MISCELLANEOUS.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 222, 11 October 1873, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

A Colonial Aristocbacy. — " Tha oniy aristocracy that can exist in a colony," was defined by the Hon Dr Grace in the Legislative Council the other day (says the Lgtlelton Tims) to be "an aristocracy of learning, character, and integrity, either universally admitted, or tested by long-con-tinued exposure to the tempest of public life. The Accent-General's Department. — The annual cost of working the Agent-General's Department is returned at £6,300. The appointments made by Dr Fcatherstone were I as follow : — John Morrison, colonial agent, £600 5 James Johnstone, clerk, £200 5 Thomas Short, clerk, £150 ; Mr Auld, Mr Andrew, and clerks (Otago Homo Agency) moiety of expenses of agency, about £400 ; C. R. Carter, £300, and 30s per diem when travelling ; W: G-. McKeller, accountant, £t00; A. O. Ottywell (agent for Canterbury), £400; W. Johnson, clerk, £80 ; Ed. R. Lison, clerk, £50 ; message boy, £20. To this staff Ministers superadded— Mr B. E. Friberg, 15s per diem, and capitation allowance of 10s per adult emigrant, with passage to and from tfew Zealand (£120) ; Rev Peter Barclay, (appointed on the recommendation of the Hon J. D. Ormond,) £250 per annum, and travelling nllowanco at the rate of 20$ per diem ; Mr W. L. Buller, £100 per annum; Mr Thomas Birch, £350 -alary, with travelling allowance ; Mr James Seaton, £350 snlarv, v ith £350 travelling allowance 5 Mr H. W. Farnall, £350 salury, witli £350 travelling allowance; Mr'MasQn, £400. BIifLOONiNG. — The celebrated American aeronant who, as was mentioned some weeks ago, proposes crossing the Atlantic in a balloon, is at New York trying to raise the necessary £2,000 to carry out his project. He intends to start in a balloon 100 feet in diameter, containing XO.OOOIbs. of ballast, and having a drag-rope of about I,oooft. long, reJisying the balloon of weight to the extent of the rope's immersion in the water. The passengers will travel in awickerwork'car of t«ro stories, with strong canvas sides apd'roof, the lower story of which will be used for storing provisions, such a« cooked and canned meat and fruits, and quicklime for boiftng coffee and eggs. Underneath the car, the Graphic says', will be an open gallery for taking observations of 'the sun, and below this a life-boat. Professor Wise, who calculates on a strong westerly current to take him to England, intends to take reckonings three times a day, and to study the atmos; pheric currents. Should this trip prove successful the professor proposes circumnavigating the globe, an undertaking which he calculates will take him soaie eight or nine days. Insidious Immobal Fbench Authobs. — The evidence in the" Tichborne case was relieved on Juno 12 by the introduction of a literary discussion,'in which Colonel Lumley Graham, the Lord Chief Justice, and Dr Kenealy took part. The subject (says the Pall Mall Gazette) was Paul de Kock, the character of. his works, and his influence for good or bad on his readers, pplonel Graham declared that "ho did not know d more immoral writer in French literature," which seems to shbw that he has never read Eugene Sue, Theophilo Gaudier, Alexandre Dumas fils, Gustave Flaubert, Ernest Fojde.au;, GjUstave Droz, and other highly popular French authors, of present day, including, in particular M. Adolphe Bploj^ perpetrator of ' Mdlle Giraud,' « Mn Femrae,* and ' Le Femni'a de Feu,' works which were found unfit for publication, as M. Belot origirally wrote thefti, even in the Figaro. The "humour of Paul de Kock is often coarse, and even indecent jjfut the morbid pruriency, which is the chief characteristic df th.c contemporary French novel, is no more to be found in liis writings than humour is to be found in the writings of Dumas fils and Feydeau. The Lord Chief Justice disposed of the whole question is to the immorality of Paul de Kock's novels in a sentence which is worth remembering : — " Paul de Kock,'' said his lordship, in his search after the ridiculous is unscrupulous ; but whethpr he preserves delicacy or violates it, ho does not seek to inflame tho passions."

There is nothing more wonderful in nature than the expressiveness of tho human face, nor anything which excites a wider sympathy than this cxpresssion of the emotions. The whole charm of art lies in the expression, and no art is so powerful as the dramatic, in which words are interpreted by looks and gestures. Anyone who has seen a great play well acted will know that even the most powerful words convoy only half their meaning without a risible embodiment. The countenance utters a thousand things which words miss or mar. In dtlicate natures it is as sensitive as the surf ice of a lake, and is milled or calmed by every breath of feeling. Each sl.ade of passion, from rage to tenderness, from love to hate, from joy to misery, has its peculiar reflection, and the slightest shades of variation are perceptible A glance, a blush, a smile, a tear will convey in an iiiMiini the thought which n poet would labour for hours to evmi.--, '

Disappointed Emiqkvxts. — The New York Times pu lis'aes the following despatch, dated Quebec, June 24:A remarkable case, which may end in a charge of pira< against a number of Swedish and .Norwegian emigrant was investigated here yesterday, and a large number the ringleaders lodged in Quebec gaol. It appears that large number of emigrants from Sweden and Norway we brought to Canada by Mr Molsou, who has large ironworl on the Lower St Lawrence, at a place called Moisie, an they were engaged before tbey left home for a period < three years. \Vhen they arrived out in the spring the went to work, but a dispuce arose as to the payment < wages, they insisting that they should be paid in gold an their .employer giving them orders only to obtain goods i stores kept by himself. This they refused to remain sati .fied with, and left their work, but as they had no meai of getting away from the place, they were in a bad pos tion, no .vessels trading there regularly except those owne by Mj Molson. In their extremity they went down 1 the river in a body and took possession of a sma schooner. In this vessel they set sail for Quebec, an arrived yesterday all safe. The party consisted of mci women, and children to the number of 200 when the landed at Point Levi, where the police were waiting ft them, as information of their acts had been telegraphed t this port. The men mostly wore sheath-knives in thei belts., and looked very formidable ; but on the jjohc showing that they had authority to arrest them they sui rendered peaceably. Twenty-eight uf them, who are sai to be leaders in the movement, were taken into custod and lodged in the Quebec gaol to await the evidence ( Air .Molsou against them, Jtncl the chaigc of Stealing th vessel, wheh the owner of the schooner means to bri n iu^viust them. The case is creating jyeat .excitement amon all connected with emigration.

We have a new religious difficulty, remarks the ManohesU Gn ml tan (July 16), which seems to sit heavily on not a fe\ sensitive consciences. The Duke of Edinburgh, as we bay already informed our readers, is about to marry a lady wh is a member of the Greek Church. What, then, becomes c the Act of Settlement and of all the other guaranteed for tb perfect orthodoxy, the untainted Protestantism, of our royc family? Nothing of the kinil lias ever occurred since tli ; for, of course, no loyal true-blue Enghshma. can over think of treating the Fourth Creorge's affair witl Mrs Fitzherbert as a case of valid marriage. No ; Englisl princes and princesses have for two hundred years been tru to the Protestant genius uf the nation and when they liav assorted fcbewsclv.es or been assarted by others in wedlock, n Papist or otlicr heretic has been allowed to ento/flyjr roy« circle. But wo are living in strange times. O™ of th Queen's daughters has married a commoner. That%V> shock to many ; but Lord Lorne was at least as sound Protest ant as ever lent his support to the British throne Let Exeter Hall, however, be calm. There is a view of th approaching wedding in which it appears as a very innocen business — at any rate so far as the Protestant interests o this realm are concerned. The Qraud Duchess Maria, \vi are told, will retain her faith, but the children of the mar riage are to be strictly brought up in the creed of Willian 111. That is one source of comfort } but we have anothe to offer. The Duke of Edinburgh, if an English prince, i also heir presumptive to the ducal crown of Saxe-Coburg J&otha, and it is Puke Ernest's heir rather than Queen Vic loria's second son who is about to lead the Russian princes to the altar. The Prince of Wales has a numerous family and our Protestant institutions are safe. Professor Samuel Gardiner, jun v the xnatn who lights tbt Capitol of Washington by electricity, Has invented a methot of discharging fire arms which dispenses with gnn locks am all that sort of machinery. Within the handle of the pistol or gun he lias a galvanic battery, or Leyden bottle and t rubber to produce electricity. Thence a wire extends to the cartridge, the arrangement being such thai on pressing a pin with the finger, a spurk of electricity enters the cartridge and fires the powder. Now, if the professor will only make one more improvement, namely, «ho6t the ball by electricity withont gun or powder, he will distance all competition, and add new laurels to his already distinguished fame as an electrician. There isa story tqld of a French gentleman who, having lost the bulk of his property through tile rascality of friends in whom he trusted, crowned it nil by the loss of his mental balance, and for tbe remainder of Ilia days found hits only delight in riding in omnibuses and passing fares from passengers to the conductor, taking care when the change was returned to add to it a sou or two from ' his own pocket, and watch the effect ou the receiver. In nine cases out of ten, as the story gq.es, the passenger, counting over his change, and finding, as he supposed, that the conductor hail cheated himself, would look bewildered for a moment, and then pocket tho change with a quiet .chuckle. The special delight of the lunatic was satisfying himself in tliis'jvay that nine-tenths of his fellow-men were dialionest, if they only had the opportunity. It very often happens that fine fruit, especially pews and apples, is attacked by birds and insects so as to make a, wound, which, if left to itself, will cause thq fruit to rot. It' has been found that by cleaning out the place allpcfed, and. removing all the dirt and disorganised an«l bruised matter," and filling up the carity with planter of Ear is, further decay may be arrested, and the fruit become fully nipe.. A little space may be worked out from under the edges of jth/» skin, so that when the plaster is pressed inward it will keep its placo. This exclusion of the air, consequent* upon this application, is all that is necessary to prevent the progress of decay. This would, of course, be inexpedient in many cases, but when large and valuable apples and pears are involved, the trouble will be but trifling in comparison with the result accomplished, The Belgian Government lias recently ordered securely locked letter-boxes to be pipped in all the insane asylums of the country, public or private, in positions where they were easily accessible to all thp inmateg. They are designed to allow complaints and suggesfcipps to bo m#de tp the autho- ' rities in a way independent of any of'tfap officers or. attendants. No one connected with the institution 'can have access to them. They are in charge of the Brocnreur ', dv Roi of tbe district, and the letters which they contain ( arc taken to him weekly for examination. The complaints made are investigated, and if any one assert that he is sane, he is ordered to be examined by medical exports. Abuses ' are corrected. The system exerts a wiiolesomo influence, and tends to seourc proper management in all its details. Among the many useful inventions of modern days, none deserve to rank higher than an ingenious little machine just invented by an American in Portsinquth, Newhampshirc. It is called " phe business man's bore abater," and its action is simple and effectual. It consists of a button torpedo, with patent nitro-glyeei'ine back-action attachment, and can be worn on tho coat like an ordinary button, which, indeed, it resembles in appearance. When the bore syses the " abater " it instantly explodes, shivering his hand intyua million pieces, and blowing him round the corner into tl)o|pgs str«et. The inventor, it ia stated, has already received <paws f^r-*fiJie can manufacture for two years to come. A ipaohine on the same principle, 9.0 ponstructed as to present the appearance of a door-handle, would be very useful to Ministers of Stato when about to receive deputations, and for domestic purposes, such as receiving applicants for charitable donations, rate collectors, and other visitors of fhjs description. A " householder's bore abater " fixed on tbe front door would be an immense supcess. %n a recent leading arcticle,, tbe Times pays the following tribute fqr, the educational advancement of the colonies : — " It is only of iate years that it has become generally known, even m "rural circles, that in other parts of the world, and " in our own colonies, there is a standard of education rather above pur own. A village lad emerging to man's estate after this sort of preparation is rather staggered when ho receives a letter from his ..brother in Canada telling him by the waj, ' I have Jparnfr more at pur night school in a day than you learn Jit home in five years. Our colonies are teaching us' the use of a real education, as they aro teaching us a few other things." It is reported of his Majesty (he Shah of Persia that, during his visit to the International Exhibition, at which ho" made several purchases of pictures, he was struck by one representing three donkeys. Turning to one of his attendants, his' Majesty inquired the price of a live donkey in England ? " About a sovereign," was phe reply. " Then, replied the Shah, f if three live donkeys only cost £3, it is rather dear to pay £\QO for three painted ones." We sup-" pose we phall have a pretty large crop now of anecdotes about the Shah. A cqrrespondent of the Zaf Helton Times "writes : — Sir, — The anecdote reprinted on Friday from tho Birmingham Morning Pdpt, appears with entirely new point in the Church Times of Juna, of 1873, enclosed. You will observe that the palm for lying (and the kettle) is awarded to the Birmingham Post itself. The editor of the Church Times remarks :—": — " We have been familiar with the stoty for the last 20 or 30 years ; only it used to bo told, if our memory serves us, of a methodist preacher." The story is evidently a " stock story," served up from time to time when Parliament is out of session, and news is scarce ; and is neither true of Bishop Lit oilfield, 'nor of any minister of religion. The Bishop:©f Lincoln, among others, has been invited to attoud the Congress -of •' the Old Catholics," to bo held this year at Constanoe.on September 12, 13, and 14 The Emprpw Eugenie has entrusted the task of writing an English biography of Napoleon 111. to Mr Blanchard Jerrold. His work will be assisted by portraits and family papers supplied by tfie Empress. A Danbury youth, who could not sing or play, wanting to serenade his l«dy-love, whistled for half-an hour under her window the other evening, and when he got over tho fence he found about scventy-^ag dogs waiting to see what he wanted. . *' On tho Ist of January there were IjO\'4B4i lunatics in England and Walps. As the whole population ( of England and Wttlcs at the last census was under Urnlj-two uulliongand threp-qunrter4 the '«Hilt plainly i» that out of every 875* linghbJi and Welsh men, 'women niul childion, one, at iho lowest, completion, is in->une mid nnilm- i»iini«"» «■= -