CLIPPINGS.

Evening Star, Issue 3107, 3 February 1873, Page 2

CLIPPINGS.

Al writer in tho Australasian observes : “ There is a phase of the Carl massacre to which ! do not think any attention has been directed. The something to which I refer proves that the warlike natives captured at Bougainville Islands are men of more than savage bravery, and yet with human sympathies. In the evidence at the late trial it was deposed that, throughout the deadly fusilade into the hold of the slaver there was no cry of pain nor moan of wound. They to .k their deaths like heroes ; and yet, when a white savage seized, in order to throw overboard, the six-fingered native child, the men who had never cried out under the murderous fire of their enslavers, uttered a Sympathetic and protesting wail of anguish.” That Prussia intends to keep the whole of Sleswick, notwithstanding the fifth article of the Treaty of Prague, is now understood by the Sleswickers themselves. One of their local papers, the Sonderbory Advertiser, regards the appointment of the Emperor of Austria as colonel of the I3th Regiment of Hussars, called the Hussars' of SleswickHolatein, as a plain proof of that. “ This appointment,” it says, “has an important political bearing for us, for it is incredible that the Emperor William should have asassigned a Sleswick-Holstein regiment to the Emperor of Austria, if the question of Sleswick—that is, of the fifth article—had not been definitively arranged between Prussia aud Austria, and it would be equally incredible that the Emperor of Avstria should have accepted a regiment that is not organis .d; that is to say, a regiment recruited in a province part of which is still in dispute as to ownership.” There is a fowl on board the ship Norham Castle, that lately arrived in Auckland from London, which appears to have a charmed life. It was put on board with the other poultry on the ship leaving London. On oiie occasion it fe I overboard, but it was rescued by a seaman. It has three' times been eat upon by a passenger weighing oyer sixteen stone. For the purpose of "furnishing sport on the voyage, it was once suspended by the leg to the main yard and fired at with rifles by five people for one hour and forty minutes, but never ballet struck it, when it was taken down and returned to the hen-coop. The captain has determined to superannuate that bird. . The Christchurch papers unite in characterising the flogging with the “cat of a man carped M C-lcy, who was convicted of asaaiflt k ojuld, ft j

and so it was, if the Press's account is correct. It says “As given yesterday, we can safely say that boys of twelve or thirteen years old undergo far more punishment at any of our public schools than the culpnt received. If the lash is to be of use, and if unfortunately the necessity arises for em, ploying it as a wholesome deterring agen f , let it bo done in a manner that will let men of the M'Cloy stamp know that it is not a mere hrutum fidnun. The flogging took place in a small yard off the front enclosure of the gaol. The unpleasant duty of flagellation was performed by one of the warders of the gaol, the cat used being not at all a formidable looking thing. It was composed of a short wooden handle some nine inches in length, having dependant from the top nine pieces of common whip cord, with a knot in each tail. Ihe preparations having been completed,_ the culpiit was summoned from the inner yard, and on making lbs appearance showed every sign of extreme fear He was seizsa up to the ap; aratus spoken of, and his back hared. Even before the c< mmoiicement of the flaggellation he s-emed to wholesome horror of what was to come, -bhe hj three strokes were given very light indeed, a portion of the cat not touching the back at all, but falling on the trouser*. The culpnt, however, began to cry out lustily, and continued to do so until the end. homo of the strokes after this did not strike him ami he only received about seven fairly upon the back, no sighs of the effect of the flogging being visible until after the sixth stroke when slight marks When the dozen was completed tin se sigi s were exceedingly slight, and, as we have said, altogether, the punishment was not nearly so severe as that received by many boys at a pub'ic school. When cast loose M'Cloy was in a fainting condition, or appeared to be so, not certa nly from the seventy of punishment, and it was some minutes before he was able to walk to his cell”

“ Whether within a house or in the open air, whether walking or standing still, I fan tell, alth nigh (pate bind, when lam opposite an object, and can perceive whether it be .ad or short, slender or bmky. I can also detect whether it be a solitary object or a continuous fence, whether it be a close fence or composed of open rails, and often whether it be a wooden fence, a briei or stone wall, or a quickset hedge. I caun. t usually perceive obj- if much lower than my shoulder, but sometimes very low objects can be detected. This may depend on the nature of the objects, or on some abnormal state of the atmosphere. The cuneuts of air can have nothing to do with this power, as ihe state of the wind dots not directly affect it; the sense of hearing has nothing to do with it, as when snow lies thickly on the ground objects are more distinct, although the footfall cannot be heard. 1 seem to perceive objects through the skin of my face, and to have the impressions immediately transmit;ed to the brain. The only part of my body possessing this power is my face ; this 1 have ascertained by suitable experiments. Stopping my ears does not interfere with it, but covering my lace with a thick veil d stroys it altogether None of -the five sonses have anything to do with the existence of this power, and the circumstances above named induce me to call this unrecognised sense by the name of Facial Perception. When passing along a street I can distinguish shops from private houses, and even point out the doors and windows, &c , and this whether the doors be shut or open. When a window consists of one entire sheet of glass, it is more difficult to discover than one composed oi a number of small panes. From this it would appear that glass is a bad conductor of sensation, or at any rate of the sensation specially connected with this sense. When objects below the face are perceived, the sensation seems to come in an oblique line from the object to the upper part of the face. While walking with a friend in Forest lane, Stratford, I said, pointing to a fence which separated the road from a field. ‘Those rails are not quite as high as my shoulder.’ He looked it them, and said they were higher. We, however, measured, and found them about three inches lower than my shoulder. At the time of making this observation I was about four feet from the pails. Certainly in this instance facial perception was more accurate than aich'. W hen the lower part of a fence is brick work, and the upper part rails, the fact can be detected, and the line where the two meet easily perceived. Irregularities in height and pn.jic tions, and indentations in walls can also be discovered. ” —‘‘ BUnum stind the Blind, by W. H. Levy.