MISCELLANEOUS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 378, 1 August 1874, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

From a report laid before the Parliament of Victoria the "Melbourne Herald" is enabled to glean a few facts which may be interesting, relative to the shipping which arrived in Melbourne during the year 1573. Tho longest passage from London in 1873 was made by the Calcutta, 172 days, considerably more than three times the lenglh of the s.s. Northumberland's passage, 53 days. "Landsmen who hare lately come off the English voyage will appreciate the meaning of such a difference. The Calcutta, by the way, had 60 passengers. The longest passage from Liverpool, in 1873, was made by the Bruce, 15'J days. Of course very heavy cargoes have to . bo taken into account as the usual cause of these protracted "voyages. Another point we look at is the number of the crews. The Great Britain has 140 men j Northumberland and Somersetshire 9G each. Vessels which are principally for the passenger trade have much lai'gev crews than others. Thus the City of Delhi, 1199 tons, has 32 men, while the Anglesea, 1018 tons, has 58 men. The Hercules, 1222 tons, only carries 22 men (the owners having an evident prediloction for 2' s), while the Schiedam, a small vessel of 395 toas, has also 22 men. Both the Hercules and the Schiedam come the same voyage — London to Melbourne. In the record of the number of deaths on shipboard, those from consumption almost equal the number drowned. The royal mail steamers have large crews, averaging about 1-15, mostly cooliea. The average number of days occupied by vessels ou the voyage from London to Melbourne during 1873 was 85 £ days, and from Liverpool, 90| days. The question of cremation has formed mattor of discussion here as elsewhere, and was brought forward at a meeting of tho Eoyal Society held the other evening, when three enthusiast ie members were found to append their names to a document pledging them to give their support to the proposal, and to leave injunctions to their representatives after death to dispose of their remains in this way. : Dr. Sydney Gibbons, a chemist, read a paper on the subject, aud quoted poetry and the Apostle Paul to show the beauty of the new system, which he further illustrated by consuming some joints of a rabbit in the small model of a furnace he had brought with him. Owing, however, to some mismanagement with the gas the experiment was not an entire success, and a faint smell of burnt meat pervaded the room. A conversation followed; which showed Lhat the members were incapable of rising to a level to understand the sublimity oi' tLe proposal. One suggested tbat the cremation process would have to be carried on at a pla/"e called Fisherman's Band, which is appropriated to •' noxious trades." Another pointed out a siinpio and elegant way in which the corpse could be converted into highly fertilizing manure. But a doubt iB cast upon the perfect disinterestedness of the last proposal, as it appears that the mode suggested is one for which the sug<;estor has a patent, as applied to the conversion of animal remains, and it is held that he was merely embracing an opportunity of puffing his own invention. Altogether it was evident that the atmosphere of the Eoyal Society was not favorable to the development of the enthusiasm which the supporters of tho movement seek to evoke. — "'Daily Times" Melbourne Correspondent. A Ministerial Brute. — The worst case of brutality upon the part of a father we have been called upon to chrouiclo is that of an old man by tho name of Reynolds, a minister oL' the Gospel, aivl who lives near the line of the counties of Muhlenburg and M'Lean, his residence being in the former county. Thia old man, who has hitherto borne a good character among his brethren, b_*iag longwinded in tile pulpit, and vociferous <in prayer, is tho father of a handsome daughter, to whom a young gentlemen in tho neighborhood, a few weeks since made proposals of marriage. This young man is of good family, aud the owner of some property, but for some cause, of which she had the sole right to be judge, he was utterly repugnent to her family, or her idea of a husband. The old man, howcrer, was anxious that slie should re- i ceirc - his proposals, and from her own statements, after repeated persuasions to thi3 effect, all of which she answered in the negative, he gathered a horsewhip and forced her to take her dress from her fair young shoulders, which he then lacerated with cruel blows from the whip, until she-promised to accept this man as her companion for life ; which she accordingly did that evening, knowing that the old villain had taken a seat near the door to hear that she made good her promise. As the preparations for the wedding progressed, twice did thia daughter implore mercy of her inhuman father, but just so often did she have the wounds upon l.tr /air shoulders again laid open with the lasii. The evening before the one appointed for the wedding she contrived to convey a note to a gentleman in the neighborhood, informing him of her troubles. He, with several others, went that night to her rescue and carried her to Greenville, where she threw herself upon the mercies of the Court. A gentleman in high standing promptly executed a bond, aud was appointed her guardian. — "M'Lean County Progress," 3rd January. The "W'aikato Times" says:— "lt is to ,be hoped that during the session the North Island members will unite to force from the Government a statement of the secret expenditure ot the Na.tivs Department.. It is important that the country should understand the exact position in which we stand with the Native race, and nothing, we predict, would so clearly explain it as a statement of the money expended upon our brown brethern. The statement should define to % whom presents (bribes) have been given and' for "what services they are to be considered compensation. The amount _o£ money which disappears mysteriously every year is j of little importance compared with the bad effects that are- likely to arise from our trucklincr -wifcla. -filxos^BSv-^o urlready iiolcL us in con- | tempt. We cannot, of course, produce evidence to the fact, but we ars convinced that many aggressions are promised with the sole .object' of extorting money or its equivalent from the Native .Department. Fxperience lias taught the chiefs tliafc they have only to hint at a disturbance to receive a present of some, kind. The maintenance of peace is of the greatest importance, and we should be the last to complain at even thrice the expenditure that takes place if there was a probability that the money spent was the actual means of maintaining it." A selector with his household goods are describod by the " Goulbuvn Advertiser " as follows: — "Three cows, two goats, followed by a dray with odds aud ends of household furniture, a table, a bedstead, a cradle being prominent in the midst ;„ on some bedding two healthy-rooking children and the mother with a baby in her lap ; walking alongside a tall swarthy man, in a high Yankee hat, with a stockwhip in his hand. He passed through Murchison on Saturday to take possession of fresh ground in the back country. He is a ! type of a class who are establishing their homesteads far and wide in the county of Rodney." I Cremation.— A letter from Berlin, dated 13th May, states that the question as to burning the dead is much talked of in Germany, in Switzerland, and in Italy. At Vienna, the city architect has obtained permission to construct a stove in the principal cemetery, and a rioh old lady haa given 30,000 florins for the construction of others. One which has been erected at Dresden cost 2500 florins. At Bresleau, in Silesia, at Nuremberg, and at Berlin, meetings, have been held in favor of cremation. A "young lady in Louisville — there are no east winds there — says she always feels well when she has a nice-fitting pair of fcicU on if .nothing mare*