MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 258, 19 January 1848, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Experiments in Colonization. — In the recent debate on Colonization, Mr. Hutt sa id — «« I was a member of the Commission which planted the experimental colony of South Australia. I shall always remember with deep gratification, that in co-operation

with one of the most valuable philosophical writers of our age and country — I mean Colonel Torrens — and generally in subordination to his superior intelligence, I assisted at the foundation of that important and remarkable colony. I entreat the attention of the House to these facts. We sent a population of 15,000 persous to South Australia — at that time a wilderness, not only uninhabited, but positively unexplored. The presence of the population gave to the wilderness such a value, that we were enabled to sell 125,000 acres of Crown land for a sum which exceeded by £85,000 the whole cost of the emigration. Startling ,asi this statement may be, it is not all. We raised on the security of the future revenue of the colony, a further sum of £85,000, for the pur-, poses of the outfit and government of the colony. The loan "was effected wholly independent of the Government, but it was afterwards assumed by the Treasury, on condition of its ultimate, repayment out of the colonial revenues. That condition is,!»ow,b r ei^g fulfilled. By a recent order of the Treasury, the interest of the loan is. no longer borne by the Consolidated Fund ; it is paid out of the growing surplus of the revenue of South Australia. And thus you have the spectacle — one perfectly unexampled in the history of the world — of a colonial dependency which has not only defrayed all the cost of conveying its population from across the ,globe, but which is actually replacing all the charges of its original outfit and early Government. Now such has been the result of a first experiment in an.untried field of improvement, amid all the embarrassments, the difficulties, and the errors which are incidental to such undertakings. It would be comparatively easy now to plant another South Australia — to lay open, without cost to the parent state, in one of its distant dependencies, a new and a happier country for those whom the inscrutable dispensations of Providence have visited with suffering and privation here. Are we not to have recourse to this expedient?"

Statue op Prince Albert at Lloyd s. — On Monday, the marble statue of his Royal Higness Prince Albert was opened to public view. Tiie committee for erecting the statue and the committee of Lloyd's proceeded through the und<jrwriting-room to the vestihu'e. On the covering being removed, a universal buzz of approbation ensued, after which Mr. T. Baring, M. P., addressed the assembly, and observed that they were all well aware that the merchants and underwriters, in order to commemorate the laying of the first stone of the Royal Exchange, had subscribed to place a statue of his Royal Highness Prince Albert in a conspicuous part of the building, and he ielt assured that those who now witnessed the success which had attended the labours of the committee would congratulate them on the beautiful statue which has just been uncovered to their view. Three hearty cheers were then given for the statue, followed by three other cheers for Mr. Lough, the sculptor. The meeting then separated. It is stated in the American journals that the sale of the novels of Sue, Dumas, and other writers of that school has lately fallen off so much in the United States, that it is no longer worth while to translate them for the market.

Gold Mines. — The constantly increasing productiveness of the gold mines in the Ural Mountains renders them a matter of considerable interest. They were first worked in 1819; their existence having been previously proved by the presence of considerable quantities of gold in the sand of the Ural rivers ; in that year upwards of 1600 pounds weight of the metal was procured. This quantity has been steadily increasing during every succeeding year ; and in 1846 amounted to more than 68,000 pounds weight ; which would be worth, at £50 per pound, £3,444,000. The total weight obtained since 1819 is 573,400 pounds ; which, at £50 per pound, would be worth £28,670,000. This amount includes the produce of certain Siherian mines, as well as those of the Ural Mountains, and the quantity obtained by washing the sand of the Ural rivers.

Naval Anecdote. — One of his Majesty's frigates being at anchor on a winter's night, in a tremendous gale of wind, the ground broke, and so began to drive. The lieutenant on the watch ran down to the cabin, awoke the captain from his sleep, and told him that the anchor had come home. " Well," said the captain, rubbing his eyes, " I think the anchor's perfectly right ; who would stop out such a night as this ?"

Boundaries of the United States. — Silsbee, the comedian, in one of his farces, says that the United States are bounded on the north by the aurora borealis, on the east by the rising sun, on the west by the horizon, and on the south by as far as we can go.

Marvellous Microscopic Insects. — A professor of botany, of the faculty of Abon Zabel, near Alexandria, found that, while the cholera was raging in that country, many of the grarainiae exposed to the north wind, such ,

as maize, &c, were suddenly destroyed. The leaves were immediately covered with a layer of viscid matter, on which myriads of microscopic insects were observed. This matter was of an acrid character, and irritated the skin. The diseased leaves proved fatal to cattle fed on them. These insects far surpass the celebrated aphis vastator, of which we have heard so much iv this country in connection with the potato disease. — Medical Times.

Liberality of the Pope. — We read m the Monde Illustrate of Rome : — ' A wealthy nobleman desired to constitute one of his two sons his universal legatee, on condition that he would make a sacrifice of part, of his property to the chnrch. The two sons, knowing that thefathrr was very eccentric, determined, whatever will he might make, to divide his fortune between them. Irritated at this the father made a secret will, by which he left a very small sum indeed to his two sons, and the bulk of his property to the priest who should happen to say the first .mass in the church, in which his funeral^ was ,to take place. ; This will. he deposited with a notary. On his death, which took place shortly after, the notary opened the will, and struck by its singularity, took it to the Pope. It was late at night that his Holiness became acquainted with it, but before daylight the next morning he hastened to the church at which the funeral ceremony was to take place, caused the doprs to be opened by stating who he was, and celebrated the sacrifice of the mass before any priest had arrived. He thus became legally entitled to the property of the deceased, and immediately made it all over to the two sous.'

Industry. — There is no art or science that is too difficult for industry to attain to. It is the gift of tongues, that makes a man understood and valued in all countries and by" all nations ; it is the philosopher's stone, that turns all metals, and even stones into gold, and suffers not want to break into its dwelling ; it is the north-west passage, that brings the merchant's ship as soon to him as he can desire — in a word, it conquers all enemies, and makes fortune itself pay contribution.

A Syrian Peince. — " Among the occupiers of the little bazaar watch boxes, venders of embroidered handkerchiefs and other articles of showy Eastern haberdashery, was a good-looking, neat young fellow, who spdke English very fluently, and was particularly attentive to all the passengers on board our ship. This gentleman was not only a pocket-handkerchief merchant in the bazaar, but earned a further livelihood by letting out mules and donkeys ; and he kept a small lodging-house, or inn, for travellers, as we were informed. "No wonder he spoke good English, and was exceedingly polite and well bred ; for the worthy man had passed some time in England, and in the best society too. That humble haberdasher at B.yrout had been a lion here, at the very best houses of the great people, and had actually made his appearance at Windsor, where he was received as a Syrian Prince, and treated with great hospitality by royalty itself. " I don't know what waggish propensity moved one of the officers of the ' Trump' to say, that there was an equerry of his Royal Highness the Prince on board, and to point me out as the dignified personage in question. So the Syrian Prince was introduced to the royal equerry, and a great many compliments passed between us. I even had the audacity to state, that on my very last interview with my royal master, his Royal Highness had said, 'Colonel Titmarsh, when you go to Beyrout, you will make special inquiries regarding n^y interesting friend Cogia Hassan.' "Poor Cogia Hassan (I forget whether that was his name, but it is as good as another) was overpowered with this royal message ; and we hal an intimate conversation together, at which the waggish officer of the 'Trump', assisted with the greatest glee. " But see the consequences of deceit ! The next day, as we w.-re getting under way, who should come on board but my friend the Syrian Prince, most eager for a last interview with the Windsor equerry ; and he begged me to carry his protestations of unalterable fide* lity to the gracious consort of her Majesty. Nor was this all. Cogia Hassan actually produced a great box of sweetmeats, of which he begged my excellency to accept, and a little figure of a doll, dressed in the costume of Lebanon. Then the punishment of imposture began to be felt severely by me. Howto accept the poor devil's sweetmeats ? How to refuse them? And as we know' that one fib leads to another, so I was obliged to support the first falsehood by another ; and putting on a dignified air — * Cogia Hassan,' says I, * I am surprised you don't know the habits of the British court better, and are not aware that our gracious master solemnly forbids his servants to accept any sort of backsheesb upon our travels." — A Journey froni Cornhitt to Cairo.