MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 634, 30 August 1851, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Year 1851. —Presuming that of these two millions one half maybe expected in constant transit, it is no easy achievement for the imagination to grasp the train of monstrous images suggested by the realized fact of three millions and a half of people careering in full swing of strangeness and bewilderment through (he streets of London. It is literally a kingdom poured into a town —Belgium or Holland, for instance; or,returning to our figures, the whole of the united populations of Baden, Westphalia, Greece, and Nassau. Contemplate it in whatever aspect we may, it is more like a vision of a distempered brain, or the amplification of an Oriental allegory, than an actual occurrence taking place under our eyes in sober England in the nineteenth century. There has never been such a gathering before since the world began. The fabulous hordes that lavage the Celestial Empire in the pages of its hyperbolical history sink into insignificance in comparison.— Fraser. \ L* kTZITT X? Z-V-BW awm «-• A ] • xx iCW GajTS SiuvG a medical man, named Philippe, died in a village near Paris, where he had resided many years, and had acquired a great reputation for skill and probity. He never demanded any remuneration, except from those who were in circumstances to be able to pay him ; and during the last visit of the cholera he was indefatigable in his attention to the suffering poor. Last year, an Englishman, travelling in that part of the country, was taken so suddenly ill that he was obliged to stop at an inn in the commune, and Dr, Philippe was sent for. Scarcely, however, had he arrived at the bedside of the patient, when the latter became violently agitated, and his countenance changed exceedingly. The doctor appeared also to be agitated, and at once ordered every one out of the room. When that was done, the door was locked on the inside. The landlady, being curious to know what was going on, listened at the door, but the conversation was carried on in a language which she did not understand ; she, however, heard the patient exclaina in French, “ Assassin 1 assassin 1” after which a violent altercation ensued. The Englishman appeared to threaten, and the doctor to supplicate him ; the latter afterwards left the room, and went into the kitchen, where he prepared some medicine which he ordered to be given to the patient several times during the night. On the following day the stranger was much worse, and feeling his end approaching, he made a sign for pen, ink, and paper, and wrote a few words in English, which the landlady gave to the mayor of the commune, who, not understanding the lan-

guage, threw it aside into a was forgotten. The stranw? ?’ r ‘ % evening. A few d.y. Ik* called on in regiHet A, d J who in his turn had paid th. nity, thought of thia Uer ing it to* his nephew/whousdeJM l guage, it was found that Dr other than the famous PatieJn Ppe her of the United States all had been long lost. The En#lS? of cognized him as a man who had t before, attempted to murder him’»l> ling m the aute of Vermont found that he had during hh in I to be undressed, and had made D |L who attended him promise that buried in the clothes which ha then* mayor, however, ordered the bod, , J dressed, when it was found that fl. 1 was in reality a very spare m ln J J always appeared stout, thehnJfcL- °W by his wearing clothes waddei W.S His legs were also bandaged "-/S hin feel w.. found tn b. , artificial one. The body was marks of wounds. In a dark were found several chesta fastened, • locks, and on being forced open V* found to contain arms of varieuu? watches, gold coins of all nations monds and jewels to a comideribl" J Particulars of this discovery mit ted to the government, and a copy £ the authorities of the State of Vermont lignani.

M. Soyer’s Magic Stovi.—Yau forenoon week, a large portion of Sheffield visited Mr. Soyer, the ruler rf, kingdom gastronomic, at the cutlets' hill had ths ••••* fe" «•••*•**••••**•* w. wvMvawaug IUU ftty able rhef-de-cuisine himself A. 4 bilities of his magic stove. On aJarp were dishes of chops, kidneya, at,, u temptingly displayed, and so artistically] ranged, that, to use the words of aha disciple of the kitchen, * 4 it looked am disturb them.” Ou a small tray, in them of the table, a Lilliputian apparatus of h and copper, in two divisions, ther no more than 3ihs. 20z., was place! fore the operator. The stove has afn opening with a flue near the bottom, adja which is affixed a vessel with two recept for spintf.of wine. Connected with.thl tom reservoir are two burners with theirvi The flame from one of these wicks aclit; the upper reservoir, a stream of vapourn down a tube connecting it with the vic the mouth of the stove flue, and a largei of flame rushes into the stove and all its The kitchen fire, as M. Soyer said, in in half a minute. Over the stove w placed a frying-pan, stew-pan, saute-pu other culinary vessel, and " presto," cutlets, kidneys, or eggs, are done d uffl in almost no time. In this way muttoei lets were cooked before the refreshed with a little of M. Soyer 1 ! “relish,” (which, by the way, would inn tonished the Roman epicure with a M light), were banded to the admiring vis® their approval. Many could scarcely! conceived that the flesh of ordinary« sheep could contribute material out of * any magic stove could conjure cu*leta> transcending any previous experience of> ton. “ The cutlets are delightful, w lady visitor, and then m. Soys* « * thorough gentleman 1” Poached eggs, * they are named by M. Soyer himwi oeufs au mirroir," possessed the same I spell, and it was really -wonderful wH ease and rapidity he achieved the mostf sitely flavoured dishes by his cheap table apparatus. Magic indeed lit •?? to us far more magical than anything recently seen at the hands of legerdemain. Connected with stove is a magic kitchen adapted as the overland route as a modest P 1 chelors may defy the annoyances o. . lodgings,” and travellers may * lO the blundering cook of ” mine bos fearing the consequence of a S P OI . j There has been a strong demanj > stoves wherever they have been ex • Sheffield, we are glad to mal»‘ tion. Soyer has made ano j (J on men, for assuredly good tempef * ‘ dinners and good digestion.-* JI per.