MISCELLANEOUS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 541, 30 August 1872, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Three men in a fishing boat on Niagara Eiver, on the 24th of April, ran against a rock, and their boat capsi-ing, all three were carried down by "the rapids and over Niagara Falls. A literary gentleman, a believer in spiritualism, said that he was himself the subject of spiritual influence under which he always wrote bis articles, thus being in the work of authorship, a medium. “That,” remarked a pleasant friend, “may account for your mediocrity. ” — Punch. Teacher: “ What bird did Noah send out of the ark?” Smallest boy in the class (after a pause) “A dov=-,sir.” Teacher: “Very well But I should have thought some of you big boys would have known that!” Tall pupil: “Please, sir, that boy ought to know, sir,’ cause his father’s a bird-ketcher, sir!”— Punch. Lady Baker repeats the following observation of the captain of a steam launch in the Solent:—“We was steaming away as merrily as could he, sir, going all round the island. We had started very early, and we was to breakfast on board. The company had just bad their wittles served up to’em in the state cabin, and [ was easing her a bit out of consideration to their feelings when one gentleman calls out, ‘Why is she going so slow, skipper?’ Before I can answer a word, or explain why I was going half-speed, a young gentlemen—he was very sick before the day was over—sings out, ‘Oh, don’t you know ? The Stewart has just filled up our tea-pot, and in coorse the boiler is empty; it only holds a pint or so !’ Now I put it to you, sir, if that wasn’t a mortifying thing to a man on board his own boat?” Sir Thomas Eoe took out some English mastiffs to India, as a present for the Great Mogul; they were of matxellous courage. One of them’leaped overboard to attack a shoal of por poises and was lost. Only two of them lived to reach India They travelled each in a little coach to Agra: one brokeloose by the way, fell upon a large elephant, and fastened on his trunk; the elephant, at last succeeded in hurling him off. This story delighted the Mogul, and these dogs inconsequence came to'as extraordinary a fortune as Whittington’s cat. Each bad a palankeen to take the air in, with two attendants to bear him, and two more to walk on each aide and fan off the flies, The Mogul had a pair of silver tongs made, that he might when he pleased feed them with his own hand. —Cassell's Natural History.