MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 17, 20 May 1871, Page 5

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

American papers state that workmen in lowa discovered recently some cave and rock chambers, and on raising a foot slab they found a vault filled with human skeletons of unusual size, the largest being 7 feet 8 inches high. A figure of the sun on the wall is taken as indicating that the skeletons belonged to a people who worshipped that luminary, and the representation of a man with a dove stepping out of a boat as an allusion to a tradition of the Deluge. The fingers of the largest skeletons clasped a pearl ornament, and (races of cloth were found crumbled at the feet of the remains. Many copper implements were found, and it is thought that the Lake Superior mines may have been worked at an early period.

An odd incident occurred in the House of Commons the other night. Whilst the leader of the Opposition was talking, the Marquis of Lora came into the gallery to hear him. Many members had taken the same point of advantage, and the Marquis sat down without seeing that his next neighbor was Mr Peter Taylor. The two looked at each other, of course with no sign of recognition; but neither seemed very comfortable. Mr Taylor tried to edge away, but could not, for the member on the other side enjoyed the joke, and would not make

room. The Marquis could not go away; that would have looked gauche and absurd. So the two sat side by side in unpleasant juxtaposition. The future husband of the Queen’s daughter next to the senator who had tried to prevent the Queen’s daughter from having a dowry from the English people. A striking instance of the instability or fortune was witnessed at Dover yesterday. While the ex-Empress Eugenie and her son were in town awaiting the arrival of Napoleon from the Continent, the Due de Nemours, Princess Marguerite and Princess Blanche of Orleans passed through the town en route for France. Barely nine months have elapsed since the Orleans family sought permission from the ex-Emperor to return to France. Their request was refused, M. Ollivier defended the refusal at considerable length in the Corps Legislatif. Crows were among the other siege delicacies served up recently in Paris. The crows are now all on the German side.

The Germans report that of the French prisoners held at Dresden only about a twentieth can write and not a tenth can read.

Scene in a Paris cafe, not long since : —“ Here, gallon, your horse meat is very black!” “Yes, sir, so it ought to be. The animal belonged to an undertaker.”

Up to the very arrangement of the armistice people were detected daily in Paris making signals to the enemy outside and otherwise corresponding with them.

The export trade of Austria and Belgium sank from 5,706,000 francs in 1868 to 1,440,000 in 1869, or nearly to where it was in'lß64. Belgian exports to Austria declined from 1,829,000 in 1868 to 1,821,000 francs in 1869. During the financial } r ear 1869-70 taxes were paid on 1,140,727 dogs in England, Wales, and Scotland, while in Ireland there are 500,000 more of those ornamental animals. They consume food that would support scores of suffering and starving families. The working men-of Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and England, are again earnestly at work in co-operative societies. The social goes on both with and in spite of wars.

The sending of letters and packages from the German cities has been greatly increased by the war. In Berlin the package despatch has increased to nearly 50,000 per diem.

The scarcity of coal is greatly complained of throughout Germany. There is a lack of practical miners to take out the coal, and when it is out there is great lack of railroad transportation for it.

Official reports show that in November last forty-two vessels passed through the whole length of the Suez Canal. Of these thirty six were steamers and six sailing vessels, and of these all the sailing craft and twenty-four of the steamers were English. Among the most zealous and active defenders of Paris was Mr Jerome Patterson, the American Bonaparte, grandson of the former King of Westphalia. This officer of distinction had already won golden opinions in service in the United States Army. Tbe seige of Paris has given the scientific geniuses who last year were investigating the practical usefulness of horse meat a far wider ranger of actual experiment than they ever before had anticipated. The Hamburg papers estimate the export of arms from the United States at about 50,000,000 cartridges, 75 cannon, six Gattling batteries and 2500 pistols.