MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 182, 16 June 1862, Page 5

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

I Running the Blockade a Matter op Business. —The following advertisement appears in a Liverpool contemporary : —" Cargo to run the blockade.—Wanted, a party to provide a portion of the cargo for a fast-sailing vessel of 300 tons, to run to one of the blockaded ports. Address, Box —, Manchester." M. Cordier has just completed for the French Empress two full-length statues of Arab women, for holding lights. The draperies arc in onyx, the naked parts in oxydised silver, and the ornaments in enamels and precious stones. M. de Lamartine addresses a piteous appeal to the public in the Parisian newspapers to lend him 40f. per head, to be repaid in two years in books or specie, at the choice of the lender. He wishes to raise .£24,000 to pay his creditors. When will he have done begging ? A porter, known by the name of " Hard Yill," has been committed to prison in Edinburgh on a charge of recklessly rolling a puncheon down a stair, which, coming against a little boy and the wall, took off one of his fingers. The first edition of the shilling catalogue for the International Exhibition will be made up of 250,000 copies, with £50 advertising pages, a £600 advertising page next to the type, and a £1,000 advertising back page of cover. Served Him Right.—As Judge Rogers was driving into Ballar.it on Friday morning, he encountered an obstructive Geelong carter on the road, who was driving on the wrong side. On his Honor speaking to the man, and intimating that he ought to be on the other side of the road, he consigned the representative of Her Majesty to a very warm place. The consequence was that the offender was given into custody, and taken before Mr. Clissold at the Eastern Police Court, who fined him £3 for driving-on the wrong side of the road, and 40s. for using abusive language in a public place.— Ballarat Star, May 31. Not Complimentary.—Melbourne is rather overdone with fine buildings at present, and reminds us of some grand ladies, who wear very gay bonnets and ribbands, whilst their well-draggled crinoline inadequately hides their slatternly boots and the holes which peep from their stockings.— Herald.

lii 18-18 the Australian colonies, then very thinly populated, purchased British manufactures to the amount of L2,l 89,000, which was L 7 14s. 3d. for each of the population ; whereas the purchases of each American from us were not more than seven shillings and sixpence !

One of the young M.P.'s who figures in the House this year is said to have paid Ll,ooo to a well-known conjurer in Paris, for learning what is called " the shilling trick," which consists in passing the coin into the centre of any soft substance —such ns a piece of bread, an orange, an egg, &c, which may be at hand. What will he do with it ? — Court Journal.

A slater at Maidstonc, while on the roof of a house with a load of slates, missing his footing, turned somersault after somersault down the roof, and then fell to the ground—a distance of thirty or forty feet. After wiping his face, he returned to his work as if nothing had happened.

Bistibution op Blankets. —About thirtyblacks—or, more properly speaking, half-castes— attended last week at the police office, and received their usual donation of a blanket each, and they, of course, expressed their gratitude in the usual way, by giving three cheers for the Queen. — Illawarra Mercury, N.S.W".

A Thievish Skxion.—For two days past our usually quiet city Las been thrown into the wildest state of excitement, consequent upon the discovery of the most sickening and revolting facts that were ever brought to light in a civilised country. Last _ week Moroni Clawson and his confreres, in. attempting to " slip by justice," were fired' upon and killed by the officers in charge. Their bodies were buried in the city cemetery at the city expense. Two or three days afterwards, a brother of Glawson obtained permission from the city sexton to disinter the body and remove it to Drapersville, the residence of the Clawson family. At the request of some friends, the coffin was opened, and the body was found to be in a perfect state of nudity. The. brother was in a great rage, supposing that the city authorities, had purposely treated the body of the dead highwayman with this shameful neglect; but on inquiry it was ascertained that he was decently interred, and dressed, in the ordinary habiliments of the grave, Suspicion _at once fell upon the grave-digger, a, native of Venice, named John Baptiste. His 'residence was searched by the police, and a large quantity of burial clothes were found and taken possession of by the officers. After many threats, the inhuman wretch confessed that he had carried on this nefarious practice for nine years, three of which he has been engaged^ _as gravedigger in this city. He is now lodged in the city jail, and the clothing which he has stripped from the dead during the last three years is spread out in the main hall, of the Courthouse, where hundreds of persons are now thronging, seeking for articles of gravedresses rifled from the bodies of friends, fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, and children. A more heartrending spectacle can hardly be imagined. Hundreds of shrouds, winding sheets for old and young, male and female, some whole and some torn, in removing them from stifiened corpses, were strewn about the room. It was a sad sight to see anxious mothers seeking for, yet dreading to find some little garment, torn with rude, inhuman hands from their infant darlings, whom they had laid away in the tomb, never dreaming they would be disturbed until their sleeping dust should be quickened by resurrecting angels. Now and then a deep sigh, an audible sob, or a violent scream of anguish, indicated that- some article of grave apparel had been recognised. Here, a widow pale and sad examining the shrouds of the full-grown, and there was the bereaved mother pressing to her heart, now made to bleed afresh, some tiny stocking, little shirt, cap, or dress. 'Twas a sad, sad scene; from which we were glad to turn away. The whole people are moved ;a, heavy gloom likeadark pall hangs over the city; sorrow has entered anew into nearly every household. The cemetery is being visited by crowds, although the weather is cold and stormy. The rich man in his carriage, the poor man on foot, the young widow, the staid matron, the old and infirm, all who have lost friends by death, seem to have an ardent desire to visit the graves that have been so rtthlessly desecrated. T'~e prisoner does not seem -to realise the enormity of the crime committed. He seems rather to be possessed of dull and blunted sensibilities, than a corrupt and depraved heart. The populace are much excited, and many are urging the Lynch code, but the more sober-think-ing portion of the people counsel moderation and low and order. —Salt Lake City correspondent of the Detroit Tribune.

Defective Vision. —The Rev. W. Nicolson writes to the Mercury explaining the circumstances under which the accident occurred which was briefly mentioned in Thursday's issue. Hesays: "Having been with my horse and gig yesterday afternoon, immedimediately on my return home I was informed by my servant that a constable had been twice at the Manse, during my absence, with a message from a prisoner in the gaol who urgently desired to see me. From the message having been repeated, I naturally imagined that the prisoner must have had some very important reason for requesting me to visit him. I immediately turned my horse and drove to the gaol. When I reached the gate in Campbell-street, I found an overseer there with a number of men, and I asked this overseer whether he could get my horse held till I should go into the prison. He called one of his men to hold the horse, and I immediately enterel the gate, and was conducted to one of the cells, and introduced to man in chains, who got a sentence for life at the last sittings of the Supreme Court, When I asked him the purpose for which he had sent for me, instead of opening his mind upon some case of distress and anxiety requiring a minister's counsel, sympathy, and prayers, he promptly replied by telling me that he had sent for me to provide him with an eye glasf,as his eye sight was bad 11 I said, "Isit a pair of spectacles you want V "Oh no," he ssid, " spectacles won't do, I want an eye glass of large magnifying power to enable me to see to read! .(»***** The result of this transaction has been very disastrous to me, for while I was engaged as now described within the gaol, my interests appear to have been no less carelessly sacrificed without. When I returned to the gate, neither horse, gig, nor man was to be seen. On looking around me in astonishment, I saw a person at s, distance, who came up to me and told me that the horse had been left in charge of a boy, and had run off." Mr. Kicolson remarks tha,t this ridiculous affair has suggested the following questions: Ist. Is it really so that, the men in the position of this criminal have constables at their call to go upon such errands as that. 2nd. Can such criminals send constables to any person in the town they may choose to fix on without the object of their so doing being_ known to, or taken cognizance of by, the officials in charge of them.— Laxmccstoy, Examiner.

A cannibal feast is reported to have taken place in the Bonny itiver, Africa, on the 29th January, and a party who went ashore on the Ist February, were horrified to see, when walking through the place., no fewer than five human heads, placed in the most systematic order on the grass, with a fire close to, and a large pot ready for cooking. At another spot close

\ Levanters.—Levanting seems the order of the day at present, and Sandhurst appears to provide its fair quota to the list of the illustrious departures. First in order of time and importance, we have Mr. Wood, the well-known stock and share broker, who has left Sandhurst, much to the mortification of several creditors, as well as the members of one of the lodges of the order of Odd Fellows, from the "widow and orphan's fund," of which he has managed to take some £3SO. It is supposed that his destination is British Columbia, where he will find fresh fields and pastures new. Next in order we have Mr. Lane, another stock broker well known in Sandhurst, who had been removing to the same genial soil in the good ship Seaman's Bride, from which he was transferred to the gnol for the benefit of his creditors. Then we have Mr. Dale, who has sloped, o\ying as much as he could get into debt. A very fair list for a week certainly j but it would seem that we are not alone in the proud privilege of supplying recruits for the ranks of the levanters. — Independent. The Ballarat Star has the following about a well-known fashionable medical man, who had victimised half the tradesmen there, by passing worthless cheques for cash and goods :—" We understand that a warrant has been issued for the apprehension of a gentleman formerly resident on Ballarat, who very successfully duped several gentlemen previous to his very sudden and unexpected flight. The charge against him now is, that of haying forged the signature of aii auctioneer and bill discounter to a £20 bill." The list might be supplemented from Castlemaiue. The good ship Seaman's Bride has on board a very nice moral cai'go. — M. A. Mail. •

TnE Beiidigo Volunteer Bail.—On Tuesday evening, this, the first ball of the season, was held at the Town Hall. The attendance was very good, about one hundred and seventy being present; the. preponderance, in point of numbers, being in favor of the ladies, the majority of whom, both in personclle and dress, would have attracted attention in any ball room. The varied uniforms—several of the Castlemaine being present, both mounted and rifles, and our own cavalry showing in some force in addition to the rifles—gave a happy effect to the picture. The band —the regimental one - though excellent of its kind for martial music, was somewhat too loud, and unaccustomed to the execution of ball room music. Some dissatisfaction was i'olc, we regret to state, at an attempt at cliquism, in certain rooms being reserved for the exclusives of the party.— Advertiser.

The Chief Secretary's Patronage.—Some incredulity prevails with regard to the correctness of the statement of the Postmaster-General that he appointed Murray as Line Inspector, at Kilmore, pro teni., without consulting his colleagues. The statement is authentic, but in order that the motive which actuated the Minister to take a step that he considered to be unusual, and requiring explanation may be appreciated, he ought to have added that it had its' origin in the conduct of the Chief Secretary, who, without consulting either the Post Office authorities or those of the Electric Telegraph, appointed a person named Fanning to a post in the Electric Telegraph, a proceeding which gave rise to some correspondence, and evoked some indignation.' Had the PostmasterGeneral's intention been known to the Chief Secretary, a. still more objectionable person would have been appointed, who is now awaiting the first vacancy that may present itself.— Gcetong Advertiser.

Extraction of Gold by Ciilorine. —At the ordinary meeting of the Royal Society of Victoria, held on Monday evening, his Excellency Sir 11. Barkly, president, in the chair, among other matters of interest, Dr. Bleasdale read a paper, entitled " Notes on the Application of Chlorine to the Extraction of Sold from Quartz." The rev. gentleman stated that the paper was written eighteen months ago, from notes made by his friend, the late Couut Dembinski. It also embodied suggestions made by Mr. Osborne, the Government photo-lithographer. There were diagram? explaining the process by which the chlorine should be applied ; but the paper was of too detailed a description to be generally interesting, though the theory laid down in it is one which has excited considerable attention. The paper stated that chlorine was cheaper as an extractor than mercury, and also possessed greater solutive powers. At the same time, it was intended to be xised with mercury as an adjunct.— M. A. Mail.

Gold Miners.—lt is quite a mistake to suppose that, as a general rale, a spirit of recklessness and indifterence prevails amongst the mining community as to the value of money. On.the contrary, the majority of the foitunate section argue thus:—When in. receipt of mere daily wages, the prices heing extravagantly high for every article of food or clothing, the small balance left to them at the expiration of the week was so trifling that they cared little how it went; but whenthey could lodge a. good round sum to their credit at the "bank," their ideas became suddenly elevated, and the laudable desire to invest their little capital in some substantial form was ever uppermost in their hearts; such, for instance, as the purchase of land, upon which to erect a home for themselves and their rising families; "edicating their little 'uns," as they have often remarked to me, and thus strengthening the common bonds of good order and society generally. Others, again, if alone in the world, would show their earnest desire to enlist in the more-res-pectable ranks, by " popping the question" in real earnest to the first tidy spinster they might meet in the course of their holiday peregrinations. Whereupon, dear Betsy would speedily announce to her indulgent mistress the very great sorrow she felt in being obliged to leave her service at so short a notice, and hoped missus wouldn't stand in her way; but that, please mum, she was going to be married to-morrow morning by specific license, he says, for three pounds ten, at half-past nine." Can't he wait a week, Betsy V replied the mistress. "A week, mum! Oh law no, mum ! I'm certain he wouldn't wait a single minnit; for he wanted to finish the delicate job—as he called it —this evening, only the parson wouldn't give in to him. Good bye, mum, everything's right in the house; and I'm going now, so as to get ready for tomorrow morning : and my Jim's waiting outside for me to go shopping for the wedding. Good bye, mum ; I'm very sorry; but it's a good thing as you've learnt to do so many things for yourselfj iniiin." Such was the relative position between servants and employers, during the first two or three years after the discovery of gol 1. — Thirty-three Tears in Tasmania and Victoria, by George Thomas Lloyd.

Kings aku Scavengers.—lt sounds strange to hear that tiie most healthy class of men are the scavengers; but such is a fact; and it is assumed that the power of ashes to absorb noxious emanations of all kinds is at the bottom of the striking immunity which the scavenger exhibits from all febrile complaints. Of the upper classes, the clergyman lives longest, the physioian next, the lawyer next. The gentry may be reckoned as long-lived as the clergy; but the higher aristocracy are below the learned professions ; and the members of the Royal houses, again, average three years' less existence than even the aristocracy. Hodge, under, his hedge, has thirteen years' longer life than a Bourbon or a Guelph, on the authority of those learned in vital statistics ; so that we have contrasts to ponder on in modern life which our ancestors never dreamed of.—Curiosities of Civilization. A Lady Devoured by Wolves.—A letter from' Bucharest, January 29, says:—"The weather*-has been extremely severe of late, and the wolves have, in consequence, been more than usually daring in their attacks. A few days since, Made me Carisoglus, one of our handsomest townswoinen, and belonging to a leading family was returning to town in a sledge, when the horses, becoming frightened, overthrew the vehicle, and the unfortunate lady was oast on the ground, and soon devoured by the wolves. Ten or twelve other fatal cases have heen reported." . A Singular Wish.—One of the witnesses in the Dunlop case said :■ —" I waa in-the church on the last Sabbath of October, when Mr. Gebbie said people found fault with loud singing, and made a remark to the effect that God did not keep a yardarm to measure the extent of their voices, and that if he tried to stop the young converts from singing loud they would burst. He said he wished the roof had been off, or bbwn off, the church, and that all the ministers in tha district had heen suspended in the air to see tha doings in Dunlop church." Lucifer Matches.—Mr. Gore, a recent writer on this subject, gives some astonishing statistics respecting this brauch of manufacture. The firm, of Messrs. Dixon employ nearly 400 workmen, and generally have on hand £8000 or £10,000 worth of timber. Each week they consume one ton of sulphur and make 43,000,000 matches, or 2,160,000,000 in the year. Reckoning the length of a match at two and a quarter inches, the total length of these would far exceed the circumference of the earth. Two makers M. Pollak, at Vienna, and M. Furth, in Bohemia^ produce the truly amazing number of 44,800,000,000 matches yearly. . ■ An Interesting Chapter- bead to a Conoeboation. —It was the practice of an eccentric Irish/divine to read a chapter before the sermon; and, to the amazement of his auditory, he requested them to read with him one day, "for edification," the first twenty seven verses of the tenth chapter of Nehemiah. fl* might as well have asked them to.read the first twenty-seveu pages of a Sanskrit lexicon. .But the Doctor went on with the chapter, and, as he enun, ciated, in h:s_ own mouthy and sonorous way, on» strange-sounding word after another, " Meremoth— Magplash—Meshezabeel— Hashabnah," every eye was strained to the pulpit, hardly a sonl, for sheer wonderment, venturing to draw his breath. At the end of the last verse, the reader put on one of his grimmest looks ; " You will have got as much good/ he exclaimed, " my attentive hearers, from this chap'