MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1716, 20 August 1879, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

The Earl of Carnarvon was one of the principal speakers at the annual meeting of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. He said that when ho considered the work of the society ho was very often reminded of those groat rivers that poured their floods through a varied but a sandy country. Part of the stream waa absorbed in sterile sands, but part, on the other hand, loft a broad track of verdure and vegetation, the forerunner of fruitfulness and human civilisation. They were at that moment specially interested in the subject of native races. Sir H. Barkly, who was on the platform, must have watched almost with a more than painful interest tho events which had during the lost few months occurred in the country where he was lately Govern er. It must have occurred to his mind how melancholy it was that a race so full of warlike power—so full of really magnificent qualities—as our opponents in South Africa had shown themselves to possess, should, after all, be brought into relations with us only to be slaughtered, as was absolutely necessary at the present crisis. They sincerely trusted that the time might not be far distant when the war might give place to a better and a friendly relationship, and that they might extend over them, as they had extended over so many of their fellow tribes in South Africa, the milder and the better influence ot Christianity, and, at all events, of a partial civilisation.

The Queen has conferred the Albert Medal of the Second Class on "William J. Bridges, quartermaster of her Majesty’s ship Thunderer. The following is an account of the services in respect of which the decoration has been conferred :—On the occasion of the recent explosion which took place on board the Thunderer, Bridges was at his station in the shell room. When the explosion occurred, the shell room was immediately filled with smoko, and many burning fragments of clothing, &c., were blown down into it. The magazine waa also filled with smoke and reported to bo on fire. All lights wore put out, and the cries of the wounded were distracting. The prevailing impression appears to have boon that one of the filled common shells had exploded, and the men stationed in the room made their escape as speedily as possible, with the exception of Bridges, who taking off his woollen comforter, wrapped it round the burning fragments, and brought them up on the flats. Bridges afterwards went down again to make further search for any smouldering material that might have found its way amongst the projectiles. The Queen has also conferred the decoration of the Victoria Cross on Captain and Brevet Liout.-001. Redvers H, Buller, 0.8, 60th Rifles ; Major William K. Leet, Ist Battalion 13th Regiment; Surgeon-Major James Henry Reynolds, Army Medical Deprrtment; Lieut. Edward 8. Browne, Ist Battalion 24th Regiment ; and Wassail, 80th Regiment, for their gallant conduct during the recent operations in South Africa. The United States steamer, George S. Blake, of 360 ton?, under the conmand of Captain Bartlett, is (says the “Times”) now engaged on a scientific cruise through the West Indian Islands, with Professor Agassiz as chief of the scientific staff. A series of soundings is being taken throughout the course between the various islands, and dredgings are made at depths exceeding 100 fathoms, in order to obtain specimens of the sea bottom and records of the temperature. The soundings are taken by means «f Captain Sigsby’a patent apparatus, in which fine piano wire takes the place of rope, 400 fathoms of wire being kept on each reel, the whole of which can bo hauled in in 80 seconds. In dredging, a machine capable of lifting 25 tons is employed. The greatest depth of wa’er between the islands was found between St. Thomas and Santa Cruz, where 2700 fathoms were measured. The botton here is said to be exceedingly rocky, and from the greatest depth a piece of rock, almost ■square, weighing 2001b5., was brought up, of peculiar formation. The main route of the expedition extends from Key West to Cuba, Jamaica, San Domingo, St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, and the whole of the Leeward and Windward Islands, down to Trinidad and thence to Barbadoes. This field has been almost unexplored, and a valuable collection of specimens will no doubt bo made, besides which the more important res-It will be attained of an accurate survey of the interinsular seas. At the late session of the British Association, more than usual attention was devoted to economic subjects. Amongst others, Dr. Farr read a paper upon population, and took the ground that although the population of the earth had reached the enormous number of 1,424.000,000 souls, it is quite possible that the whole may have sprung from Adam and Eve, the original pair. Those interested in statistics of this kind will find much interest in Dr. Farr’s paper, as well as the other proceedings of the Association. A French obemiat, M. Boussingault, has been ■experimenting to test wherein is the difference between new bread and stale bread. He experimented with loaves of 12in, diameter and 6in. thick, and weighing 7ilb. when new, and representing the soft, elastic, glutinous mass BO well known as now broad. After fortyeight hours the average properly-baked French loaf was found to have lost but 2oz. in weight. After six days the loss in weight was 120 z., and the bread was then truly stale, but still sweet and fit for food. Such a loaf being put into the oven and reheated regained its sweetness, and had the flavour of new bread, and all its properties, in so far as chemical test could discover j but the pulpy property was gone from this re-baked bread, and it, to all appearance, was as digestible as old bread. The result of the experiment favours the belief that the greater digestibility of stale bread is owing to mechanical action in the particles, and an alteration from the soft glutinous mass, that the human stomach finds a difficulty in sssimulating. Hence arises indigestion and various evils from eating new bread. Whether sensational plays and sensational novels are to be reprehended or not may be an open question ; but it is certain, at any rate, that the general public like to be startled. No better evidence of this can be produced than the manner in which the audiences at the New York Olympic receive the extraordinary spectacle of the fight between Gorvaiao and Virginie, in the second tableau of the “Assommoir.” The scene is so true to nature—the two women, maddened by jealousy, seizing the buckets ot hot water which stand ready for their hands, and each drenching her adversary from head to foot, whilst still keeping up an incessant fire with their tongues. With torn and dripping garments, and panting with their exertions, the two women finally gland before the footlights glaring at each other, until Gervaiso summons up strength for the final effort with which she succeeds in vanquishing her rival. The scene is rendered all the more attractive to many people from the circumstance that it is generally understood that Mies Maud Granger and Miss Emily Rigl, who respectively undertake tho parts of Gervaisa and Virginie, have for a considerable time entertained a strong feeling of professional jealousy towards one another, and are neither of them at all sorry at tho opportunity “ L’Assommoir” affords them of bringing their differences to the arbitrament of the waterbucket.