The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-30 00:00:00

Pisuitantous

THE OUTWARD AUSTRALLiN MAIL, which leaves
Southampton on the Ist proximo, will not call at the
Cape of Goad Hope, and the only ship mail she will
carry will be for the Australian colonies, Tasmania,
and New Zealand.

THE TREATMENT OF Gour is referred to in an
article in the Abeille Medicate on the use of the oil
extracted from the horse-chestnut. To extract this
oil, the horse-chestnuts are first ground to powder,
and then treated with sulphuric ether, which dissolves
the oil, resin, and saponine contained in the mass ;
the oil is then obtained pure by evaporating the
ether. Ten kilogrammes of horse-chestnuts yield
ten grammes of oil. It must be applied with a fine
hair brush on the part affected ; if the pain is very
intense the unction should be effected circularly, so as
to arrive gradually to the centre. When the first
application is absorbed a second one is effected after
the lapse of a few minutes, and then a third and
fourth if necessary. The oiled part is then covered
with blotting-paper, cotton, or flannel, and then with
oilskin ; the patient must be kept in perfect repose.
In some cases the application of the oil causes an
increase of pain for the first half-hour, after which
the sedative action commences, but generally the
pain gradually disappears without any aggravation.
CARDINAL WISEMAN may take a lesson on tolera-
tion from the first Jewish mayor ever elected in the
provinces, Mr. L. S. Magnus who has been recently
elected to the mike of chief magistrate for the
ancient borough of Queenborongh. At the conclu-
sion of the Quarter Sessions, on Tuesday, the mayor
gave a sumptuous dinner to the recorder, members
of the corporation, a number of influential gentle-
men connected with the county, and a large circle of
his private friends. The usual loyal toasts having
been given and responded to, the mayor gave that
of " The Church," coupling with it the name of the
incumbent, the Rev. R. Bingham. In proposing this
toast, the mayor, in an able speech, pointed out how
persons of the Jewish persuasion could consistently,
not only respect the Church, but lend their aid in
support of it. The Rev. Mr. Bingham responded to
the toast in a clever and happy speech of consider•
abLe length, dwelling upon the bane of exclusiveness,
and trusting that their worthy mayor would prove
himself a true " Israelite."

Sra JAMES Bwoorz recently suffered a rather
serious paralytic seizure, but we rejoice to hear that
he is steadily, though slowly, progressing towards
recovery.

MORTARA, the poor little victim of Popish bigotry,
is very ill, and it has been found necessary to remove
him to Allegri, from the College of Catechumens,
where he was kept.

A REMARKADLE PHENORENON OF NATURE has for
some time appeared on the shore from Whitstable
to the Reculvers. At the foot of the beach is to be
seen an unparalleled quantity of oyster brood. This
mollusc resembles a small drop of tallow, and
gradually increases in size to the magnitude of a
penny. It adheres to stones, pieces of wood, broken
bottles, and even tobacco-pipes. The oyster is of the
"Native" species, and will be collected by the sea-
faring population to replenish the grounds of Whit.
stable and Faversham.

A BEAUTIFUL SPECIMEN of that very rare bird, the
cream-coloured courser (Cursorius European), was
shot a few days since in the Hackney Marsh, near
the Victoria Station. It was found in the open
marsh, and ran with incredible swiftness, so as to
render it very difficult to make it take wing, and
thus secure a better aim. The 164 of this species
kuovna to have bean killatl waa &be: Ou the 15th Of
October, 11747.

1055

THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF GRAPE, says an
article in the Moniteur, owing to the development
given to agriculture during the last half-century, is
now very considerable. Cato, in his work, "De Be
Rustled," only reckoned eight, and Virgil only speaks
of fifteen. Colamella enumerates fifty-eight, and
adds that there are many more, but of which he
cannot fix the number or give the names with any
certainty. Pliny, who must:have assisted the labours
of his contemporary, since his name is several times
quoted, speaks of eighty-three varieties. In the thir-
teenth century, Petrus de Crescentins, a senator of
Bologna, and the author of a carious Latin work on
vines, mentions forty Italian species, and gives some
account of each. Towards the close of the seven-
teenth century, Cupani published, in the same lan-
guage, a brief description of forty-eight kinds. growing
in the garden of Misilmeri, in Sicily. Olivier de
Serres had already published his " Theatre de
l'Agriculture," one chapter of which, devoted to the
vine, gives a description of forty varieties, and most
of them still retain their names, notwithstanding
what has been said by Calms. Garidel, at the
commencement of the eighteenth century, briefly
described forty-six provincial varieties. Chardine,
the traveller, mentions sixty as the number cultivated
in the neighbourhood of Tanris. Basil Hall, in his
"Voyages," states that there are fifty different kinds
cultivated in the island of Madeira, and an Hun-
garian author points out forty-six in the Comitat of
Zemplin. The Spanish writer, D. Sirc.cn, describes
one hundred and twenty kinds cultivated in Anda-
lusia. Among German writers, Kerner has given
coloured drawings of 143 varieties—the names
are half French ; the pastor Frege has described
205; Councillor Vongok nearly 200; and Metter
about the same number. Chaptel and Bose have
also mentioned a great number, but the last exami-
nations of which the vines have been made the
object, particularly by the learned writer M. °darts
allows the number of varieties to be fixed at 1,000. _

WHAT AMERICAN WINES ARE MADE OF is disclosed
by Hiram Cox, M.D., of Cincinnati, who has made the
following startling statement .—During the summer
of 1856 I analyzed a lot of liquors for some eon-
scientious gentlemen of our own city, who would not
allow me to take samples to my office, but insisted
on my bringing my chymicals and apparatus to their
store, that they might see the operations. I accord-
ingly repaired to their store and analyzed samples of
sixteen different lots. Among them were port wine,
sherry wine, and Madeira wine. The distilled liquors

were some pure and some vile and pernicious imita-
tions; but the wine had not one drop of the juice of
the grape. The basis of the port was diluted sul-
phuric acid, coloured with elderberry juice, with
alum, sugar, and neutral spirits. The base of the
sherry wine was a sort of pale malt, sulphuric acid
from the bitter almond oil, with a percentage of
alcoholic spirits from brandy. The basis of the
Madeira was a decoction of hops, with sulphuric
acid, honey, spirits from Jamaica rum, Ic. The
same week, after analyzing the above, and exhibiting
the qnslity and character of the liquors to the pro-
prietors, a 'sexton of one of our churches informed
me that be had purchased a gallon of the above port
wine to be used in his church on the next Sabbath
for sacramental purposes, and that for this mixture
of sulphuric acid, alum, and elderberry juice he paid
2dols. 7k. a gallon.
THE LATE MR. ASSHETON Stara, says a correspon-
dent of the Wiltshire County Mirror, " was the first,
I hale heard stated on good authority, to bring to
this country intelligence of the overthrow of Napo-
leon at Waterloo. It reached him when cruising in
his yacht on the coast of France, and he immediately
set sail for England, and was the first to proclaim the
glorious news."
THE CAMBRIDGESHIRE STAKES at the Newmarket
Houghton Meeting on Tuesday were won by Eury-
dice, Beacon second, and Underhand third. The
betting at starting was 40 to 1 against the winner.
The favourite, Zonave, came in fourth.
Taz UTILITARIAN Sawn has rewired the fol.
lowing handsome offer from a Highland proprietor,
who incloses his name and address to a eontemporazy
who publishes his letter :—" I am open to let four
thousand acres of good, sound, average moor on a
lease of twenty-five years, at a fixed rent of ten
shillings per imperial acre yearly. I must of eourse
have undoubted security for my rent for that period.
The heather and the game shall be entirely in the
power of the tenant, to do as he will with it. Ido
not speak of rock and bog, on which nothing can live,
but good sheep ground. Should any one of the
philanthropists feel disposed to practise what he
preaches, I will ascertain how soon any of my leases
will be out, and communicate with him on learning
his address. None of the ground in question would
be above three miles from excellent roads. I have
now made a fair offer; the rent named by me is far
below that which tie are seemed of wasting on our
selfish amusements, and the term will tumble the
tenant to reap the fall benPfit of any outlay, Let Du,
traducers now a.m. Al'. '. tar SYN
t toetos• say
bee INNO•ssaihressoat 846•81.
yoi any giro to ibtqf *Wale