The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-19 00:00:00

glistell4ntous 4ntelligena,

GONE, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

THE END or WILD WILL.—A letter from
Salina County, Kansas, dated February 25, tells of a
noted character in characteristic Western fashion
"Wild Bill"—you remember him?—has been killed.
A gentleman from Texas whose brother the wild one
had sent to the spirit land, came up to Kansas to have
a shot at William. He shot the Wild William so dead
that he never quivered. Think of a man's buying a
grand horse and riding him 900 miles, just to kill •
fellow. When the Texan shot Wild Ithl, beaked the
crowd in the bar-room if any gentleman had a desire to
"mix in ;" if so he would wait until he "heeled," and
take great pleasure in killing him. No gentleman ex-
pressed a desire to be killed, the Texan got on his horse,
and remarking that he had business in Texas, slowly
started for the bone Star State,

THE INcoma TAX.—The present year will be
the first in which the Income Tax ha a ever been at 8o
low a rate as 3d. in the pound st,, A partial ex-
ception, however, may be made Li respect of the
Income Tax of the early part of the century; 70 years
ago the rate was Is. in the pound on incomes of not
lege than £l5O, and various rates from 31 to 11d. on
incomes between RGO and £l5O. The Income Tax in
its first year namely, 1792—was at the rate of 10 per
cent, on incomes of not less than £2OO, and various
rates between £2OO and £6O; and the first year's pro-
duce was £6,046,624. The Act to make provision for
the armament of Income Tax and as to assessors in the
metropolis has been issued. The surveyors of taxes
are now appointed assessors for dudes on property
under Schedules A and B of the Income Tax, and also
assessors of the Inhabited House Duty in the metro-
polis-

A REAL NIEDLIWOMAN. The Italian gen-
tleman who recently swallowed a fork has found •
dangerous rival in • French lady who has been long
accustomed to Reek nourishment in needles (says the
Pall Mall Gazate). Notwithstanding the most care-
ful and anxious precautions of her friends, the old
lady in question was successful in her daily endeavours
to pontos herself of her favourite fare. The most re-
markable feature in the case was, not that the needles
did her no harm, but that she seemed to thrive upon
them. What became of them all was, not unnaturally,
a constant theme of wonder in the circle of her ac-
quaintance. The mystery his just been solved by a
post-mortem examination made in the amphitheatre of
L'Ecole de Mhdecine at Paris, and witnessed de sett
props-es yeux by a well-known journalist. The needles
were all found embedded in the flesh near the old
lady's backbone, ranged in neat order, as if in a pin
cushion. So bountiful had the deceased fared that
there was scarcely an inch of room left for the proper
disposal of another pennyworth; and her friends have
at least the melancholy satisfaction of knowing that
she died before the total absorption of the available
space had served to make the approach of the luncheon
hour a terror to her.

STOCK EXCHANGE "NICKNAMES."—The Fi-
nancitr says :

"Ling names are inconvenient in Stock Exchange deal.
logs, and similaritiee between na nes are confusing. Securi-
ties with long names are consequently generally spoken of
by some abbreviations or 'nickname, and where two or
more or stocks have names with only one small difference
between them some feature or association in one of them
often supplies a name by which they become known. The
' nicknames ' given In some instances are not a little
ingenious. For example, Turkish Six per Cents. of 1805
are known IA 'Mutton,,' the loan being secured in
part on the sheep tax; Turkish Bonds of 1869 are known
as 'Cohens,' having been brought out by the firm of
that name and, for a similar reason, French Six ger
Cents, are known as ' Morgans.' In several cases railway
stocks are known by the name of some place on their respec-
tive lines, as 'Dover,' for South-Hareem, 'York,' for Great
Northern, ' Leeds ' for Lancashire and Yorkshire, ' Berwicks'
for North-Eastern, and 'Bruin,' or 'Birmingham' for
London and North-Western. 'United States 5-20 Bond. were
commonly called 'Greens,' from the fact of the first issue of
these bonds, now paid off, being coloured green. English
and Australian Copper Shares go by the name of 'Smelt.,'
and Britiati Indian Extension Telegraph Shares are called
Sinsaporea' The latest addition to these 'nicknames' is
that of Dogs,' which has been given to Newfoundland Tele-
graph Shares."

(EUFS DE PAQUE.—The origin of what are
called Easter-Eggs sprang from the fact that during
several centuries no permission could be obtained from
the clergy to eat eggs during Holy Week. That rigid
observance of Lent produced the custom of preserving
cooked, tb-ise articles which could be neither eaten or
sold. They were not coloured before the reign of Louis
XIV. The-first person who sold them red was a man
named Solirl,ene, established at "the descent from the
Pont-Neuf, near the Samaritaine." That innovation
bad a great success, and Saint-Simon informs us in bis
" 116 moires," that the custom was en Easter-eve to
raise in the cabinet of the Grand Monarque, pyramids
of coloured eggs, which his Majesty afterwards pre-
sented to his courtiers. Since that period, the com-
munity has undergone so many improvements, that it
is no longer eggs, properly so called, but boxes; with
unexpected contents, jewel cases, sometimes selling as
high as two or three thousand francs.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDEN CE. —ln reference to
the assassin ation at Viterbo of an agent of the People's
Bank at Florence, the Ronan Tones reports that
the murderer has been discovered in the following
manner :

In making a post-mortem examination of the corpse of
RugiO., the doctor observed that One hand was firmly closed.
He opened it, not without difficulty, and found it contained
some hairs of • red beard. this was • revelation. It became
evident that the unfortunate Rogifi, in struggling with his
assassins, had seized one of them by the beard. The neat
stet was to discover what individual having access to Rug
house wore a red board. It was then remembered that the
servant of Rugifi had • lover, • dyer, named ttergamaschl,
whose her and beard were red. He was arrested, and his
house ...arched. tinder • stove nearly • thousand francs
were discovered, and several portions of his clothing were
found to be stained with blood."

ESCAPE OF ANIMALS FROM • MENAGERIE.--
The Libfra/ de Louvain relates a singular accident
which recently took place at Berthem, ia Belgiuin
M. Poisson, the proprietor of a menagerie, consisting
of two lions, a tiger, several bears, and thirty-seven
monkeys, being on his way from Brussels to Liege, bad
made a halt in the commune above mentioned, and
placed his vans in a farm belonging to M. Vrebos. In
the morning the keeper in opening the door of the
building to feed the animals perceived with terror that
the tiger had torn out one of the planks of its cage and
escaped through the aperture to the timber-work of
the roof. He immediately gave the alarm, and having
obtained the aid of the duector, succeeded in enticing
the animal down from his perch by the offer of food,
and made It reenter its compartment. The discovery
was then made that the vehicle in which the monkeys
had been lodged the night before was completely
empty, and that the creatures had gained their
liberty. Most of the fugitives appeared to have sought
refuge in the woods of Iterthem, and as it was thought
that they might become dangerous, it was decided to
organise a general battue to capture or destroy them.
No BULL—If a person has, by the negligence
or default of a Railway Company, sustained incurable
Injuries, can he recover? No doubt of it; and, sure,
the law in this point, if it does not, might, by all
means, to extend to Ireland.—Punclt.

•
THR FATHER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—
Since the decease of the Right Hon. Henry Corry, the
title of the "Father" of the House of Commons
passes of right to General Forester, the member lir
Wenlock, who has sat Ihr that borough continuously
ever since 1828, nearly five and forty years, and who,
we believe, is the only member of the Lower House of
Parliament who has held the same seat without inter-
ruption from the date of the first Reform Bill. In
fact, the only members of the existing House who
held seats in the Unreformed House of Commons are
Sir Philip Egerton Sir George Grey, Mr. Rekewich,
Mr. Frederich Talemache, Colonel Wilson Patten,
and General Forester. Mr. Gladstone did not enter
Parliament until December, 1832, nor Mr. Disraeli till
July, 1837.
MIIRDIR BY A MADMAN.—A terrible murder
has been committed at Brunvilliers, in France. The
local schoolmaster wail attacked some time since with
mental alienation, and had to be sent to an asylum at
Clermont, from which play, after a residence of six
months, he was discharged as cured. Shortly after his
return home he had a violent scene with his daughter,
and became so greatly excited that the Abb6 Lefevre,
who had been for more than 50 years cure of the parish,
took him to the presbytery to pass the night, in the
hope that his excitement would calm down. Unfortu•
nately the maniac became more violent in the night,
and made his way out to the cure, whom he strangled,
and then threw the body to the foot of the staireme.
When the neighbours, alarmed by the noise, arrived,
they found their venerable pastor a corpse, and his
murderer a raging madman.

" TAKE AWAY THE APPARITION."—A New
Orleans man reported dead appeared in court the other
day, and said :—" If your honour please. I want my
effects returned to me, as you see I am not dead."
Court: "I know—that is, as a man—that you are
alive and in court, but as a court I know you are dead,
for the records of the court say so, and against their
verity there can be no averment—so says Lord Coke
and a good many other books I have never read."
Dead man: "But I want my property, and it's no
matter to me whether your records lie or not. lam
alive, and have not transferred my property, and to
deprive me of it without my consent is against the
law." Court : "If you intimate that the records of
this court lie this court will send you to gaol !" Court :
" Mr. Sheriff, take this apparition out," and out he
went with a rush.

A WITCHIS' CAULDRON. Some fortune.
tellers have just been brought to grief at Nantes, and
the witnesseei against the leader (Madame Dumuran)
testified that she had duped them out of 200 f. to 300 f.
I by her "bouillon" of rats and elixir of toads. Several
of the dupes still believed in her fortune-telling powers.
The Procurator. General proceeded against the husband
and wife Danuran for illegal practice as well as cheat.
ing. The tollowitlF are specimens of some of the
agreeable "risana of Madame :—" No. 1. Rat broth
as much as desired; camphor, 25 centigrammes;
essence of cloves, 23 centigrammes. No. 2. Elixir of
toads and powdered rhubarb, equal parts." Hygiene
was not forgotten, as prescription No. 3 indicates
Scone the face with salt water, take a great quantity
of soap, and eat raw meat for nine days. No. 4. Wash
the head with rum, the face and loins with salt water,
the ears with sow wine, wear a flannel belt, and carry
salt in the left pocket." The pair Dtunoran were
allowed six months in prison to speculate on further
additions to the fortune-telling pharmacopoeia (mays the
Medi* Press and Circular).

GREAT PUMP. —The New York Bulletin states
that in an Albany shipyard there is now in process of
construction a tugboat assigned for towing and wreck•
ing purposes, both inland and at sea, and that it will
be provided with a centrifugal steam wrecking pump,
of lnin. suction, and Mime discharge, worked by a
powerful separate engine. This pump will have a
capacity of raising and discharging water at the rate of
15 000 gallons per minute 900,000 gallons per hour, or
9,000,000 gallons per working day of ten hours. This
Is said to be one of the largest capacity in these parts,
If not in the country.
ORDEAL BY Ffits.—The Bombay Ga:ette
states that the barbarous custom of determining the
guilt or inaocence of a person by means of a fiery
ordeal, is still pract;sed in Oodeypoore. The Rao of
Kurapore the other day caused a person of the culti-
vator caste, who was suspected to be in league with a
dacolt, to ;rove his innocence by holding a red.hot
ploughßhare in both hands, after four or five pepul
leaves tied over with thread had been placed in them.
According to the ceremony he had to repeat the follow-
ing words with his face towards the sun :—'Thou Bun-
ged, if I am actually guilty of the crime, punish me;
if not, let me eßcape unscwhed from the ordeaL" The
native paper which is responsible for the above states
that the person subjected to the ordeal suffered no
injury I

- . .
DEATH OF ROBERT EMMET'S NEPHEW.—WO
(The Times) learn from America the Mae of the death of
Mr. Robert Emmet, the son of homes Addis Emmet,
the leader of the association of United Irishmen who
figured co prominently in the Rebellion of '9B, and
nephew of the celebrated Robert Emmet who, lice
years later, organized an insurrectionary movement in
Ireland and endeavoured to seize on the Castle of Dub
lin, for which he was executed. The individual who
has so recently died in America, according to an Irish
paper, "cordially co-operated in New York with his
fedow countrymen in demonstrations of sympathy
during the contemplated insurrection in Ireland in
1848, and was one ot the Directory formed there for the
purpose of sending material aid to the Irish patriots
" True to his name to the last, adds the writer, "he
continued as long as there was any hope to do all in his
power for his native land, and was esteemed and
trusted II the representatives of the Irish race resident
in New 1 ork." .

-
THX MARRIAGE OF DOLLS.—During St whole
week, says the Bengal Times, the streeta of Dacca have
been enlivened by marriage processions, the most re-
markable of which were those in honour of the mar-
riage of two dolls belonging to the daughters of the
weelthiest Hindoo citizens. The celebration of these
extraordinary nuptials hos afforded much amusement
to the people, whilst the parents of the juvenile
mothers-in-law availed themselves of this opportunity
to spend a few thousand rupees to satisfy the one in-
clination foremost in the mind of every Hindoo—feed-
ing the Brahmins, relations, kinsmen, friends, neigh-
bours, and the poor—at least, Baboo Roop Dan Lisa,we are informed-, was actuated by no other feeling to
join in this affair.
THE EDUCATION GilAnT.—The rate of grant
paid per day scholar from the parliamentary vote in
aid of elementary education in England and Wales rose
from Bs. lit, in the year ending August 31, 1863 to
lie. 9td. in the year ending August 31, 1872. It is esti-
mated that In the year ending March 31, 1874, the rate
will rise to 12s. • and the average number of day
scholars in attendance at schools to be inspected in that
year being estimated at L 557,910, the grants for them
will absorb £934,746. The rate of grant per evening
scholar has risen from Is. 90. in 186.5 to 6s, toid. in
1872. The estimate for the year ending March 31,
1874, is 78. Col. and as 66,338 is the estimated average
number of scholars in attendance at evening schools to
be inspected in that year, the grants for them will
absorb £24,895.
A SPECIMEN OF AMERICAN ADVERTISING !
" My girl, who used to be so loving, so kind, and so
true, who would never flirt with any one when I took
her out to parties, about week ago suddenly grew
changed and strangely distant in her manner. In no
way could I account for this coldness. I had made her
presents, her mother had consented to our marriage,
what could be the matter? A thought suddenly stria
me. I had never taken her to have her likeness taken.
I acted immediately upon the idea, took her to Bradley
and Rulofson'e in Montgomery-street, and the result
was, a splendid picture, lots of kisses, and no more
coldness or want of cordiality. We are as happy now
as clams at high tide." Here is another specimen—" The
recollections of our childhood often bring back some of
the pleasantest events of a lifetime. The little inno-
cent fun we had then was far more enjoyable than
many of the graver pleasures of after life. Who cannot
recall to mind some little incident that causes even now
a pleasurable sensation, one of those little things that
suggest so much? The other day, while passing Gil-
bert and Morse's store, we recognised some school
furniture exactly such as we used when at schooL"
EXECUTION or A PAnnictnx.—The execution
of Napoleon Sevin, condemned to death on February
20, by the Court of Assizes of the Seine. et-Marne, for
parricide, has just taken place at Melun. At half-
past live in the morning, M. Saillord, director of the
prison, accompanied by the chaplain, entered the
prisoner's cell to inform him that his appeal had been
rejected, and that his last hour was come. The
criminal was seized at first with convulsive trembling,
but Boon recovered himself, and declared that he ex-
pected as much, as he had seen his father a few days
back, who told him that there was no hope. He de-
e hied to have any food or drink. Shortly after the
executioner entered with his assistants, and procee led
to dress him in the costume maligned to parricidee, con-
sisting of a long white shirt passed over the ordinary
dress, and a long crape veil fastened to the head and
fading to the feet, The condemned man was then
placed in a carriage, and taken to the place of execu-
tion opposite the gate of the cemetery, where the
scaffold had been erected. Immediately after, he had
ceased to exist. About three thousand persons were
present, . .

THE SPITAL SERMoN.—On Easter Monday,
according to an ancient custom, the Lord Mayor at-
tended Divine service at Christ Church. Newgate-
street, adjoining Christ's Hospital, when the first of
the two Hospitals, or as they are more commonly
called Spital, Sermons which are delivered annually
on the Monday and Tuesday in Easter week wall
preached by the Bishop of Salisbury. The Lord
Mayor went in state from the Mansion-house, attended
by bin chaplain, the City Marshal, and the Sword
and Mace Bearers, and accompanied by Mr. Sheriff
Perkins, Alderman Sir Francis Truscott, Mr. Under
Sheriff Hewitt, Mr. Under Sheriff Crossley, the
Chamberlain of London, the City Remembrancer, Mr.
Secondary de Jersey, and Mr. Catty, the acting town
clerk, all wearing their robes of office. The whole of
the Illuecoat boys, about 600 in number, were present
in the galleries, and their choir sang during the
service in admirable style, Dr. Wesley's Easter
anthem," Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ." The first part of the Communion Service
was read by the Rev. Michael Gibbs, the vicar of
Christ Church and treasurer of St. Paul's Cathedral,
and the Bishop then delivered a brief discourse upon
the doctrine of the Resurrection, taking for Lie text,
the passage from the Epistle to the Philippians :
" That I may win Christ and be found in Him, not
haring mine oun righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ—the righteous
nem of God by faith; that I may know Him, and the
power of Bus resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being made con formable unto His death, if by
any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the
dead,"

- -
AN ALARMING Pnoamter.—According to the
judgment of an American prophet, there appears to be
a very bad time coming for three who survive to the
next decade of this century. Dr. Trail, as the herald
of evil tidings is called, has annotmeed, through the
medium of a Philadelphia newspaper, that a climkx of
a pestilential period is at hand. From 1880 till 1885
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Ncptune will be
nearer the earth than they have been for eighteen
hundred years. The result of their propinquity will
be moat unfortunate to the earth's denizens. All
manner of unpleasantness must be looked for, and
foremost among the calamities will be plagne, famine,
and awfully hot and cold weather. The near neigh-
bourhood of one planet would have been bad enough,
but the combined approximation of four large planets
will be sure to entail cfreadful consequences. On the
principle that forewarned is forearmed, this sapient
Dr. Trail advises his readers to prepare for the
coming visitations. Their only chance of safety will
be in the adoption of strict sanitary measures, and
the indulgence in any excess will certainly prove
fatal. The prospect seems a bad one under the most
favourable auspices, and the best consolation for the
threatened calamity is to rely on the probability
that Dr. Trail's prophecy will be more famous for its
marvels than for its veracity.
SHOCKING DISCOVERY IN PARIS.—Tbc in.
habitants uf a house, sitnatecl No. 31i, line de l'An-
nonciation, on Saturday morning informed the police
that the concierges of the building, a married couple
named Brindel, usually early risers, had not made
their appearance. The agents in consequence thought
it right to penetrate into the lodge, and were half
stifled by an insupportable odour, and found Brindel,
Ma wife, and their children, Adrien and Eugene,
aged fourteen and eight, lying in their beds without
sign of life. Medical men were imme tiately sum-
moned, and the remit of their examination was that
the woman and the eldest child were both dead. The
husband expired a few minutes after, and Eugene
only was saved. The disaster was attributed to want
of air, and the room being very small, and the stove
having been lit in the evening before, without any
vent-hole. A singular circumstance was that four
birds in cages did not seera to have suffered in the
least from the vitiated atmosphere.

L;ThANOE OF RESIDENCE. The I,kiitleman
who resided Over a Week in Bond Street, is now
lodging Over a war-chandler's in the same quarter.—
Punch.
INCREMATION.—The Medical Press says "The attention of our readers may be advantageously
directed to the suNect of inoremation of the dead
broached by Prof. Polli. He repeats some of the argu.
ments that have been used against the process, but
nowadays, when sanitary science ham made such
advance when every inch of ground almost has be-
come of value— in a country such as Great Britain,
where the population is out of proportion to the area
of soil, and where the infection f water by the perco-
lation of decaying animals, situated, it may be, even
at a eonsiderable distance, has been proved to occur
frequently and to give rise to sickness in an intense
degree, it really becomes a question of consideration as
to how far burial in the earth is hygienically correct or
convenient. Habit and the association of ideas have
inured us to the practice of earth burial, so that it
meow alarming even to discuss the possibility of such
a method being displaced, yet the incremation process,
could it be carried out so as not to hurt the sensibility
of our nature whel bidding adieu to the last vestiges
of our fellow-creatures, offers certain advantages. By
the present procedure we lay the body in the earth to
resolve itself into its original elements, by the slow
and (couldlwe witness it) the revolting process of de-
composition. We preserve no traces of the material
once so loved and precious in our eyes; we rear moon-
menial slabs, and commemorate the intensity of our
feelince by Inscriptions. Would it not be more reason-
able to decompose the body by incineration, and retain
in monumental urns, if so desired, the ashen of our
frienr,s and relatives? The fortion is one of increas-
ing importance viewed from ygtenic and social pub*
of view.

I

SMITE/SCE OF DEATH. -- Thomas SCobble,
labourer, 36 years of age, has been charged at the Be,
dee Circuit Court with having, on the 24th of Sepg,.
her last year, murdered George Spalding, garnekeepn
The circumstances of the case will be well recumbent
Scobbie was caught in the act of stealing shirts fink
green near Dundee, and was taken into custi
Spalding, who set out with his prisoner for Mo •
the nearest police-station, about three miles 404
Nothing more was heard of Spalding until next an,
ing, when his dog betrayed signs of uneasiness, nd
some neighbours following it, found the murdered
of the keeper lying in a ditch covered witn gr/..12
bramble bushes. Scnbbie was apprehended some tits
after with marks of blood on his shirt and renti rn
trousers, which appeared as if caused by the tee.k,g
A dog. The evidence given at his trial, though
circumstantial, was very conclusive. No en.7/..7
were examined for the defence. The jury MalkaiitTZ;
found the prisoner guilty as libelled, and, by fourteel.
one, recommended him to mercy. Lord Deas ping
sentence of death in the usual form, and the excess
was fixed for Tuesday, the 29th of ApriL The one,:
beard the sentence with the utmost unco.cern;
Ari A crou's Wit.L.—The Australian pap.,
just received state that the will of the late 'efekk
Montgomery, actor, was proved in the Supreme Can
on the 6th of February by Mr. Thomas Privet h
Australian executor. The will was made in lirgi
Melbourne, and was executed in duplicate, one
being left with Mr. Pavey, and the other sent::
I English executors - Mr. Forsyth, of Islington, mask
Rev. W. Drake, of Grantham. There were /
cations paragraphs in the wilL One was—
" I give and bequeath to the said John Forsyth tli...
phire ring, and one ruby and one diamond ring, given tosi-:,
board the Galatea by his Royal Highness the Duke or
burgh." " I give and bequeath to his Royal illighetii;
Duke of Edinburgh the watch.chein manufactured fie N.
by Mr. Crisp, piweller, Melbourne. the same Mau
have already offered to his Royal Highnese at Syds, k
the colony of New South Wales, but which he deslarsjh
would not deprive me of." "With respect to certsiin/.
of money owing to me by some of my friends whore
at times obliged. I wish the said John Yorsith and Wiliam I
Drake to insert advertisements In The Times newmeenlt
about a week, reminding them politely of my desire sails
quest for tit convenient) payment of the same. It mph
inat some few friends of mine may desire some little Mel&
Hal of me. If so, let them give the market price of %ink
ables, and the proceeds may be added to and form geng
my personal estate."
HERALDRY FOR THE PEOPLE. The ice
I general adoption of Armorial Bearings promisestonn
rise to an agitation Against the existing duty thins.
A cry about to be raised in concert with that of.&
Free breakfast Table!" will perhaps be, "A he
Scutcheon ! "—Punch.

DEATH OF E REM CHtlitOTlß.—We
nani) have juat heard of the death of Melon, *odt.
the famous sleight-of-hand performer' who gave rep*
sentations in the environs of Paris, and whose inam.
portable theatre attracted such crowds on fete dm.
He was better known by the name of Tns-de Bak
and his career was • singudar one. After having semi
as • soldier, he was engaged at the Opera-Conagsq
where he filled for five years the third bees parts. Bag
carried cff by a woman of some fortune, he left eti,
her for Cairo, where he founded • haberdasher's ihri;
and then migrated to Rio de Janeiro, where he beeves
accountant in • theatre of the second order. Musk
was that he acquired his talents se a juggler. Ha*
returned to Paris, he very soon este olished a rep*
tion, and realised an independence. He died of •
fiamation of the chest, and leaves about 12,04,
year.
' •

'A
SAD AFFAIR !—An amusing scene was ran
witnessed on • skating rink in Canada. The peitakei
attraction was a beautiful young lady, charmiir
dressed in short skirta. She was a very graceful
and in her evolutions displayed a pair of beautiful,
formed ankles, and • little more, so symmetrical tiu
they seemed to charm the eyes of the young ma
although they aroused the envy of her own sex. Pkt
beauty's reign in this case was short; she fell ninth
ice, and had the misfortune to rip her stocking win
her skate. Not being aware of the mishap, she quail
rose, and continued to glide over the ice as before; bi
now the admiration for her was turned to taugliter,
for a trail of sawdust followed her, oozing from est
ilbfated stocking. It is needless to add she shad 7
left the ice.

SERVANT MAID'S SONG (to her Poli:einatt).—
Aria ; " Robert, toi gut j'aime I".—PcNcH.

NEWSPAPERS IN SWITZSRLARD. —The number
of newspapers published throughout the Swiss Cask
deration (according to an article in the Swiss Tiro* is
230. Of these, 43 appeor daily, 88 twice a week, 12
three times a week, and 51 weekly. The remainiage
are published at lees regular intervals. Aargau me
tributes 34 to this total, Zurich 33, Berne 28, St. ers:
17, Vend 15, Geneva 11. Canton Uri is singular is
having no newspaper. Of other periodical publication
there are 179 ' • 30 of which are official, 30 theologiekl,
20 monetary, 13 ptuely advertising sheets; and the is
=tinder more or less of a special class character. N.eidi
all the Protestant cantons possess at least one reliveu
journal each. In French Switzerland, Neuchatel -Ss
one; Vaud, three; Geneva, three. Generally this
confine themselves to the publication of news, vith
which, however, criticism is frequently mingled, pa
ticularly of late, since the Reform Church has be
threatened with the " Liberal" invasion. 'She =jerks
of these newspapers are subsidised. Without midi
they would in many cases be unable to cover their st
penses, the number of their subscribers varying bin
300 to 1,500. The Catholic papers of German Sidles
land are generally more reservedo and treat the matte
in dispute with a fuller appreciation of the require
ments of 'tedious' freedom, and so far are more kip
Swiss in character than their brethren of the Freed
speaking cantons.
A PLEA FOR OLD TOBL—The population ,tf
London amounts to four millions. They are on.
tinually adding to their number. Accordingly, the
Metropolis keeps on extending itself, and bricks el
mortar encroach daily on aud abol,uh the beauty of the
environs of London. Can nothing be done to arrest the
spreading evil? To limit the expansion or London
these days by law nobody would propose, for few d
the Masses; but they would probably have no objee
tion to a measure for cheapening gin. It is said that
gin stops children's growth. Would not a suffic.estly
plentiful supply of it check that of London.—Psset

MONARCHY VERSUS REPunticarrtsm.—Econo•
mists in this cotun.ry who are constantly pointingto
the United States as a model of financial management,
and to Republican institutions generally as less costly
by far than our own, will be surprised to read the fol-
lowing remarks made by the New York Herald of tke
25th of March on "the British Budget ":--TheEn-
losh Chancellor of the Exchequer (says the Heald)
will show in his annual I udget in April Sr incomes(
380,000,000 dole., and an expenditure of 355,000,VA
dole. This will be a gratifying exhibit, as the Engin
government is in the habit of making the income ani
expenditures nearly balance, leaving only a competi-
tively small margin fora sinking fund for the tunnel
debt. A surplus of 25,000,000 dole. is, therefore, son-
siderable amount. The current expenditure mudis
consequently, about 230,000,000 dole., calculating the
Interest on the debt at 125.000,000 dole. These kw
are only approximate, but are nearly correct. Nes,
the expenditure of our Government, taking the lint d
appropriations made the last session of Congress, n
over 195,000,000 dole., exclusive of the interest on the
motional debt; that is to say, the current expected
the United States, apart from the debt interest, W,
only 35,000,000 dole, less than those of Great Beitin
Yet the army, navy, and civil service of England we
much more costly than ours; in fact, our army ona
navy are insignificant compared with those of Woad,
and we have no expensive Royal government Meow&
How is it, then, that under our simple Republican
institutions] we are spending so much money? All the
talk about retrenchment and economy amounhe to
nothing in the face of such facts."

PATIENTS AND PAY.—" Prevention," oil
Sanitary Reformer, "is better than cure." TINY*
dical Man to whom this observation was addressidt
smiled, and replied, "That may be all very true is
theory, but the reverse is what we always find to la
the case in Practice."— Punch.
ENGLISH IIioNwOHILENS IN AMERICA. —A cON.
respondent of the periodical called Iron writes :—"A
few years ago the 'president' (or, as we should ay,*'
'chairman') of one of the largest ironwork* me
panics in the United States came to En,;l lb
object of his mission was to get skilini
especially for Bessemer works. This simple LT=
me as rather remarkable. In England it is amMill
enough for workmen to go on tramp in in arch al sa•
ployment, but it is quite out of the ordinal y cooed
our expenence for a very wealthy and prosperoMlNS
pany to send their chairman on a verj oat
journey halfway round the world in order t.) VIP
men. The terms on which be engaged thi se ...ow
also remarkable. He engaged them at el-.ero ANS
thing like double their English wages, took INN
I across the Atlantic with him at great
I paying their high wages while they were
to start and during all their_journey. TheX
engaged for a period of years. These remarkaSillia
awakened my curiosity, and led me to make BMW
Inquiries respecting the condition and career of eild.
men in the iron trade who had left South Staffordilill
Shropshire, Ao., for America, and under aimilles
gagementa. These inquiries brought out some my
interesting and instructive facts. In all the cases OM
I could follow up I learnt that the men—puddles,
mill forgemen, &.—fultilled their engagements teitk
fully, working through the three or five years' tot
as arranged, but only a minority of them, in spite Si
very high wages, continued to be iron workers, sed
these were by no means the most intelligent and lair
vident. The majority of the best men saved euffiemt
to remove farther west, buy some land, and brad
farmers, and thus the costly operation of sendme
England for first-class workmen had to be repeated.'
POPULAR Eirßoxs.—" Z.," writing in 11"
Field, says, "A popular illusion about apes ma
monkeys in general I have more than once alma)
brought to notice. I refer to their alleged imitative'
nem whence the verb 'to ape,' which I contend I.
founded upon fable premiams. I have seen as meek
of monkeys, both wild and tame, as have most oisolk
and of many species of them, and I have kept stne-
siderable number of species in captivity, with otitis
which were allowed their liberty. But, admittiihii
a matter of course, the high docility of many,,
viduals, especially among the Memel of the Old as
and the Cebi of the New I have yet never remarked'
single instance of spontaneous imitativeness, analogs'
to what is so remarkably manifested by savage
med—
imitation for imitation sake, without further spews.
object. Of course, one will learn from another, aide,
and cats will so learn, but I could never discover
tendency to mimicry in the legitimate acceptada
the term. I know that Mr. Bartlett, of the Zoe,
meal Gardens, holds with me in this opinion sadl
could mention other names that should cam;
derable weight with them; but the notion to theme.
trary is so inveterate that it can hardly be eradicate;
and I remark that Dr. Gray, of the British Aipslll%
proposing a new generic appellation for the At
panzent, mast need, style them Mimetes, in lirMA
Troglodytes, which was priorly applied to the No
genus, exemplified by our common wren.
many birda, the disposition to imitate all sorts of.=
is highly remarkable, but though the chimpiliMillo
the gibbons, aud some of the monkeys also caa
&tate the voice considerably, still they do not attemf.
to imitate any sound whatever • and I maintain OS
they area. little disposed to niiiniory In arqr other PA
of way, however little this may aooord with For*
mpressioek"

ij