MISCELLANEOUS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 153, 9 February 1872, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Grand Canal of China is the most st u pen do us work of the kind ever executed. It was com men feci in the tenth century of our era. It- is nearly 700 miles in extends from Harigrehoo-foo- to ;Yanliang river, forming an unbroken connection between fifty cities. It joins the great rivers Yang:tse-kiani; 5 .2900 miles lo"g, and Ho-hang-ho, 2000 miles. This ; and other Chinese c anals are not constructed : upon the same plan as the canals of Europe and A merit-a. nor are they composed like them of standing water,' fed by reser.voi rs, elevated and 1 lowered by means of locks*. The want of locks obliges the i i Chinese ,to conduct - their canals around the different elevations encountered, and to -ift the boats •by means of chain and capstan. The irrigation supplied by the Grand Canal renders the country through which it passes .exceedingly. fertile,- and, in proportion .to its size, the most populous spot in the world.

Chinese in Victoria— From information received from Melbourne \ve ; learn that Chinese immigration is not uow.being.carried on to any great extent. The reason given is that alluvial: mining is falling off,and that the Chinese have not, as a rule, capital lb en- ' gage in quartz mining. They are -.vol] spoken. off as being industrious and s frugal in their' habitsj and many o: those np,w: f i|i:ih^ £ are engaged as market gardeners, or ! in keeping small -stores for supplying" their own countrj r men with necessaries A few have'intermarried with European

women, and t'-oseviay be looked uponf as permanent t-exXft r* 1, t pTTmiuer seek to realise a stria-vi.-cumpetenry an«E to .return to .their, n.uiye land. a The number, .of Chinese rants' Who arriyed inYictorm i : ul<S7o <was : 459, 5 including three women. Of this>n umber 112 were; from Zealand f^from f parts 3 of 'Australia and Tasmania li ; and from the Mauritius 2. The departures were v 1292, of whom 52 L left for New Zea'and ; 9 for New South and 7(>9! fori irhina.' number of Chinese ;ii Victoria is estimated at 15,006. ... - . , •- ,;S:

Wesli tanisM- —A 1! TVVsjeyans mav iiotTbfe aware t'iiat »r<!ii to"'-fttr. j. S. FT. Rovce, who wi-ires to t ; u« Daylesford Mercury,' in - : : Statesmboiit .of t u\ popular tion are ?w*ii • Methodism, i President'(^ranfe-i«£a 'regular worshippe,r, find is likewise a trustee of the' cost £46,000, and was■ recently, built ii* s of • the-.: centeaar - of Methodism i-n—the. United -States of America.- Tlie-keystone of an immense: -arch r; in >: tMs 'building ' caihe 'l'roirH theruins of' Soldi'n mV temple," and:;the j panel.s, oLt'ie.pulpit from?w od' •grown.in the (rarden of Uethsamane." -

The inefficient supply of Yan Yean water fur .the past four or five hot days fciniied 'an iiiexhaustible topicj-Con-versation -in.Mel bourne, >attdn whenever ••.tw'o or sires remark, after'tne Vveatner rlad ! I,- ;',-ilowr;are r y,qu r off for* _ water down 'your-,way ?". tliir>the f, .ma--joriiy ot- ; ins"ta.nxVs ir Nota drop," followed, by a sh<)werJ'of J here,'' '-had iione r ,^ince? anitky," "six: daysjvithout a show,'V'came to town \vi:.!iout washing," and so on. One gentlem.m was heard to remark - that" there had been no"w,ater from-,the, Yafik - Yean at jiis place for six days, and thaitStlie had ' liis J children and gingerbeer for break last, being no water fit for drinking. j The Chief Justice of New South Wales, Alfred' Stephen,'* now aged seventy years, has askeil to' be allowed to his full salary—£26oo ayear. J 'Hie retiring pension allowed by law is £ : 4JO a-ye,ar ; but upon ;; thia !Sir Alfred states that he cannot live, and unless he is allovved,his; full salary he will hold the office as long as he lives. He has threatened never to repeat his application, and the . Government luu ©. refused, to accede .to his reqnest. The people~6f JSydney are now interesting tii'emsel ves question —How loiiii will-iSir Alfred choose to remain in-office?- should he livedo be 100 years of age;is he to be permitted to occupy the "Bench merely because he bap n ot'"coi npress■ his pVivate 'fexjifenses within t!ie limits of his pension! "Excepting in -a few 'extraordinary "cases toe intellectual faculties of »-men •• begin to decline at *ir'Alfred's age, and it is nqt;reasonabre^to' ; suppoke ! that bewill form an exception to the rule/ " But whether or not, there he is, and there he ssays he will .remain utitil he gets his £2600 a-year as retiring allowances He has 'deliberately ' matched himself rgainlt-timle,' aSdsotiie where about the beginning of the next century the contest. will begin. to be a very interesting one, not only for. Austral a, but for the ■world at large. % ' ■ ■■■■>. As an .example■ of the matrimonial advertisement in "Germany we take the following, from Dresdeu paper :—" A young:gentleman, who has-often heard", that he has nut. an unprepossessing appearance, and who is about to devote himself to.; ,the higher: brajichesj of the* diplomatic .service, .wishes to express in this, perhaps slightly frivolous, but not; altogether unsuccessful manner^his ardeiif' aspirations' towards -iany young: i lady of the highest culture and descent; and will only remark that any such Jady v; \yho : will so far overcome herdiffidence as to send, lier, photo* graph with the answer to this, will most materially facilitate the acquaintance. ■ fortune indispensable. AJi.'open and honorable letters willbemet with equal I arid white photoglyphs which do not attain "'the standard ' necessary ; for/- cpurtship-.AyiLi be- most lionestly returned. Anonymous letters will be left unnoticed, as they deserve. requested' that letters'' addressed' to'the well kuoWn of the Order of the Garter—' H-s-q-m-y-p,' tißith© loth inst., care of— *