The Placer herald., 1856-03-29
Scene in Australia.

Since my arrival IN Australla have often
thought to myself when, weared by the mad
hustle of the public, put my fiddle into its
case: We'll, there can be nothing more new
for me in the way of adventure" but on
coming to another town, have always
found myself mistaken. Perhaps even a
rowing fiddler should have his secrets-if not
from policy, from artistic vanity But nat
ural frankness overcomes vanity with me; so
down 90 all my impressions into my diary
without disguise.
Obliged to throw myself upon the man.
ager of theater-for | found, on my arrival,
that all the concert rooms were already hired
successive nights. My first appearance was
to take place in the last days of May; and
the papers having pulled me enthusiastically
for weeks, and public curiosity being raised
to the highest pitch, the house was full to
sutfocation. A ballet was to precede the
concert; and all the professional singers, the
Misses Octavia Hamilton, Olympia Mont
COmery, and Donna Aurelia Babietti, the
Spaniard, were ready to join in endless trills,
cadences, and rouades; while besides them,
an epic gentleman was enaged to read Mil
ton; and Signor Bottessini, with his sublime
basso, was to sing until the welkn rang.
The curtain rose. A French dancer, an
elegant, supple young lady, of no great
beauty, but much expression, and apparently
on perfectly good terms with herself, appear
ed on the scene in her short lace dress, re-
ceived by an outburst of applause, and by
the martial trumpets of the orchestra. But
from the other side came a youthful bloom
ing Spanish Creole, with beautiful eyes, large
and soft; her complexion rosy, her figure
tall-n fact, the very impersonaton of Ter
pischore She bowed modest VT was her
first appearance at Mebourne-and the en-
thusiasm of the public, surprised by her
beauty, manifested itself in vehement cheers.
The two dancers struggled for the palm of
victory in a graceful tarantula. Like two
glittering butterflies they whirled around,
accompanied by music and applause. The
mercurial Partisan made use Of all her most
seductive wiles, of her most refined pirouttes,
Of her most enchanting attitudes but the
Creole seemed patronized by the Graces
themselves. laundering applause encour-
aged her; and as often as she came forward
with her graceful modesty, nosegays and
rings and bracelets were thrown at her feet.
The French lady struggled with her last
strength against the triumph of her rival,
until, dsheartened and exhausted, she fell to
the ground.
The Creole approached her with compass
sion, to raise her, when suddenly the Par
isian started up, and, with looks full of hate
and fury, boxed the ears of her rival. The
audience Kissed and hooted, while she ex-
exclaimed with passion-"the wretch tripped
mew The poor Creole declared with dignity
that she was innocent of the meanness; but
a vulgar word which slipped out of the lips
of the French dancer against her, suddenly
reused all the passions of the South in her
bosom, and singular struggle began. The
two excited ladies rushed upon each other,
and wrestlcd and tore and pulled one anoth-
cr's hair, while the thunders of the gallery
made the whole atmosphere vibrate | new
er saw more natural performance. The
better classes Of the public did not interfere,
but seemed rather to be amused by these not
entirely Olympic exercises, until the Creole,
bleeding and fanting, was carried away from
the scene.
Some officers, who from a box had wit
messed the spectacle, were revolted at the
conduct of the Parisian and sent for the
police to arrest her, but her friends collected
and resisted the constabes. riot ensued;
portion Of the public rushed on the STAGE
they jumped across the orchestra the fiddles
and bass viols were broken; ladies were
faintng, children crying, and II took to my
heels with my fiddle, and ran away without
stopping till reached my hotel.
A SUBSTITUTE FOR GUANo.-Thc Montreal
Commercial Advertiser says that a French
farmer, by the name of Malon, has discovered
a method of converting the otfal and refuse
part of fish into valuable manure, equal
to the fertilizing power to the best Peruvian
guano, and possesses no offensive qualities.
He conceived project of converting these
fish into more compact and convenient kind
of fertilizer, and accordingly, after few trial
experiments, embarked in 1851 for New
foundland and established large factory at
Herpon, in the Straits Of Belle Isle, He as
socated with himself a partner who establl-
shed also a similar factory at little village
near Brest, in France At these factories
the refuse fish and offal Of all the fishermen
in the vicinity were bought. They were first
boiled under a pressure of fifty pounds to an
inch, and then the pressed cakes were reduced
to a pulp by mechanical rasp, and dried IN
hot stove The material was next ground
to powder in mill, and packed away in bags
and barrels for use. One hundred parts OF
the fresh fish yielded twenty-five of fish
powder, and is eagerly purchased by the
farmers From the water in which the fish
is boiled, about two-anda-half per cent Of oil
is skinned The French factory produces
some fifteen hundred tons of fish manure, and
that of Newfoundland is expected to produce
annually eight or ten thousand tons.
AN ELEPHANT SWIMMING THIRTY MILES,
The Charleston Evening News understands