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Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 579, 17 November 1871, Page 2

The Chief of the Bureau of Statistics estimates that the sales of dqu >r in the United States iv the li»eal year ending ou the 30th of June lasr, amounted to sis hundred millions of dollars. These iiguivs tell their owu story. This sum, according to the estimate of the Bureau, wouhi pity for 10,000,000 barrels of llour, averaging 2% barrels of flour to every man, woman and child in the country,. This llour, if placed in wagons, ten barrels in each, would require 10,000,000 teams, which, at eight yards to each, would extern 1 43,455 miles, nearly twice round the earth, or half tody to the moon 1 If the sum were iv $1 notes, it would take 100 persons <no year to count them. If spread on the surface of the ground, so that no space should be left between the notes, the area covered would be 24,416 acres, forming a parallelogram of six by a litt'e over 5J miles, the walk round it being more than 22.* miles ! Of course, this sum does not embrace the indirect cost resulting from crime, pauperism, and other evils of the liquor traffic.

In an amusing work lately published, " Travels of a pioneer of commerce in pigtail and petticoats, or an overland journey from China towards India," Mr Cooper, the author and traveller, relates tiicfollowing adventure :■—tie was ju-t halting for breakfast, after leaving the Thibetan town of tfathang, when a group of younj; girls, gaily dressed and decked . withgarlands of flowers, came out of a grov« and surrounded him, some of them holding his mule, while others assisted him to alight, He was tlieu led into the grove, where he found'!a feast being prepared, and after he had eaten and smoked his pipe, the girls came up to him again, " pulling along in their midst a pretty girl of. sixteen, attired iv a silk dress, and adorned with garlands of flowers. " I had already noticed," Mr, Cooper continues, "this girl sitting apart from the others during the meal, and was very much astonished when she was reluctantly dragged up to me, aud made to seat herself by my side ; and my astonishment was considerably heightened^ when the rest of the girls, began to dance round us in a circle, singing and throwing their garlands over myself and my companion." Tho meaning ol Litis performance was, however, soon made clear to Mr. Cooper. He had been married without knowing it. At first, he tried to escape the li ability entailed upon him ; but such an outcry was made by all the people round that ho was forced to carry off his bride. Ho managed to get rid of her before very long by transferring her to one of liar relations, but even that, was uot treated ua a dissolution of the marriage. On his way back he was joined one day by a Thibetan dame, of about thirtyfive years old, who announced herself as his wife's mother, and said she had come, with the consent of herhusband, to supply Jber daughter | place. We can welt imagine Mr. Cooper's surprise at meeting with this novel proposal on the part of his mother-iu law. .

Who is the most successful surveyor, on record ?—Alexauder Selkirk, for he became "monarch of all he surveyed."— The AHornfa ,