Varieties.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 368, 28 May 1903, Page 7

Varieties.

UNIQUE PRISON INCIDENT. BT is somewhat cu aoua that a remarkable incident in'tho history of Newgate appears' to hwe been overlooked by writers of obituary notieea of the historic gaol. In 1808 a Crown subp ceaa, Bigned by the late Lord Chief Justice, was issued, ordering' Mrs.. Dwyer, the notorious child murderess, who was lying at Newgate under sentence of death, to give evidence at the trial of her daughter, Mrs. Palmer, on a date subsequent to that appointed for her own execution. The prison authorities were in a quandary, for the situation was unprecedented. Eventually, however, although the subpoena was given to the chief warder, with instructions for its delivery to tbe condemned woman, service was delayed, for ultimately the Home Secretary declared that, the execution should not be postponed.

REMABKABLE PEA.T OF MEMOBY. An extraordinary feat was performed recently at Naples by the professor of rhetoric, in presence of a large audience, which was mainly composed of actors, and journalists. Without hesitation and with hardly a pauue, he repeated from memory the 15,350 lines that are in the 'Divine Comedy 'of Dante. It was eight o'clock in the evening when he began to recite, and he did not stop until a quarter-put two in the following afternoon.- The task, therefore, occupied him 1,096 minutee, which was at the rate of 830 lines an hour.. Dnring all this time he recited unceasingly, except at rare intervals, when be stopped for a minute or two to sip a little brandy and water. The feat was the result of a wager. • Only THE KING OP THE BELGIANS.' ... A good story is being told in Paris of the King of the Belgians, whose unconveutionality makes him very popular with the French. . Some time ago His Majesty was visiting a fashionable watering-plao9, and one morning he went down to have a dip.- On coming out of the water, he accidentally collided with a stout gentleman, who angrily and emphatically informed His Majesty that he mußt be more oarefnl in future. 'Do you know, sir,' he said,' that lam a member of the Paris City Council?' ' Oh, if that is the case,' replied Leopold 11., *i must really beg a thousand pardons, for am only the King 'of the Belgians.'

UP A MOUNTAIN IN A MOTOBCAB. The ascent of Mount Vesuvias in mi automobile is a feat which has lately beaa accomplished for tbe first time, probably, by Count Carl Schonborn, Secretary. of the Austrian Automobile Club. This performance, which was not particularly dangerous, requires considerable skill and sang froid to carry ont. It was upon hit wedding trip that Connt Schpnborn had the idea of making the ascent with his young wife. The couple proceeded first to Rome, where the marriage took place at Frascati, then to Naples, and a few daya later, after having carefully determined their route in advance, they made the ascension to the upper crater,. situated at 3.7Q0 feet altitude. In spite of the complete absence of a practicable route, th« pieces of .stone scattered about, and the lava streams, the Count was able to reach the* summit of the cone in only an hour and a half. Tbe descent, which was relatively less difficult, required about two hours.

WHAT DO YOU KNOWP Hero are some questions about things you've seen every day and all your lifo. If you are a wonder you may poaaibly answer one or two of the queries offhand. Otherwise not: ■, ■,, How many toes has a cat on each fore foot P On each bind foot P Which way does the crescent moos turnP To.theright or to the left? ■ What colour are your employer's eyesf The eyes of the man at the next desk 9 Write down, offhand, the figures on the face of your watch. The odds-are that yen will make at least two mistakes in doing this. -,,,..- ■ s Tour watch has some words written or i printed on its face. You have seen these words a thousand times. Write them oat correctly. Few can do (his. Also, what is the number in the caEe of your watch P How high (in' inches) is a silk hat P ' How. many teeth have you P What iare the word.3 on a policeman's •shield? i :;,■■, --"..- a • "How many buttons has the vest or skirt waisfrybuare wearing > . . •....-,. hj How many stairs are there in the first flight at your house ? ',.'.'.. , I, How many steps lead from the street to the front door of your house or flatP A HEALTHY ' DWELLTKa HOUSE. . Do not allcw carpets to be nailed to the floor in anj room. It is a dirty plan, and in a bedroom it is little less than suicidal Stain bedroom floors when possible, or, if this cannot be done, cover them with waxcloth or linoleum. Bugs should not be too large to be frequently taken up and thoroughly cleaned. Oil painf or varnished sanitary paper is the healthiest covering for the walls of rooms. In the event of aa infections disease breaking out in the house the walls so covered can be cleaned for a mere trifle, whereas when ordinary wall-paper is in use the expense is necessarily heavy. It is an excellent rule to have few ourtains and ornaments in roomp, since they harbour dust, and maybe the germs of disoase. A' simply furnished room need not be ugly. Seal ugliness is quite compatible with useless or excessive ornamentation. Therefore Bee that every article in your room has some little claim to utility, and oan be kept clean without undue inconvenience and labcur. Don't imagine, as many do, that your drawing-room is artistic because it is littered with cheap and garish Japanese fas?, jute cushions which pretend to be silk, and bazaar photo, frames of many shapes and colours. Picture frames are notorious duetcatchers, and one should see to their being either flat-boarded at the back or strongly brown-papered, so that dust may not collect iu tufts. A room with many hollo w-backejd frames is- bound to be dirty and unhealthy. .u •■.'. Blind tapes, if whitn ones, can easily be cleaned without washing, thus : Cut or untie the knot at the bottom of the blind, and slip out the lathe. Now whiten the tapes as they hang, on both sides, with Blanche, applied with a email fiao sponge. If necessary, two coats may be applied to the tapes, which are' far easier to do if hanging than if taken down. Treated thus they last white all the summer. The laths may be wiped or sponged whilst the tapes are drying, and when they are put together again the blind looks quite -fresh. ;