The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-08-30 00:00:00

FOREIGN MISCELLANY.

VALUE OP A TIEICK SKULL.—The Memphis Appeal
states that a few days ago, while a barrel of flour was
being lowered from the upper story of a warehouse, and
when yet at a considerable elevation, it dropped and fell
upon a negro' striking him full on the head, and forcing
out an eye. The skull was not even fractured, however,
and the negro was doing well.
A VERY INGENIOUS APPLICATION Of Dr. Maynard's
patent primer for firearms has been made to a pocket re-
volver, with six chambers and a single barrel. It consists
of a double tape, so to speak, of paper, between which
detonating powder it isolated in small nipples, by a pecu-
liar process. These tapes are made up into spiral coils for
nse, and there are thirty-six primers in a single coil as
applied to the revolver, so that the piece can be fired as
many times without the trouble of priming by caps. In
the construction of the lock, provision is made by which
the coil of primers is unwound, and a nipple brought up
opposite the touch-hole as the aim is cocked ; and when
the trigger is pulled, the hammer falls in the usual way,
and the primer explodes. The aim cannot go off without
the trigger being placed at full cock at once, as the primer
is completely covered until the hammer is pulled up for
firing. Dr. Maynard has received an order from the
United States ordnance department to superintend the
application of his invention to a quantity of arms now
making at the state armoury, at Springfield, Massachus-
sets, a trial of two or three years having been given to
them in the army in the west. Dr. M. took out a patent
for Great Britain in 1845.
TILE LARGEST RAILWAY IN TIIE WORLD will soon be
possessed by Canada. That branch of it which is opened
from hence to Portland, is, comparatively, but a small
portion of the whole. Preliminary to the payment of the
dividend, which has rejoiced the heart of the stockholders,
the definite arrangement was made for the amalgamation
of the following lines :—The Grand Trunk Railway, or
that road which was to connect Montreal with Kingston ;
the Toronto and Guelph road; the Atlantic Railroad, or
that portion of the road hence to Portland, which lies in
the territories of the United States. The Grand Trunk
Company have not become possessed of the fee-simple of
the latter road, but they have got what, according to the
old English saying, is as good as a freeholder, a ninety-
nine years' lease, at a rent, calculated at six per. cent. on
the outlay incurred by the American company, amounting
to some $5,000,000. On the 19th inst. it is expected that
the arrangements for incorporating the Richmond and
Quebec Railroad with the rest will also be concluded.
When that shall have taken place there will be under one
management, finished, in rapid progress, or about to be
begun, the immense extent of eleven hundred and twelve
miles of railroad. We imagine that the first portion of
the road now opened must be secure of an enormous pas-
senger traffic, passing, as it does, through the most roman-
tic scenery from the St. Lawrence to the sea. Montreal
Herald.

MORE COTTON AND MORE LAND.—Gen. John Wilson,
who is well known to many of our citizens, and who re-
sides in San Francisco, has written to Governor Foote, of
Mississippi, about a group of islands in the Pacific, known
as the Navigator's Islands. With the letter Gen. Wilson
sends to Governor Foote some pickings of cotton, taken
from one of the cotton-trees which grow on those islands.
This tree attains the extraordinary height of 30 feet, with
a diameter of one foot, and branches spreading 30 feet.
The boll is about the size of a goose egg. When
the cotton-tree is in full bloom, it presents a superb
appearance, looking like an immense snow-ball tree.
The islands are on the route from California to
Australia, about midway between this last and the
Sandwich Islands, lying in about 14 degrees south. They
are ten in number, have an agreeable climate, and are in-
habited by about 100,000 savages, divided into tribes who
are often fighting each other. General Wilson throws out
a hint for. a speculation there. Says he—" If one or two
hundred discreet, just men were there, and would join in
some of their wars with the better sort or class, a govern-
ment might easily be established there, after the fashion
of the Sandwich Islands." Where is England and Mr.
Stowo ? They have been in search of a new cotton
country, and can supply our old friend Wilson with "two
hundred discreet and just men" to forneut quarrels among
the Navigators, and get them to eat each other up for the
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