MISCELLANEOUS.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 880, 20 April 1877, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The steamer Loftus has left New York for Constantinople with a cargo of arms and ammunition to the value of 1,750,000 dollars. A city minister was asked the cause of his poverty. “ Principally,” said he, with a twinkle in his eye, “because I have preached so much without notes.” In a novel just published, called “ Manslaughter,” the author, one Augustus Stawel, informs an uninstructed world that the words “Duncan Gray cam’ here to woo,” &c., are Gaelic! There are some delicate impulses that a good woman cannot resist; she cannot help putting three hairpins and a spare shoe-string into the first shaving-mug she sees. Women are no better than men in this respect. Several of the large railway companies are about to adopt a now system of warming their carriages. Pipes passing beneath the floors of the carriages of every class will bo connected with the engine, and heated vapour passed into them The cost of constructing 160,000 miles of railway in England was £600,000,000, or an average of nearly £40,000 per mile. In New Zealand the cost of the railway averages £6OOO per mile. The English lines are for the most part paying 5 per cent. Why is it that two young people never do get so divinely spoony and sentimental over a hot oyster stow as they do at the same table, in the same restaurant, over plates of ice-cream? We don’t know why it is, but they never do. —Burlington Hawkeye. When a bachelor calls on a married friend, nothing pleases him so much as to be invited to hold the baby. In this situation, however, it is a weak man who is not immed:,xtely seized with the diphtheria, which is generally known to be contagious. In 1870 four gentlemen of Baltimore organized a euchre party, playing one night a week at their houses alternately. Since then they have had 117 of these meetings and played 2919 games. At last accounts the winning side was 59 games ahead. No betting is allowed. Mrs Bliss, medium of Philadelphia, is frequently led into the room by her materialised spirits, so that both spirit and medium can be seen together ; and at the same time there are faces at the usual apertures. The Banner of Light says so. If the money which our young men throw away every day for cigars were devoted to charity, every man, woman, and child in the town could have ice cream for supper, and the stomach-ache and three kinds of cholera medicine before morning.— American paper, Guido Eeni, one of the Italian masters, having been blamed for coloring the faces of Peter and Paul too red, in a great picture qf his, excused his work by saying that he painted the Apostles so, as blushing at the lives of those men who called themselves their successors. Something- Like Sport. —The following paragraph, from a paper published in North China, will he interesting to readers of strong sporting proclivities. The “bag” described attests to the abundance of game in the Shanghai district: —“ It may interest some of our sporting readers to learn that a party of four gentlemen have just returned from an upcountry trip, with the magnificent bag of 1030 head of game, the result of thirteen days shooting. The bag comprises 851 pheasants, 64 deer, 105 duck and teal, 9 hares, and 1 woodcock.” Voltaire, having been challenged, sent his would-be opponent the following answer : “Sir, I had the honor of your challenge, which I would gladly have accepted had you given me the choice of weapons. Being ill a-bed, a syringe would have been the most useful instrument; and that, from your known humanity, I do expect to receive from your skilful hands. But I must also observe to you that a pistol ball would kill me, but can have no effect on you. Lead will assimilate with your brain ; therefore we are not on an equal footing. I am, with all respect, Voltaire.” Bubb Donnington was very lethargic. Falling asleep one day after dining with Sir Richard Temple and Lord Cobham, the latter reproached Doddington with his drowsiness. Doddington denied having been asleep ; and to prove that he had not, offered to repeat all that Lord Cobham had been saying. Cobham challenged him to do so. Doddington repeated a story, and Cobham acknowledged he had been telling it. “Well,” said Doddingson, “and yet I did not hear a word of it ; but I went to sleep, because I knew that about this time of day you would tell that story.” Ah ! What chat there must have been at those dinners mentioned- in the Macaulay memoirs ! What a party, for instance, was this. —Dined at the Club. Lord Holland in the chair.. Lord Lansdowne, Bishop of London, Lord Mahon, Macaulay, Millman, Van die Weyer, Lord Carlisle, David Dundas, Lord Harry Vane, Stafford O’Brien. The Bishop talked of the wit of Rowland Hill. One day his chapel, with a thinner attendance than usual, suddenly filled during a shower of rain. ‘‘ I have heard tell of religion being used as a cloak, but never before as an umbrella.” In his later life he used to come to his chapel in a carriage. He got an anonymous letter rebuking him for this, because it, was not the way his heavenly Master travelled. He read the letter from the pulpit, said it was quite true, and that if the writer would come to, the vestry afterwards with a saddle and bridle he would ride him home. This, told of Thomas Campbell, is also very ' neat, as illustrating the sentiment with which the authors of old days regarded their publishers. At a literary dinner Campbell asked leave to propose a toast, and gave the health of Napoleon Bonaparte. The war was at its Height, and the very mention of Napoleon’s name, except in conjunction with some uncomplimentary epithet, was in most cases regarded as an outrage, A storm of groans burst out, and Campbell with difficulty could get a few sentences heard. “Gentlej men he said, ‘ ‘ you must not mistake me, I ; admit that the French Emperor is a tyrant. I admit that he is a monster. I admit that he is the sworn foe of our own nation, and, if you will, of the whole human race. But, gentlemen, we must be just to our great enemy. We must not forget that he once shot a bookseller.” The guests, of whom two out of every three lived by their pens, burst into a roar of laughter, and Campbell sat down in triumph.

Gold Saving Machine. —Kilgour’s gold saving machine, which lias been in operation for the last five days at the Golden Fleece Extended claim, Reefton, succeeded in saving 12oz. 9dwt. of gold during that time. A correspondent of the West Coast Times states that this machine is the invention of Mr Joseph Kilgour, of Greymouth, who has applied to have the same patented. It is a revolving steel brush. The end of the steel hairs (if the expression may be used) are loaded with copper, and being then coated with quicksilver, form an amalgamator, aud sweep back on to the plates what woidd otherwise escape and be lost, amalgamating it at the same time. The gold saved by this machine when seen through a microscope has quartz attached to it, forming infinitely small specimens. There are four tables with one of the revolving brushes fitted to each table, and there is little question about it being a great success. A Priceless Blessing. —Health is a priceless blessing. Monarchs would barter their thrones to possess it, millionaires surrender their treasures in exchange for it. Unfortunately, it is often unattainable. But that it is not beyond the reach of nervous invalids, dyspeptic and rheumatic sufferers, the victims of intermittent and remittent fevers, persons debilitated by sickness and those naturally infirm, is sufficiently proven by the remedial victories over these complaints and disabilities of Udolpho Wolfe’s Schiedam Aromatic Schnapps.—[Advt.]