MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 487, 3 April 1850, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Visit of a Russian- War Steamer to Southampton. — The Russian war-steamer Kamschatka, left Southampton on Sunday. Sfhe called st that port both on her voyage to and from Madeira, to which place she conveyed the Duke of Reichstadt. Russian money of the value of £10,000 sterling was spent in Southampton during ?he two visits of the Kamschatka. A large quantity of ship's stores was taken in there, and some portion of the crew were traversing the town from morning until night, purchasing wearing apparel, domestic utensils, and other things. It was curious to see parties of these sailors, most of them possessing the* Tartar head and features, visiting almost every shop of the town. Their appearance and manners were the opposite of the reckless and jovial jack- tars of this country. The Rassian officers politely allowed the inhabitants of Southampton to visit and inspect their ship. ,It certainly is a very fine one, but cleanliness is not considered on board one of the cardinal virtues as it is on board an English^^man-of-war. What astonished a visitor most -was the mode of feeding the common sailors^- A large wooden trough was filled with a |»t of porridge made of ground beans and some fatty matter. Two men stirred it with rakes so as to make the admixture perfect. This was served out to the seamen in basins, and the men, squatting on their haunches, ate it by means of wooden spoons with evident gusto. The Russian money which the crew of the Kamschatka spent consisted of the ducat worth 9s. and the rouble worth 16s. The former was a very beartiful coin. The money changers stated that both coins were of a very pure quality.

Prussia. — The Electric Telegraph. — The facility of communication by the electric telegraph is being rapi3ly extended over Germany. In less than twelve months, and at an expense of 400,000 dialers, the Prussian Government has laid down wires extending over nearly 900 English miles, and connect-

ing Berlin with Frankfort, Aix-la-Chapelle, Hamburgh, and Stettin. Before the close of the year it is expected that the line to Oderburg will be in operation, and, by a junction with the Austrian lines, the Prussian capital will receive intelligence in a few minutes, through Vienna, from the Adriatic Sea. — Atlas. Sept. 23.

Moral Effects of Banking. — Banking also exercises a powerful influence upon tbe morals of society. It tends to produce honesty and punctuality in pecuniary engagements. Bankers, for their own interest, always have a regard to the moral character of the party with whom they deal ; they enquire whether he be honest or tricky, industrious or idle, prudent or speculative, thrifty or prodigal, and they will more readily make advances to a man of moderate property and good morals, than to a man of large property but inferior reputation. Thus the establishment of a bank in any place immediately advances the pecuniary value of a good moral character. There are numerous instances of persons having arisen from obscurity to wealth only by means of their moral character, and the confidence which that character produced in the mind of their banker. It is not merely by way of loan or discount that a banker serves such a person. He also speaks well of him to those persons who may make enquiries respecting him ; and the banker's good opinion will be the means of procuring him a higher degree of credit with the parties with whom he trades. These effects are easily perceivable in country towns ; and even in London, if a house be known to have engaged in gambling or smuggling transactions, or in any other way to have acted discreditably, their bills will be taken by the bankers less readily than those of an honourable house of inferior property. It is thus that bankers perform the function! of public conservators of the commercial virtues. From motivei of private interest they encourage the industrious, the prudent, the punctual, and the bonest — while they discountenance the spendthrift, and the gambler, the liar and the knave. They hold out inducements to uprightness, whirh are not disregarded by even the most abandoned. There is many a man who would be deterred from dishonesty by the frown of a banker, though he might care but little for the admonitions of a bishop. — Gilbart on Banking.

Tragedy op Real Life. — A strange and melancholy occurrence, reminding one of Bellini's opera, only ending far more tragically, will shortly be brought under the notice of a court of justice. The facts are as follow ;—; — Arthur de B , an artist of high repute, recently married to a young lady of the environs of Paris, left the capital, a short time since, to pay a visit to his wife's relations. The chateau they inhabit is an old Gothic building, and amongst its handsome modernized apartments they have preserved in statu quo one oval-shaped chamber, with its dark hangings and ogival windows, as a relict of ancient times and former splendour. This chamber, which is at an angle of the building, and probably once belonged to a turret, has always been denominated the " red chamber." This name, and the legends told about the ancient possessors of the chateau, filled the peasants of the neighbourhood with superstitious awe. The story ran, that the soul of one of the former lords of the castle, who died in Palestine, came regularly every night on the stroke of twelve, to visit his earthly postessions, and took up his quarters in the red chamber. Several persons had vainly attempted to spend the night in that room, but they had been invariably scared away, either by low moans, or by the gigantic phantom of the lord of the castle, while others averred that they had seen a winding sheet, and heard a voice uttering prayers. Arthur de 8,, on hearing these absurd tales, of course laughed them to scorn, when the inmates challenged brm to pass a night in the terrific chamber. This was just what M. de 6. intended from the first ; and a bed having been prepared for him, he armed himself with a pair of pistols and a dagger, and retired to rest. He had been in bed about a couple of hours, when his lamp went out, but nothing extraordinary occurred till midnight, when he heard a strange noise, and felt instinctively ijaat something was approaching. M. de B. felt oppressed; as though a weight lay on his chest, yet he bad sufficient presence of mind left to cry out " Who goes there ?" No answer was returned, but the noise continued. Again he repeated the question, and all became silent as the grave. At this moment the moon emerged from behind a, cloud, and faintly lighted up the shadowy form of a white figure, that was soon lost in the darker recesses of the room. The panic-struck artist's brain reeled, and, scarcely knowing what he was about, he seized one of the pistols, and fired in the direction of the phantom. A piercing shriek ran through the old chateau, and brought the inmates to the rescue, when, to their horror, they discovered a beautiful girl, with flowing hair, lying bleeding and inanimate on the

floor of the red chamber. It was Madeline, the farmer's daughter. The poor girl was a sitep walker, and, like Amina, had passed for a phantom amongst the credulous peasants of the district. — Court Journal.