MISCELLANEOUS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 421, 13 May 1870, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

A good story is that of an Australian magnate, whose health was proposed at a banquet given in his honor. He declined to make a speech in reply: “ Gentlemen,” said he, “What you have said is doubtless Hue, and certainly ag 'cable ; but I never made but one speech in iny life before a large number of people, and, short as it was, the result was so unfortunate that I

made up my rn'ml never to make SuYotheV On further inquiry, it was found that the speech in question was made at the Old Bailey. It consisted of “ Not Guilty, my Lord.” yet the result was transportation for life.

A correspondent of La Crosse, Wins'Consin, whose chief pleasure appears to be in realing the concluding pages of each number of this periodical, mentions an incident that occux’rod at a lecture given in that locality on the naughty hiibit of gambling. The reverend lecturer said: “ You take a hand at cards, and commence playing. You bet twenty-five cents ; the next man goes fifty cents better; the next ‘ sees’ it, and goes fifty cents better ; and I raise it to one hundred dollars. 1 ' Refold going further 1 an old player, ■frho had just dropped in to hear what a preacher could say about “ keerds, ” made the remark, iii tones a little too audible : “Ey the Lord* old fel'ow, you must have had a ‘flush.’” —“ Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.” What becomes of acl the Ci«ar Tips Men may' be observed picking them np in the streets, and we conceive a vague horrid idea that they are somewhat reproduced for consumption in another form. So they areinParis, There is much more smoking in the streets of Paris than in those of London ; and no one there can fail to meet ,in the course of the day,some individual pick ing up bits of cigars. The whole morning is occupied in picking up ends of cigars in the public thoroughfares, and also to purchasing] them from the waiters at different cafes. This, by the way, is an important perquisite for the waiters, for though often trodden under foot and half buried in sand, the refuse of cigars found under the tables yields a goodly revenue at the year’s end, W x m the harvest is gathered it is placed in a large pocket bid within the telds of ail aliple cloak, and the possessor thereof proceeds to the river side, and notably near the Pont xle la Concorde, Here begins the cleansing and cutting process. For cutting the tools consists of a very sharp knife, a sharpening stone, and a square piece of wood. The tobacco, carefully hacked into mfnute pieces, is arranged in little boxes or packets, each of which is sold for about two shillings. The same amount of ordinary tobacco would cost fonr times as much. It will be anxiously demanded - -who buys this tobacco? There are. said to be about two hundred pex-sons in Paris, whose whole lives are devoted to the business of picking upcigarsbut this must be an exaggeration. A good day’s work at the utilization of cigar ends is worth from two to four shillings.