GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 85, 17 May 1879, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Cyprus, referring to a memorial forwarded to Sir Garnet VVolsoley asking him to prevent the extension ol drinking houses, says: —"Long before the E'ighst. occupation the Marina was ful, I wim simps, where little Letter than p ison was soli, where a man could get mad iruuK foi about two pence. >o'.v most 31 tho.v3 pluces are closed )r taken by foreigners, who sell good English beer at lOd. per quart. i'he consequence is that it now costs a man 2s. to yet drunk." There is u rumour that the annexation of the New Hebrides by the French is probable. The departure of Admiral de Petit ihouars in the wm- steamer Segond, leaving the Victorieusc at Noumea, is announced to take place about March 27. A pilot acquainted with the islands is engaged, and the New Hebrides are about to be visited by the Admiral. The probable object of the voyage is to make a personal inspection of the islands, their harbours, and general capabilities, by one on whose opinion and judgment the French Government may rely. It is more than probable that the Government, no longer deaf to the advantages offered by the possession of this group, and the b'u6 harbour of Havanah, are thinking seriously of unfurling the Tricolour over these fertile islands. The gain to New Caledonia in especial of such an acquisition is self-evident.

Texas has 1800 convicts, of whom some 500 arc kept in prison, and the rest are hired out to work on railroads and farms. One, undergoing a life sentence, is hired by his wife and lives comfortably at home.

Of Bret Harte's " Heathen Chinee " it is said that he wroto it in anhourof idleness, aud threw it carelessly into his desk. One day, months after, says a writer in the San Francisco Call, the printer of the Overlaad Monthly wanted copy enough to fill out* page or two, and Mr. Harte, soarchiug among his papers, happened to find these neglected verses. They were printed with some misgiving on his part —a very unnecessary misgiving he found as soon as the magazine appeared. A French fishing smack from Bo; - logne picked up in mid Channel recently, and took into Etaples, n French fishing boat, with the whole of tho crow, consisting of eight men, frozen to death Tho boat belonged to Portel. One very curious result has already followed tho residence of the Princess Louise in Canada. A friend wrote to mo to say —" Already all tho vacant houses in Ottawa are occupied, not by Canadians hut Americans, who havu come across the border to settle close to the Princess. Upwards of a hundred Yankee favourites have arrived for this purpose, and rents are rising daily. I hear that. Rorao of the American ladies havo actually oomo from San Francisco aud brought all their jewels with them. They are very anxious to shew tho Princess how rauoh they possess."

A Bridgejxjrt man stoppod his paper because it didn't contain a sure cure for dyspepsia, as usual. Tlio infallible remedy for consumption was there all right, but by some accident the dyspepsia euro was left out He was awfully indignant, ami said he was seventy-Hvo yoars old. and had never known a paper to foil liko that boforo.— Bridgeport Standard.

It may interest many to know tint salt will frequently so impregnate woo<. as t<i render it tough ami effectually pre serve it from decay. In tin- nil mine-,,, i'olaud mid Hungary the galleries on supported by wooden pillars, which art found to last unimpaired forages, in boosequence of being impregnated with the salt, while pillars of blick and stone, used for the same purpose, erumlile away in a short time by the decay of the mortar. Wooden piles driven iiito tho mud oi salt Hats and marshes hist for an unlimited time, and am used for the foundation of brick and stone edifices. Along the sea coasts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, North-Eastern Qermany, and Denmark, the custom prevails ol immersing the logs in salt water before sawinj. wherever this pan nnnvAniAntlu

be done, it being a universally acknowledged fact that salt-water soaked lumber is harder and much more durable than lumber soaked in trcsh water. This is especially the case with hard woods, such as oak, elm, &c. To colonial builders and contractors, a knowledge of this fact should prove valuable. A worthy dramatist has discovered an excellent way in which to revenge himself upon cabmen, at whose hands he has more than on one occasion Buffered much. He has found out that all these worthies who are summoned by tho police for various- offences are " had up " at Great Marlborough-street on Tuesday afternoons. Gutside on those days arc to be seen whole ranks of cabs, the owners or drivers of which are "in trouble," and waiting for their cases to come on. This dreadful dramatist's practice is to don a travelling ulster and to carry a small empty portmanteau when the evil spirit of practical joking is upon him. Thus equipped he rushes down Great Marl-borough-si. set, and hails tho first cab in the rank. " I'll give you half-a-sovcrcign, cabby, if you'll drive me to Waterloo Station in a quarter of an hour," ho says, keeping hia :ountenanoe admirably. Tho feat is easy of accomplishment, but the cabman is compelled, ruefully indeed, to .shake his head. "A sovereign then; I must catch my train!" A still more mournful shake of tho head is tho only response. The dramatist repeats this performance all down the rank, and then walks inline smiling. I near from Gibraltar (says a Loudon

writer) that Lord Napier and General Grant became great cronies on the occasion ot the ex-President's visit to that plaee. They rode aud strolled about and had mess dinners, and there was a review as well as a sham battle. Then was surprise that ih' General did not weai hi- uniform ai die review. But the American Consul told my correspondent thai Ulysses had tired of Iris uniform, an., sent n home. However, iiis uurseinansnip was a theme of universal admiration. I'hu soldiers did their best in inarching and manoeuvring. Lord Napier was greatly pleased, and said he hat never seen them do so well in his life, and he supposed they were putting their best foot i rward for the Yankee commander. It was rather a trial to undergo the inspeci'on of a man who had commanded over u million of men, and had taken part, in most instances as commander, in fifty pitched battles. The General expressed to Lord Napier his high admiration of the troops He had seen none so well disciplined. Their tiring pleased him. " They had learned," he said, as he watched the manoeuvres, " how to fire low and to tire slowly." John P. Peed has been the gas-man of the Walnut-street Theatre, Philadelphia, i'o'- fifty-four years, and has never missed a performance in all that time. He is somewhat eccentric, and in his will is the following provision:—"My head shall be severed from my body, aud my body shall he placed in u vault, but the head shall be taken to the Walnut-street Theatre, there to be used as the skull in ' Hamlet,' and 1 do bequeath my head to the said Walnut-street Theatre for that purpose. At Perlin, about a month ago, the shop of a jeweller, furnisher to his Majesty, was robbed of its principal contents. On the morning of the theft a hole was discovered in the ceiling, through which the delinquents appeared to have made their forcible entrance. Notwithstanding the utmost exertions of the police, no clue was obtained of the criminals, who were said to have escaped with a booty estimated, at least, at about 80,000 marks. After a time suspicion arose that the jeweller had himself perpetrated the crime in order to swindle his numerous creditor. These conjectures, at first only mooted, gained more and more strength, until it was proved that ho had pawned the greater portion of the valuables pretended to havo been stolen. He was, therefore, seized, anil now awaits his trial.

Lager beer was tho loading beverage iii the Cincinnati Skotoh Club, One day there were gathered some seventy gentleinen—artists, ministers, dootors, poets, musicians, men of letters, in fuet, nil professions were represented,—when Holler announced that he would make disappear a full glass of lager, not by tho usual method, —but that ho would make disappear this glass and tho beer, and it would be found in tho roar pooket of some one of those present, and he would be unaware of its presence. A moment! It was not in Heller's hands, and where had it gone r Every eye was intent on Hellor and drawing closely around tho performer. Samuel N. Pike, who was languidly loaning against tho mantleshclf, smoking and quits unconcerned, somo twenty feet away put his bund in Ms coat pocket (as we all did, not Knowing but that each was tbo victim}, and withdrew it hurriedly, dripping with beer. The veritable glass, half full of the frothing flui I, was in his i picket.

i It was in the year 1818 that the leading citizens of the chief towns of the Lorn- , bank-Venetian kingdom avowed openly their detestation of Austria, and they awiaited only a favourable opportunity :to throw oil' the yoke. At one of the theatres of Venice, on a certain evening, I a magnificent bouquet was thrown upon the stage at the feet of a beautiful ilanseuse. It was a rare piece of workman* ship and its three colours of nil, white and green were so arranged that the symbol of Italian Independence could not be mistaken. The danseus picked it up and kissed it repeatedly and pressed it rapturously to her bosom, while the vast audi ence applauded voiciferously. On the following morning the actress was summoned before the polios authorities, and slmrply

questioned touching the absurd treatment of tlio bouquet which hud been thrown to her uii ihe previous evening. She tremblingly, answered that she had done only as she always did when .such beautiful tributes were given her. " Very well," said the Austrian chief: " hereafter, wheu a boil? quet is thrown to you thus publiily, you will trample upon it with your foot. Do you understand '." Sin- said she understood, and she was suffered to depart. She went to soma of her friends and told them what had happened. " Ah," said the artist Antonio Luigi, " and you will trample ujkmi it ?" " 1 must." " Then I will see that you have the right kind, lie brave, pretty one, and we will win applause again. Wait." That evening when the favourite danseuse had acquitted herself grandly, a huge bouquet was thrown upon the stage—a broad field of strange flowers, the only colours yellow and black—tho Imperial Standard of Austria I There could be no mistaking it. "Be.tiaccia!" (great ugly beast) said the actress, loud enough to be heard over the house: and thou she jumped upon the yellow and black symbol, ami tram pled it heartily. For a time it seemed us though the applause would shatter the building. The police took the hint, und did not venture to interfere with the bouquets Of the bold and favourite danseuse.

Picture yourselves seated tit your desk from 7 till long after midnight every evening, lumps of ice and wet towels on your head. On your right hand a large bucket of ink, on your left huge dictionaries of all the living and dead languages, in front of you maps of all the countries of the world, and reams and reams of paper under your nose waiting to he tilled. On you go. scribble, scribble, leaders, essays, pottos, sermons, plays, paragraphs, jokes, puns, mural lessons, and contributions to the history of your era. There is no rest for the journalist. Events marc 1 !, and he must march with them. No matter what may happen to him, he must be light and amusing and readable. No matter if half his relations are dying upstairs, he must finish his copy. Why, the day I was married I scribbled a leader inside my hat on a collision and 50 deaths, and 1 have no doubt the day I lie dying and mil trying to recollect if there's anything among my papers I shouldn't like Mrs. Dagonut to see some one will knock at my door tor a comic story. The worst of it is everybody thinks you've nothing to do. Jones asks you to go to Norway for a month with him ; Robinson comes in to spend the evening, and tells you cooly "chuck the writing up and talk." Your old friend Coitrell invites you on Saturday evening to dine with him at the New Surrey Club, and can't understand that the evening is uot your own if you want it. Old aunts with long stories from the country follow you to the office, and seize you, and won't let you go till your editor says he smells tire and pretends to jump out of window. Then they flydown the stairs. —" Dagonet," in the Referee,

On the 28th of October, 1694, a howl of punch was made at Admiral Russell's house when he was Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in the Mediterranean. It was made in a fountain in the garden, in the middlo of four walks, covered overhead with lemon and orange trees, and in every walk was a tublo the whole length of it, laid out with cold collations. In the fountain were the following ingredients:—Pour hogs heads of brandy, eight hogsheads of wator, twonty-flve thousand lemons, twenty gallons of lime juice, thirteen hundred weight of fine Libson sugar, five pounds of grtited nutmegs, three hundred toasted biscuits, and, lastly, a pipe of dry mountain Malaga. Over the fountain was a large canopy to keep olf the rain, and there was built on purpose a little boat, wherein was a boy belonging to the fleet who, rowing round the fountain, tilled the cups of the company, and more than six thousand drank thereof,

An interesting statistical review of the battles fought by the Army of Austria between tho years 1405 and 1878 has been published by tho Military History Division of the department of tho Austrian Army. From this record it appears that tho aggregate losses in killed and wounded suffered by tho lutporial forces in all the wars in which they havo been engaged during the last 378 years amounted to 1,085,031 of all ranks. During tho same period also 50 Austrian Ocnerals, +174 other ollieors, and 28U.041 non-commissioned otlioon) and mon were taken prisoners by thu enemy, while 1808 field pieces, 712 colours carried by infantry, 2.'i7 cavalry standards, 110,227 horses, and 3!)10 waggons were lost. On tln« other baud 4101 guns, 1754 infantry colours, 270 oavalry standards, besides horses and waggons were captured from tho cueuiy during J 375 yours.

A writer in the North British Agriculturist has >t itcd that a good Ayrshire cow will give .')2O gallons of iuilk,+Solbs. cheese, or 200lbs. of butter per annum. She herself weighs aljout BjOlbs,, ami many instances aie known where the annual milk product weighed sis times the cow which gave it. Professor Arnold quotes one which, weighing lOSOlla., gave from GOOOlbs. to SOOOllis. of milk annually, that of 1574 being 827111 m. The World says that Sir Garnet Wolesley is not likely to remain much longer ruler of Cyprus, and his recoil at his own desire is imminent. He has nothing to do, ami is sick a ennui.

X+o.OOO is tho price fixed for raising the German ironclad, the " Grosser Kurfurst." "No cure, no pay," are the terms, anil Mr. Albert Loutuar, C.E., of London, has accepted thorn.

An extraordinary double suicide is reported. Mddle. Martha Coroy, a young dressmaker, engaged in one of thofashiouiilile astublishments in Paris, fell in love with the clerk in the same house, a youth named Emile Aragon. They wanted to get married, but the father of the. irirl refused his consent on account oi--»-<«~tßn-der years of her lover. So the couple resolved on suicide, and went down to Lagny, where they both hanged themselves to the window of the hotel room they had engaged.