, 1859-01-05
miscellaneous items.

RAILWAY LoSvESTloS.-!1s heretofore an
uounect}, !. convention Of presidents, direct
ora, and stockholders in all railway canlpa.
nics Interested III the construction Of Il road
10 the lacitic will b. held 1T Memphis on the
24,ll Of January. Road. north aud south
will be represented, aud il is designed to
agree upon some plan for hnilling road over
tue plains satisfactory to all p.srtic: interest
cd, in order that the conflicting Interests It,
fore Congress may be rccoucllcd.
DANGER CT RELYING On ExToRTEp ChS.
pEss1o>s-Extorted confessions are uncertain
evidence. 4 case il illustration recently oc-
CURED in Indiana. Joel Gresb, suspected Of
being engaged III the late robberics ut Craw-
fordsvillc, was seized by lynchcrs and hung
up to the limb Of tree by tue neck. will II
view Of forcing him to confess. When let
down lie sill asserted bis innocence. Up he
was run again, and nearly strangled. lie
then confesed-his only chance to live. The
confession afterwards proved to be an entire
fabrication, and Gresh WIS Innocent Of tue
crimes char. ed upon him.
DESTRUCTION OF OYSTER BEps.--TAe New
Orleans Dtll4 Gays: Not the least of the
many disasters produced last summer by tac
crevassc on the west bank OF the river is the
destruction OF the oyster beds in the lay aud
bayou Of Blrrataria, which have long been
tue chief resource and dependence Of our oys
ter dealers. Every day since the oyster seas
on has operel, tile extent Of this damage be-
comes more manifest. The enormous body OF
Mississippi water which las been forced
through these outlets to tue Cult has lett 4
thick and heavy deposit Of sediment, that
has proved like the water for poor Ophelia,
.'too much Of mul' for the poor crustacca.
EFFECT OF ESERGT.-Alexander 7. Stew
arts marble palace was not erected by Il lazy
man. Tile owuer Of it did not stand on the
street corners, nor lounge about bar-roonl*,
With q cheap cigar in his mou'h all day. lie
came from Ireland, With zra1, good Judgment,
and industry, to work lis way from the lot Of
| a poor boy up to tue cmincnc1 Of Z million
| airc.
4 GERMAN !. .L1oS- S-k1LLEE." ."-Gordon Cum.
| miug aud Jules Gerard are having imtators
in their IS wild sports" in Africa. Count
Louis Thorheinl, major in the Austrian
| regiment named Windischgra,z. and imperial
chamberlain, recently returned to Austria
from three years tour in Africa. during
which period hc traverscd the greater part Of
| Egypt aud Abyssinia, and penetrated the
desert to within tcu degrees Of the Equator,
unaccomPanIed by any European, or even III
Interpreter, whose services he did not require,
having himself some kno Elulge OF the native
languages, He has brought with him, as
trophies OF his sporting adventures, cist.sn
chests full OF the skins Of animals killed 1.y
himself, such As leopatds. hyenas. rhinocerus-
e., 1c. liz intends soon to return with
more complete outfit, aud renew bis war
upon lions, elephants and hippopotami.
| OPERATIONS At TIE ANr.-Colonel Snow.
den, Director OF the Niut at Philadelphia. in
his aunual report states the total gold coin
age Of The United States, Including bars, tr1
the fiscal year ending Juuc So 1853, to have
amounted to s52 $50 ,s0o29. The silver coin
age for the same period amounted t,
! sS,233 2S77.7177. Tie number Of cents coiuct
wa. y, 100000. The Dir ctor recommend
that the silver coin Of the CaiteI States bt
made legal tender to the amount OF lifly o.
one hundred dollars in one lot. AS it Is a
present. the banks object to receiving them II
amounts over five dollars at time. TIL
brokers in New York have pat up notices a
their windows offering to eel - United State
silver coius " at Ia to IS per ccnt. discount