MISCELLANEOUS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 308, 22 January 1875, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

A butcher named Elopp, drawn for the jury in-Judge Sto.cha's Conrt, New Orleans, -declared that-lie .was entirely deaf. " Judge Stocha remarked i'n a low tone, " Klopp, you may go." Whereupon Klopp's deafness suddenly left him, and he.started out of Court. He was brought back,'; however; and put on the jury. ." c

Disputing a -Pktest's WrLL.—The will of the liev. Maurice O'Connor, a Boman Catholic priest, who died last year, is being disputed by his brother on the-ground of testamentary incapacity. It seeins that: the rev. gentleman, had nearly £20,000 by trade: and money lending,' and. he left the bulk of his property to "his sister, 111 the town of Tralee he : kept a grocery shop, but as priests are not allowed to trade put up the name of his brother. • -, .

When anArab* woman intends marrying again after the-death of her husband, she goes the. night before the ceremony to pay a Yistt: to his grave. There she kneels, and; prays him not to be offended—not co' be jealous." As, however, she feels he will be offended and jealous, the widow brings with her a donkey laden with two goats' skins of water.. The prayer ended, she proceeds to pour the water on the grave, to kjbep the first husband cool under the irritating circumstances about to take place ; and, having well saturated him, she departs.

Tait been " Baptised •The controversy (says the London correspondentofthe 'Dundee Advertiser') with regard to-the baptism of the Arch.bishop of Canterbury, threatens to become serious;:' The frenzy of hatred with which> the High Church party have regarded Dr. Tait ever since the introduction of. the Public Worships • Bill instead of abating only: waxes more furious, aud they are determined to use the baptism controversy with the view of discrediting the Primate. A letter has now been addressed to the Bishop of Winchester, , 1 asking him to " relieve the* consciences .of. churchmen " by satisfying them on this point.. Whether Dr. Harold Brown will,/ give his correspondenfrj.any satisfaction' on the point I do not know ; but I believe the faet .to.be that Dr. Tait. was baptised after. the Presbyterian, though never after the Anglican form. This, however, ought to satisfy-High Church-' men, since it is quite sufficient for the Pope himself. It'will be" remembered that in his celebrated letter to the Emperor of Germany, Pius claimed sbrne undefined spiritual authority over him on' the ground that he had been ' baptised ; and it will not be contended that Lutheran baptism : is in any way superior to Presbyterian baptism.

T&e ' New Zealand Herald' has the following judicious remarks in regard to the recent line of action adopted by the banks y-r" The management" of the National Bank will have discovered by this time it has made nothing by the financial change in dealing with its customers!, What the '"Nationnl has done that will alj the other banks doand thus things ave_.pl aced on the" same level. The tinie for making such'a chaiige we conceive to be. most inopportune a.id, if ' we be not' gready mistaken, "no long time will elapse before thi£is fount!' t(f;'he : the 'case! (My tholse will be advantaged who may wish to avail themselves of the increased rates of interest offered tor fixed deposits ; but this, in all likelihood, will be more than counterbalanced by the increase which will have to be made to those who look to the bank parlors for assistance in carrying on their business .transactions, /The object of banking institutions is not, so far us we have always understood, to interfere

with the manner in which'surplus capita! is sought to be invested, as t'o'allow facilities to those engaged iu commerce to extend their trade operations If, then,' the banks are to the : interest paid on fixed deposits,'it Will almost to a certainty be done at the' cost of thoße who may seek the artommodation"whioh banks afford "to those asking for it. We cannot see what object- will be; gained by the change, but we can understand that it will cause much inconvenience without any corresponding advantage."