MISCELLANEOUS.

Southland Times, Issue 664, 1 May 1867, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

President Jonnson nas nnally decided, as the Military Reconstruction Bill has passed Congress over his veto, to appoint the following .military officers, to he divided among the Southern States : — Gens. Thomas, § Ord, Sheridan, Sickles, and Hancock. The municipal elections which were to be held in New Orleans to-day, have been postponed by order of General Sheridan. Matters for Southern States look very gloomy. An. outbreak in New Orleans is looked for on account of the action of General Sheridan. News from Mexico, by way of New Orleans, is to the effect that Mexico City was besieged by a large force under Porfirio Diaz, estimated at 15,000, and telegraphic communication is virtually cut off. • • t Maximilian was still in the field with j 4,000 troops. President Juarez has notified foreign Governments to change their representatives at the City of Mexico. Atlantic and Mail-shares, have taken i an upward turn, of late; the former (?) is quoted this morning at 126, and the latter (?) at 9£. The gold market has been trembling for several days past, and the precious metal is now quoted at 133 f. London, March 20. Cotton is down and heavy. Middling Uplands are quoted at 13d, and Middling Lowlands at 13£. Breadstuffs are easier; provisions are firm.

. The excitement concerning the recent discoveries in -the Buller district continues, and " the "Grey Eiver Argus" reports that a large tide of population has set in thither, both from HoHtika and from the Grey. The latest news is confirmatory of the fact that a large rush has taken place, but positive information is wanting. There appears to belittle doubt that the Buller rush is a very considerable one,, but nothing beyond mere rumor is to hand. The exodus from Hokitika is assuming very large proportions, the various steamers for the north being crowded with passengers. . A journalistic catastrophe recently occurred in connection with the printing of an edition of the "North British Daily Mail," which we imagine is unparalleled in the annals of the press. A -cat had ensconced herself in the large cylinder of the four-feeder Hoe printing-machine employed to throw off the first side of the impression. Before starting a machine of this sort there is. considerable noise and bustle in putting on the " formes " of type^ &c, and during the first few revolutions it is driven very slowly. The cat, however, rexpained quite quiet during these preliminaries, and escaped notice until the machine was running at full speed, and had thrown off some 800 copies of the paper. She then apparently thought she had had enough of it, and attempted to spring out of the cylinder, but being giddy, after her 200 fulbspeed revolutions, fell, underneath it, and was crushed to a jelly by the revolving forma, her head malting a large dint in one of the columns, and her flesh, blood, and bones being so evenly distributed over the type that it was only, after a great deal of washing- that printing could be resumed. The above paper remarks as. follows on the accident: — So completely triturated was the unfortunate animal that, as one of the hands expressed it, waa left of her but the. skin." If her intention in taking up her station in the cylinder was suicide, she could hardly have chosen a more effectual method of performing the happy despatch. No motive can, however, be assigned for the rash. act. "We sincerely hope that if other cats think of adopting this, plan of escape from the cares of the world they will try some other newspaper, for we have had enough of them, and the next one found trespassing in our machine-room with any such intent shall be handed over to the sausage-maker without mercy. In the present instance no injury was dons our machine — luckily, for the price of a four-feeder Hoe is £2500— but we can't afford to risk it again, so that if cats want to be killed by machinery they must go somewhere else.