PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 184, 17 August 1871, Page 3

PROVINCIAL AND GENERAL

Talking of "glory," Mr Robinson, in his work on " The Fall of Metz," gives us a curious account of that infamous "Baptism of Fire" by which Napoleon endeavoured to win his soldiers' hearts by the sacrifice of his boy's feelings. Never siuce th it devil's sacrament was the Prince Imperial seen in public -igain. " On that sad 2nd August, when that most wilful murder was done — on that day, when a specil train took the Emperor, the Prince, the marsh ils, and as many generals as could be jjot to witness unjustiu ible homicide to Saarbniek the poor little nervous child was made to direct the rirsfc uiitrailleu.se fired by the army of the Rhine. The shock to his system was more than he could bear; old sol.liers might indeed weep, but they wept for sorrow when they saw the poor little fellow's terror at the dreadful sound. The special train which took him out from breakfast a moderately hed.hful youth, brought him back to dinner a shattered lad, hysLer cally afflicted with what is called St. Vitus's dance; and he never was exhibited in public after that time."

During Thursday aftei-uoon, says the " Wuikou.iiti Her.tld," there was witnessed out on ills ocean, ovpr M;itanaka Point, a singular phenomenon in the •shape of a beautiful and ex icfc reflection of a range of hills which form the south portion of the Otago Heads, far upwards to beyond the Maori Kaik. The sandy lieach-line, and the hill where the sind reaches nearly to its summit, were p.u*tiiularly well defined, and the whole appeared so real that, had any one been looking across the north-eastern portion of our bay for the first time, he would have supposed that it was bounded on that direction by a high range of hills. The Ntnv York Times states that Mr Sol San born, of Mi'dfbrd, Massachusetts, described as a hatter by trade has made and recorded a will by w'm-h he bequeaths his body to Professor Louis Aijassiz and Oliver VV. Wendell Holmes, of Harvard University, with the request that it s'lall be prepared "in the most snVntifie and skilful manner known to 1h • anitotnical art," and placed in the m iseum of anafcomv attached to the aforaaid institution. Of his skin, however, Mr Sanborn requires two drumheads to be made, which are to be presented to hi* distinguished friend and patrioti- fellowcitizen, Warren Simpson, drummer, of Co'iasaer, on condition that he shall beat, or e:luse to be beaten, on the Raid drum-Head^, tut national air of v Yankee Doodle," at the base of the monument on Bunkers-hill, " at sunrise on the 17t'i of June, annually." Moreover, on one of the drum-heal*, is to be inscribed " Pope's Universal Prayer," and on the other "The Declaration of Indepen lence,"as it 'originated in Vie brain of its illustrious author, Thomas Jefferson." The parts of his body useless for anatomical purppoaes Mr Sanborn desires to be s * composted f»r a fe tiliaer, for the purpose of nourishing the growth o f an American elm, to be planted or set out in some rural public thoroughfare, that the weary way farms? man may rest, aud innocent. children playfully sport, beneath fchej shadow of its umbrageous branches, rendered luxuriant by my enrcastj." Lord Brougham was liviu.'T onl? four years a<jo, jet ha had conversed ' with a person who had conversed wit'i an eye-wittness of the execution of Charles 1. " I have heard (he says) my grad mother, beiu» at the time I refer to about 90 years of aije, relate all the circumstances of the execution of Ciarles 1., as they had been told her by an eve-withiess VvrWoorl opposite Whitehall, and saw the Kin* up-onthe scaffold." He adds : — '• My •grandmother was born in Queen Aine^s

reign, so that $ have conversed with a person who was alive 180 years ago, and who mi ;ht have heard Her relative, Anr. Brougham, who lived to the age of 106, speak the events that happened in JBlizabeth.s time." — " Life and Times of Henry Lord Brouhgam."

Tne " Westland Independent," a Hokitika paper, has the following extraordinary paragraph : — *' A rumour of a most unplesaut character has been rife in town for the last two days. i'Yotn what could be gathered, it is to the eiiect tiiat, on Saturday last, one oi" the wardsmen in the Hospital having occasion to go out, placed his porridge, wiiieh was a portion of his breakfast, in the oven. 'On returning, he took a mouthful, but find ng it distastful, spat it out, and gave the rept to a dog. To his surprise the animal died a quarter of an hour afterwards, and, on examination, it was fonnd that str)Cinine had bc?en mixed with the food. Tne matter is one which demands the most searcning enquiry."

A correspondent of the " Oamaru Times" "to suggest to our enterprising Superintendent, Mr Macandr^w, the advisability of offering rewards for the development ofOtago's mineral wealth, in the snape of stones of certain hardness and texture, and of the beautiful rainbow tints wi.ijh London jewellers prize. For instance, rewards might be ottered, on a certain fixed scale, for the tiist diamond found in tiie province-, of whatever colour or size, the first blue or red sapphire, the first corundum (auother of the same family), an-l for tie first collection of the undermentioned stones, viz., the topaz, emerald, beryl, jacinth, precious garnet, spinel (or balas), ruby, and varieties of the bloodstone, &c. A Is.) the finest collection of the agate, jasper, and opal families, and of the beautiful variries of" quartz. Such rewards would encourage amateurs to search for gems which I am convinced are to be found in Otago, would stimulate enterprise, and bring to light the resources of the province."

The report of the Controller in Bankruptcy .[London, for the year 1870, h is been issued, and is of special interest, as showing the working of the new Bankruptcy Act during its first year. The number of debtors adjudicated pankrupts in England and Wales during the year, according to this report, was only 135 1, whereas under the old \ct the annual number of adjudications was between nine and ten thousand.

Human hair, weighing 22,0001b5., was imported into Great Britain in the y&vc 1868, representing the clip of about 45,000 women of Belgium, France, aiid Germany.

While the schooner Storm Bird was recently seeking labour at New Hebrides, the natives attacked the boat's crew with poisoned arrows, and wounded Mr. Gruedie, the mate, Mr. Wallace, and a Knn-ika seaman. All three died of their won ids.

T.ie transfusion of blood as a remedy for impaired vitality was recently attempted with complete success in a Berlin hospital. The subject was a soldier on whom amputation had been performed, and who became sj weak from tho consequent loss of blood that iiis life was despaired of. As a last resource, one of the attendingsurgeons selected a healthy Bavarian, and took from him a fair quantity of blood, which, after being freed form albumen by filtering, and raised by artificial means to blood heat, was injected into the veins of the dying soldier. He betrau at once to recover.

The documents necessary for the taking of the English census consumed fifty tons weight of paper.

An amusing " printer's blander " occurred a few days ago in a L mdou newspaper. It had been Rpeakinj; in the highest terms of a new teno» # — a rara avis of a tenor, who had delighted and entranced all hearers. The criticism was georgeous, and it ended with, " he was sentenced to three years' penal servitude, ro that society will for some time be freed from the infliction of his presenco"! This astounding assertion was simply due to the fact that the end of a police case bad been "lifted," and left at the bottom of the critique to which it formed such an inconjiuroua pendant. An extraordinary blunder some years ago occurred the same way, in one of the Scotch papers. A couple of lines of a new paragraph, announcing the arrival of several soldiers in a district town got mixed up in a notice of birth. The result was as follows :—": — " At street, on the— hist., Mrs X , of 1 sergeant, 3 corporals, and 15 rank and file ; premature."

Kolloway s Ointment and, Pills. — Rheumatism and rheumatic gout are the dreaded of all diseases, because tbeir victims known that they are safe at no season, and &fc no age secure. Holioway's Ointment, after fomenation of the painful parts, gives greater relief than any other application, but it must be diligently used to obtain this desirable result It has been- highly eoni mended by rheumatic subjects of all ages and of both sexes for rendering their attacks less frequent and less vigorous.; and for repressing the sour perspirations and soothing the nerves. In many casa-j Holloway's Ointment and Pills have proved the greatest blessing in removing rheumatism and rheumatic gout, which, had assailed persons previously healthy and in the prime of life.