MISCELLANEOUS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1128, 14 December 1883, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

A piece cut from the rook Garnhideen of tiethsemane will be the eorner-stone of a new Roman Catholic Cathedral ac Richmond, Y.A. Bishop Keane, who is now in the Holy Land, has selected it, and it bears the seal of Franciscan Fathers .of Jerusalem in proof that it is genuine. For seeking out and punishing crimes in France, an army of 200,000 individuals is engaged, costing 41. 694, 720 francs, while the amount expended for primary public instruction is only 20,034,916 franca. The Pope is suffering from rheumatism, partly brought about by the capricious chai acter of the climate of Italy. He is also hurt by the constant tension of superintending every report g-mt out from the Vatican, and anxiety about [the state of Catholic affairs in France and Ireland.

Tne gigantic efforts of the Laud Nationalisation Society do not appear to have met with much success. The appeal to che hungry million, who are to have ns much km! as they want for next to nothing, has only brought iu subscriptions to the amount of L2OO for a very meagre list of subscribers. Possibly the working men of England are not such fools as some suppose them to be. They may not think the system of universal plunder suggested quite feasible, or they may have even entertained some doubts as to the morality of the thing. The invitation to toil not, neither to spin, at other people’s expense, is scarcely .good enough, Sir Julius Benedict, despite his advanced years, is said contemplate a visit to America. He last landed in that country in company; with Jenny land. Mr T). B. Kagenaar, ot the University .of Utrecht, has invented a novel system of re gistering the speed of trains when passing over bridges. At each end of the bridge is placed a pedal, fixed against the rad so as to be depressed by each wheel of the train as it passes. Each depression of the pedal makes contact in an electro magnetic circuit, which acts on needles placed on' a cylinder situated at any convenient distance. The cylinder revolves by a clockwork movemont at a uniform speed, and is covered with a sheet of paper. While no train passes, the needles mark this with straight parellel lines ; hut the passage of each wheel of the train causes a deflection of the ueedb s and the length of bridge and rate of revolution of 1 he cylmder being known, the speed of the train at both points is easilv ascertained. Mr Basil Chamberlain, an English gentleman now in Japan, is actively engaged in forming a large collection of sketches of scenery and costumes of the Japan se stage, besides honks, illustrated and otherwise. Viearing upon theatrical performances in that country. His object, we understand, is that of introducing Japanese fashions upon the English stage in connection with a drama of Japanese life. The Japan Weekly Mail gives publicity to a terrible story which comes by telegram from Hiroshima. It is to the effect that on the night of September 3, at about 10 o’clock, a fire broke out at the gaol, and spread with such rapidity that all the buildings from the Ist to the 12th ward were destroyed in a very space of time. In each ward 30 to 80 criminals are confined, and it is stated that the occupants of the fourth and fifth wards, 61 persons in all, were burned to death, while 158 prisoners were more or less severely injured. One hundred and twenty escaped, but of these 15 were re-captured the same nignt.