MISCELLANEOUS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 585, 4 July 1873, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

—o — A Montreal paper says that the managers of a reformatory school in that city have had a boy, who attempted to escape, confined for three weeks in total darkness, in a coll three feet s pure an I six feet high, without seat, bed or bedding. He is condemned to remain there two weeks longer, and it is the opinion of physicians that the punishment is sufficient to produce derangement of the intellect. A Chinaman was sumitoohed as a witness in New York, and to ascertain his views o . the nature of an oath, the Judge asked him what would he his punishment if he should swear to lies. “ 1 shall never return to China, hut always remain in New York,” was the reply, and he was at. once sworn. At length (Says an English journal) we possess definite statistics showing the Herman losses in the war with France. The total number, killed, wounded, and missing, amounts to 127,898. Of these there were killed in act’on 17,572 ; those who died afterwards front their wounds numbered 10,715; from sickness, 12,253 ; from accidents, 31G ; from suicide, 30 ; the total number who died being thus 40,881, including 1534 officers. During the war there were no Jess than 1599 encounters with the enemy which were attended with loss of life. Mr. Barnum hat several elephants in training for his travelling show. They are taught to dance, to turn the organ, and to perform various other feats. One of these elephants died recently. The news was s art to Mr. Barnum, "written on the back of a card, by the elephant trainer, and read as follows :—“Mr. Barnum one of the elefahts is ded. He dyed uf bhformation.” “ That’s all right,” said Barnum ou reading the letter, “A\e must not teach elephants so much. They can’t stand a high degree of education. Our giving this animal such a stock of ‘ enformation’ has cost mo 10,000 dollars. Hereafter confine them to the rudiments.” A Californian paper reports that an hotel chambermaid laid aside her broom a few days ago, and on calling for a settlement, told her employer that she had been dabbling in stocks for a year or more, and had something more than 1,009,000 dol. as a result. An American Editor asks his subscribers to pay him, so that ho can pay off the same jeko on his ere litovs.

A maori lady of r nk, travelling as Mrs. Tai Pari, and daughter of a chief of that name, was amongst the passengers that arrived at Melbourne by the s.s. Hero, from Auckland. We have to acknowledge the receipt of the last number of the New Zealand lllushaled Herald. The engravings are as usual very good, but of New Zealand scenery there is but one, the Maori Market at Auckland, we also acknowledge the rettelft of No. 9 of the New Zealand Tablet. A good story is told of a lady whose husband died far away from home, aud it took so long for his remains to reach her that his relic had quite recovered from her grief, and was giving a fine luncheon party when they finally arrived. A waggon drove up to the door aud a large box was handed out. Curiosity ran high among the ladies at the vv indow, and with one accord they exclaimed : “Why, Mrs. Jones, what can that he!” Up went Mrs. Jones’s eyeglasses, and after a glance, she cooly said—“ Why, it must he Jones come home. Charley, run dewn and open the door for your father.” A Massachusetts editor lost a paying subscriber by death the other day, which called forth the following editorial tribute to the memory of the deceased :—“ Death seems to lurk behind every rail fence and haystack in this vicinity, and He in wait for our prominent and choicest citizens. To day we sea it, tomorrow we don’t. Ah! who can tell what may bring forth in such a cou utry as this ? Death has again turned a flip-flap, and come down flat-footed in our midst, and snatched from among us one of the best advertisers and subscribers we ever had. He possessed the love, confidence, aud ■esteem of all who knew him, and some who did not, and, save a slight poker debt to Air. the world.” The Melbourne correspondent of the South Australian Advertiser is’responsible for the following “ Some short time ago a Board was appointed to take 'chargo of the parcels left in the hands of the Government when the escort service was broken up, and to report on their contents, the value of which, when once realised, was to be carried to the credit of the Colonial trust funds. Very nice parcels most of these I ,were to he lookedat—carefully packed, neatly addressed, and apparently stuffed either with gold or hank notes, some of them probably with both ; but which had never been called for, and still lack then proper owners. On opening numbers one, two, and three, they were found to contain lead, not gold, and the addresses had probably been altered by some of the rascally receivers of those days to prevent their being called for the fictitious addresses. Numbers four, live, and six were found to contain rolls of closely packed cap or brown paper, not hank notes, so man’pulated, doubtless by the same persons, and for the same reasons. Still there was a considerable number containing gold, which was deposited in the Mint, and bank notes, for which cash was immediately procured.” Some statistics published by a French paper show the density of population in the great centres of humanity throughout the globe. There are nine cities having a poj U 1 lanon estimated at or exceeding cn;jmi)lion souls—viz., Loudon, 3,251,000-; Foochow, 2.000. ; Paris, 1.825,000 : Pekin, 1,048,000; Yeddo, 1,551,003 ; Canton, 1.230.000 ; Constantinople, 1,095,000 ; Liang-tau, in the province of Hunan, 1.000. : and Tohan-tchaou-foo, in the province of Foke'u, 1,000,000. It appears from these figures that, though London holds the first place, the Chinese Empire possesses more populous cities tlian all the civilised States of the West. The number of cities having a population ranging from above half a million is twelve, viz., New York, Vienna, Berlin, Hangow, Philadelphia, St. Petersburg, Bombay, Calcutta, Fowdrow, Tchckirrg, Bangkok, and Kioto. Twenty cities have a population of from 300.000 to 400,000 inhabitants, 33 of from 200.000 to 300,000, and 99 of irom 100,000 to 200,000 inhabitants. Europe alone possesses 171 cities containing firore than 50.000 Inhabitants, at the head of which stands London, Paris, Constantinople, Vienna. Berlin; and St. Petersburg.