A SINGULAR FLY.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 473, 1 June 1875, Page 3

A SINGULAR FLY.

One of the mosfr extraordinary facts revealed to us by Dr Livingstone's explorations in Africa is, that the high tableland of the interior, with its rich agricultural resources, its noble flora, its fine temperature, broad inland seas, and inexhaustible stores of mineral wealth, is rendered all but impenetrable to civilized man — certainly beyond all reach of colonisation — by one of the most apparently insignificant causes —a fly. This terrible insect is a little brown, yellow-striped fly called the tzetze, scarcely larger than our common household pest, but whose sting is absolutely fatal. So deadly is its sting that it is said three or four flies will kill the largest ox. Soon after the bite, which gives little or no pain, staggering or blindness comes on the ox ; the body swells to an enormous size ; the coat turns rough, jaoad in a few hours follow convulsions and deatfa^nd yet this deadly poison under which the horse and 01, the sheep and the dog, fall aa if plague-stricken, is harmless to man, to wild animals, to the pig, mule, ass and goat. Here is an achieve, ment of science that would bring glory to the discoverer — the discovery of some antidote to the sting of this venomous fly, which would open the treasures of central Africa to the use of the world.

Ono of my curliest uoquumtnnoes in New York was llobort Hot), the inventor of the simple and effective newspaper presses whioh bear hi« name, and which he has supplied to many of the largest printing establishments in England. Steam stevedores may be seen at the docks loading and unloading vessels, and steam hod-carriers in the large buildings. A steam excavator digs canals and railway cuttings, and a steam-engine tunnels mountains. Morse, an American artist, but a better chemist and mechanician than a painter, thought out the magnetic telegraph, on a Havre packet ship, hut met the common fate of inveutors. He struggled for years with poverty and a thousand difficulties. He could not interest capitalists. At last, when he was yielding to despair and meditated suicide, on the last night of a Session «t Congress, at midnight, when the Appropriation Bill was being rushed through, he got an appropriation of six thousand pounds for an experimental line between Washington and Baltimore. Then success, rewards, honours, titles of nobility, gold medals, and an immense fortune. The Amei ioan inventor of the sewing machine had similar misfortunes and then as great a success. Would any one but an American have ever invented a milking machine? or a machine to beat egt?s 1 or machiues to black boots, scour knives, pare apples, and do a hundred things that all other peoples have done with their ten lingers from time immemorial ?—"? — " Forty years of American Life." An incident showing the sagacity of a dog, occurred on the recent trip of Mr G. Stevenson and a party of gentlemen in the steamer Avon to the wreck of the Blencathra, at King's Island. The party left Melbourne last Wednesday, to visit the wreck, with the view of seeing if the Blencathra could be raised, but owin^ to adverse weather they were obliged on the following morning to anchor under.New Year's Island. They bad not come to an anchor for more than-- three quarters of an hour, when a cry was raised that a seal was swimming towards the fihip. The party on board sought for a weapon with which to kill the seal, and fouud a longpolsto despatch' it with. It was, however, HpnVastertaine^T^by means of a glass that the aniraaf was no seal at all, but a dog of the Irish retriever breed. The dog came right on to the vessel, and was welcomed on board ; when it was discovered that it had been dreadfully torn and bitten on the hindquarters. The wounds were sewu up and attended to as well as could be under the circumstances, and it was conjectured at the time that they had been caused by sharks. Shortly afterwards a few of the party visited the island, and there they arrived at what seemed the real solution of the means by which the animal hadbeen injured. They were greeted by the howl ifcgy add forious barking of five apparently wild dogtf or-lhtf kangaroo breed, which would no doubt have been dangerous had there not been so many persons present, who then felt persuaded that the dog had been worried by its wild brethren, and had, at the risk of its life, swum off to the vessel as soon as it anchored near. All on board wei*iBu strongly impressed with the great instinct of the dog, which in their opinion bad come to the conclusion £hat it would find safety and kindness from the hands of man, and deliverance from the enemies of its own kind, if it could reach the ship. It was considered that the dog must have swum at least a mile or more against a very stroDg current after it was first seen. The animal became a great favorite on board, and was raffled for before the voyage home was completed. An old gentleman who had risen from the ranks — relates a contemporary — and, after making his fortune as a charter.master or " butty-collier," had retired, fell ill and summoned a doctor. The doctor was a great imitator of Abernethy, and cultivated an aspect of uncouth honesty. «' I shall give no medicine," he said v "You're blowing your self out with beer. Giv* it up. Drink port. I'll call again in a month." And away went the doctor. At the appointed time be returned. The patient was better, and was grateful, but growled at the expense to which his cure had put him. " I can't stand it, look thee ; it's downright rewination — nothin' less. You'll find me i' the workus if things go- on i' this way The doctor cried, "Nonsense! A wealthy man like you! How much do you drink ?" The oloSaian answered in perfect simplicity of heart, ''About the same as I used to drink b' beer — tew or three gallons a day." The reader may stare, but science smiles superior and asserts very emphatically that a toothsome delicacy can be made from a dilapidated foot covering. Some time ago, says the " Scientific American," DrVander Weyde regaled some friends not merely with boot jelly, but with shirt coffee, and the repast was pronounced by all partakers excellent. The doctor tells us that he made the jelly by first cleaning the boot, and subsequently boiling it with soda, under the pressure of about two atmospheres. The tannic acid in the leather, combined with salt, made tannate of soda, and the gelatin rose to the top, whence it was removed and dried. From this last, with suitable flavouring material, the jelly was readily concocted. The shiri coffee, incidentally mentioned above, was sweetened with cuff and collar sugar; coffee and sugar being produced in the same -way. The linen (after, of course, washing) was treated with nitric acid, which, acting on the lignite contained in the fibre, produced glucose, or grape sugar. This roasted, made an excellent imitation coffee, which an addition of unroasted glucose readily sweetened. The " Sydney Morning Herald " relates that a rather amusing though dangerous incident happened in George-street, between Bridge and Hunterstreets, a few days ago. A Yankee, of the true type, was strolling up the street, when he dropped into a cigar shop, and having made a purchase and lit the weed, went outside to smoke it. Now, next ,door to this vendor of tobacco lives a pawnbroker in whose window is a multifarious display of articles. The Yankee quietly surveyed the shop, and then said to a person standing by, " Stranger, what's that store?" On being told, he interrogated the storekeeper, who was standing at the door, and was by that worthy further informed that it was an establishment where goods were bought, sold or "chopped." "Wall," said our Amerioan cousin, producing a revolver from his pocket, "will yer buy that f handing the weapon to the pawnbroker, who took it, and commenced to examine it, when the Yankee exclaimed, " Hold on, stranger, that revolver's just loaded all round," and immediately after one chamber exploded, and the bullet went through the bottom part of a large pane of glass probably worth £5 or £6. The pawnbroker was astonished, but the Yankee was imperturbable, and received back the dangerous weapon with the utmost " non chalance. He was advised by some persons Who had been attracted by the noise of the explosion to | " move on," lest the police might make inquiries as to the cause of the noise, which would lead to some inconvenience to the owner of the revolver. He, however, concluded to remain a short time, and on being told that he himself had a narrow escape of

the window and the holder of the revolver, simply remarked, " Wall, look here, if you'd shot me dead, I d said nothing about it."