MISCELLANEOUS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1822, 23 December 1879, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

A novel military experiment has been tried at Aldershot, the object being to ascertain practically within how short a time a battery of artillery can be got into a train and out it. About thirty men, ninety horses and six guns were tested in this way. The time occupied was forty minutes. Astride a lug sat Sam and another sinner, engaged in a little game of six up, when a minister approached, who, after a sclitnn contemplation of the game, laid his hand upon Samuel's shoulder and said, “My friend, is that the way to save your soul ? ” Perhaps not,” answered Sam, who, having just played a card, was attentively considering his hand, 11 perhaps not, but it seems about the best tiing X can do to save my jack.”— 1 'Chicago Tribune,”

This is how a writer in the “ New York Times ” explains the ascendancy gained over Louis XI. by O ivier le D.vm, otherwise known ns Olivier lo Diablo, his Majjsty’s barber: —When shaving his Royal Majesty in the morning, Olivier would thoughtfully ren his hands through the royal hair and remark, “ Sire, your hair is getting pretty grey and thin.;*’ to whinh the royal victim would feebly luply, ”Isit 2 ” After a brief pause, the barber would say, 11 By the bye, your Majesty, 1 notice that the position of third assistant groom of the canary-bird cage is vacant;” whereat the King would reply, “Hal” and sometimes " Hum I ” Then the barber, returning to the subject of grey hair, would say, ‘‘l would recommend your Majesty to try a bottle of onr tonic. It is only a dollar a bottle, and ” Here the monarch would ecolnim, “ Name of a dog I tell me the fellow whom you want to appoint, and I’ll appoint him. if you’ll dry up about the infamous tonic ” Thus the cunning barber would attain his wish, and another of his friends would enter the Civil Service of France.

Mrs Battles, says Max Adder, suffers from cold feet, and the other right she warmed up a brick, intending to take it to bed wdh her, She laid it down by the bedside while she attended to the baby, and then she forgot about it and turned in. After a while Battles came ever to the bedroom, and when he had assumed hia night-shirt he began to say his prayers. When ho wan about half way through, he happened lo move his knee a little to the left, and it came in contact with the brick. For an instant he thought that something had stung him, and, jumping up, became back to ascertain what it was. He saw the brick lying there, but it never occurred to him that that was the cause of the trouble, so he picked it up for the purpose of throwing it oat of the window. Then he suddenly dropped it with a cry of pain, and after an indignant denunciation of Mrs Battles, he procured a piece of paper, and in a furious rage hurled the brick through the window snub. It bit a policeman wbo happened to be standing on the pavement below, and in less than ten minutes Battles was on his way to the station-house, where ho was locked up all night on a charge of assault and battery. He was released in the morning, after paying a tweaty-dollar fine. He has not finiehe i bis prayers yet, and Mrs Battles now warms her feet with her flannel petticoat. When yon see a young man with a wild, haggard look negociating for a rocking chair and a soap-dish, you can know that his landlady insists on his replacing the furniture he threw out of the window at the cats the night previous. The idea of the biggest head knowing the most is all nonsense. The Mastodon bad the biggest head of hia time, and yet he didn’t know enough to go into the ark out of the rain, and hr saved. The mosquito, with scarcely any head at all, was wiser. All the spelling reforms of all the world will not succeed in lessening the intensity of the schoolboy’s aff ction as who scrawls upon his slate with a broken pencil, “ilnvya," and hands it across the aisle, with a big apple, to a pretty little blue-eyed girl wbo reads in the second reader.—“ Steubenville Herald.”

A clergyman in New Orleans was agreeably surprised to find a plump turkey served up for his dinner, and inquired of his servant how it was obtained. “Why, sir,” replied Sambo, “ dat turkey has been roosting on onr fence tree nights ; so dis morning I seized him for de rent ob de fence-” The “ United Service Gazette” believer it probable that Sir Evelyn Wood will accept the offer of the Capetown Ministry to return to South Africa in the position of commander of the colonial forces—the position held in former years by-General Sir John Siasstt and Sir A. Ounninghame. It is reported that a social alliance, offensive and defensive, has been entered intc between Madame limn di Murska and Mdlle. Sarah Bernhardt. The former is to contribute the husbands and the latter the children. A new cantata, entitled “ Jason,” will shortly be produced, The music is by Mi W. A, O, Mackenzie.; the libretto by Mi *W. Grist, who has treated the classical subject ably and sympathetically, and has sue ceaafully arrived at giving local colour by the use of dactylic rhythms, and rbymec hexameters and pentameters. Professor Kelly, “the man v/ith the iron aw," died nt his father’s residence at Beading, Pa., aged twenty-eight years. The “Bra "says, his real name was William A. Boyd, and he was a native of Philadelphia, and a moulder by trade. He suffered nine days from the effects of a cold and overexertion in performing the feat of lifting with his teeth a coal-barrel filled with water, and two men sitting astride of it. During the past two years he had travelled with J. H. Powers’s National Museum.

Signor Verdi and “ II Trovatobb ’’ — To give an instance of his artistic modesty and noble qualities, it will bo enough to mention this well authenticated episode of his life. When "II had been completed, he Invited several friends and musicians to bis house, and played the music of the first act on the piano to his very attentive audience, and after the finale, paused and craved their opinion. With the exception of one friend, whose name we do not care to mention, everybody enthusiastically applauded the performance. Verdi continued, and finished the second act ; the Anvil Chorus, then heard for the first time, was rapturously received; “II baieu" (a clever imitation of Donizetti) was pronounced divine, the “ Stride la vampa” sublime, and the duet between Manrico and Azucena a marvel ; but the friend made no remark whatever. Then Verdi played the third part, and at its termination he was hailed by all the impassioned epithets and grandiloquent phrases imaginable to excited meridional intellects, but as he turned to his best friend, he saw that he had not spoken. He then began the fourth act, and threw his whole soul into the touching “ Miserere," which is dramatically original, if not melodically so. His efforts were appreciated fully, and were crowned by amicable applause and ceaseless compliment, but the man whose opinion he moat respected and most highly prized, said nothing. “What do you think of my ‘ Trovatore; J all in all ? ” said Verdi, finally, addressing his silent friend. “ I think,” was the reaponse, "that three-quarters of the work are-trash, the rest is good.” “You are perfectly right, my good friend,” cried the maestro, clasping his hand, "perfectly right, know it. ,s "Do you think it will becorre popular 5 ” “ Undoubtedly it will,” was the answer. “Then,” said Verdi, “it is all I ask at present. The time will come when I can write in other ways.” At that Verdi considered “ Bigoletfo ” to be his masterpiece ; at present he has a legitimate fondness for.“Bon Carlos,” “Aida," and his superb Mass on .the death of Maczoni, and affects to despise the greater part of his early works.—American Musial Times.” M. Capoul, Mllea. Paola-Marie and Angele have gone to pipy comic opera at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Ijlow York, and the lastnamed actress, who flays Mile. Lange in “ La Fille de Madaipe Angot,” is, except in cue particular, pronounced a remarkably admirable representative of the character. Her well-trained skill—-always with this one exception—gives a fiplsh ppd consistency to the part which has rarely been put into it before. She sings with good taste, and her voice is pleas <nt, her acting ,L' fresh and natural, her humor unforced, her appreciation.of the part keen and intelligent ; but there -is an undoubted drawback. Fad as it is that so much excellence should be marred by an unfortunate circumstance, a New York critic feels it his duty to say that “ ter limbs have too much knee cap.” But for this all would he well. There, however are i those knee-caps, plainly observable, instead of simply being “marked by a dimple.’’ This ia the one blot on her artistic capability, and the critic points it out with sorrow. There is only one remedy to be found. Mile. Angcle must wear long dresses, and then her intellectual cjltgra shine unjmmed.