MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 179, 12 June 1862, Page 6

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

A Scripture Paraphrase.—A very kind, wellintentioned old gentleman in Dublin thought he might edify his friends and^ the world at large by using his poetical talents to make Scripture stories still more attractive. To many a dinner party the old gentleman was invited, for the after treat his versification afforded. The writer of Moses, which, for its graphic style, disfiguration of the rules of syntax, richly illustrating the serio-comic of the Irish character, deserves a place among works of travestie The Princess descends to the Nile, accompanied by her maidens:—

" On Egypt's banks contiguous to the Nile, Great Pharoah's'daughter came to swim in style And after having had a glorious swim, - Ran about the sands to dry her skin, And kicked the basket the babe lay in. ' Gals,' says she in accent mild, ' Wbich of ye is it as owns the child V " F. J. M.

Not Bab op its Kind.—A methodist brother had occasion to preach a discourse against the doctrine of immersion, but could not find a text until, with great shrewdness and good sense, he hit upon this :—" Beware of divers —and strange doctrines."

Startling?— The world, we imagined, had heard over and over all the enormities of Henry VIII., that were ever likely to be made public; but amongst his crimes, we believe it is not upon historic record that he married his own daughter, Anne Boleyn. Such, however, is the case, if we are to believe the statement of Dr. Cahill, a distinguished Roman Catholic priest, and a lecturer on history and philosophy. The rev. gentleman's words we find quoted in Notes and Queries, copied from a Dublin newspaper:— "■ Plundering hundreds of convents, robbing hundreds of churches, banishing thousands of men, • murdering several wives, debauching scores of the reformed nobility, and marrying Anne Boleyn, ' his own daughter.' " Henry was born in 1401, Anne Boleyn in 1507. If he was her father, he must have been profligate when young.— English Paper.

A New Barometer. —M. Rauvageon, of Valence, says Galiynani, has studied the different phenomena which are produced iv a cup of coffee when the sugar is put into it, and the result of those observations transformed the demi-tasse into a barometer. "If in sweetening your coffee,"says M. Sauvageon, "you allow the sugar to dissolve without stirring the liquid, the globules of air contained in the sugar will rise to the surface of the liquid. If those globules form a frothy mass, remaining in the centre of the cup, it is an indication of duration of fine weather ; if, on the contrary, the froth forms a ring round the sides of the cup, it is a sign of heavy rain; variable weather is implied by the froth remaining stationaiy, but not exactly in the centre."

To Clean Marble. —The following is given by a correspondent:—" Mix pumice-stone, very finely powdered, into a paste with verjuice; let it stand for two hours ; with a sponge then rub it over the marble, and allow it to dry on; then wash it off with clean water, and dry it with soft linen,— BuUder.

•English Newspapers and American Opinions —Notwithstanding the many little rubs which, from time to time, fret the two nations of England and America, and in spite of their occasional boastful sallies, I am convinced—profoundly .so—that at the .bottom of theii hearts the American nation loves thsEiglish. Most indubitably the best Americans do so. They resent our haughty nationality, and have not forgot our domineering ways —although they begin to B^e we have repented of.those sins of our youth—but, at the same time, they honor our sturdy honesty of purpose, and are proud ot our greatness, while hoping, by-and-by, to overtop us. I am persuaded it is the fault of the English if the Americans are not their friends and allies. It only wants a little kindness and cordial application on our part, not condescending patronage, for they have outgrown that, but a true, manly, .sensible recognition of the American people, as an equal and honored ally in the march of human progress. One more little remark before finishing my subject and my sheet. The community of language is a strong tie between nations, but it is also the siuroe of no small difficulty. Whatever is written or spoken on one s:de of the Atlantic, is read on the other. Hence every little word that in a foreign tongue would be passed unheeded and unknown, may here be the cause of much national irritation. .This is particularly true of the English press, and more particularly of the London Times. Every article bearing on America and Americans is republished in every state of the Union, and perused with interest, not to say avidity, by all Americans, men and women, boys and girls, from New York right across to San Francisco. Judge, theu, how auy sarcasm, any stinging word or contemptuous expression, is burned into the American mind. I have been assured, and can well believe it, that the effect of such diatribes remains on the mind of the American people bjmetimes for years; long, long after thewhble matter n dispute, it may be, has pasted from the thought of the British public. It behoves, then, every sincere ! friend of tlie American alliance, and that means every friendof human progress, to consider well, what he writes and publishes on American affairs and people. — Stirling's Letters from the Slave Slates.

The Singular Discoveries in the Swiss Lakes.—The peasants who dwell on the shores of the Lakes of Switzerland had often stated that, at a short distance from the land, rows of stakes might be seen through the water emerging from the mud of the bed.. No interest was, however, attracted to this phenomenon till about eight years since. At the end of 1853, the waters of the Lake of Zurich sank considerably, and the thrifty proprietors of land on the bank proceeded at once to" add to their estates the portion of the lake-bed left bare, by constructing permanent dykes against the return of the water. Whilst these works were being carried on, a row, or rather a system, of stakes was discovered at some little depth below the _surface. Excavations were begun at this spot> and the result was to disinter ai great variety of objects which proved that a large number of human beings had once had their dwellings supported over the water by the stakes. Curiosity having been once aroused, researches were prosecuted not only at Obemeilen, where -the first discovery was made, but all over Switzerland. It was gradually established that the mud near the shore ot almost every single Swiss lake supplied, similar evidence. At some" primeval period a population of very considerable density was shown to have lived in huts constructed on stages, which rested on wooden supports, driven iDto the bed, just as the Malays in Borneo and the Siamese at Bangkok may be seen living to this day. A wonderful number of articles pertaining to the daily life of these forgotten races have been brought to light. In some places, the materials of the dwellings have been preserved in the mvd —the floor of hardened earth, and the twisted branches and the bark which formed the walls. Arms have been discovered in great quantities :.tools, from saws iv flint to needles in bone, ornaments, children's toys, the remains ot stored-up fruits of various kinds—nay, even a cellar or receptacle full of corn, ahd a loaf of bread composed of bruised grain, and preserved by carbonisation. By the side of these relics arc found the bones of the animals whom they slew in the chase, maiy belonging to species extinct before the rise of history, or barely mentioned in it. The urns, the bison, the elk, and theoeaver furnished them with foodand with the materials for some of their most ingeniously constructed utensils. So plentiful and perfect are the remains found in the lakes that much more has been learned concerning the daily life and manners of men whose existence was Hot suspected ten years ago, than is known of races which have left a famous name in history or tradition.— 'Saturday Review.