MISCELLANEOUS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 19, 7 November 1861, Page 6 (Supplement)

MISCELLANEOUS.

Yesterday afternoon the sale took place at Plimmcr’s Wharf of the Ncgretti rams and ewes imported in the Uermhxe by Messrs. Krull & Co. The reputation of the flock and the superior quality of the animals, both for the symmetry of shape and fineness of wool, being some of the finest that have been imported into the Colony, attracted a considerable attendance of persons to the sale. A first rate champagne luncheon had been provided under the direction of Mr. Laing, and after a reasonable interval the Auctioneer, Mr. Duncan, proceeded to the business of the day. The bidding was very brisk, and for some of the lots a very spirited competition took place. The highest price given for any of the rams was by Archdeacon Hadficld, to whom an animal of great beauty was knocked down at £BB, the next in price was bought by Mr. Tiffcu of Ahuriri for £6O. The highest priced owe was purchescd bj Mr. Hunter at £52 195., who was also the largest buyer of the day. Several rams and ewes were purchased by his Honor the Superintendent, and Captain G. G. Carlyon, Messrs. Stokes, Moore, Lyon, and Wallace were purchasers of several lots. A large proportion of the animals have been purchased for stations in the Pi’ovince of Ahuriri where we hope the infusion of so much fresh blood of so superior a kind will have the effect of improving the quality of the wool and raising its price in the London market. The total amount realized was above £I6OO giving an average of between £4O and £SO which, though by no means so high as the average obtained at a sale at Melbourne for animals from the same flock, yet considering the dulness of the times and the scarcity of money in the Colony maybe considered a very fair sale, sufficient we trust to remunerate the owners for so valuable an importation. — Sjieciaior, Oct. IG. The Queen and Prince Consort, accompanied by several of the Royal Family, proceeded to Ireland on the 21st August, and were most enthusiastically received.

We observe from the ‘ Times' of the 29th June, that the lion. John Carr Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, is appointed Chief Justice of New Zealand in ihc place of the Hon. Mr. Arne}'.

From all parts of the Continent wo hear of the extraordinary heat of the weather. Paris has suffered severely. At Lyons the other day, the thermometer marked 38 deg. centigrade in the shade (100 4-lOths Fahrenheit). From Marseilles fatal cases of coup de soleil are reported. In Catalonia the wheat and other crops have been burnt up. At Malaga and Seville the heat has become insupportable, and no one can leave his house between 9 o’clock in the morning and 9at night without danger. A letter from Turin in'a recent number of the Times says: “ The heat is rising fearfully in this country, and has attained 33 and even 35 degrees of the centigrade thermometer in the shade, and on a northern exposure. At Milan it is 37-7 ; yet people coming from Bologna assure me the climate of Turin is ‘ like spring’ to them in comparison with that of their city. Such a summer was hardly ever known in the valley of the Po. Wo have rather alarming accounts of the effects of the long drought in Genoa.” Amongst “ things not generally known,” a correspondent of one of the journals mentions the fact that Lord Chancellor receives £SOO for proroguing Parliament, and the same sum for opening the Houses “ by commission.” A good anecdote is told of Prince Alfred in an American paper. “ The Doctor,” a famous jockey who had the contract to furnish 30 horses for the suite of the Prince of Wales throughout the tour at eight dollars each per day, drove Prince Alfred to the Falls of Moutmorenci. “ The Doctor ” remarked to Alfred, “ I drove the Prince of Wales here.” “ Did you ? ” said the prince. “Yes, and his royal highness gave me this gold watch.” You are a lucky fellow,” replied Prince Alfred; “ that is more than he ever did for me.” “ The Doctor” subsided. Within the last 10 years there have been coined at the Mint 48,911,8 IS sovereigns, 14,416,569 half sovereigns, 4GG crowns, 1193 half crowns, 15,633, 472 florins, 23,025,500 shillings, 21,735,183 sixpences, 1,880,874 groats 41,580 foairpences, 13,605, 101 threepences, 47,520 silver towpences, and 78, 408 silver pence. The copper and bronze money coined has been 23,232,384 pence, 35,739,421 halfpence, 22,456,276 farthings, and 3,535,776 halffarthings. The subjoined challenge appears in the Scotch papers : —“ On behalf of 11 volunteers of all Scotland, I am requested to challenge 11 volunteers of all England to shoot a match for 200 guineas, on the following ‘ conditions—viz., 10 shots at 700 yards, 10 shots at 800 yards, 10 shots at 900 yards with any description of rifle, without any artificial rest or telescopic sight. To be shot for at such time and place as the umpires may appoint. lam prepared to nominate an umpire on the acceptance of this challenge by England. The two umpires nominated may select a third to determine all questions which may arise.—Rop.krt Ta.yi.ob, Hon. Sec. Angus and Mcarns Bifle Association, and Scottish Bifle Gathering.” American Drier. —The extraordinary character of the drill practised by the Fire Zouaves is happily hit off by a literary Fire Zouave. We got up at two in the morning and have somerset-drill for two hours by squads, then by companies, and then wo form in regimental line, and turn fourteen somersets forward and fourteen backward, to the tap of the drum, keeping exact time, loading and firing revolving rifles at a target as we come forward ; and firing at another target as we go back with a revolver in each hand. If any balls are found more than an inch and a half from the centre, the man is discovered and put on eolumbiad guard for the day ; this means keeping guard all day with two-inch columbiads tied across his shoulders. After somerset drill we have jumping and firing in the air by platoons two hours. At the word of command the platoons jump thirtythree feet straight up firing at an object fifty yards in advance, as soon as they reach their extreme altitude. This sort of practice the colonel thinks, will be remarkably useful in firing at an enemy concealed behind breastworks.— American paper. Tire Gold Discoveries in Halifax. —The recent discovery of rich gold washings at Lunenburg about 60 miles westward of Halifax, is causing great excitement amongst all classes of people throughout the province. At first it was considered that the gold was confined to the shore, but it has been found to extend 25 miles back, and in fact is spread all over the province, cast to west. At Tangier, where the first discoveries were made, there arc at present about 1200 men at work. The gold is in small quartz veins among slate rock, about 20 feet in depth. Fair returns were made by the miners, and now discoveries are constantly being made of gold-bearing quartz veins; but by far the richest diggings are the washing sands at Lunenburg, which are yielding 100 dollars per day per man. Several mining companies are being formed, and one extensive firm in North America has taken up 70 claims at Lunenburg, and intends working them vigorously. The claims allotted by the government are 30 feet by 20 feet for which the holder pays £5 annually. A small vessel will shortly sail for England loaded with the sand to be washed in England. The ‘Halifax Reporter’ states that four men at Lunenburg obtained in one day I glb. of the finest gold. It is confidently expected that Nova Scotia will shortly be one of the finest gold producing countries in the world. The Captain’s Pudding. —The following story is told of a Yankee captain and his mate. Whenever there was a plum-pudding made by the captain’s orders, all the plums were put into one end of it and that end placed next to the captain, who after helping himself passed it to the mate, who never found any plums in his part of it. After this game had been played for some time, the mate prevailed on the steward to place the end which had no plums in it next the captain. The captain no sooner perceived that the pudding had the wrong end turned towards him than picking up the dish and turning it round, as if to examine the china, ho said, “ This dish cost me two shillings in Liverpool,” and put it down, as if without design, with the plum end next to himself. “ Is it possible ?” said the mate, taking up the dish. “ I shouldn’t suppose it was worth more than a shilling.” And, as if in pci’fect innocence, ho put down the dish with the plums next to himself. The captain laughed ; and the mate laughed. “ TTI tell you what, young one,” said the captain, “ you’ve found me out ; so we will just cut the pudding lengthwise this time, and have the plums fairly distributed hereafter.”

The Guand Juky System:. —The grand jurymen at the Middlesex sessions, after bringing their labours to a close on Tuesday, July 16, drew up the following protest : —“ The grand jury cannot separate without expressing their opinion that no necessity appears to them to exist for the continuance of the duties of the grand jury, all the cases laid before them at this session having already been fully investigated by a stipendiary magistrate, and which preliminary inquiry appears to them all-sufficient (checked as the absoluteness of the power is by the press) to preserve a prisoner from being unduly or unfairly placed on his trial without the intervention of a grand jury, the machinery of which seems to be useless for the purpose of justice, and alike troublesome and expensive to prosecutors, witnesses, and jurymen. ” This protest was read in court, and the judge expressed his entire concurrence therein.

An Educated Matoh.—During the reign of James 11., when the King was much disliked for his oppression and the number of taxes imposed on the people, his Majesty, in the progress of a tour, stopped at Sun bury, in Suffolk, when the corporation resolved to address him ; but as the mayor did not possess much literature, it was settled that the town-clerk should be his prompter. Being introduced to the presence, the town-clerk whispered to the trembling mayor—“ Hold up your head, and look like a man.” His worship, mistaking this for the begining of his speech, repeated aloud to the King—“ Hold up your head, and look like a man.” The town-clerk, amazed, again whispered to him —“ What do you mean by this, sir.” The mayor, in the same manner, repeated—“ What do you mean by this sir ?” The town-clerk, alarmed, whispered, still more earnestly— 11 I tell you sir, you’ll ruin us all. The mayor, still imagining this to be part of his speech, concluded his matchless performance with—“ I tell you sir, you’ll ruin us all.”

The luiexcit Soldieu.— Many people talk about the Zouave, but few know him. Everybody has seen him lazily crouching at the wicket of the Tuileries, like a granite sphyux at the entrance of Assyrian palaces, mounting guard with a most melancholy air. As he chewed his cud, ho was in all probability sighing for that African sun to which the beams cast by our degenerate luminary arc but as moonbeams. A piece of white or green calico rolled round a red fez, a blue jacket with red or yellow facings, leaving throat entirely bare wide Oriental trousers, white gaiters rising a little above the ankle, constitute his attire. As for the wearer, he is short, muscular, broad-shouldered with shorn head and huge beard, with flashing eye and crafty smile : the first soldier in the world for dashes outpost skirmishes and forced marches. Accustomed to pursue the Arab, his eternal enemy, the Zouave is acquainted with all the war ruses of the desert, for he has learned them at his own expense ; hence ho will ever surprise any European troops. If the Arab bo cunning, the Zouave is more cunning still : he can disguise himself like a clod of grass and advance imperceptibly on the sentinel he desires to suvurise ; he can walk noiselessly, remain motionless'for hours, hide himself behind the smallest rising ground, and follow a trail with the pertinacity of a sleuth-hound. As i a scout, ho has not his equal : if a position has to bo carried, he rushes forward head down, upseting all he comes in contact with. lie is no longer,' a man but a cannon-ball : ho must either reach his destination or fall on the road. The Zouzou as the French affectionately call the Zouave, cordially detests all large towns, and holds garrisons in horror. There he has to clean his weapons carefully, mount guai’d, and go On parade, matters annoying to the soldier generally, but insupportable to the Zouave. What the Zouave requires is the free ease of camp life, a razzia in an enemy’s country, and a meal improvised in (he tent. If his flask be three parts full, the stock of coffee not too near its end, and if he have a morsel of anything—he is not particular what —to grease the pot, he sings, is gay, is happy, is himself. It is true that when he is not in luck’s way he is equally gay, and only sings the louder. The Zouave is indebted to the Algerian campaign for his adventurous tastes and and his almost nomadic habits. Through incessantly pursuing the Arab from marshes to forests from deserts to mountains he has assumed something of those erratic tribes’ mode of life. Like them, he considers a hut—six loot of canvas for several men—as a very agreeable habitation, and he has grown accustomed to confine his wants and his desires to what his havrcsack can contain. Like Bias, the philosopher, the Zouave carries all he possesses about him, but it is a treat to see his sack when starting on an expedition. It is monstrous, and you arc inclined to ask whether he will not succumb beneath the weight, or throw it away at the first halt. lie would sooner die. Usually when entering on a campaign, foot soldiers reduce as far as possible their “ ace of diamonds : ” the officers not only authorise, but advise it. But this the Zouave docs not do ; at such a moment his “ hair chest of drawers ” appears to him too small. lie reduces articles to their smallest compass, and packs until the straps go too short and the bag threatens to burst. He carries in it for instance, thread, needles, buttons, a thimble, wax, soap, tallow, pipeclay, a fork, one or two spoons, and several knives, without counting the indispensable condiments for producing a savoury frichfic. For the Zouave is pre-eminently dainty, and as he had no servant to wait on him, he made up his mind to become the first cook in the army. His ragouts would not, perhaps, be successful at Tefours but in the desert many a general officer has licked his fingers over them. Anybody is capable of making a civet, given the hare, but making it without the hare is a heavy task truly worthy of the Zouave. His fertile imagination flashes most when he has the least : then he displays all his resources, he seeks, invents and finds. On those days he dines admirably, but many an animal is turned from its destination to march to the cauldron. “ I do not ask my Zouaves for strawberries, ” Canrobcrt once said in the desert during a frightful heat, “ but if I felt inclined for them they are capable of digging them up for me in the sand.” At the present day the Zouave is the most popular of all soldiers, and his chachia threatens to become legendary, like the bearskin of the Grenadiers of the First Empire. —Xew Monthly Magazine.

Championship of the Prize Ring. —Hccnan, the antagonist of Sayers in the Farnboro ugh contest, has put forth a challenge, in which he offers to fight any man in England for £IOOO aside, and to giro £4OO to defray expenses to Canada, to which ho says no Englishman can object, as it would be fighting in his own country, and GOO miles from Heenan’s friends. Mace, the present holder of the “belt,” and for whom this ch alien "o is doubtless intended, in reply, states that Keenan is perfectly aware that the rules of the prize ring are such that no champion of England can fi«ht for the bolt out of England, and is surprised at so absurd a challenge. To accommodate Ilecnan, Mace, having no wish to take odds, has increased amount of the stakes from £3OO to £3OO therefore he can bo either on or off before or after the approaching contest with King.

The cricketers* Trip to Australia. —The prepa rations for the departure of the cricketers of England for Australia arc nearly completed, the friendly and liberal terms of the invitation recently received from the gentlemen and players of Victoria haviug been cordially responded to. The party will consist of 13 of our most eminent cricketers selected from the “ All England Eleven” and the “ United Eleven.” As the colonial players have attained a high degree of proficiency great interest is evinced in both countries as to the results of the projected games. The list of the players chosen to represent the “ Old Country,” in which probably, some changes may be made before the final selection is determined on, comprises the names of A Diver, E. Daft, T. Hayward, O. Anderson, H. Stephenson, J. Cajsar, J. Jackson, T. Hearnc, E. Carpenter, J. Grundy, W. Caffyn, G. Griffiths and T. Lockyer. 11. 11. Stephenson has the management of the trip, in the place of G. Parr, who is reluctantly compelled to decline accompanying the expedition. PmsioLOGr and Pathology of Dip.tiis.— The average of European statistics shows one pregnancy in 81 to produce twins ; 1 in 7,100 to produce triplets ; and 1 in 160,000 quadruplets. One pregnancy in 78 is followed by abortion, and 1 in 20 by a still-birth ; 10 in 11 births need no artificial aid, or are natural births; and 1 in 20 requires surgical interference. The mortality of mothers in child-birth, in England and Wales has decreased from 1 in 161 in 18-18, to 1 in 202 in 1851; yet this implies a great loss of women in the Prime of life. It often arises from poverty, or from the ignorance of midwives. The mortality of females from child-birth at the ages of 25-35 (when more than half the children of Britain are born), at the age of 35-45, and at the age of 45-55 bear to each other the ratio of 2,3, and 4. In European cities the ratio of dead or still-births to live-births is 1 in 20, but in rural districts 1 in 40. More male than female children are stillborn, parturition being generally more difficult in the case of males, from their greater size. In West Flanders, the ratio of still-birth of males to females is 11 to 10. Still-births arc more numerous among illegitimate than among legitimate births, owing to privations, attempts at conceal* ment or abortion, clandestine Reconcilements, Parliament was prorogued on the 6th August, and the Queen’s Speech consisted of a scries of agreeable and congratulatory paragraphs. If we arc not quite sure that our external relations are so satisfactory as her Majesty has been made to represent them, we are very willing to accept the assurances of the improving condition of India. The latter efforts of Government in that direction deserve a largo measure of praise, and we believe that we may hope that a new era is about to be inaugurated in the East.

Tin; Devil at Coufc.— About a fortnight ago the quiet town of Corfu was startled one night by the appearance of Ids Satanic Majesty. Men lied in all directions, women fainted, and children cried but there the devil was, and nobody dared go near him. The superstitious Greeks attributed his arrival either as a consequence for the comet, or else a punishment of their late conduct towards England, or else as the beginning of the end of the world; but, as to its being a hoax, that was out of the question. But it was a hoax, and carried too far, for some women became dangerously ill, and it is said one died of fright. The police, who are remarkable in Corfu for their stupidity and cowardice, were ordered to take him and succeeded in surrounding him, On which he blew fire from his mouth, and the police vanished in every direction. The officers of the garrison watched in the streets for him, but he did not care to come across them and kept out of the way till they had retired. This wont on for three or four nights, when ho suddenly disappeared, and at the same time an officer of the navy who had been turned out of the service for misconduct and who was waiting at Corfu for a passage homo left the island in a steamer. There is now very little doubt that he personated the devil; at least he is suspected of it. The “ get up ” was capital, the usual horns and tail, and an apparatus on his feet by which ho was able to increase his height to seven feet, and diminish again to his ordinary stature. The police, although armed with swords, arc cowards. A short time after the disappearance of the devil an officer, Captain Douglas, iith Eegimcnt, and Mr. Tyndal, a gentleman travelling in those parts, were returning home at 11 o'clock at night, having been playing at billiards. Captain Douglas was saying good night to Mr. Tyndal at the door of the hotel, when a policeman came and stood close to them. They told him to go away ;he gave a whistle and was immediately joined by 10 or 12 other policemen armed with swords, and by a small crowd of blackguards ; they surrounded these two gentlemen, abused and beat them, and on their attempting to run up the stairs of the hotel, dragged them back, drew their swords, cut Captain Douglas's lip open to the chin, and indicted a good many slabs on Mr Tyudal’s body. Neither of these gentlemen were armed even with a stick, otherwise the police would have fared badly. Having conmitted this unprovoked assault they left them on the ground. Both Captain Douglas and Mr. Tyndal are seriously hurt. A Military Court of enquiry assembled, but had no power beyond giving its opinion, which was that an unprovoked attack had been committed on these two gentlemen by the police. The civil authorities did not seem to think much about it as the sufferers were English, but probably will be compelled to do something. And so cuds the story of the devil’s visit to Corfu, 7Vmr«, .Inly 31.