MISCELLANEOUS.

Kumara Times, Issue 211, 7 June 1877, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

(Continued from Page 2.)

A horrible case of child murder has just come to light in the west end of Glasgow. As the flow pipes in a certain district were stopped a tradesman was called, and on examining the pipes he discovered that the obstruction was part of the mutilated body of a newlyborn male child. The Rev. Daniel Isaacs once alighted at an inn to stay the night. On asking for a bed, he was told lie could not have one, as the beds were engaged.

“At what time does the ball break

up ? ” asked Mr Isaacs. “ About three - in the morning, sir.” “ Well, then, can I have a bed until that time 1 ” “Yes, certainly; but if the bed is asked for, you trill have to remove.” “ Very well,” replied Mr Isaacs; and away he went to get between the sheets. About three in the morning he was .awaked by a loud knocking at his chamber-door. “ What do you want ? ” he asked. “ How many are there of you in here ? ” inquired a voice. '‘There’s me, and Daniel, and Mr Isaacs, and an old Methodist preacher,” was the reply, “Then by Jupiter, there’s plenty of you! ” And the speaker passed ou, leaving Mr Isaacs io enjoy his bed. . When the City of New York was about leaving San Francisco, the “ Britishers” who were coming by her . were somewhat “chaffed" by the ships of war, and said these were the cruisers which were soon to come down upon the colonies, capture their ships, and bombard their towns. There was nq appearance of any force which England had to oppose, but an answer was at hand. On the first day after passing through the Golden Gate, the passengers on beard the steamer had a close

look a,t a British man-of-war, which was .cruising, at a convenient distance from 'the. coast, and all on board had to acknowledge that she looked strong •bhough to tackle several of the Rus-

sian vessels., Next day another was descried, dnd on the third yet another, 1 the"last being attended by a gunboat. . .Thus it will be seen that the British in . the- Pacific are not asleep. Doubtless ' the Admiral has means of obtaining the earliest possible information respecting the position of affairs in Europe, and ! the toWements bf the fleet which it is his^special duty to watch. Extravagance in fashion has not disappeared! frotn France with the Empire. _ aYepont ball one. of the ladies wore shoes made of real silver, which were j.renfjgred. sufficiently flexible by means t ~of springs and coiled silver wire. The effect ihay-have been very striking, but a pair of white satin slippers would have been mote "comfortable.

Therefis agbod time coming for the softer sex. Lord John Manners has always^; .‘been one ■of their warmest

cbampionsin Parliament, and be is going to increase very considerably the number of female clerk? in . the Post Office. There are already seventy of them, but they ■will soon receive a large addition to their ranks. Their pay ranges from MO to .£4OO. The chief of them,. Miss Smith, has a private room, very comfortably furnished, just as though she were a male staff officer.

If the end be held to justify the . means, then a meed of praise must be accorded to..a wealthy Londoner who lately played a somewhat remarkable trick-^upon his '-friends* A charitable institution.being in' want of funds, the • in question announced that ‘ he had received on loan a number of pictures hy distinguished artists, which would be on view at his house on a certain (lay ata fixed charge, the proceeds to he ghfefl to the charity aforesaid; When visitors came to see the exhibition, they . paid their admission fees and bought catalogues got up in the same style as those of the Royal Academy, but were rather puzzled when they came to compare the catalogues " with the “ pictures.” For im stance, the “ picture” named in the catalogue, ‘‘Caught in a Squall offYaimouth,” was a herring in the flesh (or scales) j “ Her First Ball” was a child’s ball of worsted ; “ Study of the Interior of China,” an empty sugar bowl; “ Study of a Fish in Oils,” a sardine in boXj and so on. The first dupes re- ,. jenged themselves by sending their friends to be taken in as they themselves ( had been, and a sufficient sum was thus taken to free the charity from debt) is not likely that another 1 exhibition in the same mansion would meet, with any extensive patronage.—Otago Daily Times. An English steamer, the Lotus, is , em ber, way at present from New Hav?n, Connecticut, to Constantinople, with a cargo of 70,000 Martini-Hemy car- . bines,7o,ooobayonetsandsheaths. 1000 Winchester rifles, 10,000,000 cartridges, ■ and 15,000,000 bullets, for the Turkish Government. The profits of the bigorder for the carbines go to the Pro- ; vidence Tool Company, of the remainder to the Repeating Arms Company.