A STORY OF BOHEMIA.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 113, 25 January 1873, Page 3

A STORY OF BOHEM IA.

Ono of tlic Tw'U correspondents of the Pall Mall Gazkte communicates (lie following euriou-> informnliou ■ — "A sliorb time ago an okl man named Dinoehan," who did as much for literature as Francois I , ' Le pere dei Letlrei, departed tliis hfc -in* vory narrow' cireuanblanccs. Diuoohan, for ""curly half a centurj, had kept an eating-house to which all Grubstreet flocked, and it was oi'f) lu'LC-sarv for a Bohemian to bring out a tolerable work to get unlimited credit. Dmoehan's w.h the resort of all hungry authors and newspaper hacks who wove out of pooket, and tlic oonscquence was that wjien this L ,JiPtf(iurafrur dei Leftrri,' as lie wa9 humourously called, died, "his lieirs and creditors found nothing in hi 3 at voi\g b«x but amount iug to.goud.ly sums A great mail j of the convivial scribble, who t.i^ied J)inoclian's good. cheer,, preceded him to the frrave, such as Jlyiiri Mlirgcr ' Vie de Vohe,»c,' no doubt, tickled the tsivern keeper, for the author died oh nig him £30. In the list of debtors, there are many Victorine*, Ernest me«, Armadines, &c , one daughter of Eve imposing on the gallantry! of ' mine ho«t' for over £120, aud aIL Dur.mdeau being down for .61 1,000 Yeaterd.n these interesting docunii »m were put up for sale, and though there -w>vf a fair attendance of old clothes dealers from the temple, the unredeemed paper, irepresenting lOO.O^hf. was* knocked down for 1,350f. to AC. Vilcincssant. The editor 1 of the Figaro has already published the names of the most' notorious crediditors, dead andalhe, of the late JDmochan^ who never pressed a man of letters for his ' addition ;' and Hie object m making the purchase is to force certain noisy clemagogiies of tJic'press to settle their outstanding aceotmK This is a novel feature in newspaper warfare— M Do Yillelroisant belabouring recalcitrant T&nlienls with the corpse of tin* deported' Jilnocli.m" ; but that gentleman is always taking the public by vilh «>n»e new trick of his imagination. It m.t^ , howe^cr,'be added, that it is shrewdly susjiected most of the bilK puixh.iicd are. not geniune.' 1

Fftrot.epm "\Vi.r,r.i — Vov some tune past there hare been numerous complaints in the oil regions of Ponns^lvaniaai (hp low price of crude petroleum. It was staled that thr present rates did not eouuv. the co.it of production, and that stocks were increasing. To remedy thii condition of aHiius. propositions were advanced from time to trme to su-pond operations and afl'ord time for studs to work oil' *<> .is to cause,- ait advnnce in prices inn' ivM'ft of tlio diminished supply. This ide.i seem* to h.no been rer dived w it li considerable favour by the producer's, and now we h.ne to reroid ft meeting of influential oilmen to take into consideration the expediency of not boring am new wells for -a month The meeting was yon munrrou-U attendcl, and the proceedings were marked by en I ire unanimih. The plan of enhancing the price of oil ny limiting production was discii3s«U Resolutions' were adopted binding operators to misperu drilling for new \\vJK for «is n\onfhs commencing from the Ist of September^ Arranpcmcrii*.w 3re mndb to procure ■ signature-! to a pledge to that ofl'eet. There is very little doubt thu^this ])rogriinnnc will moot with genoraf npprov^- 1 in' the 01T legions 'Ihe produeoir- have much to complain of. The refiners' combinations ha\o fojteod dow n price" -so that production has ceased to be profitable, and it is natural that the producers should adopt measures in «elf defence. But it will probably be found exceedingly diflirutt', if nut unpr.uticable, to enforce am general agreement to suspend boring for new wells. In this, as in other matters, nulijidu il nuterests will oumm-uIo nil other considerations There is a great deal of the spirit of gambling or hick in tjio^oil business. If this were lVr so*- the mere fait that it, e'os'Ls more to produce the oil than it can lie sold for would suffice to ! suspend any new enterprises without the agency of public I meetings Hut a lluc y s.triLo of -x '2(\ or SO hirrol spoutin<» wo/11 would be oteeedingU profit able even at the present, pji'-c, and so the hone of a lead of this kind induces scores of persons to must their means in a speculation in which the etyanees are ten to one agnin-jt them ; for that is about tlio proportion of profitable to. unprofitable wells In* tni<v wa^ so many new well- are sunk that the aicrage of prqilnotion is increased so much in o\ccr>s of tlif demand Una llic market is glutted, and the refiners encounter comparativeh little troKljli hi liooping downratrs. The question now i> whether tliere can be sufTJeient concert of action among the operators to induce them to forego the instinct of sinking or attempting to strike for a magnificent flowing well ; for it is just as natural for e\erv oil operator to strike for nothing but the very biggest jiehK as it is for every mother to cherish ftc dream that her bab\ is dost mod to be President of the "Tinted States. If the producers can overcome tin 1 ; I difficulty, and persuade operators to sacrifice their individual | clianoes for the general, welfare, there is verr lit tJ l^ doubt > that. the afljeots on tiio oiljnnijcct w ill l3c immediate and nn- | portant. — 2?ei<> Yoini Dnii;/ Bulletin. „ DoiiektV, tfie late Chief ' Justice of Ireland, nse-1 to tell a good story of his posting day.*.' ( He was going' circuit in a post-chaise, and at a dangerous part, wlieie the load skirted a descent, one of thchorsef, who had been feehavinS v ihlly all the way betran kickiug furiously^ Much alarmed, Doherty called, out, "! Phis is outia^eous. I don't think that horse has ever been in harness before. *\ "Bedad, your lordsfiip"s light. He was only took out of the field this morning." " And do you mean to tell me that you j have put an unbroken horse to mv carriage." "Roiraa \ sight of leather he has ever seen till to-day And if he j brings -\our lordehip safe to -the fdot-df-tho hill, the master I says he'll buy him." _ j