MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 769, 15 December 1852, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

An Irish Grace. — Some years ago, when the Duke of Devonshire paid a visit to his estates in Ireland, the steward called all the domestics together, to tell them how to demean themselves, among other things, as their master was a Duke and much higher than a Lord, *' whenever he speaks to you, you must say ' your Grace.' " Accordingly when the Duke addressed the housemaid, as she was ascending the stair?, saying, quite good humouredyl, " Well my girl, what is your name ? The girl, recollecting the injunction, put up her hands and began, " For what I am going to receive, the Lord make me truly thankful." Great Will Case. — A great will case, "Boyse v. Rosborough," which has created great interest on the Irish side of the Chaunel, is now being tried at the Wexford Assizes, before Mr. Mr. Baron Pennefather. The amount of property involved is nearly £10,000 a year, and _ some of the incidents of the life of the testator, the late Caesar Colclough, of Tintern Abbey, are as romantic as those detailed in the graphic pages of Mr. Warren's novel of Ten Thousand a Year. The facts of the case as stated by counsel are these :—: — "The late Cassar Colcloueh was the eldest son of Sir Vesey Goiclougb, v\ho was a man of dissi- , pated habits, and separated from his wife ; his son Caesar, whilst a boy, was often left in such a state of destitution that he has walked round Stephens-green, in Dublin, thinking on his gloomy prospects, and having but money sufficient to buy o cake at the corner of Grafton-street. In 1791 he went to France, was arrested by Robespierre, and continued at St. Germain in prison uutil 1794, when he escaped. It appeared that Mrs. Rcsborough was the daughter of Caesar Coklough, a cousin of the testator, and subsequently Chief Justice of Prince Edward's Island. Mr. Dudley Colclough and Mr. Sarsfield CoU clough were also cousins ; and it appears the testator iv early life conceived a decided hostility to his relatives, from the fact that whilst in Franco his father had made a will in which he left large sums of money to members of the family, which be had no power to dispose of, being but tenant for life ; and Csssar the testator accordingly disliked C*sar the counsellor, as having been an instigator of the will. The learned counsel read various letters of the testator to bis brother, John Colclough, who iv the year 1807 was shot in a duel by Mr. Alcock, with whom he was at that time contesting: the representation of the county of Wexford. The correspondence between the brothers wa3 of a most affectionate character, and showed the testator to be a man of capacity and vigour of intellect. His habits were peculiar ; he drank no winp, was fond of music and objects of vertu, and never lost the habit of swearing which be had contracted in early youth, the objects of his vituperation being members of the Colclough family. The only letters between Csesar the counsellor and the testator appear to be thr?e r in which the former applied for the sum of 60 guineas, which he stated he had advanced to send Sir Vesey to the mountains of Wicklow, to procure goat's whey, shortly before his death. In oue of these letters, which bore date April 2, 1803, be spoke of an annuity of £100 a year, which he stated he had acquired by giving up a lease which Sir Vesey bad given to him, but had also given to others, and the matter was corn promise/I by the grant of the annuity. He admitted the introduction of a professional gentleman to Sir Vesey to make his wwiltl t "but stated that he did not know the contents of it until after its execution, and that be had never taken advantage of bira, though often in his power to do so. Upon this letter i there* was an endorsement of the testator in those word 9 * His annuity, of whom he took no advantage !' It further appeared that the testator was a "detenu in France from the year 1803 until the year 1814. That during his absence bis friends, being anxious that be should represent his native county in Parliament, wrote to him two letters, one of the 11th of April, 1806, and the other of the 14th of April, on the first of which he had endorsed, ' If I bad not been thus fatally hurried. I could have had a conge", but was detained by the First Consul ;' and on the second, ' This was the greatest misfortune that ever befel me.' While abroad, being a person of great mechanical and scientific acquirements, he was allowed to go among the French peasants and give them instruction, and in this way be acquired habits of great frugality. Upon the death of his brother John, who had managed his affairs in Ireland, be appointed a Mr. Maccard bis agent ; but upon the testator's return to Ireland in 1815, instead of having large savings from his estate, it appeared there were none, the accounts oi the agent showing that they had been applied io 'election expenses and lawsuits. Io 1818 be again contested the county with fbe present Lords Courtown and Carew, and. the late Lord Valentia, aad was returned. The election lasted for more than 20

days, and its expense was a subject of deep morti■ficttion to him. - Shortly after tbis he married iMiss Kirwan, and it appeared that the uoiou was a most happy one ; that his attachment to his *wife was of the strongest character ; that he could 'not bear separation from her for a day. -In 1824 h- made bis, will, devising his estates to Thomas Boyse (the husband of his widow),, and Thomas Derinzy, upon trust, to pay his funeral expenses, which were not to exceed £20 ; to pay his mother a jointure, his wife, during widowhood, £1,500 a year, and an additional-jointure to his mother, provided sbe never received a female relative whom he named as the cause of family disunion into, his ,house. He then gave his cousin, Dudley Col- . clqugb, Is., and to Gassar, the son of Dudley, an annuity of £100 a year, and to another son £50 a year; bis property, then to accumulate until a son of Caesar or Dudley should attain majority, such son having been educated from four years of age in either England or Scotland. The learned counsel then' referred to a vast variety of corres-' pondence, in all about 95 letters, to his various house and land agents ; amongst others one to the Messrs, Reeves, dated the Ist of July, 1837, in which he mentioned that on their way to Dublin he had been obliged to stop in consequence of his wife's illness, and that unless she were letter he would not leave if his estates depended ou it. Three letters to his agent and friend, Captain Kennedy, testified to his strong attachment, and evinced the most accurate knowledge of his affairs, the condition of his property, and the minutest attention to the smallest household details, the hiring'of servants, their wages, characters, and habits. It appeared that Cassar the counsellor died in penury in Paris ; that there was no proof of his having known his daughter, but that bis hostility to Sarsfield Colclougb, (Dudley and his sons having died without issue), continued unabated. In the latter years of his life he resided a good deal at Cheltenham, where he purchased Botetic-house, and occupied himself in his laboratory, where in the month of June, 1842, he was attacked by influenza, and was attended by Dr. Fatnam. He recovered from this attack, but, having broken a part of a wall for the purposes of his laboratory, he got fresh cold. On the 3rd of August he sent for a professional gentleman, Mr. Williams, when his first will was drawn, and' executed on the 4tb. By tbis he gave £4,500 to his wife ; a second will give her £4,500 a year and Botetic-bouse. This was executed on the sth of August, and a third will on the 6th of August, by which be devised to her all his real and personal property. Tbis was admitted to be newly £10,000."

The Model ot? "Deportment." — He was -a fat old gentleman with a false complexion, false teetb, false whiskers, and a wig. He bad a far collar, and he bad a padded breast to bis coat, which only wanted a star or a broad blue ribbon to be complete. He was pinched in, and swelled out, and got up, and strapped down, as much as he could posibly bear. He had such a neckcloth on (puffing his very eyes out of their natural shape,) and his chin and even bis ears so sunk into it, that it seemed as though he must inevitably double up, if it were cast loose. He bad, under his arm, a bat* of great size and weight, shelving downward from the crown to the brim ; and in his hand a pair of white gloves, with which he flapped it, as he stood poised on one leg, in a high-shouldered round-elbowed state of elegance not to be surpassed. He had a cane, he had an eye-glass, he had a snuff-box, he had rings, he had wristbands, he had everything but any touch of nature ; he was not like youth, he was not like age, he was like nothing in the world but a model "of Deportment. — 'Father! A visitor. Miss Jellyby's friend, Miss Summerson.' — •Distinguished, 1 said Mr. Turveydrop, by Miss Summerson's presence. 1 As he bowed to me in that tight state, I almost believed I saw creases come -into the whites of his eyes. — ' My father,' said the son, aside, to me, with quite an affecting belief in him, ' is a celebrated character. My lather is greatly admired.' — ' Go on, Prince! Go on ! ' said Mr. Turveydrop, standing with his back to the fire, and waving his gloves condescendingly. 'Go on, ray son!' — At this command, or by this gracious permission, the lesson went on. Prince Turveydrop, sometimes, played the kit, dancing ; sometimes played the piano, standing ; sometimes hummed the tune with what little breath he could spare, while he set a pupil right ; always conscientiously moved with the least proficient through every step and «very part of the figure ; and never rested for an instant. His distinguished father did nothing whatever, but stand before the fire, a model of Deportment. — ' And he never does anything else,' said the old lady of the censorious countenance." — Dickens' Bleak House.

The Art of Living without Money. — *" Mr. Skimpole appeared one morning, in his usual agreeable way, and as full of pleasant spirits as ever. Well, he said, here be was ! He bad been bilious, but rich men were often bilious, and therefore he had been persuading himself' that he was a man of property. So he was, in a certain point of view — in bis expansive intentions. He had been enriching his medical attendant in the most lavish manner. He had always doublet!, and sometimes quadrupled his fees. He had said to the doctor, * Now, my dear doctor, it is quite a delusion on your part to suppose that you attend me for nothing. I am overwhelming you with money — in my expansive intentions* — if you only knew it ! ' And really (be said) he meant it to that degree, that he thought it much the same thing as doing it. If he had bad those bits of metal or thin paper to which mankind attached so much importance, to put in the doctor's hand, he would have put them in the doctor's hand. Not having them, he substituted the will for the deed. Very well ! If he really meant it — if his will were genuine and real : which it was— it appeared to him that it was the same as coin, and cancelled the obligation. ' It may be, partly, because I know nothing *>f the value of money/ said Mr. Skimpole, * but I often feel this. It seems so reasonable ! My butcher says to me,' he wants that little bill. It's a part of the pleasant unconscious psetry of the man's nature, that he always calls it a 'little^ bill to make the payment appear easy to both of us. I reply to the butcher, My good friend, if you knew it you are paid. You haven't bad the trouble of coming to ask for the little bill. You are paid. I mean it.' ' But, suppose, said my ■Guardian, laughing, ' he bad meant the meat in the bill, instead of providing it ? ' 'My dear Jarndyce,' he returned, * you surprise me. You t«ke the butcher's position. A butcher I once dealt with, occupied that very ground. Says he,

' Sir, why did you eat spring lamb at eighteenpence a pound ? ' ' Why did I eat spriug lamb at eigliteen-pence a pound, my nonest friend ?' said I r naturally amazed by the question. 'I like spring lamb ! ' This was so far conyinciog. ' Well, Sir,' says be, * I wish I had meant the lamb as you mean the moaey ! ' 'My good fellow, said I, ' pray let us reason like intellectual beings. How could that be? It was impossible. You had got the lamb, and I have not got the money. You couldn't really mean the lamb without sending it in, whereas I can and do, really mean the money without paying it ! ' He hid not a word. There was an end of the subject. * Did he take no legal proceedings ? ' inquired my Guardian. ' Yes, he took legal proceedings,' said Mr. Mr.' Skimpole. * But, in that, he was influenced by passion ; not by reason.' "— lbid.

The French in Algeria. — Accounts have been received from the expeditionary column of General M'Mahon, in the eastern part of Little Kabylia. A telegraphic account, dated the Ist of June, announced to the Governor-General that, after a sharp combat with the rebel tribes on the 31st of May, General M'Mahon pitched his I camp ou the same day on the territory of the M'Chats. This tribe immediately demanded the Aman without the least attempt at resistance, and the two fractions of the Ouled-Aidouns, which had not yet submitted, came and tendered their submission. The column was out on the skirts of the territory of the Beni-Tout-Forts, who appeared to have relinquished all idea of hostility. It is, therefore, very probable that General M'Mahon, who had not calculated on reaching Collo before the 10th or the 15th, will be there about the Bth, which will give him more time to organise the definitive occupation of that place, and to subdue the inhabitants of the mountainous neighbourhood before the setting in of the extreme heats. The definitive occupation of this place is one of the most interesting points of this expe- , dition. It had not before been occupied by the French authorities. It was governed by a native Caid invested by the French and ohedient to them. A necessity was felt for placing it definitively j under direct power and making a French town of it. Collo, although fallen from its old importance, will perform an important part in the future com- j raercial and maritime movements of Algeria. The Moorish town of Collo, before it belonged to I the Turks, was powerful and populous enough to maintain its independence against the sovereigns j of Tunis and Constantina. It was able to assemble 10,000 men. It fell into the power of j the Turks in 1520. Collo was at that time the port of Coustantiua, but it is novr no longer indispensable to the existence of that province. The creation of Philippeville (the ancient Bmsicada of the Romans) and the restoration of Stora have changed that state of things. Collo is now a place of 2,000 souls, and close to anchorage where vessels are sheltered front the north-west winds, which are very dangerous on that coast. The Romans built a considerable town there. The inhabitants of Collo, long accustomed to trading with Europeans, are. more hospitable in their manners than those on the Kabyle shore. The Venetian, Genoese, Flemish, and French traders frequented the place, and the latter in particular were very well received. The countiy abounds in fruits, corn, and flocks ; and firewood is plentiful and cheap from the neighbouring forests. Coral is very abundant on the coast, and the mountains contain mines of copper and rock crystal which have not yet been worked. Collo, under the influence of colonization, is destined to become a very important port. Its occupation by the French will give a strong impulse to trade, and will tend to attract thither a very numerous population! The difficulties which the column of General M'Mahon has overcome have been very great. After defeating the Cherif Bou Sheah on the 21st, as already mentioned, it attacked the Ouled Aidouns, whose losses are estimated at 1,000,000f. hut the seventy practised against them had the effect of intimidating the ' other tribes who had joined in the rebellion, and inducing their submission, and a second defeat given to Bou Sheah on the 31st enabled the column to reach ths neighbourhood of Collo without any further obstacle. It is somewhat remarkable that the contests which have been going od in the Kabylia of Collo have had no effect among the natives cf the.Kabylia of Djidjelli. The communications have all remained open and secure, and - the market of Djidjelli is well attended. The Cherif Bou Bagherla has been reduced to inaction, although he had used bis utmost exertions to promote rebellion by spreading false reports of every kind. It has been already stated that the Ouled Dhans, who occupy an extensive territory three leagues from Guelma, had suddenly broke out into insurrection, attacked the camp of Aid Souda, driven away the workmen, and threatened Guelma. Further details are now given of the affair. The Commandant, on hearing of the outbreak, sent four companies of Zouaves and 70 cavalry to the spot, and the Governor- General embarked on board, the Ordnoque steamer four companies of the 12tb Regiment, under the orders of Commandant Sorbier. The steamer reached Dellys on the 7tb, and after taking on board a battalion of Foot Chasseurs would arrive at Bona on the following day. This force would be sufficient to quell any insurrectionary movemeut which might be «ontemDlated in that quarter.

Artificial Production oe I«'ish. — It may not be generally known that the means of producing fish to an incalculable extent in lakes and rivers have been discovered, and have within the last three years been employed on a grand scale and with extraordinary success in different'parts of France. Some years ago two fisherman, named G6hiu and Remy, of La Bresse, in the department of the Vosges, found that from various causes the stock of trout, for which the rivers and lakes' of that department are famous, greatly declined \ and they attentively studied the habits of the male, and female trout at spawning time, with the view, if possible, of discovering the means of checking the evil. After long and patient observation they found that not one in a hundred of the egga deposited by the female in. the bed of rivers, and fecunded by the milt of the male, came to maturity — the rest, being devoured by other fish, washed away, or destroyed by mud. They found also that or the fish which bad become exc.luded or hatched, the greater part were destroyed by the larger fish of their own or different species. It then struck them that if they were to collect the eggs and apply the milt themselves, instead of leaving the fish to do it, mad afterwards to secure tie young fish from the voracity of the

larger ones, they would in the course of a few years obtain an inexhaustible supply. Accordingly, they seized a female trout just as they perceived she was about to spawn, and by pressure 'od her belly caused her to deposit her eggs in a vessel containing fresh water. They afterwards took a male, and by pressing bis belly in the same way, caused his milt to spurt on the eggs. It is by pressure on the belly that the female and male I always relieve themselves at spawning time. These two men, then, in imitation of the fish, placed the eggs on a layer of gravel, which they deposited in a box full of holes. This box they placed in the bed of a flowing stream, and covered it with pebbles. The fish themselves in the natural way cover the eggs with pebbles and leave them. In due time the eggs excluded, and almost every one was found to be good. They ibus obtained from one female several hundred fish. They took precautions for keeping the little creatures in water where they were out of danger, and supplied them with fitting food. Applying this operation the year after to a great number of fish, they obtained several thousand trout ; and in a year or two more the numbers had literally increased to millions. After they had stocked all the rivers and streams of the Vosges, and some in the Moselle and the Haut and Bas Rhin, Dr. Haxo, the secretary of the Soci6t6 A* Emulation dcs Vosges, drew the attention of the Academy of Sciences and of the Government to the discovery. The Academy declared that it was of immense national importance^ though it had long been known to scientific men as a scientific, curi- , osity, not, however, of practical utility. The Govenment, on its part, saw that the application of it to the rivers and streams of France would not only afford employment to a vast number of persons, but would enable an immense addition to be made, at scarcely any expense, to the people's food. It accordingly took the two men into its service and made them apply the system to different waters. They have done so with the most singular success ; rivers and lakes in which there were no fish are now teeming with them. Nor have they confined their attention to trout alone, but have extended them to salmon, carp, pike, tench, anu perch, and in each case with complete success. Indeed, their system is applicable to all sorts of freshwater fish, and to those which, after spawning in rivers,' descend to the sea. Among the rivers they have already stocked are those of the Is6re, Haute Loire, Allier, LozSre, Meuse, Meurthe, and tbe Haute-Saone. Several gentlemen of property have'£also|tried the system with success on the estates in Burgundy, Brie, and Normandy. In addition >.o the breeding of fish in enormous quantities, it enables fish of different species to be naturalized injstrange waters or removed from river to river. So great is the importance which the Government attaches to ths plan, that it has nominated a commission of eminent scientific men to superintend the operations of Gebin and Reroy. The Moniteur announces that the Minister of Marino and Colonies has also ordered that experimental shall be made^to apply to salt water fish, at the mouth of rivers, and off the Coasts, and especially to lobsters. M. Valenciennes, an eminent ichthyologist, and member of the Institute, bas been charged to examine the mouths of rivers and the coasts from Havre to La Teste, and to state£ in what places the experiments may be tried with most chances of advantage. M. Milne Edwards and M. Coste, both members of the Institute, have been directed to make similar between Cherbourg and Granville, and in the environs of Trouville. — French paper.