EXTRACTS FROM EXCHANGES.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 80, 23 May 1871, Page 7

EXTRACTS FROM EXCHANGES.

The Btu'optcm Mail says that on Thurs-* day, Feb. 10, at 9. p.rn., a London establishment received a message which had been sent, vid Teheran, from Kurrachee, India, on Friday, Feb. 1 1, at 12.43 a,in. The message was, therefore, received in London the day before it was sent from India ! The time actually occupied by the message in transmission was 50 minutes ; the sun would require 4 hpurs 20 minutes to do the same distance, and as the message was sent so soon after midnight, the extraordinary effect is produced of its arriving the previous evening. The members of the Ministry (says the Wellington correspondent of the Daily Times) still adhere to their policy of pen viding for their friends at the public ex-* pense, anil the latest instance of this has created some little amusement. Recently a steamer brought from Melbourne a man of the name of Edwin, formerly a. lieutenant in H.M.S. Falcon, and, to the intense astonishment of most people, it soon became known that he had come out from England for the purpose of taking an appointment in the Marine Department—* that of Examiner of Masters, or something of the kind. The office is an entirely new one, and entirely unnecessaryj but there is a good salary attached to it. The reason why this gentleman was brought out from England to fill it may perhaps be found in the fact that he ii also to be married to a sister-in-law of Mr Gisborne !

There is a legend of ancient days in Melbourne (says the Thames Evening Star ), when rich diggers and money were, and prudence oftentimes was not. A digger took his bride (of half-an-hour) into a shop in Bourke street, and asked for a handsome shawl for the fair one* A shawl, value £SO, was shown, and taKein In payment the digger tendered a £IOO note. The shopman was suspicious of so large a sum, and muttered something about not having change, in hopes of getting the £SO itself. But his innocent attempt at deceit was baflled by the superior innocence of the digger, who replied, “ Oh, damn the change! give us another shawl!” I saw a shawl case on a small scale at the tollbar of the Cfrahamstown Wharf the other day. A gentleman miner, who was rich and drunk, on the sale, perhaps, of £lO worth of scrip, tendered a sixpenny silver Coin in payment. The tollkeeper had not the change, and the digger was as unwilling to trust him with so large a dim as the tollkeeper was unwilling to let the digger through on credit. Therefore a

deadlock occurred! At last the digger, with a Compound smile of ineffable satisfaction at hia wisdom and ineffable com tempt at the tollkeeper’s stupidity, passed solemnly live times backwards and forwards through the tollgate, and, saying “ there’s your change, now we are quits !” was proceeding on his way, when he found that, after al , ho Was still on the wrong side of the gate. This opened up a new train of thought for the digger, who at last put down another sixpence, and bestowing a benediction on the change, disappeared through the turnstile. Some young rascals were annoying an old gentleman by snowballing his house. He rushed out and caught a youngster who was standing on one side and looking on, and thinking him to he one of the offenders, began to administer a severe (logging. But, to his surprise, the harder he whipped the harder he laughed, until he stopped and sought an explanation. “ Well,” said the hoy, “ I’m laughing because you’re awfully sold; I ain’t the boy.’’

Eccuxtrlcities of Authors: By Josh Bii.linOs.— Buiwor rit “ Night and Mornin.” What lie did with the rest of the day is not stated. Collins rit “ After Dark.” Perhaps he couldn’t write so well by day. Le Fanu rit “ All in the Dark.” I don’t see how he could do it without a lite. How could he dot the i’s or kress the t’s 1 Some orthor wrote “ Bound in the Wheel.” An unkumfortablo possislum tu rite in, hound to a wheel. Thunder ! Gilmore rote “ Four Years in the Saddle,” so tis sed. He must have had a “quiet horse.” Some orther wrote “ All for the Best.” That must have been Seward ; that’s him klean throo. Miss Mulock rote “ Nothing New.” This could be said of many others with propiiety. Harrington rit “ Inside.” 1 take it for granted that most people do. It wouldn’t bn kumfortablo ritein on the sidewalk in rain, Some orther who didn’t give his name rote “Altogether Wrong.” Many heV copied from his stile, but hev had the ofruntory to give us their names, hein lost to shame. Mrs Mackenzie Daniels rote “After Long Years.” Sensible woman, If sum ov the rest ov cm would wait tIH they get to the age of discretion, it wquld be better for eff konccmcd,