MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 450, 24 November 1849, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Hungary and Austria. — On June 10th there arrived in the Austrian camp a jparlamentaire from Kossuth, who brought a message to General Haynau, admonishing bim that if any more Hungarian prisoners were executed, the most distinguished Austrian officers captured by the Magyars would be put to death by way of reprisal. This note was accompanied by a certificate signed by several Austrian officers, prisoners at Groswardein, bearing testimony to the humane treatment they had experienced from the Hungarians. Among the signatures were Colonel Count Momecuculi, Lieutenant-Colo-nel Regensburg, Majors Stieb and Scudier of the engineers, Count Erbach, Gbilan, Hammer, Captains Hart week and Langraf, Lieutenants Schofel, Thinwald, Colleoni,, and Woollinowich. The Austrian government will not attend to this unless the Hungarians are successful. Despatches had arrived at Vienna from General Haynau, the commander in-chief of the Austrian army, to Piince Schwartzenberg, announcing that on the morning of the I2ih the Austrian army had assumed the offensive, and had attacked the Hungarians on the whole of the line. A joint army of 300,000 men, of which 160,000 are Russians and 140,000 Austrians, were that day put in motion, for the purpose of forcing the Hungarians to give battle. According to the plan for the campaign agreed on, the Austrian and Russian troops, under the command of Marshal Prince Paskewitch, were to pass the Carpathian Mountains on the 17th, and to force the passage of the river Dukla, to march straight upon Debretsin, the centre of the Hugarian operations. The Russian General Luders and the Ban Jellachich were advancing towards the centre of Hungary, manceuvering so as to make their operations converge on the one hand with the troops of Prince Paskewich, and on the other with the main body of the Austrian array, which, under the command of General Hay-

nau, was marching on Comorn. The despatches describe the Hungarians as being hemmed in on all sides, either by the Austrians or the Russians ; and they state that within a month the Hungarians will be completely beaten and Hungary pacified. — Bell's Life, June 24.

Germany. — The AUgemeineZeitung lends authenticity to a remarkable document which had already appeared in a Swiss paper, the Evolution. It purports to be a manifesto of "the German Democrats " abroad, in meeting assembled, and to be a programme of the policy which they will puisue. It sneers at the " half revolutions" of France, Germany, and Italy, now undisguisedly resulting in a virtual return to the styles of government as they existed before February, 1848 : it adopts the Red Republic as manifested in Paris during the days of June. The German Democrats denounce the sham democrats of Frankfort, the neutralists of Switzerland, the middle-class Republicans of Europe, the philosophical pbliticians, and the smaller socialists ; they declare for a complete system of communism — abolition of landed property, state'care of industry and produce, universal education, and extinction of religion ! " Education must be stripped from all religious doubts whatsoever ; Religion, which must be banished from society, must vanish from the mind of man ; Art and Poetry will realise the Ideals of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, which Religion places in an uncertain state." Thus Shellys Revolt of Islam is proclaimed by the German Democrats, who speak in the name of Hungarians, French, and Italians. It would be easy to sneer at this extravagant paper ; but those who are best informed know how communism has spread under the surface throughout Europe, and most especially in France and Germany : that, indeed, is one reason why princes and statesmen and professed leaders- of revolution have been unable to make a final settlement : the German Democrats sneer at "reform" as a middle class half measure ; and the same feeling has kept the multitudes of France and Germany in an angry state of reserve. It is true that the people of Germany, and vast numbers in France do not respond to the old revolutionary cries of political liberty ; true that they are prepared to answer the call to a social revolution. And the worst of it is, that the accomplished professors of politics, throughout Europe find this question of communism coming upon them with a studied neglect of its principles and a studied ignorance of its physical force in the populations that hold by it. — Spectator, June 16. I have observed one ingredient somewhat necessary in man's composition towards happiness, which people of feeling would do well to acquire — a certain respect for the follies of mankind ; for there are so many fools whom the opinion of the world entitles to regard,* whom accident has placed in heights of which they are unworthy, that he who cannot restrain his contempt or indignation at the sight, will be too often quarrelling at the disI posal of things to relish that share which is ! allotted to himself. — Man of Feeling,

The Floating Railway Bridge for the Firth of Tay. — This novel and extraordinary piece of naval architecture has had her engines fitted at Mr. Napier's dock, at Lancefield, and the authorities of the railway and their friends made an experimental trip down the river to Greenock and back on Saturday last. The vessel is of iron, 175 ft. long, 34 ft. broad, and 10 ft. deep, the bottom being a very flat curve ; both ends are alike, and quite square, so as to abut against the quay, aud receive the trains on deck from either end. The deck is flush, and clear fore and aft and on it are three lines of rails, so as to enable it to take the longest train likely to require it. The steering wheel is amidsbip, elevated between the paddle boxes, and connected with the rudders at each end by long chains, as the vessel will not be turned, these rudders will, of course be used alternately, as either end becomes the stern. There are two engines entirely independent of each other, and instead of a shaft connecting the paddles, each is moved solely by one engine, by which means extraordinary command is obtained over the movements of the gigantic machine, independent of the rudders. The diameter of the cylinders is 56 inches, with a 3-ft. 6-in. stroke ; the valves work with great ease, and each engine is 100-horse power. The valve gear is on deck ; there are two eccentrics which are thrown alternately in and out" of gear, as either end of the vessel becomes in turn the head. The boilers are amidships, with a clear space all round for facility of cleansing and repairs. She draws but little water, made eight knots per hour, and is expected to be in operation in two months. As a proof of the mathematical correctness in the construction of machinery at the present day, we may state, that notwithstanding the engines were started for the first time on actual work, they immediately worked to perfection, and not a screw had to be altered during the trip. There are two small extra pumps for

supplying the boilers, in case of the watef running, and every precaution appears to have been taken to prevent accident. It was curious t& observe the loss the captain was occasionally at in giving orders to two independent engines for'the first time in his experience, and as both became starboard and larboard alternately, these nautical phrases must be thrown overboard, to make room for definite terms ; this difficulty a little experience will remove. At Mr. Napier's works are shown two steam engine cylinders, stated to be the largest yet constructed, being 96 in. diameter * they are intended for the American mail steamers, Asia and Africa, and when completed the engiaes will be nearly 900-horse power.

Lord Ducie on Mesmerism. — EarlDucie has consented to become president of a " Mesmeric Institute," which has just been formed in Bristol. His lordship stated "he felt bound to tell them the history of his conversion, for he used to laugh as much at mes* merism as any person in that room could do. Some years ago he had suffered -much from gout and other affections. One day a clergy* man, a friend of his, came to him in great glee, and told him he had it in his power to be cured. 'His inform: n* went on to tell him that he had been cured by clairvoyance of a nervous attack he had suffered from for many years. If he was not afraid, he was recommended to go to a curative clair /oyante. Being piqued on his being afraid of going, he sent sent for the lady, laughing, he must confess, dt the whole affair. He was, however, cured, alter being mesmerized regularly for some time. The vety first time the lady operated on him, by taking his hand and making the passes, he went soundly to sleep, and every time after he did not know when the lady left the room. He then went daily, for about four months, to a London surgeon who practised mesmerism, and every day he saw proof of the science. On one occasion, when he still doubted the truth of clairvoyance, this surgeon asked him (Earl Ducie) to accompany him to see an interesting case of clairvoyance on whom be wns going to operate. He expressed his wish to do so, but the necessity for him to leave on other business. The surgeon rang the bell, and called in a girl of about 18 years of age, and mesmerizing her left the room. He (Lord Ducie) then finding her clairvoyante. began to question her. They then travelled mentally to the railway station, the clairvoyante expressing her wish to go into the country, as she had not been there for many years. He then, selon le regie, asked he to go into Gloucestershire, and went down to his mansion. She described the gravel walk, the iron gates,; the hall — she described its chequered pavements, the muskets and cartouche boxes on the wall, the carved fireplace of his Elizabethan house. They then went over his farm, and she described the crops of his fields, occasionally seeming puzzl°d at the plants, and mistaking, as a Londoner might, turnips for potatoes. The singular proof of her clairvoyance was, that she noticed to him that one field in particular was planted with two different crops ; she noticed this, and told him that part of the field was cut and carried, and the other remained ; he found this afterwards to be true, although he actually at the time did not know it himself. The lady, by whom he was cured told him several things about himself which he thopght no one in the world knew. There could be no collusion in the case, for he had never seen the girl before, and she did not know his name or residence, and if Bhe had been informed, she could not have known all the details of his farm in Gloucestershire. He might mention that the same girl alluded to a fine cbesnut tree on bis estate, and mentioned that it was surrounded by an iron fence, describing the long fan-like leaf of dark green with the most perlect exactness, although ignorant, as a girl living in London would be, of the sort of tree." — Globe.

Modern Treatment op Mummies. — People on the spot have no notion of reverence for these remains. Travellers who were at Thebes in 1827 tell us how all the fires wanted by themselves and their attendants were made of the sycamore wood of the mummy cases. Abdalatiff tells us how, in' his time (the twelfth century) the people stripped the mummies of whatever was of substance sufficient to make garments, and sold the rags of the mummy cloth to the paper makers to make paper for the use of the grccers. He speaks of 3ome of the sycamore wood being (hen rotten ; but some sound and fit for use. One extraordinary variety of burial be tells us of, on the word of one on whom be .could rely. This friend of his was once searching for treasure with some companions, in the tombs at Gezab, when they came upon a jar carefully sealed. They opened it, found it contained honey, and began to eat. Presently one of the party perceived a hair sticking to his finger. Drawing it out he found it belonged to the body of an infant which was preserved in the honey. The body was in, good condition, and adorned with jewels »n(L

ticb ornaments. What care to preserve the earthly frame! and with what a result! The three thousand years of purgatory of many of .these Theban sleepers is now about expiring. If their faith was a true one, and they are now returning to resume their bodies, and begin a new cycle, in what state will they find their sumptuous death chambers, their hundred gated metropolis 1 Their skulls sustained with bitumen, awd indented with the creases of the bandages, are carried away —one to Russia, another to America —one is in a royal palace—another is in a mechaaics 1 museum. Their coffins are burnt to make an English lady's tea tray ; their cere-cloths arc made into paper to wrap up an Arab's tobacco. The spices and unguents were taken from their brains and chests hundreds of years ago, to be melted down and serve for some other perfu«niag and «mbalnting. These things may appeaT less grave and pathetic at home than on the spot} for mummies are little more Tespected in Europe than by the ignorant Arabs who pull them up, and to pieces for -sale and use. Something is perhaps owing to the name, and something to the dollish oddity of their appearance but, in its proper place there is great dignity about a mummy. Reposing in its recess or painted chamber, and bearing the marks of allegiance do Osiris and of acceptance by him, there is something as solemn in its aspect as in that of any coffin in an English vault, and this solemnity is not lessened by the thought, that in that still breast and sleeping head, beat the heart and wrought the ideas of three thousand years ago. This black pall of oblivion hanging =over all gives one, though a mere stranger, some of the mourner feeling which is one of the privileges of the speculative when bringing speculation to bear on the obliterated past instead of the unrevealed future. -Eastern Travels.

A Judge's Mistake.—At the Monmouthshire assizes Mr. Justice Coltman caused considerable merriment, Mr. Skinner was counsel for the prosecution in a case in which the jury acquitted the prisoner. His attorney applied for his discharge. Mr. Justice Coltman, addressing Mr. Barrett, the governor of the gaol, said, " Tell Skinner he is discharged, the jury have-acquitted him, and he may ga." The learned counsel, rising from his seat, made a low bow to his lordship, and said, *• Thank you, my lord." The whole of the barristers present burst into a loud laughter, in which the judge, admonished of his error, —Observer.

joined. A Cunning Lawyer. —A lawyer in Ireland, who was pleading the cause of an infant plaintiff, took the child up in his arms, and presented it to the jury, suffused with •tears. This bad a gre3t effect, till the opposite lawyer asked, what made him cry? "* He pinched me,' answered the little innocent. The whole court was ccnvulsed with laughter. A French wife wrote this affectionate and •laconic letter to her husband : 'Je vous ecris parceque je n'ai rien a faire: Je finis, par<cetpuje n'ai rien a dire. 1 I write to you, because I have nothing to do ; I end my letter because I have nothing to say.