MISCELLANEOUS.

Grey River Argus, Issue 104, 11 September 1866, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The volcano of Mau.no Loa, on the island of Hawaii lias recently boeri the scene of a huge irruption, surpassing any of which there is record: — Anew crater opened near the summit of the mountain at an elevation of 10,000 feet, and for three days a flood of lava was poured down the north-eastern slope. The irruption then coased, and all was quiet for thirty-six hours. Another crater-then opened on the eastern slope and burnt up vertically, sending. a column of incan-~ descent fusia 1000 feet high into, the air. This fire jet was" about 100 feet in diameter, and was sustained for twenty days and nights, varying in height from 100 feet to 1000 feet. " The disgorgement from the mountain side was often accompanied with terrible explosions, which shook the hills, and with detonations that were heard for forty miles. Steam Omnibuses. — Steam omnibuses arej it is said, to be established in Paris. The company propose to run- from the Champ de Mars to the" Bastille, making six halts. ''The first is to be at the Champs Elysees, the second at the Madeleine, the tliird near the new Opera on the Boulevard des Capucins, the fourth near the theatre of the,- Gymnase, the fifth at the Porte St. -Martin, and the sixth at' the Chateau d'Eau. Tlie omnibuses drawn by- horses take an hour and twenty minutes to perform the distance; the steam company undertake to accomplish ib iv forty-live minutes, including stoppages. The existing omnibus company protest against the organisation of the steam company a3 a violation of their contract. '-.■'■-■ It lias been estimated, says the American /' Gaslight Journal," that the ocean contains 100,000 cubic miles of magnesium — a quantity which would cover- the 'entire surface of the globe, both sea and land, to a thickness of more than" eight, feet.' lii obtaining salt from sea water, the residuum is largely magnesium. It constitutes 13 per cent, of magnesium limestone — a rock found in all parts of the world in enormous quantities. "* -Three years ago- all" the chemists who had obtained magnesium at all had probably not obtained an ounce among them. One year ago its price was 112 guineas per pound. N.ow, owing to improvements recently introduced, magnesium wire is sold at 3d per foot. It has been suggested that, .when it shall be cheap enough, vessels of war "should be ft uilt of it ; for, whilst but little "heavier .than heart of oak, it is as strong and tenacious as steel. -..--. The disease called ; "febris nigra," or black death, has appeared in Ireland, Four cases occurred lately in Dublin,' and an inquest has been held on an artisan in Belfast named Holmes, who, when he was dying, had deep blotches and black marks over his body, as if (said- the surgeon who had attended him) he had been fired, at from a distance with blank "cartridge. The spots were raised above the level of the 'skin, and could~be quite sensibly felt. .Dea.th in tin's instance was accelerated by drinking. " Febris nigra" has heretofore been almost entirely unknown in Ireland. "The Rtndeepest.— The State of Panama has been declared an infected district under the provisions of the Diseased Cattle Act. Cattle may not be imported thence into New Zealand' under a penalty of £100 per head. The importation from Panama. of sheep, goats, horses, pigs, poultry, hides, skins, horns, and hoofs is also forbidden. "From Honduras, we have a report that eighty peaceable, wodd-cutters were recently murdered or taken prisoners by the Indians. Of this outrage, some stern notice will be taken, for it will never do to allow British subjects to be captured wholesale, and detained, in such barbarous' custody. "■ The Parisians are forced to fall back on the turf and racing, which are more in vogue than ever. And here I must' mention the check recently received by the French stable. An English- horse, the property of the English Duke of Beau-,, fort,- carried off the great Paris Cup. Ohf shame and grief ! What are the Treaties of 1815 compared with this bitter cup? The victory of the champion of England caused an indescribable outburst of erithiisiagm amongst the sporting' world. A dinner -was- given to the Duke of Beau-

fort, and after dinner the guests betook themselves to Mabille,just when the place" WB3 going to.,be -shut tip, ~" and the lights were being put out.. Those gentlemen, several J>i them very well known, for instance, the Duke of Hamilton, excited, no doubt," by something else besides the ' victory on the race-ground, tried to stop the closing of the.'establishment. Two. or three gas lanrps were smashed, and the policemen (sergeaus de ville) interfering, not knowing how to .use their " hands,"' and not choosijig to use their swords, got a terrible licking from British fists ; of high families. ■ : • Nows. from tlxo West Indies states that the boring for petroleum, in Cuba has boen quite a success — the whole ■ island is now one diggings. ■> \ ' Speaking of the .experiment to better the position of. the Pitcairn Islanders, by transferring them. /to the earthly paradise of Norfolk Island, the " Sydney Morning Herald" says in a. leading article: — "After all. this we regret to learn that the experiment has turned out most miserably ;■. that ' the people-h ave .sunk into a state of utter indolence ; that, having had so much done for them, they have declined to do anything for themselvesj that their land is \uifenced ; that the divisions of property are disregarded ; that they live in dirt; that they have permitted the ..dwellings which . were Jiaiided over to them in excellent repair to fall into dilapidation ; and that they are sinking fast into some of the vices which distinguished their maternal ancesters." In the " Inverness Courier," we observe the letter of an old soldier, a native of Ross-shire, who was in the 32nd Regiment during the Crfcuean war. He sends the following brief but pithy despatch to his former laird and master ; — " Auckland, New Zealand, 4th February, 18G6. Seaforth, Honored Sir— Since the departure of General Sir D. A. Cameron from' this colony it has almost sunk to the very verge of. heil itself. Excuse haste. * Ever your Honor's most obdt. servant, ." . ■ •- A rumor is prevalent in Ballaarat just now that a large number of shareholders in the Koh-i-noor and Sir William Don Companies are in constant* attendance, armed, in the drives of the r lespoctive companies, prepared to fight for the ground. It is most fervently to be hoped that this rumor is either untrue or exaggerated.' In the present state of the mining laws, there is really no speedy protection for miners, and until the law is altered the miners have no resource — desperate and dangerous and illegal as it may be — but to defend themselves. — "Argus." Royal Relatives. — The/ Princess Helena of England, by her marriage with Prince Christian of- Augusteriburg, will become the niece of a New York lady named Lee. The family of this latter some years ago established themselves at Paris, hoping, as is not unusual with .rich Americans, to form an- alliance with some noble European family. There were two young ladies, both of whom attained their wish, as one married ! Barou Wachter, -Minister of Wurtemburg at Pari3, and the other some time after -inspired -with the warmest- love Prince Frederick, brother of the late Sovereign Duke of Augustenburg, and uncle of the present Princos. The marriage. took place at the United States Embassy, at Paris, and the bride, and bridegroom started for the East on a wedding tour. They had reached Bey rout, in Syria, when the Prince was* taken ill and died. His widow returned to Paris to the house of her sister, the Baroness Wachter, and now becomes aunt of an English Princess. The American Ladies' Expedition. — Mr Mercer's party of 10p ladies, who are, on their way to Washington Territory, the utmost north- west corner' of tire United States-, have been heard of. In March their steamship, the Continental, had got through the Straits of Magellan, passed into the South Pacific, and bade good bye_ to the shores of Patagonia, when a little mistake occurred. The correspond3i.t of the v New York Times," on board, who dates from the port of ' Lota- and s"g is himself " Rod," writes :— " By some oversight, the Captain ran into a port that was blockaded,,, by the Spanish fleet (on paper, for not a man-of-war was in sight), and, after leisurely dropping anchor, went ashore. There he soon learned Ins mistake, and, hurrying on board, weighed janchor and made all speed to get out. Btit just as we began to congratulate ourselves that" we had escaped we saw a large man-of-war bearing down upon us under full head of steam. We tried "to run by, but were soon brought up by a peremptory shot across our bows. A Spanish, oflicer immediately came on board, and spent a long time in close examination of the ship's papers. .We were decidedly a rich and novel prize, having besides our valuable cargo over one hundred good looking marriageable young ladies on board ; but our captor was either unfavorably impressed or happened to be in a very generously gailant mood, for he Anally concluded, to let. us go.- I fear .iome of the fair ladies were disappointed at the result. A voyage to Spain would have been so romantic ! " — " Time 3';- -" Lost CniLU akd a Cubious Diieam.— Oii Monday last, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, a child, aged two years and four months, belonging to a laboring man in the employ of Mr Thomas Jack, of Sorell, in the district of New Norfolk, was lost in the bush.'^ Search' was made up to dark" and by moonlight up to a late hour. Mr JackroJe on -to" New Norfolk, and reported the circumstance on Monday night to Mr lEvenden, the superintendent of police, who, early on the following morning, collected as strong a master of /police and inhabitants as pi b ifble, and proceeded to continue the search up to dusk on Tuesday evening. ' On Wednesday the seareli was "continued in like manner; but before starting every person was of opinion that if ; the child Mai found, there would be no hope 3of its being found alive, considering the very severe frost on Monday and Tuesday last, and that the child when lost was poorly clothed, having only a calico frock in rags, no shoes or socks, and no hat. ' Before starting the search on Wednesday morning, a man named BJackmore (one-of the party) remarked, and said, *'I had a dream last night, that we found the child sitting by the side of a stone, i:ear a certain road '" and strange to say, the search was made. -in 'that .direction, and, exactly" as % Blackmore had dreamt, so the child was found at half -past 11 o'clock yesterday, and alive. Dr Moore was soon in attendance, and had the, child removed to New Norfolk immediately, to be under his immediate and constant attendance.' On Tuesday night, ice was found on Sorrell Rivulet, in standing j>bols of~water, fully three-quarters of an inch, thick, which was- the*" result of' the night's frost, as same water was disturbed the (lav previous in searching for the child.— T. M~ Herald, July 19. -. ~