MISCELLANEOUS.

Dunstan Times, Volume 643, Issue 643, 14 August 1874, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

—o— The softer the head the harder the work of driving anything into it. The higher we take a thermometer up a mountain the lower it gets. A bachelor friend compares a shirt-but-ton to life, because it often hangs by a thread.

Suitable apSrtnlent for a castle in the air.—A brown study'. The young widow who was buried in grief is now alive and doing well It is only' another instance of premature Interment.

Colonel Brett in the Legislative Council said he had promised his wife to vote against “The deceased Wife’s Sister’s Bill, ns she had a handsome sister of whom she was jealous. The Figaro newspaper, evor'given to surprises, announces as a premium to subscribers a watch, which, in addition to other marvels, will remind them when subscriptions are due. Caution.—Host : “Just another wee drap ’fore you go .” Guest: “ Na, na, a’ll tak’ liae malr ! j I’m in a new lodging’, and I’ no fvera weel acquainted wi 1 ’ the stair !”—Bunch. ftTlie American lady tb whom tile young Duke Nicholas, of Russia, gave his mother’s stolen diamonds' is now in Paris, with the jewels, worth 500,000 francs, in her possession. Shells described-las intelligent and beautiful ,|§TlieJDuke is_ said to be madly jin love with her. Admirable is that law of Geneva (says Montesquien) which excludes front the magistracy, and even from admittance into the great Council the ehildrenof those who have lived and died insolvent, except they have discharged their fathers’-debt#. It has thisjeffect : it gives a confidence in the merchants, in the magistrates, and in the city itself. There tho£creditjfef;the individual has still all the weight of public credit. The West Coast Times states that two new brands of liquors have been introduced into tlrat market. W r e scarcely think that ministers, past and present, read the advertising columns of;this journal, but if they do they' will see that liquors, imported by Mr Meier, host of the Diggers’ Arms, have been named after the present Premier, one as the Julius Duppcl Kummel, and another after Mr Fox as the Fox Gin. The horror of Mr Fox, should he. see his name associated with ’girt, bnay bo JnVaginod but_canuot bo described.

The Boston (Massachusetts) Journal gives the following riccount ofjan attack on the barque Kate Williams, Captaia Hale, of the regular'packet'Tme between Boston and Fayal, on her last voyage to Boston where she recently arrived :—“About nine o’clock one miming, a seaman aloft cried out that there was a whale on the port bow. Captain Hale stepped on to the port quarter, and almost j immediately 'could have laid his hand on the upper jaw of a sperm whale, Which had paid an unwelcome visit to the'ship. It was a cow whale, about 60ft. in length, which upon J them, and had she struck the vessel a little further under the Kate Williams would probablyjuover have heenj.heard from after leaving Fayal. As it was the vessel received a pretty good shock, and lost a portion of her mizen.channels. This monster had seen the barque about the time .the sailor discovered her, for she immediately sank and came wi*h great force right at the vessel’s .stern. Captain Hale thinks her mouth measured at least loft., and her under jaw was felt to scrape at the bottom of the vessel, as she glided away from her unexpected enemy. The .whale fared as badly as the barque, no doubt, for the quarter-deck was covered with the leviathan’s outer skin'nud the ‘mud’ that is found between it and the tougher hide. The Kate Williams was sailing rapidly at the time, and in fifteen minutes the fish was out of sight. While the latter could bo soon, she appeared to he swimming about looking for the vessel, and evidently in a rage.” Some seven years ago, a minor named Jerry M’Grath was accidentally killed at the Brighton Diggings, nortli of the Grey, thou known as Fox’s rush. He died intestate, and was possessed of a considerable amount of hioney, of which a sort of distribution was made among h ; s surviving relatives, an unmarried sister administering the estate, and becoming residuary legatee of a greater portion of the assets. This woman has since been married, and her husband is now going through the Insolvent Court. At the last sitting of the District Court in Bankruptcy hold at Ahaura, before His Honor Judge Harvey, his wrife was examined as to a sum of money supposed to be in her possession, or under her control, part of the product of her deceased brother’s estate. Daring the examination a very interesting and characteristic document came before the Court. It was an account for spirituous comforts supplied to the mourners at M’Grath’a funeral, and to neighbors and other visitors during the lying in state previous to the funeral obsequies taking place. Judging from the quantity of .“consolation” provided for the bereaved friends of the departed, the immortal Finigau was not the only person at whoso “ there was lots of fun. Subjoined is a copy of this unique hill of costs, which was presented for payment to the Curator of Intestate Estates: October 30.—Two bottles of brandy, 16s. j three bottles port wine, ISs. ; 11. 14s. 31st. Eighteen bottles brandy, 1445. j two boxes of cigars, 50s. ; sixteen bottles claret, 80s. : four bottles gin, 325.; eighteen bottles port wine. 108s, ; ale and porter, 72a. ; lemonade, ginger-beer, &c., 30s. ; use of room and attendance, 50s. Total, 301. Ilia Honor remarked that payment of this account had been very properly refused by the Curator, and also stated that he should cause au inquiry to be made as to Mrs D.vvcy’s administration of tho estate of M’Grath,—Urey Eiver Argus, ' __ ,