MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 574, 1 February 1851, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Irish Chief Justiceship.—The vacant Chief Justiceship in the Irish Common Pleas is understood to have been filled up by the appointment of Mr. Monaghan, at the reduced salary of £4OOO. Mr. Hatchell succeeds to the office of Attorney-General, and there is little doubt that Mr. Serjeant o‘Brien will be Solicitor-General. The promotion of Mr. Hatchell will compel him to resign his seat for Windsor, for which he will be again a candidate, and as the influence of the Court is all-powerful in that borough, his re-election will be unopposed.— Bell’s Messenger, 23rd September.

Magnificent Scheme: Proposed Bridge from England to France. —The Academy of Sciences has at presentunder consideration a plan of a most extraordinary character, being neither more nor less than a suspension bridge hptwppn Franno onrl F.nnl.nj Itjl J — - — U.lgiuitut AV-lt X VIULUCIHU Lemaitre proposes to establish an aerostatic bridge between Calais and Dover. For this purpose he would construct strong abutments, to which the platform would be attached. At a distance of 100 yards across the channel, he would sink four barges, heavily laden, to which would be fixed a double iron chain, of peculiar construction. A formidable apparatus of balloons, of an elliptical form, and firmly secured, would support in the air the extremity of these chains, which would be strongly fastened to the abutments on the shore by other chains. Each section of 100 yards would cost about 300,000 f., which would make 84,000,000 f. for the whole distance acroes. These chains, supported in the air at stated distances, would become the point of support to this fairy bridge, on which the inventor proposes to establish an atmospheric railway. This project has been developed at great length by the inventor.— La Siecle, 21 Sept. All the summer circuits, we believe, without exception, have exhibited a startling decrease of civil business; and we hear the gentlemen of the bar, of all ranks, have reason to complain not only of the past dearth of business, hut of the disheartening prospects of the future. It is to be observed that this dearth of business, which was largely occasioned by the original Local Courts Act, will be aggravated when the new one, with its greatly extended jurisdiction, has come into operation. As one instance of the extraordinary contrast between the present and former state of circuit business, we may cite the case of Liverpool. When Mr. Justice Cresswell presided in the Civil Court two years ano, 11 a Enrl in 100 .. • uiopvoc ui jloo causes ; tms summer his labours were restricted to getting through 66. Under these circumstances, the apprehensions of the members of the bar

seem undoubtedly too well founded.— Legal C) bSGTVCT* Among the novelties produced at the Grand Agricultural meeting at Exeter, was one which excited the curiosity of all. Itwas the ® OOK ' ing of the monster joint, called by M. Soyer “ the baren and saddle-back of beef a la Magna Charta,” weighing 535^ pounds. For the first time in the annals of cookery, t.us was subjected to a new process of roasting by gas. In order to gratify the curiosity of the public, it was placed in the centre of the Castle Yard, resting on a dripping-pan with bricks around, surrounded with 216 jets of gas, and covered with sheet-iron. It took five hours to roast, and consumed 700 feet of gas, of the value of 4s. s|d.; it weighed after being cooked 497 pounds ; the dripping 23| pounds, the osmazome 3j pounus, losing by evaporation only pounds. Limes. Extensive Fire in Mark Lane. At half-past four o’clock on Thursday morning the metropolis was suddenly illuminated by a conflagation which broke out on the premises of Messrs. Allnutt & Arbonin, wine and brandy merchants, No. 50, Mark-lane, Great Tower-street, and immediately adjoining the Corn Exchange. Several of the brigade engines were soon upon the spot; but, unfortunately, it was low water at the time, and consequently it was nearly one hour before the engines could procure the smallestsupply. The flames therefore spread with the greatest rapidity and communicated themselves in the rear to the very large range ofbuildings used as bonding warehouses,known by the name of Barber’s Wharfs, which contained seven floors, standing upon a square area of at least 10,000 feetfortunately surrounded by strong walls a yard in thickness. In the basement of this range of warehouses were counting-houses, also occupied by merchants, corn-factors, and others. The fire was completely unmanageable till about half-past seven, when an impression was madeupon the flames, and the fears which had been entertained that it would spread much further were at an end. At this time, however, the whole interior of this extensive building was completely destroyed, leaving nothing standing but the outer walls, and it was generally supposed that these would shortly give way,, as they appeared to be in a very dangerous condition. The premises of Messrs. Hayter and Howell, army-packers, were also burnt down, and likewise those of Coverdale and Smith, merchants. The front of Messrs. Barber’s warehouse was situated in Mark-lane, but the rear was in Seethinglane, the whole intervening area being occupied by them. When the flames were issuing out of the rear they for a short time caught the front of the houses on the opposite side of Seething-lane ; but, owing to the judicious measures of Mr. Braidwood, the fire hose was directed against the outer walls, which happily prevented their beingburnt down, although Nos. 35, 36, 37, and 38 are considerably damaged. Wemustmention that theflamestook effect on the rear of the Corn Exchange, and quickly spread to the roof, which is destroyed, and several other portions of the interior of the building much injured, but not so much so as to put a stop to the regular transaction of business. As it was known that at least 80 „:i : _r.v. -. wubvo vi vii iu one ui mu uunars, n was feared that they would catch fire ; but this was happily prevented by the falling of the rubbish. It is, impossible, at present, to make anything like an accurate estimate of the loss which will, in the aggregate, be sustained : but it is supposed that it cannot be reckoned at less than a quarter of a million sterling. V7e are happy to add that we did not hear of any personal injury: which doubtless, in a great measure, may be attributed to the effective services rendered by a body of the city police, who surrounded the place almost instantly after the first alarm.— Hell’s Messenger, Sept. 23.

Explosion of Fireworks.—One of the most frightful explosions of fireworks that have occurred in the metropolis for many years happened on Monday, at a few minutes before noon, and speedily laid in ruins a large amount of property, besides seriously, if not fatally, injuring the proprietor of the manufactory, and one of his men. A great many other persons, some living many hundreds yards from the immediate scene of the catastrophe, were badly hurt; and a lad, in the progress of the engines to render assistance, was knnrkpd dAmn r<v _ UIIC uluieni} tne wheelg ot which passed over his neck and head, and caused his almost instantaneous death Cure of Cholera.—The Indian Times describes a new mode of curing the cholera, which has been adopted by the civil surgeon of Howrah, in every instance as yet with complete success. The treatment consists in making the patient inhale a certain quality of oxygen gas About fifteen European seamen, who had been brought into the hospital in various stages of the disease, have been ner Z JZ vcted by lhis Test of Affection.— Mr. Archibald otanope, a groggy sentimentalist residing in

Buckley-street, Philadelphia, conceived the harrowing suspicion that his wife was not 8s pasionately fond ot him as a lady of good taste should be ; and, to put the matter to fair trial he hit on a little stratagem, which he p ut jj practice the other day, with the results here, after detailed. He took a suit of clothes, anj composed an effigy of himself by stuffing th e garments with a quantity of straw which lately been discharged from an old bed. Having suspended this figure to a rafter in the garret by means of a piece of clothes-line, he on. sconced himself behind a pile of rubbish i Q the same garret, to watch the effect. After a while his little daughter came up after s ■ jumping-rope, and caught a glimpse of th e suspending figure. She ran down the stairs .■ screaming, “ Oh ! mother, mother, daddy has 9 If IM M XT M , nung uiiuscH : nvw ivi n, in OUght Archibald, in ambuscade, “we shall have a touching scene presently.” “ Hung himselff" ■ he heard Mrs. Stanope repeat, as she walked leisurely up stairs ; “he hasn't got pluck £ enough for such a thing, or he would have ! done it long ago. Well, I believe he h® ' done it, however,” she continued, as she f came in view of Archibald’s straw represents. I tive. “ Moll,” to the girl, “ I think he ought | to be cut down. You had better go into the k kitchen and get a knife, my dear; but don’t ? go down too fast, or you might fall and hurt ■ yourself. Stay, I forgot: there’s no knife in the kitchen sharp enough. You can go round to Mr. Homes, the shoemaker, Sixthstreet, he’s only two squares off, and ask him 1 to lend us his paring-knife ; tell him to whet it a little before he sends it. And, Molly, | while you are in the neighbourhood, you can i call at your Aunt Sukey’s and ask how the 1 babby is. And, Molly, you can stop at the ’ grocery-store as you come back, and get a pound of seven-cent. sugar. Poor Archy!" sighed Mrs. Stanope, when her daughter had departed. “ I hope we'll get him down before 8 the vital spark’s extinct, for these buryings are very troublesome, and cost money. He I wanted to put an end to himself too; and I think | I ought to let him have his own way for once in his life. He used to say that I was always crossing him. I wish he hadn’t spoiled the new clothes-line, an old rope might have i answered his nurnose.” vnira wkn 3 ...„ r -. r .wit-, ....... g sounded like that of the supposed suicide, broke in on Mrs. Stanope’s soliloquy with, “You confounded Jezabel, I’ll be the death of VOU !” Mfq SHnnno tkinlin/v »lu' s LJ • &uuoi t p of course, be a ghostly exclamation, uttered | a wild scream, and attemped to escape dow. ; the narrow staircase. Archibald, starting from his place of concealment, gave chase. Mrs. Stanope stumbled midway on the flight of stairs, and Mr. Stanope, having just reached her and made a grasp at her dishevelled hair as it streamed backwards, the amiable | partners were precipitated to the bottom together. Both were rather badly bruised, and the cries of the lady raised the neighbourhood. Archibald was arrested for making a disturbance and practising on the tender sensibilites of his wife. He was recognized in iv/o hundred dollars, and jocularly proposed his suspended effigy as his surety ; but he found, to his sorrow, “ straw bail” was not acceptable under the administration of Mayor Jones.— , Pennsylvanian. A witness who was examined last wed before a select committee of the House oi Lords, respecting the manner in which a petition, purporting to have been signed by “ 19.000” nf flip rqfpnnvDrt’ nF T.ivornnnl had been got up, confessed that, “ He bad, upon j | one occasion, gone to a public house, where he had sat down and written about 300 of (be signatures which appeared attached io the petition. While he was at that public house, three others of the agents and himself bad dipped tnemselves into a waterbutt, so thelgj the committee, when they arrived at their place of assembly, should believe that they had been walking about all the day in the rain,” (Loud laughter.) Street Luxury.—We have bad pine apples hawked about in wheelbarrows—have seen goffres sold at the corners of the streets like hot potatoes—and last Sunday** witnessedin Hungerford Market the epicurean sight of ice being sold at a penny a-pie ce ' We know that habits of luxuriousness led I* the downfall of Rome, and when we refill that ice, which generally fetched a ebillM’* and never brings in less than sixpence, is be-g ing sold for the price of a common bun, * { g cannot help trembling—it may be weaknes’il but we cannot help it —for the safety of t’ n, l British empire.— Punch. t