MISCELLANEOUS.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 938, 7 March 1872, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The outburst of affectionate loyal in England has astonished everybcd and the progress of Republicanism arrested. Protestants, Jews, Parse Catholics, and Mahometans rail round the throne in the hour of pet America and Canada were profouni stirred. European Emperors, Kin; Presidents sent messages of auxio sympathy to Sandringhara. Meetin for political discussions were po poned, social discords stilled, a festivities were unheard of during t week of suspense. The 14tb> t anniversary of his father's death, » universally dreaded; but the Prin was relieved by sickness. Ou the loi same sleep relieved him from t delirium, though he was fearful prostrated. Since theu the itnpri ment has been steady. " Hencefortl says the "Times," " the fatal 14th1 commemorate the restoration oft: Prince as well as the death of tl father." The watchful skill | energy of Drs. Jenner, Gull, ai Lowe, and the unwearied devotion the nurses, including the Prince Alice, humanly speaking, saved t! Prince. It is proposed to cut a canal o mile and a quarter long, through I peninsula of Cantyre, from East West Tarbert. This will effect saving for Clyde shipping of 200 mi'i Tha estimated cost is under £l5O, M The " Athenseuin " says :—Galff! alone, with its 100,000 acres of wateH and ten times that extent of uncfl tivated bog aud mountain dotted wifl little loughs and streams, would, fi itself, if fully stocked, furnish fl ample field for half the fisher; jB between the Land's End and Jo:H O'Groat's. ffl The causes for which a MahosH tan woman may demand a divorce, afl clearly and broadly laid Koran, and her evidence is because Mahometan law supposes a woman must be violently aj, r Krie>' before the modesty of her sex will »!'» her to appear in public with application. So careful is spare her feelings, that she is r< fl

'c-ren required to recount her injuries, 'unless of her own free will; all she is to do is to place her slipper, reversed, that is with the sole upward, before •the Cadi, and the case is finished ; the divorce is granted without further inquiry. The news has been received by the last mail, of the death of Sir Edward Macarthnr, K.C.8., formerly com-mander-in-chief of H.M. forces in Australia, aud for a brief period Governor of Victoria. Sir Edward ■entered the army in 1808, and served 'through the Peninsular war, being at the battles of Cortinna, Vittoria, Orthez, Toulouse, the Pyrenees, and 'Others. In 1851 he came out to these colonies as Beputy-Adjuant-G-eneral, and in 1855 he obtained the command of the forces as Major-Soncral. After 'the death of Sir Charles Hotham, General Macarthur was Acting-Governor for a year, until the arrival of Sir Henry Barkly. He was married In the year 1562, and must have been close on ninety years of age at the time of his death. At the luncheon after the consecration of a new church at Facifc, the •other day, by the Bishop of Manchester, the chairman, the Rjv. E. H. Aldridge, said he had recently a con•versation with one of his parishioners, 'who had been dining with Mr John Bright. He put the question to Mr Bright, " What is your opinion of the 'Prince of Wales in his private life ?" Mr Bright replied "that the o Wales was a very good-natured fellow —a man not at alldevoid of intellect, •but rather above the average ; that he 'was wishful to do everything right and proper, but that his good-nature sometimes led him into appearances of indiscretion, because people magnified any little thing in a pu'dic man into indiscretion. He (Mr Bright) believed the Prince to be a very good-natured and niee man.

A very remarkable discovery made ! by Professor Muggins, the celebrated ; astronomer and spectroscopist of England, reveals the fact that the -atmosphere of the distant planet -Herschel is composed entirely of hydrogen'(gas). This wonderful announcement, so contrary to all the : theories held by scientific men respecting the condition of those distant planetary orbs, will overturn many of •the books and writers who have pro'duced volumes on the constitution of the Uuiverse, etc. From the nature "of the case, the inhabitants of that faroff world, if there are any, must live 'without fire, as any one spark of combustion would burn everything and ■explode the whole concern. Truly, science is bringing matters to light, which throw all ancient wonders in the shade, and we are fortunate in diving in such a progressive age, scientifically speaking. They are again agitating the distillation of spirits from the garbage of cities. Alcohol, it is well known, can be distilled from anything that ferments, no matter whether the fer'menting matter be a loaf of unbaked bread or a reeking garbage vessel. In this new process the garbage is gathered from the houses of citizens, dumped into water-tight vats, boiled for several hours, the grease is carefully skimmed off for soap-making purposes, and the pulpy mass fermented and distilled. The refuse goes to the cornfield, the peach orchard, or the vineyard. A barrel of garbage yields 'three pounds of soap grease and four gallons df proof spirits. The philosophical and chemical mind may know that whisky distilled from garbage is as pure and cleanly as that which comes from corn, but for a steady beverage the ordinary drunkard will doubtless prefer sound Bourbon or old rye.