MISCELLANEOUS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 16, 20 January 1868, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Zlhslrafecl News observes that the late Professor Faraday's nature was fully and deeply pervaded by the constant sense Of. divine obligations ; and the most b**auti ful passages iv hi« lectures were those with which he was in the habit of concluding a course, and in which he used to remind his hearers of the existence of other fields of thought, aud of a different exercise of the hum-m faculties in regions lying beyond those of space, of matter, and of time. Ho would dwell on the proper and limited function of the mere intellect, aud in uttering these sentences his voice wouid be almost overcome by emotion, and his audiences would depart sharing ihe elevation of feeling of their great instructor. But Faraday's own language can only well express himself, ami a passage from one of 1 1 is lectures shall be quoted, with all reverence, to illustrate his views. It. is from a lecture given in 1854, in the presence ol the late Prince Consort (always his admirer and friend), as one of a series on education, wliich were afterwards collected and printed by the managers of the Royal Institution. Faraday on that occasion said: — 'Before entering upon the subject, I must make one distinction, which however may appear to others, is to me of the utmost importance. High as man is placed above the creatures around him, there is a higher and far more exalted position within his view; and the ways are infinite in which he occupies his thoughts about the fears, or hopes, oxexpectations of a future life. I believe that the truth of that future canaot be brought to his knowledge by auy exertion of his mental powers, however exalted they may be ; that it* is made known to hint by other teaching than his own, aud is received through simple belief of the testimony given. Let no one suppose for a moment that the self-education I am about to commend in respect of the things of this life extends to any consideration of the hope set before us, as if man by reasoning could fin-.l out God. It would be improper here to enter upon this subject further than to claim an absolute distinction between religious and ordinary belief. I shall be reproached with the weakness of refusing to apply those mental operations which I think good in respect of liiuh thing- 5 , to the very highest, I am content to bear the reproach. Yet, even in earthly matters, I believe that the invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by die things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead; and I have never seen auy thing incompatible between those things of man which can be known by the spirit of man which is within him and those higher things concerning his future which he cannot know by that spirit.' Hard study does not of itself shorten life, but does of itself lend to increase the longevity of man. When hard students die early it will be found that in some way they had fallen info the h-ibit id' vi-.-1.-itiug some laws of na<urp, or began to study with inherited infirmity. Thu pursuit of truth is pleasurable, it is exhilarating, it is exalting, and promotes serenity. Of all men natural philosophers average the longest lives. The great, ihe governing reason is, in addition to the above, that their attention is drawn away from the indulgence of animal appetites; their gratifications are not in that direction hence they are neither gourmands, drunkards, nor licentious. Sir Isaac Newton had ahvays to be reminded that his dinner was waiting; the call lo eat is often a most unwelcome one to literary men ; they consider eating a secondary matter; they literally cat to live, and the process of dining is often gone through as a task. Many hard students have become miserable dyspeptics, and have died while yet in their prime; but the tormenting disease was brought on by over-eating, by eating too fast, or by returning to their studies too soon after a hearty or hasty meal, thus drawing to the brain the nervous energy which ought to have been expended on the stomach in aiding it to prepare the food for nourishing the system, and, not, being so prepared it " lays heavy," feels like a load, or induces other duties which increase in intensity and duration, until life becomes a burden and a failure. The French Academy is perhaps the most learned body in the world, and the ages of the younger members average from sixty to seventy. Most of the clever men of France have in this year of 1867, reached a great age. Of the members of the French Academy, M. Mnnet is 89, M. de Segur 86, DePonger-

ville 76, Lebrun 82, Villemain 76, La-mar-tins 76, Flourene 78, M. Guizot 71, anl M. Thiers 69, Berryer 74. tlie Duko dc Broglio S2. This list might be indefinitely extended as to all nations — Lord Brougham, Humboldt, John Wesley, and many others. The circumstance most, favorable to longevity among the brain workers is the spending a considerable portion of early life in out-door activities, travel, and the like, and then, by a temperate and plain mode of livintz, the brain will work advantageously until past threescore years. A recent publication re-excites attention to the sad effects of the vice of confirmed intemperance,, which is so common at the present day; 'and to the question of the establishment of asylums for drunkards. In otlier countries partial success only has attended the efforts to overcome the many difficulties that surround the matter of the suppression of drunkencss, or the management of those over whom it has asserted a permanent mastery ; fbr so many unpleasant considerations in which family rel'.itiunships or friendly intercourse are concerned tend to engender silence, and bar the discussion of what is classed conveniently iv the category of 'unpleasant subjects.' The majority of men, however, are unable to resist the conviction that the evil is in great degree a. self-produced one; and as the truth is distasteful, it is natural that we sock for au explanation which plays the role of an excuse, and is calculated to secure a lenient sentence for those whose individual responsibility is blamed. Clear]}*- the mode of cure of drunkenness, at once, in itself, both efficient and easy of application, is to cut off the supplies of the drinker; but this involves distinct interference with the 'liberty of the subject,' whicii the physician shrinks from recommending, and the public are not disposed to justify without very cogent reasons. The uecesTry, however, for specia! legislation in (he matter is urgent, freely acknowlogsd oo till hands, and will no doubt by-an<i-by break through the thick ctust of our many prejudices a:id allow common, ?ense and considerations of policy to exert their due influence. Public sanatoria or asylums for tho confirmed inebriate are by all means desirable, but they should bo under the strictest surveillance ; private establishments would be open to great abuse, in which the element of commercial speculation might play a very pi eminent part. The drunkard is a criminal, and he should be deprived of tliat, the possession of which renders him a positive source of evil to himself anl society — his liberty. In the regime under wliich he would bo placed there need be nothing harsh, but it would be most pernicious in practice and wrong in philosophy, if the drunkard could make for himself a voluntary arrangement to enter when he liked and to quit when he pleases, as has been suggested. — The Lancet. Much has been said of the native eloquence of the American Indian. The following shows that this <nft loses nothing undji' tiio inspiration of rcilgiou. On the camp ground was an Indian named 'Mingo.' well known and highly esteemed. As the meeting rose in inter- st Mingo grew more and more excited, and yet pre-erved the self-command so characteristic of his race. At length ho said, 'Mayn't I give my testimony?' 'Yes,' said the presiding elder. 'Brothers, I've been long in this warfare; fifty-nine years on my way. lam seventysix years of age. The winds have blown hard on this old carcass, hut the good hope is here. I see you white people, brought up at home, ablo to read, taught -arts and sciences, and yet you live without Jesus. Poor me! could' ut read, knew nothing, yet. gave Jesus my heart. The first Bible I ever had I took home, put under my pillow, and slept with it there. This old frame totters, the strong wind shakes it, aud it must go down; but I bless Jesus I'm under way to glory.' — Mississippi Advocate. It has been stated that a grand international banquet was to be given by the foreign commissioners to the members of the Imperial Commission of the Exposition. Earl Grauville has undertaken the office of chairman, and the banquet is to be such as is not yet on record. Every count! y is to be represented on the tables either by its wines or its national dishes. Her Majesty has graciously aunou need her intention of supplying the game for this Homeric feast; Scotland will contribute salmon and grouse, and the reindeer of Lapland will be served up side hy side with the gazelle from Tunis. The wines of the Cape, of Greece, and

of the Rhine will flow, in goblets from Bohemia, while the Hungarian tokay, and the. luchryma christi, from Vesuvius, will rival the choicest vintages of Oporto and Cadiz. The guests meanwhile will be regaled with cosmopolitan music. Swiss airs will alternate with strains of Naples and of Spain. Even China will not be forgotten, thanks to M. Hainel de Cronenthal, the skilful composer, who has succeeded in reproducing for us the ancient national airs of the Celestial Empire. Exquisite meats and cakes, now almost unheard of, are to be served in succession at the board, recalling to the bewildered partakers the magnificence of the feasts of ancient Lome. Small States as well as great will furnish their contingent; even the little Republic of Andorra win not be fot gotten— she will send* her celebrated trout, her heath cock, and her white partridge. There has been some correspondence, arising from the desire of the Adelaide people to get their corn and wine into Melbourne free of duty, between the South Australian and Victorian Governments relative to the establishment, of free trade between those colonies. The South Australian Treasurer, iv his letter advocating an arrangement for the above purpose, stated that ' it is desirable tbat there should be reciprocity of action respecting ail colonial productions and manufactures, similar ia its provision to that wliich existed between the British North American colonies and the United States of America, for, although the colonies may not be ripe for federation, the principle of reciprocity becomes every day more necessary.' The Victorian reply to this proposal is not given, but the Adeiaii Treasurer stated that there was a strong desire evinced to have a system of free trade established between all these colonies, and protection maintained against foreign markets— in other words, that tlie colonfes should form themselves into a protectionist league. To this South Australia wisely demurs. None of these colonies have ye"ft been found to follow the enlightened lead of the Tasnnuian Legislature, which recently passed an Act authorizing their Government to enter into a treaty of reciprocity with any colony that might desire it. An article iv the Monileur gives some details of the effect of the new military arms. According to the writer, the improvement made in cannon and muskets, far from increasing the slaughter on the field of battle, has diminished it. He o-ives the subjoined figures:—" At Austerlitz the Freuch loss was 14 per cent., of the effective erigugcd, the Russian 30 per cent and the Austrian 44; at Wagram the French 13 per 100, and the Austrian 14; at Borodino the French 37 per 10(>, and the Russian 44; at Bautzen the French 13, and the Russians and Prussians 14 petcent.; at Waterloo, French 36, Allies 31; at Majenta, Freuch 7. Austrians 8; at Solferino the French and Sardinians 10, and the Austrians 8 per 100." According to the ieport of the United States General Rosencrantz on the battle of Murfreesborough, it required 27 cannon shots and 155 musket balls to kill one man. On each soldier of the enemy killed there was an expenditure bf 9001 b. weight of iron. The mortality in armies is not due to the field of battle, but to disease; bivouackino- on cold nights, halting in the midstibf snow, marching under a burning sun— these are the red and terrible foes of the soldier. Among other new and ingenious methods of obtaining publicity in Paris is that of the dog advertisement. A bookseller who publishes a guide sends dogs about the streets. Att'ichetl to their ears is a small handsome card, on which is printed, 'Don't travel without my Guide,' the name and address, of course, being given underneath. An old man of seventy-eight years, named Munson, of Williston, America, has completed an eight-day clock, which keeps a record of the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years to the close of this century. It is eight feet high, was three years in construction, and is valued at 500 dollars. The Superintendent of Education in South Carolina estimates that there are 25,000 blacks, meu and women, in that State, able to read a newspaper with a good understanding of the contents, who two years ago did not understand the alphabet. It is deemed probable that a Mrs. Bishop a descendant of a native chief, and the wife of an American banker at Honolulu, will be elected as queen of the Sandwich Islands on the death of the present king, who is said to be slowly dying?* . ,