MISCELLANEA.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 120, 27 February 1872, Page 7

MISCELLANEA.

—O — The falling off in the wool-clip of Tasmania last year was nearly a million and a-half pounds weight, owing chiefly to the enormous increase of rabbits in that island. A Western journalist, whose wife had just presented him with twins, and who for that reason was compelled to neglect his paper for one day, wrote, on the next day, the following excuse :— ■“ We were unable to issue our paper yesterday in consequence of the arrival of two extra males.” In reply to a New Zealand correspondent, the sporting editor of the Australasian says : —Eight miles have never yet been fairly walked in one hour. Wcsthall did seven and a half in 58min. 25sec. Stockwell, of Camberwell, is now the best and fairest walker in England. In a match with Davidson in 1870, he walked one mile in Gmin. 50sec., two miles in 14min. 1-lsec., three miles in 21miu. 33sec., four miles in 29min. 13sec., live miles in 3(imin. 51 sec. and six miles in 44min. 59sec. These are the fastest times ever fairly walked. The Kijneton Guardian states that a piece of solid rock has been found imbedded in the heart of a tree by a splitter working on Mount Macedon. The stone is an irregular cube, the sides varying from four to live inches, and it was found in the centre of an otherwise sound tree, of the variety known to splitters as cedar, but which is, wo believe, a description of lightwood. The man has sawn from the tree the block (A wood in which the stone was found ; but, beyond a slight discolouration, extending for about an eighth of an inch, there appears no symptoms of decay. At the luncheon after the consecration of a new church at Fa;it the other day, by the Bishop of Manchester, the chairman, the Kev. E. H. Aldridge, said he recently had a conversation with one of his parishioners, who had been dining with Mr John Bright. He put the question to Mr Bright—“ What is your opinion of the Prince of Wales in his private life i” Mr Bright replied that the Prince of Wales was a very good-natured fellow—-a man not at all devoid of intellect, but rather above the average ; that lie was wishful to do eveiything right and proper, but that his good-nature sometimes led him into appearances of indiscretion, because people magnified any little thing in a public man into indiscretion. He (Mr Bright) believed the Prince to be a very good-natured | and nice man. Hates and Queries has the following epitaph on a clockinaker iu Lydford churchyard, in Devon: —“ Here lies, in a horizontal position, the outward case of George Boutleigh, watch- | maker, whose abilities in that line were a i credit to his profession. Integrity was the ! mainspring and prudence the regulator of all j the actions of his life. Humane, generous, | and liberal, his band never stopped until he 'had relieved distress. So nicely regulated | were all his motions that he never went i wrong, except when set agoing by people I who did not know his key ; and even then he was easily set right again. He had the art of disposing of his time so well that his i hours glided away in a perpetual round of i pleasure and delight, till an unlucky minute put a stop to his existence. He departed this life on the 14t'x November, 18 12, aged 57, —wound up in the hopes of being thoroughly cleansed and repaired, and set agoing in the next world.”—The above, it is said, was written by the man himself. The Melbourne Ai>c says : —Wo may soon | expect a fa hioii in noS 's, just as there is a ! fashion iu the colour of the hair, the cut of a j coat, and the style of a hat. Hitherto mor- ! tills have been under the impression that | they must be content with the nose that naI ture gave them, and many a young lady i whose nose has been rather too much of a snub has mourned over the fact, but has nevertheless felt it to be incurable. Better days have, however, dawned for those who have unfortunately unhandsome noses. The following advertisement, copied from a London paper, assures relief to those discontented with their noses: —“ Nose Machine. — This is a contrivance which, applied to the nose for an hour daily, so directs the soft cartilage of which the member consists, that an ill- | formed nose is quickly shaped to perfection. 1 Anyone can use them, and without pain. ’ : The cost of these articles is very moderate, and the advertiser is a tradesman well-known for bis cosmetics, depilatories, and similar | articles. The Cxirlr-don Herald of a recent date says: —We have “interviewed” a few of those of our residents who lately took it into j their heads to visit the reefs at Inaugahua. There is but one opinion dominant amongst I them, and that is that the excitement anent the reefs is six months premature. One gentleman informs us—and Ins case is doubtless the same as the rest —-that he spent much money and obtained little information. He | saw reefs and gold, but ibe wherewithal to 1 work the same properly will not be iu readiness for a few months ; and until these are j got into working order, and something more than specimen crushiugs take place, nothing jean be positively known of the real value of I the reefs, however much maybe surmised. Trade is overdone in every branch. There j are numbers of people rushing there in order j to behold the district with their naked eves, ! and as quickly rushing back to the place from i whence they came ; whilst the two townships | are overrun with all classes of people (the loafing element predominating), who, Micawber like, are waitiing for “ something to turn up.' ! Several machines are in course of erection— I several more have been, or are being, sent f >r ; but the next crushing and scraping, we believe, will not like place till r^' r 'd L;* 5 middle ot March.