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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 101, 27 April 1872, Page 2

may have directed, seen, and approved the inscription himself, as a memento of the conquest of Moab by Israel under their great leader, and in addition the stone, so far as the inscription is concerned, is in a perfect state. It was brought in here by Bedouin Sheiks from the ruins (or mound) For remainder of news see fourth page.

The following interesting letter appears in the Times of Jan. 23:— Sir,— It will be interesting to Biblical students and others to hear that a highly important engraved stone has just been discovered in'the Moabite. country, and which has been brought into Jerusalem. I have been permitted, to inspect it, and I must say it bears about it all the significance of antiquity and truth. It measures 36in. by 18in."on the surface, is of hard, close granite, and has six lines of written characters almost indendical in form with the Siniatic letters. .. Mr. Shapira, of Jerusalem, who has made the ancient languages of this region his study, has supplied me with a translation, and according to his reading, no more valuable record of Biblically, stated facts, made at nearly a contemporary moment with the events which it records, has yet been discovered. It may be, indeed, of more powerful interest than the Moabite stone, for it contains the name of Moses, who

of the city of Medeba, which " is seven miles south of Hesbon,. fifteen miles north of Didoi. 1 and about forty-five miles due east of this, place. 7 The characters, which are very clear and nearly perfect, are translated as' follows :—" We drove, them; aW ay — the people of Ar Moab at the Marsh ground; there they made a thankoffering to God their King, and Jeshurun rejoiced, as also Moses their leader." If these words are compared with Numbers, chap. 21, verses 13,14, and 15, and verses 21 to 30; Deuteronomy, chap. 11, and Joshua, chap. 13, verses 9, 15, and 16, a remarkable coincidence of narrative will be seen. The town of Ar Moab mentioned on the stone is in the delta formed by the two rivers which flow into the river Arnon. The "Ar Moab at the marsh ground" of the stone seems to be identical with "the city that is in the midst of the river," of tbe 9th verse of. the 13th chapter of Joshua. I have had made a copy of the characters, which I bring with me. to England, together, with copies of the declarations of people here who know the history, of the stone. — I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Henry Ltjmley. Jerusalem, Nov. 29.

The Fire-proof Negro is still agitating Maryland., It will be remembered that, as reported some time since, he handled red hot iron and melted lead with the utmost impunity, those metals, if we mistake not, being burned with his flesh. A Maryland paper, after correcting some of the statements circulated concerning this man, whose name is Nathan Coker, adds : — " He can, however, eat red-hot anthracite coals, stir up red hot coals in a furnace with his naked hands, lick a red-hot bar of iron until it is cold, receive molten lead into his mouth, and keep it there until it cools; but it is said that he walked on redhot bars of iron barefoot. This feat we have never witnessed ourselves, although we have seen him apply a red-hot bar of iron to his bare feet, and keep it there until it has lost its redness. But we have noticed that there are times when fire seemed to affect him, and we have seen him start back from its touch. We remember a few years ago while he was mixing lime for the plasterers who are at work finishing a building for us in this town, he ran his hand into the lime while being slaked, to take out the core, but he withdrew it in a twinkling. The lime burned him, and he felt the effects very sensibly. Another time a company of young men heat Coker rather badly. He made a wager ■with them of twenty dollars that he could sit on a red-hot stove for fifteen minutes. The stove was heated up till it was all aglow with redness ; the fire-king took his seat, and actually, it is said, sat out ten minutes of the time, but one of the wags, pouring a little coal oil on the stove, drove him from his position in (double quick time, and burned him severely. He is a remarkable negro, and no one yet has ever beeu able to explain his dealings with the element. He would do to make fire- proof safes of.

Gamp versus Dickens — Being thus confided to the guidance of Mrs. Sairey Gamp, I proceeded, after complimenting the old lady on the wonderful vivacity she exhibited in spite of her years, and the effects of a certain freedom of living in which she had evidently indulged, to explain what had brought me down on a visit to a country in which I began to feel an intense desire to linger as long as it might be found possible . that I should be permitted to stay. Finding that I had lately been in London, and was acquainted with many people who either lived, or were often to be found there. Mrs. Gamp suddenly broke in with, *' Perhaps, sir, you may know a pany which his name is Dickens, and: his christening name is Charles?" " I have not," I said, "the honor of knowing Mr. Dickens personally, but through his works he is known intimately to me, and to all the world besides." " Works ! " said Mrs. Gamp ; " yes, and you may say works, if it's books you mean ; and pretty works he makes with people as has a character to lose !_ Hoity toity ! I'd works him, if I ketched him here; and so would Betsy Prig. You may have heard, sir, how he have hecalled me and my frequent pardner Betsy, and made such an upset about a bit of a to -do we had about Mrs. Harris; which Betsy certainly did behave spiteful about that angel of a ooman, which a angel, barring pimples, she were. But I put it to you, sir, were it right and gentlemanny of Mr. Dickens to put that there in a book which we've heerd for certain as he did ; and becall ub for a couple of dram-drinking old sluts ? which I've no doubt was his Bible words, though I never seed /em. myself in prent. Yes, sir, he've behaved shameful, for he've got me and: Betsy. a nanoe.-which; is well beknown throughout 'the whole 'country. And more than that, sir,'' continued Mrs. Gamp, her voice 'sinking down, "through the.) huskihess ."cause _ by ' tier excitemen t, to a sort of awful wMsper;--" more.than that, air,- he' ye a-spiled the nussing trade

out and out — quite eta tirely spiled it. They've got, they tell rae, now, sir, up yonder, a parcel of people as is regular, respectable — as good as, ladies; and one Miss Nightingal — who but she, indeed ! — as attends sick people and monthly too, for what I know, and takes the bread out of proper people's mouths, as is deserving of it. And that's not all. When seech as we do have a job — you won't believe it, in course — but we gets allowanced — iuour drop of sperrits, I mean. Yes, sir, allowanced ; whon it's well beknown it's a thing we can't abear, and always likes to have the bottle put on the chimney-piece, that we may help ourselves when we are so dispoged. He've spiled the nussing trade, have that Dickens ; and that you may depend." " Well, but, my good Mrs. Gamp," I argued, "I cannot but think that you have been trying the new system down here, and have found it answer well into the bargain, Why, you are as vigorous and as strong as you were 30 or 40 years ago, when I first heard of you through Mr. Dickens's book. It must have been the allowancing system, surely, that has agreed with you so well." " Well, as to that," replied Mrs. Gamp, " Til not deny that I've never been bodily ill, and lhat I keep up my sperrits and am as tough and hearty as I ever were; but for all that, I say, sir, that nussing is nussing, and that he have spiled the trade. And, moreover, ourn is not the only trade he've a spiled. You may have heerd, sir, of a lady, which her name is Squeers ? " Certainly," I said, "the wife of Mr. Whackford Squeers, the schoolmaster of Dotheboys-hall, near Greta-bridge." "The same, sir. I met that good lady only yesterday was a week, and she told me it was all along of Mr. Dickens and his books as her husband was sold up; and likeways two or three more schools down Yorkshire way. I say, sir, 'tis scandalous ; and that there Mr. Dickens and his books, you may depend, is at the bottom of it all." — From "Kennaquhair : a Narrative of Utopian Travel." By Theophilus M<Crib, B.A.