equator. The distances of the two satellites from Jupiter are probably between six and eight million miles.

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