WAIFS AND STRAYS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 75, 3 October 1874, Page 12

WAIFS AND STRAYS.

A Coexishman's JouRNEY.-Th* deepest mine in Cornwall i» Dol*conth, now about 360 fathom*, or 720 yards from the surface. One man has been working in the mine for forty years. During all tluit time he Ims lived five miles from the mine. So that he has walked ten miles a day, in addition to his Inbor ; and a calculation which has just iSIV 7 ! ?t lhil , naß '»' durin « Ms forty years walked 120,000 milea, vhich is equal to fire times round the world, and half the distance to the moon. ' A Fcuve Feat < * the Hottse of Cosimons.— Whilst Mr Oathorne Hardy was speaking against the Public Worship Regulation ■2 trl^Tnl ""£ 6nt ° CCUrred - A P*y cat e " ter «S tl^House, •ciUier by the Opposition gangway, or the Clerk's table. When it was .«een it was leisurely proceeding across the floor ; but at a e l,out J" m f" becnrnefnghtened out of its wits, «nd instead of rushing bock the way it came, it dashed across the shoulders of hon. raemberi !& T* I?"-! KbS ««** *>™*™> »"d jumped orer ZVceZ M^iST^ 1 . T; Sh< ? by a Bide dOOr ' No one listened to Mr Hardy any more, and facetious merabe-s, of course, endeavored to improve the occasion. The cat, it was said, knew that in the person ?'i J\? ar T Jrta " d Mr H)ird - V )limself there were 'rats" about, and had thus been attracted th the House. Others said that there were so many trimmers in the House, that they naturally wanted to •cc which way "the cat jumped," and Grimalkin had come in to gratify so reasonable a wish. Old Tafestky.— Some of the finest tupesfry hangings in the world are now to be B e*n at the Kensington Museum. They formerly belonged to the Duke of Lerma, Prime Minister of Philip 111. of Spain, imd, though anterior in date to Gobelin tapestry, are in admirable preservation. The designs were drawn by Luca Giordano, and M v ,r gl E gß ,i n ■*?" le »V 0 " ie direct** of South Kensington Museum by the Count de Ga lre, brotlu-r to the Duke of Berwick and Alba, „, whose fiunily they hare .been for the last 200 years. Few l^^rf "ihS b6tter WOlth Tlßiting thaD i™ s m™ MARK -"7? n nncient «"»<«. the mark of the cross was not invariably a proof of ignorance ; for among the Saxons the mark of the -crosses an attestation of the good faith of the person signing, was required to be attached to the signature of those who could write In those times if a man could write, or even read, his knowledge was considered proof presumptive that he was in holy orders. The clericus or clerk, was synonymous with penman ; and ihe liity, or people who Tffere not clerks, did not feel any urgent necessity for the use of letters The anoient use of the cross was therefore universal, alike by those could and could not write ; it was, indeed the symbol of an oath from its sacred associations, as well as the mark generally adopted Hence the origin of the expression, «• God save the mark," as a form of ejaculation approaching the character of an oath. SPEAKtNaOiTT.-During the debate on the Licensing Bill, Lord Salisbury gave their Lordship's a little bit of his mmd :— " He wanted to know, for instance, why the masters, who drank champagne, inside were not restricted as well as the footmau who drank beeV outside • ?*}■?%£ £ Wet " Chlßses got P° wer> fhev shoulfl nofc di ctate Peers'" habits of hfe, as Peers now dictate theirs ? For his part he did not see why tho Lords did nofc dictate how much the poor people should eat. 1 hey had just us much right." These are dreadfully democratic sentiments in a Marquis of Salisbury. ""^auo The Omgin of Eak-mjjgs.— AccordingtoMahomrnedans, Abraham tegan the practice of wearing ear-rings. In one of Sarah's jealous fits respecting Dagar, she declared that she would not rest until she had ■dipped her hands m Hagar's blood. In order to quiet Surali, and enabe her to redeem her promise without further upsetting her household, Abraham pierced JJagar's care, and drew rings through them .Iroin that time ear- rings became the fashion. A» Americas Pictubb-boteb.— An American artist tells this story oi a iellow-couotryman who interviewed him in one of the Italian galleries :— American. "Oh, I am so glad. Let me ask you some questions I have been btijing some pictures. Can you tell me wheIher or not I have been cheated ? They are about so We," holding Ins hands in various positions to indicate the various sizes, "and co^fc €0 much, 'naming the price of each. "Do you think I paid too wufA ! Ihe artist, being unwilling to disturb his equanimity, replied that it depended a good deal on circumstances, but he thought it most Jikelyhehad not paid more than wns riglit. "One more question, .Blister, lip. exclaimed anxiously, as the artist was about to resume work. «■ Certainly, sir." '« Do you think (leaning over him, und <peakine in a lower tone), « do you really think, Mister, that these Jii/e tallians put good materials in their pictures ?" -A MoysTEtt Gttn.— This monster piece of ordnance (says the Empm. of July 28) will, wlicn finished, be greater than twice the size ot tiie largest gun in existence, »md its destructive powers at fii»hti"- L '«r. inBC e< l uallv proportionate. With n lGi.i projectile, weighin" looOlb and a maximum charge of 3001 bof powder, id will ,>ierce the best iron plates, 20iu thick, at 500 yards, 3 6in plates at 5300 yards and will pitch a lo'iu shell into a ship or fortress nt a distance of 10.30U yuras. The Mccl block forming tho inner tube was the largest •ever curt, weighing 12 tons ; whilst tho trunnion piece, about 18 ton* I ■whs the largest piece over produced at, the arsenal. The actual cost of - this fearful engine of war will, we learn, nut fall far short of £8500. A Livisa Automaton.—' Galignoni says :— A curious pitienfc is just now an inmate of Dr. Mesnet's ward at the Hdpitul St. Antoine ills profession was that of a finger at tho Cafts Cliantants. J)urin» ihe war of IS7O-71, he -was hit over the left ear by a musket bulb? ■winch carried oil 1 bare the biain of the left side. This led to a temporary paralysis of tho inembcrs on the opposite side, us is always the case; but he was eventually cured of tin's, while the tremendous Avouud on the skull begun to henl. so thut after a time ho could resume Ins professional duties at the cales to tho satisfaction of the public Suddenly, however, he was seized with nervous symptoms, lasting from ~-i to 28 hours, aud of such, an extraordinary nature that it was coa-

he will touch it, aad try to make out by fading what it i. and E at ail about it. Give him some cigarette paper, he will instantly V«tl out Ins tobacco bag, roll a ci S arette%ery clever^, and light U fit*^ a it I'nd let iJ h. „I T y .?- UTIU T lf ' ani P ive ifc t0 him ' he ™» not useiN and let it burn between his fingers. Fi?l his tobaceo-baff with any! thing, no matter what-shavings, cotton, lint hay &c 1» £m 2n i? dgarette just the same, light anVsmoke "it w" hS'ptc'e Wng LefoJx e tont PU t ) ttpßi '' of «^f>^ hi. haSd and nY wi put* which he assumes the attitude of a Singer belore the pubHc TX l^'lZTZTof hia repert ° ry - ¥ y °" Pa ce yo««ol?Sefore Idm •n * r ■» i JOW P orson » and meeting with your watch I•• wi transfer ,t ivOm your pocket to his own ; but, on the oth?r hand ttliS^ Wlthoutan^e 3 iatance or impatience vlilt^tl %& Some Sau Fbancisco STATisncs—The following figures will illustrate jy,,j the pecliaritie, of the American people, SSrTUTrf So&S? ? " f °\ i'£ 8 i lif -' Son 65 hotels 520 lodging houses, and 380 board and lodging houses. There arefi" nnles of *»»* ear lin.s (double track). 'Ihese linos are owned by 8 companies, running 175 cars. During 1873 they carried '242B4 3s7 passengers, earning 1,100,000 dob., and employing 700 men and 1500 horses. The plant of these lines is estimated at 20,000^00 dols SmoSSS 1 ?!^!?" r^ 9 ' bl "! k9 ' Wilh 51 .807 d, P osito; ownS 47,500,000 dol 8 . For city loans these institutions charge from Bto I ave'^e of t°" {! ° UntrJ t l °T 1 10 f ? 1! P er cent - »ep«.tors rTeive an aye age often per cent., although some of the savings' banks pay a* high as 1 per cent, per month. There are 19 commercial banks with a«^aggregate total of 20 000,000 do's. The total bank ng of the State is about 110,000,000 dols., or £22,000,000. The milwaS connected witli San Francisco employ about 16XW men, VhotTwaS. aggregate one million and a quarter dollars per annum S