MISCELLANEOUS.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 881, 31 October 1871, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

The London operatic career of Signor Mario comprised 935 performances. Sir Roderick Murchison's health is still feeble, but his mental faculties are as strong and as fresh as ever. A mill-board manufacturer in Glasgow.named Nimmo, poisoned himself and three of his children with prussic acid. On August Ist Mr Humphrey Nichols distributed £20,000 among the charities of Manchester. Lieutenant-General Gold, who served in New Zealand for many years is dead. The Baroness Burdett-Coutts is going to spend £60,000 in improving the approaches to Columbia Market. A man, aged 63 years has died from lancing a boil on his hand with a common brass pin. A statue to Oliver Cromwell is to be erected in Parliament Square, Palace Yard.

General Manteuffel ha 3 punished a Prussian sergeant for striking a French lady who insulted his nationality, and struck him with her parasol. A firm of auctioneers in Calcutta now hold their sales at 6 a.m., and provide punkahs, iced water, and coffee for their customers. Tho Guardian hears that at a recent meetiag of the Bishops it was unanimously resolved to recommend that the Athanasian Creed should be re-trans lated. The British Consul at Rome has received through the Governor of Malta, a petition from the inhabitants of that island, inviting the* Pope to take up his abode there. At Kissingen the Princess of Wales was overwhelmed by the crowds who rushed to get a near view of her, and had to take refuge in a meadow. She looked thin and delicate, but lovely and interesting as ever, and the Germans loudly expressed their admiration.

An iron-founder at Cambridge, named Dewley, has been sentenced to seven years' penal servitude for bigamy and forgery. He had kept up an affectionate correspondence with his first wife after marrying the second. The National Security Savings Bank, G-lasgow, is now the largest institution of the hind in Britain. Its depositors number 71,171, and the sums belonging to them exceed £1,750,000. The personalty of Mr G-rote was sworn under £120,000. Among his bequests is one of £6OOO to found a Chair of Philosophy of Mind and Logic iu University College, London. It is rumored that a Children's Theatre is to be established at the Chariug Cross house—the bill to be performed entirely by children. Master Manley is spoken of as the probable manager.

Some of the French officers and soldiers who have returned from captivity in Germany have furnished their Government with valuable civil, military, social, and topographical reports regarding the districts in which they were quartered. In the debate on the second reading of Prince Arthur's Annuity Bill, Sir Wilfrid Lawson Baid that " there was growing up in the minds of the people in largo towns as increasing feeling in favour of Republicanism." Lord Courtenay had to appear again lately in the Bankruptcy Court, London. His debts amount to £823,000 of which only £256,000 is unsecured. An adjournment was consented to, with a view to an arrangement being effected. The Irish census shows that there is now but one pauper for every five twenty years ago. A Miss Walker has succeeded in reaching l the top of the Matterhorn, being the first of her sex who has done so. The Royal Artillery at Woolwich is to be reorganised shortly. The erection of the East Lond on Museum is nearly complete. It is a striking fact that most people want to weigh more than they really do, and measure their health according to their weight, as if a man were a pig, valuable in proportion to bis heaviness. The racer is not fat,

and a good plough horse has but a moderate amount of flesh. Heavy men are not those contractors employ to build rail-roads and dig ditches. Th'n men, the wo Id over, are the men for endurance, and are wiry and hardv. Thin people live the longest. The truth is, fat is a disease, and as a proof fat people are never well a day at a time, and are not suited for hard work. Still, there is a medium between as fat as a butter-ball and as thin and j uiceless as a fence-rail. For mere looks moderate rotundity is most desirable, to have enough flesh to cover all angularities. To accomplish this in tho shortest time, a man should work but little, sleep a great part of the time, allow nothing to worry him, keep always in a joyous, laughing mood, and live chiefly on albuminates, such as boiled cracked wheat, and rye, and oats, and corn, and barley, with sweet milk, and buttermilk, and fat meats. Stigar is the best fatner known. Miss Mary Wattles and Mrs Helen Comb have formed a copartnership in Kansas, for the practice of law, under the name and style of Wattles and Comb. A Negro in Columbia, Ga., has painted ajpicture of heaven. It represents an apple dumpling fenced in with sausages. "Good morning, Mr Henpeck," said a printer in search of female compositors. "Have you any daughters who would make good type-snatchers 1 ?" "No ; but I have a wife would make a fine devil." " What are you at there you black scoundrel ? twice you awoke me from a sound sleep and not content with that, you are now pulling off the bed clothes. Get you gone sir." " Well if you won't get up, I must hab the sheet anyhow, coz they're waitin' for the tablecloth. A cruel mother, in Indiana, recently captured and married her daughter's intended, whereat the young lady took umbrage, and by way of dire revenge set off half a dozen bunches of fire crackers under the bridal couch. A pious son in Kansas City has manifested his reverence of his father's memory by having a complete set of furniture made from the tree on which the old gentleman was hanged. The men of the day most popular with women.—Hymen. Waves that are harmless—The waves of ladies' handkerchiefs. Can any reasonable doubt be sustained of the stability of a bank whose directors always show a great reserve when questioned about its affairs ?