MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 589, 26 March 1851, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

I Losses in the Recent Great Storm. r ater intelligence communicates more dis-

astrons losses by the recent storm. Melon- . choly as have been the casualties on the banks of the Mersey, they scarcely equal the scenes that have been witnessed ou the eastern coast. At Yarmouth two fine vessels have been lost on some formidable shoals, and every soul belonging to them perished. The intelligence has been brought by a fishing lugger, named the Henry, and from the report of the master it appears that during the violent gale of wind on Monday, he was riding at anchor under the Lewau and Ower Sand when he observed a fine vessel, of between 250 and 300 tons burden, going upon those dangerous shoals. The crew, apparently; had not the slightest command over the ill-fated vessel. The wind was blowing almost a hurricane, and, on the ship striking, the waves made a perfect break over her, and she speedily went to pieces. The fate of the crew was certain ; they must have perished within a few moments after the vessel touched the sands. Shortl v after this melancholy scene, the crew of the lugger per= ceived another vessel being blown upon the same shoal. She was under press of sail, and, on striking, a vigorous effort was made to get her off. After much beating, however, she got over, and the crew immediately hoisted signals of distress, they no doubt finding that she was fast filling with water. The fearful state of the weather prevented the lug?er rendering the least assistance, and in the course of ten minutes the unfortunate vessel disappeared, with every creature on board apparently, for no boat was seen to leave her. —Atlas.

■»-» B4'v V. v. T.iLmr. DD T ?L - - ahii x - jujuju-tj x irxuxvi/mvi a* nui wC oa* tisfactory to the public to know that all doubts respecting the dreadful crime at Frimley are now completely cleared up by the confession of one of the guilty persons. Although very little moral doubt existed that the persons who are in custody were in reality the authors of the crime, yet there was very great difficulty in procuring the necessary legal evidence to establish their guilt, and it is possible that they might have escaped justice if one of them had not made a confession. It appears that on Monday afternoon Hiram Smith, alias Hiram Tower, one of the four men in custody upon the charge of murdering Mr. Holiest, expressed a desire to see Mr. W. Keene, the governor of Guildford gaol. Mr. Keene accordingly went to his cell, and the prisoner then made a statement, which was taken down in writing, of all the circumstances connected with the dreadful affair, stating the burglary was planned by himself and the other three now in custody, and that the fatal shot was fired by Levi Harwood. He also states that, after the murder, the prisoners all came to Kingston together, and Harwood went to London to dispose of the stolen property, and when he came back gave him 7s. 6d. as his share. The prisoner entered minutely into niu uviuiio ui tue outrage, but stated that the pistol was only intended to terrify the inmates of the house into submission, and that there was no intention originally to commit any violence.— Atlas, Oct. 19. Individuality of Locomotives.—lt is a remarkable truth, and, well applied, it might be profilable to us, in helping us to make fair allowance for the differences between the temperaments of different men, that every locomotive engine running on a railway has a distinct individuality and character of its own. It is perfectly well known to experienced practical engineers that, if a dozen different locomotive engines were made at the same time, of the same power, for the same purpose, of like materials, in the same factory, each of those locomotive engines would come out with its own peculiar whims and ways, only ascertainable by experience. One engine will take a great meal of coke and water at once ; another will not bear of such a thing, but will insist on being coaxed by spades-full and buc-kets-fuil. One is disposed to start off, when required, at the top of bis speed; another must have a little time to warm at his work, and to get well into it. These peculiarities are so accurately mastered by skilful drivers, that only particular men can persuade particular engines to do their best. It would seem as if some of these “excellent monsters” declared, on being brought out of the stable, “ If it’s Smith who is to drive me, I won’t go. If it’s my friend Stokes, I’m agreeable to anything!” All locomotive engines are lowspirited in damp and foggy weather. They have a great satisfaction in their work when the air is crisp and frosty. At such a time they are very cheerful and brisk; but they strongly object to haze and Scotch mists. These are points of character on which they are all united. It is in their peculiarities and varieties of character that they are most remarkable. The railway companies who should consign all their locomotives to one uniform standard of treatment, without any allowance of varying shades of character and opinion, would soon fall as much behind hand, in the world as those greater governments are, and ever will be, who pursue the same course with the finer piece of work called man.—Dickens’s Household Words,

Shortening Acts of Parliament.' —■ Among the statutes of the late session was one “ for Shortening the language used in Acts of Parliament.” It contains eight concisely worded sections, and, according to the provisions, very considerable improvements are expected to be made in future acts. Subsequent acts, it is expected, will not contain a provision to alter or amend. They will be divided into sections, without any introductory words. It will be sufficieut to cite the year of the reign of a former act; the word “ expedient will become obsolete.' There will be no need of interpretation clauses, nor of others respecting repealed provisions, and all future acts are to be deemed public acts, unless expressly declared to the contrary. The act is to commence and take effect from and after the commencement of the new session of Par! i ament. — Atlas. Reduction of Labour on Railways.— The reduction in the number of persons employed in the construction of lines has been very considerable, amounting to 87,361 persons. against an increase of only 3,280 employed upon lines open for traffic, showing that 84,081 persons who, in May, 1848, were actively employed in some capacity upon railways, had been removed from this employment, and thrown upon the general labour market of the country. Of this number about 18,000 have been thrown out of employment in Ireland. This, added to the reduction in the previous year, gives a total of nearly 150,000 who have been thrown out of employment, and which will, in the course of ths ’’nls.-C ** *’*•••'*“* uujvqq oviuv givuv takes place in railway affairs, be augmented, probably to the extent of 60,000 more, making an aggregate of upwards of 200,000 persons who may be considered as having been temporarily withdrawn from other occupations by the stimulus which railways received in 1845 and 1846, and who must now seek a livelihood in other ways.— Neiesof the World. What is to be done with them? —We wish somebody would set us right about Austria and Hungary. We have tried hard to come at something like an understanding of the affairs of those convulsed countries, but our labours have not been crowned with success. We have got over the uncertainty that we at one time laboured under, as to whether a Croat was a man, or a regiment, or a piece of money; and we have settled it pretty well to our own satisfaction, that the Ban and the Bern are different persons. But we are dreadfully iu the dark still. We want to know who the “enemy”—that is constantly beaten back to the banks of the Waag—is, and to what interests he is inimical. The Waag aforesaid is, we conscientiously believe, a river ; but whether we ought, as honest sympathisers, to be glad or sorry to hear of General Wohlgemuth’s being victorious upon its banks, ws do not know* KToinr General Susan again ; —which side does he (or she) belong to ?—-and how many sides are there, and which ought to beat ? One thing we are certain of, namely, that ‘ Georgy’ is, somehow or other, deeply mixed up with the matter, and whichever party he may belong to, we wish him well, for we like him—solely on account of his name. Postscript.— We stop the press to announce that an engagement has taken place between Szelly and Kiraley Rew; but whether these two proper names are supposed to represent generals, districts, or calendar months, we have not the least idea.— Man in the Moon.

The “Good” Hippopotamus.—lt appears that Mr. Hamet Safi Cannana, the Arabian gentleman who acts as secretary to H. R.H. (His Rolling Hulk) the Hippopotamus, has been for some time reflecting that he is under great obligations io that distinguished creature. Mr. Hamet Safi Cananna (who is remarkable for candour) has not hesitated to say that, but for this accidental public connexion with H.R. H., he, Mr. Cannana, would no doubt have remained to the end of his days an obscure individual, perfectly unknown to fame, and possessing no sort of claim on the public attention. H. R. H. having been the means of getting Mr. Cannana’s name into print on several occasions, and having afforded Mr. Cannana various opportunities of plunging into the newspapers, Mr. Cannana has felt himself under a deep debt of gratitude to, H. R. H., requiring some public acknowledgment and return. Mr. Cannana, after much consideration, has been able to think of nonreturn, at once so notorious and so cheap aspa monument to H. R. H., to be erected at'the public expense * • * * Mr. HamelSafi Cannana, having conceived the vast original idea of erecting a public monument ; { to H. R. H., set himself to consider next bV what adjective H. R. H. could be most attractively distinguished in the advertisements of that monument. After much painful and profound cogitation, Mr. Cannana was suddenly inspired with the wonderful thought of calling him the “Good” Hippopotamus* He had thought of a number of adjectives, as, the oily Hippopotamus, the bland Hippopotamus, the

bathing Hippopotamus, the expensive Hippopotamus, the valiant Hippopotamus, the sleepy Hippopotamus, when, in a moment, as it were in the space of a flash of lightning, he found he bad written down, without knowing why or wherefore, and without being at all able to account for it, those enduring words, the “Good” Hippopotamus. Having got the phrase down, in black and white, for speedy publication, the next step was to explain it to an unimaginative public. This process Mr. Cannana can describe. He relates, that when he came to consider the vast quantities of milk of which the Hippopotamus partook, bis amazing consumption of meal, his unctuous appetite for dates, his. jog-trot manner of going, his majestic power of sleep, he felt that all these qualities pointed him out emphatically as the “Good” Hippopotamus, He never howled, like the Hyena; he never roared, like the Lion; be never screeched, like the Parrot: he never damaged the tops of high trees, like the Giraffe ; he never put a trunk in the people’s way. like the Elephant; be never hugged anybody, like the Bear; he never projected a forked tongue, like the Serpent. He was an easy, basking, jolly, slow, inoffensive, eating and drinking Hippopotamus. - Therefore he was supremely the “Good” Hippopotamus. When Mr. Cannana observed the subject from a closer point of view he began to find that H. R. H. was not only the “Good,” but a Benefactor to the whole human race. He toiled not, neither did he spin, truly—but he bathed in cool water when the weather was hot, be “lent when he came out of the bath; and he bathed and slept serenely for the public gratification. People of all ages and conditions rushed to see him bathe and sleep and feed; and H. R. H. had no objection. As H. R. H. lay luxuriously winking at the striving public one summer day, Mr. Cannana distinctly perceived that the whole of H. R. H.’s time and energy was devoted to the service of that public. Mr. Cannana’s eye, wandering round the hall, and observing there assembled a number of persons labouring under the terrible disorder of having nothing particular to do, and too much time to do it in, moistened, as be reflected that the whole of H. R. H.’s life, in giving them some temporary excitement, was an act of charity ; was “devoted” (Mr. Cannana has since printed these words) “to the protection and the affectionate care of the sick and the afflicted.” He perceived, upon the instant, that H. R.H. was a Hippopotamus of "unsurpassed worth,” and he drew np an advertisement so describing him. Mr. Cannana, having brought his project thus far on its road to posterity, without stumbling over any obstacle in the way, now considered it expedient to impart the great design to sent’ other person or persons who would go hand in hand with him. He concluded (having some knowledge of the world) that those who had lifted themselves into any degree of notoriety by means of H.R. H., would be the most likely (but only as best knowing him) to possess a knowledge of his unsurpassed worth. It is an instance of Mr. Cannana’s sagacity that he communicated with the Milkman who supplies the Zoological Gardens. The Milkman immediately put down his name for ten pounds, his wife for five pounds, and each of their twin children for two pounds ten. He added, in a spirited letter, addressed to Mr. Cannana, and a copy of which is now beforeus, “You may rely on my assistance in any way, or in every way, that may be useful to your patriotic project, of erecting a monument to the ‘Good’ Hippopotamus. We have not monuments enough. We want more. H. R. H.’s consumption of milk has far exceeded, from the first moment of his unwearied devotion of himself to the happiness of mankind, any animals with which I am acquainted ; and that nature must be base indeed that would not vibrate to your appeal.” Emboldened by this sympathy, Mr. Cannana next addressed himself to the Mealman, who replied' “This is as it should be,” and enclosed a subscription for seven pounds ten — with a request that it might be stated in the published list that the number of his house was “one hundred and seventy-four B,” at the right-hand corner of High-street, and Blue-Liou street, and that it had no connexion with any similar establishments in the neighbourhood, which were all impositions. Mr. Cannana now proceeded to form a committee.—Household Words.