GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 38, 22 June 1878, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

One of the beat shots in the United States is according to the Deliver Tribune, a loan name J William Spence, known as " Oregou Bill." lie was born at Port Natal, South Africa, and is now barely 40. lie was at Sea for some .cars, and distinguished himself on more than one occasion by his bravery in engagements with pirates on the coast of Africa. lie also took part in the Crimean war, and nearly lost his life in the famous light cavalry charge-at Baloklava, From IHUO to Ibtij he was an Indian tighter 0U the frontier of Kansas and Texas ; and in an engagement with the Red men on an occasion when the whites were victorious. after a handjjto-band fight, he ia said to have killed seven warriors with his pistol and bowie-knife. In Portland, Oregon, Spence had an intimate friend named John O'Madigan, now living at Denver. The friendship was a source of greater pleasure to Spemo than to O'Madigan, owing to the playful habits of Oregon Bill, who was constantly playing Ids skill with the revolver through the medium of O'Madigan. One day, while O'Madigau was walking along the street smoking his pipe, at a distance of about ten feel, and at about a right anglu, Spence suddenly drew his pistol and tired, taking the pipe from the mouth of his irieud, but, beyond the shock to his nerves, doing hiin no harm. Again, last autumn, Spence was in the Lake City with deer for sale, when he espied his old friend O'Madigan passing up the same street on the opposite side, and called on him to stop. O'Madigan apparently not hearing or heeding the salutation, Spence drew his revolver. O'Madigau immediately stopped and faced him, when Spence sent a bullet through his hat O'Madigan, who is a good humoured fellow, felt somewhat annoyed at'this liberty, but merely remaked with a faiut smile, " Bill,'don'tshoot any more ; it is too close."

A Swedish paper publishes an interesting article under this heading. It states that in the Hay of Komenok, uear Koma, in Greenland, fossil and very characterisreinain of palm and other trees have been discovered lately, which tend to show that in these parts foi merly a rich vegetation must, have existed. But the ice period of the geologists arrived, and, as a consequence of the decreasing temperature, this tine vegetation was covered with ice and snow. This sinking in the the temperature, which moved in a southerly direction, as can be proved by geological data, i.e., the discovery of fossil plants of certaiu species, seems to be going on in our days also. During the last few years the ice has increased far towards the south ; thus between Greenland and the Arctic Sea colossal masses of ice have accumulated. On European coasts navigators now frequently find i :e in latitudes where it never existed ■•of .re during the summer months and the c>M reigning upon the Scandinavian pent ,»u lar this summer results from the masses of iee which arc floating in the region whore the Gulf Stream bends towards our coasts. Experiments are being carried .on in Prussia, by order of the German mibi&sj aufc'iOTtes, t~ asfc ■■ .-■ t ■ nv far it' may be practicable to employ the telephone for military purposes. One of the new instruments (says

the Pall Mall Gazette) has _ been arranged by the railway regiment on the exercising ground near Berlin; but, as yet, tlio results obtained have not been'altogether satisfactory. With the stations on.y a few thousand paces apart it is found extremely dilßcult, and at times, when the conditions are unfavourable, altogether impossible to carry on a conversation. It is expected, however, that when some suggested improvements in the apparatus have been carried out, the telephone will work in a much more satisfactory manner, ar.d will become of great value for many military purposes. One of the obstacles to the more extended employment of the fieldtelegraph in actual war has always been the diifioulty of instructing men in the manipulation of the instruments, and of giving' them sufficient practice to render them export in reading or sending messages. The telephone, however, once set up, oan be used by anyone without any preliminary training; and therefore it is easy to conceive almost any number of cases in which it would bo found extremely useful in the conduct of the operations of war. In many instances, however, it will still bo desirable that the messages Bent should be written by tho instrument employed ; and therefore tho German military authorities aro now ondearoui'ing to arrange an apparatus which shall be ablo to be used at pleasure either as a telephone or as a Morse's printing instrument, and which at the Bamc time shall be compact, portable and not easily liable to derangement A correspondent writes to us (Lancet) to the effect that he has recently seen on tho Boulovards at Paris a horse with eight feet, tho four oxtra foot growing out of of tho fetlocks of the horse. The case, wo presume, is one of supernumerary digits, and is an instance of reversion. On tho evolutionary theory, the hone is derived, from some quadruped which possessed five complete digits on each foot, and tho successive stages have boon better followed out, and lend more support to tho theory of ovolution thau in the cash with any other animal. The remains ot horses, almost identical with those nonexisting are found in tho Uuuternary and later Tortiary strata as far back as the Pliocene formation. But in the <lc-

psita of the t rli** I'iioccne and later Miocene period the bones ai IB animal — the mpparion—are leund in which the two splint horns representing the fit..: and third metacarpal and metatarsals of the horse an as long as the central bone, and to each of them a small three-jointed digit ia atiatched. In still older deposits belonging to the earlier Miocene and later Eocene period, a distintly three-toed animal — the anohitherium —existed ; and at about the came peri.xl, or before, one —ttie mesotoippua—with three toes and a splint-like rudiment of the fourth to the fore-limb, and three toes to the hind leg. Lastly, in the orehippus, the oldest member ol the equine species, there are four complete t-ics on the fore limb and three on the hind. Our correspondent does not state the position of the supernumerary biifit.

Perhaps the most magnificent act of heroism evi r heard of in California was, says the S. F. Post, witnessed during the performance of a circus at Reno uu the eveuiug of Saturday, the 2nd of September, and certainly, assuming Jthe account given to the correct, u more striking example of that quality known as " presence of mind " can hardly be imagined. The lion-tamer was giving an exhibition of his control over the terooious beast under his charge, when suddenly he was observed to turn pale and tremble. The largest lion of the six in the cage had displayed unusual sulloune.ss, and now refused to obey its master. With glaring eyes it crouched in the corner, and evidently mediated a spring. The traiuer recovered his self-possession in a moment, and, keeping his eye firmly fixed upon that of the huge beast, dealt it a terrific blow with a raw hide over its face. With a roar like thunder the lion now bouudod forward, absolute foaming with fury. Seizing one of its open jaws in either hand, the powerful man held the brute oli'for a desperate moment by sheer strength. An electric thrill of horror ran through the crowd which thronged around the cage while the ter-, rible struggle was progressing. The beasts in the other dens shrieked and roared in chorus, and the din was deafening. It is in a moment like this that the true heroic element asserts itself. Without turning his head in the least, the brave man hoarsely whispered," Pass me a small boy." One was instantly seized by a dozen kindly hands and squeezed through the bars. With a su-per-human effort the traiuer thrust the Iwy into the hot, closing jaws, and then bounded lightly aside. There was a snarl, a few savage " scrunches," and the beast turned again for its prey. But the hero was gone. The door snapped behind, him, and gasping " Saved ' " he fell fainting at the feet of spectators, who cheered and wept by turns, many of them deliriously embracing each other in the wild excitement of the moment.