Miscellaneous.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XII, Issue 732, 12 November 1859, Page 5

Miscellaneous.

"We. > regret- to; recbrd^that „ai^w^_^ielanchols^ occurrence took "place a few day§ .ago, at j place ,011, ithe East Coast, called Mataikuna, aUoufc time' piles from Castle Point;,; the particulars of vrHich"are as follows :—The steamer Wdnga Wpnga- arrived at Castle Point on Tuesday, T the 11th'instant, landing Messrs.' Cobham, Gudgeon, and Auld, passengers for that place, the latter -of,'whom/appeared to be in a very w6ak and sickly state, and hot at all adapted for, a. cquh try life,1, which occupation we understand, heintended toifblldwV.Hehad bought some sheep which were on a run atMataikuhajhe was going /to see them, and. intended remaining therefor a time. The next day he proceeded to tne above placeV a*rd stayed'there till Sunday, the. 16th ; he complained of being unwell, and said he would go over to the"next neighbour, and try to get spine medicine. He remained there till about daylight next'morning, when he got, up and went away. It was thought that he had gone back; but as he did not return the people at Mataikuna sent to inquire about him; and when they could get no tidings of him, they sent to Castle Point to see jf he were'there. 'When the,.man returned and said he was not there, they all set out in search, and shortly came upon his.track; !and:between two and three miles from the house they found the poor fellow 'lying dead. • His face was very much scratched owing to scrambling through the fern, which is there very thick. It was evident he had missed his ,rqad, and .after a hopeless struggle to regain it must have sunk down quite exhausted.— Wellington Spectator, Oct., 29. .":,'' i The ' Braidwood (N.S. W.); Observer] says the agricultural reports for the various localities in the ' district are-most cheering. A considerable breadth of land is nnder grain of varioasikmds this year in i excess of that sown last, and there is every prospect that the yield will-be abundant. Mb. Spueoeon's' Last.—Mr. Spurgeon, in preaching, at Norwich last week, indulged in some of his characteristic humour. "Content," he said, " made our cup run over,, while discontent .knocked the bottom out." The story which had recently appeared in the papers about his. having a large fortune left him, was a complete hoax; if he were to have a guinea for every falsehood told about him, he could build his great.chapel very soon, and probably have enough left for a'cathedral or two. * # # Christian men .sonsetimes fell terribly foul of each other, like the two English ships which troadsided each other .for hours iii a mist-without /knowing that the British flag was flying at their \ imast-heads. The,liizy ,man ,was one of .the biggest j sinners on earth.; ;if,h,e.did nothing else, he; broke • one of God's greatest commandments. There was a very strict Sabhatarian; gardener, who was very hard upon his master about his ■ observance of .the Sabbath. His.master said to.;him "Why you break the cbmmaridraentß yourself." "How?" said the gardener, " I.dbp't, work, oh a.Sunday." 1" No," quoth the master,'* nor on' any other day. Just repeat the commandment." The gardener obeye.d, and; when lie came to " six days shalt thou labour arid do all that thou hast to dp* "his waster <uid, " There, stop there; that 19 as much a : part of ihe commandment as that '• the seventh day. is the Sabbattw" The-sticklixig for sectarian distinctions was as absurd "as if.a hungry. m;u> about to eat some 1 bread were told by;a Churchman, " No bread like I the tin loafr'i oi- by an Independent, ''No bread like thVcbttage loaf;" or by a MethodHtV" Y°u roasteafc^tfi&g'.'';- The hiijigfy mian-wottW say, " Give mfertomebr'^wl, and!wjirsetMc the,- shape Kifterwards." It jaf ft Jroniehow' upon the'foeli&gs to see the wpiourtifepbrfs'xvhTch'tUe Country' gaper* give of Mr. Spurgebn?is " fiehnaus,"- wyfpTttJy'jf'ter* larded with laughter." . * " '

Tuk Sea-Sehpknt.—The ppa-serpent h again reported, to hnvt) been man. The ■■ Boston AUiis*,' pf tiie 30th ult., says :—r" The schooner .'Vraliella, C;»ptsiin Boothby,.arrive! here last evening from Wpllh, IVTe. Oaptiiin IJootJihy states that off-Boon I»].w4 ;^?4go/ hp an^l his crew djjstitictl^ saw.,

about oiio hundred, rods fjoiir tiie vessel, a school of whales, eight or ten in nutnW. Among them was one..answering tho descriptions that'have • been given of the sea-serpent. The monster several times raised his head ten 6r twelve febt, and sometime!* higher, from tho surface of tho water, then plunged it beneath, nnd while his head was under water, ho Unmercifully' thrashed the Whales with his tail. All hands and the captain were witnesses of this sporty some considerable time. Captain B. represents his body to be about the size of a molasses tierce." v

Jack Tar's Passion *-ob Tobacco.—Fnirholt's "History of Tobacco" supplies us with the following amusing illustration of the sailor's passion for tobacco, in a letter from a tar ailoat to.his brother ashore. ,The ingenuousness with which Jack avows his preference for pigtail over a clean shirt, is exquisitely humorous: —"Gravesend, March 24,1813. Dear Brother Tom,—This comes hopein to find you in good health as it leaves me safe anchored here yesterday at four p.m.,arter a pleasant voyage tolerable short and a few squalls. ; Dear Tom hopes to find poor old father stout and am quite out of pigtail. Sights of pigtail at Gravesend, but unfortunately not ; fit- for a dog to chor. Dear Tom, Captain's boy will bring you this and put pigtail in his pocket'when bort. Best in London at the Black Boy in 7 diles where go ask for the best pigtail—pound a pigtail will do and am short of shirts. .Dear Tom, as for shirts only took 2 whereof one is qiiite wored out and tother most, but don't forget the pigtail as I' ant had'quid to chor never since Thursday. Dear Tom, as for the shirts your size will do only longer. I likes urn long, got one at present —best at Tower hill and cheap, but bo particklerto go to seven diles for the pigtail1 at the Black Boy, and dear Tom, acks for pound best pigtail, and let it be good. Captains boy will put the pigtail in his ,pocket, he- likes pigtail so ty it up. Dear Tom shall be up about Monday there or, thereabouts. Not so particular for the shirt as the present can be washed, but don't forget the pigtail, without fail, so am your loving brother, T. P.— P.S. Don't forget v the pigtail." ,■• 'The Government Scheme of. a Reserve Volunteer Naval "Force.-—A Government Bill, under the care of Lord C. Paget and Mi\ Whitbread, empowers" the Admiralty office to raise and keep from "time to. time, a number of men not exceeding' 30,000^ to be called the " Royal Naval Volunteers," such corps to be raised by ' purely voluntary entry from among seafaring men, and others deemed suitable for the service. The term of service wilt be five years, and no longer. The volunteers may. be .trained and exercised twentyeight days in each year, both on board ship and on shore, and. they may be called into actual service, in case of need, by command of the Queen. When this extreme measure is resorted to the volunteers must serve in the navy: for three years, but the service of volunteers in actual service,may be extended two years by problamation. Extra service will bring with: it extra pay. The volunteers will be victualled (when called but) like seamen of the fleet; they will be exempt from the militia service, and will be under regulations eligible to our Hos-. piial of Invalids at Greenwich. They may be also pensioned by the Board of Admiralty. Masters of merchant vessels must make notations on their rolls respecting any of their crews belonging to the volunteer corps, and report from time to time. Volunteers absent from training and drill will be punished by a fine of £20. The preamble o? this important bill' recites\the expediency of keeping a reserve volunteer force of seamen for service in her, Majesty's .fleet in time of emergency.

The Empress of Russia and hek C6w;-~- ---" Luke Nott had an order for two cows'from England, one for .a nobleman and the'other"for the Empress of Russia; but the royal cow died on the paissagei ,-ai]<l thps"Orot--UadL~t<» Ixirled" •(» "tKo-pwlacts forI'inspection1; --'Why? asked>the Empress,.' are three teats so large and qne so small ?'..' It's all correct, please your Majesty,' said the ever-ready ' Luke,' three are for the milk and the little one for the cream.' ' Indeed!' was the reply, and nothing more was said. 'But,' as Mr. Kirby used to remark,'l stood fairly trembling to hear the fellow tell such a wilful lie. .Many had been sent off to Siberia for less; and it was all that Mr. Kirby himself could once do, even while he basked in the royal sunshine, to persuade the guards that the. porter-bottle which burst in-his pocket as he was smuggling it into the palace for one of the Princes, was not the prohibited liquor of hated Britain, but only'frisky beer.'" News feom Sebastopol.—The mercantile bark Westbrook, commanded by Captain Bonello, which left Sebastopol on the Ist of March; has arrived at Hull, with a cargo consisting, chiefly of bones and 46 pieces of cannon, English, French, and Russian, most of the latter being in excellent condition. Captain Bornello states that he ,arrived in Sebastopol on th^l;Bthspr'Jan^aty;aWJ'*'a.^'once-pro-' ceeded by roa^t'o' Bataklava. 'The country along the entire route presents a most devastated appearance, diversified only by the mounds raised here and there over some fallen Avai'rior. Balaklava itself ,he describes as a vast Golgotha, where small heaps of stones are the only marks of distinction separating the resting-place of the officer; from that of his subordinate. The immense extent of ground covered by the besieging armies of. two great nations is "now completely deserted, even the two or three houses occupied by some of the generals being uninhabited; : The' ravages of war are also j stamped.in equally indelible characters on the city of Sebastopol itself. Commerce is stagnant, its streets are almost deserted, and the wretched inhabitants of the smaller houses, which alone seemto.be generally occupied^ are in a most destitute state. All that can be seen of-the once mighty Mahikoff, may, not inaptly be compared to a " mountain capsized;" the dockyard, instead of its former life and activity, resembles a mass of rocks; and those of the Government magazines which'have not already tumbled in pieces,'appear as if they were ,about to do so. There are. .no indications that the famous fortifications which frowned for so many months on a mighty foe are about to be restored, nor does it seem probable that they could be in the course of one generation. The American contractor is busy in his efforts to. raise the sunken fleet of Russia, and at the time Captain Bonello left, had succeeded with afew'only of the smaller ships. .>; , ■ "■'> f . .Hippopotamo Infanticide at the Jabdin dcs PlaKtes, Paris.—Notwithstanding air the, preparation^ which had been made, the hippopotamus born a few days back has died. The birth took place in the water. The female by her movements signified a desire to go into the basin, and the moment the door was opened she plunged'in, and immediately afterwards she was delivered under water, and the little one instantlyeame to the sur-. face and began to svyim about. On the former occasion the female hippopotamus repulsed her offspring, .would never let it suck or come near her, and in pushing it away violently inflicted h wound whicli caused its death. This time everything appeared to be going on more favorably.1 The mother gave nourishment to the young one, and allowed it to lit) on iier ba.ck and neck, according'to the habit 6f those aquatic animals. She also remained constantly in the water, instead of as usual, frequently l«Hvins; it. For a space of about 43 hours the two anirhai- nover.quittedthe'; water. The day before ye' the little one began to walk in and # oat of the basin.' It fed well, and was visibly growing; during the night, however/the mother was seized with a sudden fit of rage and attacked ifc. _ It w an extraordinary fact," says.M.L G..&t. Hilaire, " that the female* of these mamtmierous animal* youb&. Ul'tee# '4*VQ™

them. But it is almost without exuinpltjthiit when the mother lias, adopted tho young pno and given it suck, it should do so. It is true howsror, that tliero is no animal more irraseiblo «nd brtitnl than tho hippopotamus." •■ Tho cvoiit having 'occurred under water, and in tho night, the keeper was not able to give a lull account of what took place, but the results are but too clear. The mother* must have seized the young one by the stomach in her formidable jaws, as five deep marks of her teeth are visible, and she must also have attacked it with her tusk, which pierced .the left breast into the lungs. Two 3 roung ones having been already brought forth since the animals have been at the Jardin dcs Plautes, hopes are entertained that in.;,fourteen months more thevo maybe a third, and as it is now ' evident that the mother cannot be depended on to ' nourish her offspring, care will be taken to' immediately • remove the offspring and bring it up by artificial means.' — Galignani. This True Use ok: a CATHE»BAi I .--Tho Chapter of the Cathedral at Exeter have set nn example which may be judiciously followed in all the cathedrals throughout the country. The nave of 1 the sacred edifice has been appropriated for afternoon service on Sundays. A vast area is thus obtained for the congregation, and it is a pleasing fact that on every occasion there has been an overwhelming attendance. Chairs have taken tho place of pews, and the sight which the nave presents when the immense congregation are seated is very striking, both rich and poor sit side by side. 'No seats are reserved for any particular class. All alike are united withiu the walk of the venerable cathedral, where all the seats aro»" free." Full choral service s is performed, and the sermon is preached by one of the cathedral dignitaries. The rev^' gentlemen who have up to tins' time occupied the pulpit have delivered excellent addresses. The entire cost of fitting up the nave was borne by one' member of the Chapter—the Rev. Chancellor Harington. An acrobat named Blondin, who had previously walked across the Niagara river below the falls on a tight-rope, repeated the feat with his head in a bag, so as to blindfold him. '

The Library Map of Australasia, forming the second of a uniform series of the great divisions of the globe, has just been issued by Mr. Stanford. It has been constructed like that of Europe, already published by Mr. Keith Johnston, and is" distinguished by the insertion of several new and important surveys, and,great clearness with regard to names and the colouring of boundaries. It is likewise of very comprehensive scope, since^ although its scale is 64 miles to an. inch, it extends from Borneo to New Zealand.

They do better in Euance.—We would call particular attention to a Minute from the French Ministry of War, which we notice in another portion of our columns this day. It appears thaivtwo detachments of French troops had been forwarded to Italy, but without the necessary articles and implements necessary for the campaign. The action of the French military authorities upon this state of facts would be considered most outrageous at the Horse Guards. They appear to have considered that the comfort and well-being of the soldier were points to be considered, and they have actually visited the superior officers who ordered the. departure of these troops with "a punishment of fifteen days' arrest as a mark of their displeasure I Even worse remains behind. A censure has; been published by the War Minister in Paris, upon the general officers who did not. take care that such mistakes - should not occur. ; This was- indeed hard^ The French military authorities .should take a leaf out of our book. Whenever subh a trifle happens as,the loss of a few thousand British soldiers in consequence of what civilians might proifanely <?a|l negligence, our practice is to assemble a "few old generals a£ Chelsea Hospital, and'to cause them to declare that it is inevitable and proper that^cavalry horses should eat each other's tails^ afld, that our; soldierß-«v»niii>i v.a H;ot««i-"wppn~griE;eifi "coffeg- berriesaiid raw pork. This is a truQ-soldMiJrHk^^ieljir^f tlVe question, and calculated in every way to'promote the good of her Majesty's service. 'As for, passing any censure upon a superior officer-^-forbi«i it in the name of leathern stocks and pipeclay.— Times.

A Perilous; Undektakikg.-tA remarkable and perilous undertaking lias just been accomplished at Stoke Priori in Worcestershire,,./At that place, ■which is situate on the line" of the Bristoij and Birmingham Railway, are very 'extensive^ jchymical works, which form a small town in themselves, and here is one of the tallest ..chimneys in the country, being no less than 312 feet (104 yards in height.) Upon this chimney was~ fixed, some three-;or four years ago, a lightningconduetor(thechinine'y having a short tipe before been struck with lightning), but t he action of the chyraical; gases from tlje chimney having eaten away all the projecting portion of the conductor, the proprietor (Mr. Corbett)!engaged a person from Sheffield (Mr. Brown) to undertake the task, which he has just cleverly accomplished. The proprietor being unwilling to stop the works it was necessary to ; ascend .to the. top. of the chimney by the exterior, and accordingly Mr. Brown, prepared 24 ladders, each 21 feet in length, and having placed one in a position at the toot of the chimney, spliced the second to it by ropes, at the same tiipe'securing it from motion by pins fixed in the cliimriey. In this way each of the 24 ladders? was riised. The chief difficulty, however, was in fixing1 and ascending the last ladder, there being a cortiice-at the top of the chimney projecting three feet six 'inches. However, this difficulty was cleverly overcome and the ingenious and venturesome contractor having ascended it stood in safety on the top an^ renewed the top of the lightning ■conductor., To) ascend a chimney of this height by ladders is a feat never before accomplished. v

Funekal of Yeh.—We omitted to mention, m the summary of Canton news,-last mail,- that Yeh's body arrived there on May 14, creating litjtle or no sensation. The next morning a roomy long boat was sent for the case in which the coffin was secured, and 24 hours afterwards the boat was seen a little below the Cumfa Mew, on the Honan.shorfe,.with no other emblem of her burden than a white flag. It was supposed that the body would be carried to the cemetery near the North-east Gate, /life''Friend of China,' in alluding to this subject, safS:-^" Yeh was only 53 years of age, and by the coii^e of nature should have seen may more days. But io£|he desire which he expressed—to see his native laiuf again— we might almost be disposed to think tijiii.i he took that which shortened the thread of. life.: i^las, poor Yeh! He had such an extraordinary! method of dealing with the truth that even thcs/expression of his pining may have been, as all his lifeUvtts, a huge lie.' Linguists and boat people iv Cantoiif appeared glad at hearing he was no more. ' 'Therewill be no ceremony over his removal,' said one of tfte former class; 'the emperor has taken away al)l(iS, titleshe is no m6ro. than thn commonest coolies of the streets.' So much for Yeh! 700 ,do|]*rpi,freight money from Calcutta to Canton, was a deal to pay.for:such a result." ' Another accotiiii|£»'ys that when the remains were landed they.'we^jplaced in a temple in the eastern suburb,- ♦♦iwhero|they re T mained undisturbed till the morning ucf|'May 27, w t hen,,with the assistance of some Engjislif ngyieers, and!attended by a party of English policelthe-coffln was opened.. The body was found to l?|i n , a *ajr state of preservation,, tiiough by ho nieawsweetj it was in<iileaden coffin, which was enclos^ .in' z f in(;» and that again secured in a strong,teak Rising1. The Chinese coffin which was prepared' for 'tfcg body was, of prodigious dimensions, being 7 feet loi|T». 4 broad, and 2 deep,' arid was handsomely decocted. The body. was,.ieclothed in ifull uniform; Jmiwding; :hat and boots, and wns tlien placed with ss\or eight silk-'ebvered mattresses of very handsoif c' ; descriptions, in the Chinese <roffin; and a supply of various secular wants being placed therein forth1 use of the deceased, the lid was fastened down', andftlie whole is now left in charge of his domestics, pivJint? an opportunity for tranainission ■npr.t.hwafda. < : Much r-espect was shown by'the nutqerciuspiinisscrolficers (nearly every one of rank in the neighhoiirlipod of Canton) to the deceased, and sorrow, eitler pw'l or feigned, found vent, in more than one pn'stnnce.in tears.' Thb utmost order prevailed, and ito objection \v"ft^ evinced to the gresencp of Uie foMgueb,"