The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-03 00:00:00

EGYPTIAN HALI.

Mr. Maccabe, one of the best living mimics now
before the public, opened the above ball last night with
his well•known entertainment entitkd Begone dull Cure,
and was patronised by a very numerous audience. His
sentimental singing and ventriloquial performances are
still prominent features, and he repeats the most popular
of those impersonations which he first introduoed a► St.
James's Hall. He performs in the room lately occupied
by Herr Schulz.

METROPOLITAN kIENZPTT SOCIETIES' ASYLUM.—
The 75th half-yearly meeting was held at Salter's Hotel, on
Friday evening, Mr. Henry Campkin presiding. Th.
report of the committee stated the progress of the institu-
tion to be satisfactory, and Messrs. Silcox and Peter",
auditors, gave a detailed statement, showing the present
capital amounted to 7,116/. Mr. Leftly brought up the
scrutineers' report on the election of inmates, and Samuel
Carter, Old Friends, John Meyer, Foresters, and James
Sparay, and their wives, were declared duly elected.
Thanks to the officers and chairman closed the proceedings.
MIDNIGHT MEETING MOVEMENT.—The meetings
of this society are still attended with success, the last two
having been moat efficacious in the rescue of poor girls.
On the 15th of August a meeting was held in the Weigh-
house School-room, opposite the Monument, the nse of
which was kindly granted by the minister. Mr. W. E.
Thomas, of the London Reformatory, conducted the meet-
ing. Although the night was wet, 41 girls were present,
of which number 11 resolved to abandon their !evil ways.
A policeman was the means of rescuing one poor girl, who
had recently come to London to get employment. On the
29th • meeting was held in Mandeld.street, Bornalh-
road, convened by the Rev. V. J. Chariesworth, of Surrey
Chapel, who conducted the meeting ; 62 girls were pre-
sent, of whom nine were afterwards sent to homes.
DIGGING POTATOES BY MACHINERY.—The trial
of potato diggers selected at the recent Glasgow show to
compete for the Highland and Agriculture Society's prim
of 2W. took place on Thursday on the farm of Bearyards,
near Bishoplsngp. The day was fins, and • large number
of farmers and others turned out to witness the competi-
tion. There were in all eight implements on the ground,
but three of these were disqualified, on account of their
having been altered since their appearance at the show.
The implements of Messrs. Cowan, Kirkwood, and Reid
presented so many modifications of the ordinary plough,
effected by the introduction in various positions of prongs
and mould-boards. The Hanson digger has now been
before the public for some eight or nine years. It consists
of broad scoop for opening the driU, with a revolving grape
behind, by the action of which the potatoes and soil are
thoroughly separated, and thrown to one side against a
netting attached to the side of the machine. Mr. Winton's
implement is on • similar principle, but with the revolving
grape placed in • different position, end without the
netting. In the course of the trial the attention of the
judges was coacentrated on the Hanson implement, which
was tested under varied conditions. One point specially
looked into was the draught weight of the machine,
which was found to be on the average about 5 cwt.
SALMON. —The fence time for salmon commenced
on Saturday last at noon, and it will not bo lawful to take
those fish until February 1, 1868, except with the rod,
anglers being permitted to fish foe spottier month. The
take on the Severn and Wye this season has varied very
much, and at times there has been great scarcity of fish ;
salmon sold in the height of the season at Hereford and
Gloucester at 10d. to la. per lb. ; it finished at Is. 6d. Tte
grilse or botcher season was a poor one. Some very large
salmon have been taken this year, running from 231 b. to
50Ib. The Severn Fishery Board is just completing the
first year of its existence. The revenue from licemes
amounted in this, the first, year to 6501., being pretty
close upon the estimate.
CURIOSITIES or NATURAL BISTORY.—A sport-
ing paper contains, amongst its correspondence, two
strange facts in natural history. One tells of an
adder killed in a wood neer Longford Castle that was
found to have a full-grown weasel in its belly. The
second correspondent says he caught • pike weighing
831 b. in Loch Winnoch, Renfrewahire, and found, on open-
ing it, a penny of 1861 in its belly. It is not an unusual
thing for pike to swallow metallic substances. An
angler in the Lea not long ago caught a pike that had a latch-
key in its inside, the explanation being that a roach-fisher
a short time before plumbed the depth of his swim with
the beet " plumb" he could get, and that happened to be
his latch-key. In drawing it up it was ponnmd upon by
a pike, gorged, and preserved by him, no doubt against his
will, until he fell a prey to the fatal hook.
PUTTING THE STONE. —At the Perth Highland
Games on Saturday, Donald Dinnie, Aboyne, gained the
champion medal for putting the stone (distance thrown,
37 feet 4 inches)-6 feet 4 inches farther than any other
competitor, and the medal for throwing the hammer
(161b5.) Dinnie threw the hammer 88 feet 7 inches—
being 16 feet 3 inches further than any of the others. He
was also first at tossing the caber, and at high leap was only
lone inch below the first primmest who leaped • height of
5 feet 5 inches. At the Glemsla Highland Gathering
I Donald Dinnie was almost equally successful—putting the
heavy stone of 281bs. • distance of 29 feet 3) inches-4feet
beyond any other, and throwing the 1616. hammer 96 feet
3 inches. He was also first at tossing the caber, high
lesE, and long leap.
TRADES UNIONS AND APPRENTICES.—Thomas
Dirties, of the firm of Birtles and Tait, glass blowers,
Poland-street, Oldham-road, Manchester, was summoned,
on Friday last, by one of his apprentices, named Thomas
Quindon, for not teaching him his trade. The com-
plainant stated that he was apprenticed to Mr. Birtles, but
lie had refused to allow him to work at his business. Mr.
Walker—What is the reason of this! Mr. Birder--
Simply because nip men will strike if he goes into the
place ; they say I have one apprentice too many. Mr.
Walker—nen common them. Mr. Birtles—They say
they would be fined a sovereign • piece if they worked
with him. Mr. Walker—But this boy is not to suffer for
that. Mr. Birtlee—l am quite ready to put him on, but
the men will strike if I do so. The cam was then dis-
missed, it being understood that Mr. Birtles would take
his apprentice back, and pot him to his trade.
A FATAL DIVE. —On Saturday afternoon a
melancholy accident took place on the Clyde in the course
of the Glasgow and Clydesdale Swimming Clubs' annual
I competition. For a match at time diving there were five I
entnes, including one John Gillham, a hatter by trade. ,
Gillham was the fourth to dive, those who had preceded '
him having remained under water from 50 to 83 seconds. I
As he had declared himself capable of making 90 seconds,
ro apprehension was felt till he had been about that time
out of sight. At last, however, the bystanders became
I alarmed, and three young men dived repeatedly in the
hopes of catching their unfortunate comrade. They were
quite unsuccessful, nor did Gillham again appear alive at
the surface.
A gentleman residing in Wribbenhall last week
caught an extremely rare moth upon • birth tree in
Bewdley Forest, called the Strauss= Fagi, or lobster
moth. This is owed the most rare specimens of the moth
found in Rnigiand.
The first iron vesselbuiltinMontroriehas justbeen
lisunrhed from the building-yard of Messrs. Joseph Singel
and Co. She is named the Precursor, and is intended for i
the Baltic trade.