The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-09-04
EUROPEAN ITEMS.

The government shorthand writer of
the British House of Commons is paid two
guineas a day for his attendance, and fur
ther, ninepence for every 70 words he
copies from his notes. He acts for the
House Of Lords also. Last year his bill
for reporting committees on private bills
alone came to 6,667, which we suppose
to be about One-fifth of his entire charges
for that period. lie has ten shorthand
writers, each of whom has one or two
clerks who can read his notes. The usual
plan, when time is of Importance, is for
each shorthand writer and his two clerks
to read aloud the notes to rapid writer's
thus at times having 80 men debating to
80 other men, whose pens are the quic lest
travellers to be obtained. In the height
of the winter season lie has over so men
at work
The following funeral notice, in the
London Star Of August 4, recalls strangely
the great wars for the possession of not
yet then British India, and the names of
Hastings, Give Pitt, Fox, Sheridan, and
a host IF Others who figured in the great
life-drama of those days: "Singh- On
the 1st inst, ut Abingdon House, Ken
sington, her Highness, the Maharanee
Jeudan Kower, the widow of the late Ma
harajah Runjee Singh, of the Sikhs, and
the mother of the Maharajah Dulleep
Singh"
It he Prince of Wales having gone to
Halifax and left his wife at home, the Eng
lish papers had paragraphs saying that she
was indisposed. The Morning Post is,
however, out with the interesting state
ment that the general health of the lady
is good but in recommending her to alb
stain from visiting Halifax, H. r. II 5 ad-
visers have only sought to save her from
for her not to incur.'
The French Court of Divorce has de-
creed the separation II menSa et MOrO of
the Count and Countess Persigny. From
the numerous accounts of the trial pub
lished, we gather the impression that while
Madame was frail, her husbands virtue
was not 100 robust
y report on London traffic gives the
following as a specimen of the crowded
state Of the city streets: On three speci-
fled ordinary business days, ST. Swithin's
lane was blocked up for s hours and 25
minutes, s hours and 80 minutes, and 8
hours and 10 minutes, out of 10 hours of
each day.
The dramatic mysteries which used to
beatty or frighten to death middle-age
play-goers are not extinct, it seems. A
man became bankrupt recently in Eng
land, whose stock in trade was piece of
mechanism called "The Combat of the
Angel Gabriel with the Dragon" The
pair had seven heads, ten horns, and sew
en- horns between them. m s
The total net revenue of British India
for the year ending April, 1862, was 9S5.-
721, ,062 expenses, 926,O02, ,449. There
were, however, charges for interest to
pay which changed this apparent surplus
into an actual deficiency for the wear of
e$5O,62S. The duty on salt forming a
par of the foregoing revenue, was 100
pertcent. more than the invoice price of
that article.
Meyerbeer has composed grand
Chorus entitled "a Hymn to Jupiter"
which he has presented to the town of
Florence to celebrate the fete day of its
patron saint and to celebrate the ami
versary of the battle of Solferino.