AMERICAN NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume IV, Issue 220, 18 April 1872, Page 6

AMERICAN NOTES.

{From Recent Exchanges,) The police force of Philadelphia consists, when full, of about 806 men ; of this number 489 are native born citizens of the United -states ; 246 were born in Ireland, but are naturalised citizens; 229 were honorably discharged soldiers of the late war, and 51 were similarly discharged from the navy j 3 had attained the rank of General in the army ; 5 that of Major j 12 that of Captain ; 14 that of Sergeant, and 11 that of Lieutenant.

The St. Louis Democrat rigorously alludes to a rival editor as " a bad cross between an ass aud a demagogue— so bad that it is difficult to tell which predominates. Sometimes the ass seems to loom up and overshadow the demagogue, and then again the demagogue will tower above the cars aud yell above the bray of the ass." These St. Louis editors^ should keep cool, and not tear their Schurz.

The turn-table for the new Rock Island bridge weighs one hundred and fifty tons. It is supposed to be the most massive piece of machinery of its kind in the world It is certain that nothing in the line in this country approaches it-. The principle circle, composed of six segments weighing six tons each, and the base circle, are in their places.

At a late Plymouth Church pic-nic, Mr Beecher was asked why he did not dance. " There is but one reason," he replied, "I don't know how. The only dancing that I ever did was when my father furnished the music and used me as a fiddle. I took all the steps then."

In Pennsylvania recently a train ran from Harrisburg via Reading to Allentown, a distance of ninety miles, in two hours and forty minutes, including stops consuming twentyfive minutes. The running time was about forty miles an hour.

Colonel H D. Cook of Normal, 111., has patentel an iron shingle roof. The shingles are about six by thirteen inches, lap each other so an to insure a water-proof roof, and are fastened by headless nails. The patent is slid to be less expensive than slate.

The editor of a Texas paper says: "The facetious editor of the" — - is engaged jn a philosophical experiment to ascertain' hbd large a falsehood it is possible for a given number of words to express." The result must have been successful, as the first-named editor describes it as a double-barrelled whopper.

Tue musical jubilee for which Boston is now preparing, is to be held in a buildino 832 feet long, 422 feet wide, and 172 feet high, and the roof is to ba supported by arches sprining Irom the ground on each side and at the ends. The building erected for the musical festival of 1869 was only 600 • feet long and 300 feet broad,