MISCELLANEOUS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 386, 29 August 1874, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The act of Mr James Lick, of (San Francisco in making over by deed the whole of his property to th§ public, has excited much comment in that city. He gives 700,000d0l to the construction of the laagest and best telescope in tha world, for the observatory at Lake Tahoe ; 420,000d0l for public monuments; 150,000 dol for public baths ; 100,000dol for the Old Ladies' Home; 100,00dol to the Society for the Protection of Animals ; 25,000d0l to the Ladies' Protection Relief Society ; 10,000dol to the Mechanics* Library ; 25,000d0l to the Protestant Orphan Asylum j 25,000d0l the City of San Jose for an orphan asylum ; 150,000 dol for the erection of a bronze monument to the author of the "Star Spangled Banner," in Golden Gate Park ; 300,000 dol. for the endowment of a school of mechanical arts in California; and the residue, in excess of J,780,000d01. to the Pioneers' Society. He makes ample provision "for his relatives, and reserves a homestead and 25,000d0l per annum for himself. An amusing illustration as to how Border duties can be evaded, and ho\jk the pawnbroker is sometimes taken in^" came to light at the Melbourne City Court lately. A man named Jame3 Nesbitt, says the " Age," who resided for some time on the other side of the Murray, wishing to migrate to Victoria, sold all his household goods, with the exception of a teapot and cruet-stand, two family relics, which he supposed to be silver. Knowing that these were dutiable goods, Nesbitt — so he stated in court— put them in the melting pot, crossed the Murray triumphantly, defeated the Custom House officers, and arrived with the metal all safe in the metropolis. On the 30th ult. he went to tho pawnbroker's shop of one Ashur Phillips, and placed the remains of the teapot and cruet on the table for inspection. The pawnbroker submitted the metal to a private test, and appeared so well satisfied with its genuineness that he gave Nesbitt £5 9s. 6d. for the lot. Phillips, being new at the trade, submitted the metal to others older in business, and finally to an assayer. One said it was tin, another zinc, a third lead, but none of them pronounced the metal to be silver. Phillips then hurried away and procured a warrant for Ncsbitt for obtaining money under false pretences He was brought before the City Bench on on Thursday on the charge, but on his promising to reimburse Phillips was discharged, A recent issue of the Melbourne " Telegraph " records two fatal accidents to children? A fine boy named Alexander M'Culloch Gibson, four years old, has just met his death in a singular manner. About a month ago the child was playing with his brother at Emerald Hill, when his bat blew over the fence. The deceased in climbing over the fence to get it cut His leg behind, ttie knee. Dr. Hcwsj dressed the wound, and at the first not much wa3 thought about the matter. It was looked upon as one of childhood's troubles, and the boy went as usual to school, but on the night of the 2nd inst. he woke up screaming, and suffered great pain during the rest of the night. He was taken to the hospital on the 4th inst. where he died on Tuesday. An inquest was held yesterday, when Mr Teague, surgeon, stated that when deceased wW. brought to the hospital he was suffering^ from lock-jaw, from which he died. The cause of death was exhaustion from the lock-jaw, the result of an injury to the leg. The family of Mrs. Sarah Stobans, of Hotham, were amusing themselves m the kitchen the other day, when a boy accidently upset a coffeepot over himself and his sister, Caroline Sarah Stobans, aged two years and two months. Mrs. Stobans showed much presence of mind in applying Jferosene cloths to both the sufferers and sending for a doctor. The boy recovered, but it was found necessary to send the girl to the hospital, and the poor creature sank and died there on Tuesday. At the formal inquest Dr. Teague, surgeon, stated that the cause of death was exhaustion from the scalds received. "Enough Op That."— John Clerk was sent to London to plead befor*> Lord Chancellor Eldon in an important property cause. His Scottish accent was always the same ; and under any circumstances- he used the very broadest of Doric. In the course of hia speech he pronounced the word "enough" enow. The Chancellor drily remarked, "Mr Clerk, in England we sound the ough as uff— enuff, not enow." " Vera well, my lord/ 7 said Clerk, "of this we have said enuff ; and I come, my lord, to the subdivision of the land in dispute. It was apportioned, my lord, into what in England would be called pluff land— a. pluff land being as much land as a pluffman can plnff in one day." The chancellor was rather taken aback by the happy repartee, but soon recovered himself, and said, "proceed, Mr Clerk, I now know enow of Scotch to understand your argument." What struck us as a very queer reason for paying an account was given air the last Town Council meeting. In a blacksmith's account sent in there was a charge °l £ i- made for a . culverfc -grating, and the Finance Committee reported; that they could find no trace of any authority having been given for its manufacture, and suggested that before paying for it some inquiry should be made. But Mr. Councillor Grant said thai; he did not see why the blacksmith should wait fur his money, even if he did make it on spec ; it was a good grating, and it was needed where it had been put, and it was an act of friendship to put it there, and it ought to be paid for. We are going to print a bnsinessadvertisemenfc for this Councillor, and we're going to say it was needed, and we re going to say it was an act of friendship on our part, and we don't knew if we re going to get paid for it.—" Cromwell Argas,"