The Portland daily press., 1867-10-01
Varieties.

| thians."
| Ex-senator, ex-rebel, ex general, and 9TH
| erwise ex-tinguished Wigfal who is now
| practising such law as he can find in London,
announces that he does not intend to return to
the United States. Well, we shall have to
learn to do without him. The country will
| probably survive the effort.
! The popularity of "The Ingoldsby Leg
ends may be inferred from the fact that eigh-
ty-three thousand copies have already been
published. There are four different editions in
| the London market, the prices of which range
| from one guinea to five shillingl.
| Mr.. George Catlin, the artist and Indian
traveller, will shortly publish account of
his adventures in the Rocky Mountains and
| the Andes. -...
! "A negro was so 3nvinced of The lowliness
of his race that he was Indifferent to the ftl-
ture state, believing that "deyll make nggers
work eben in Heabenl'~ A clergyman tried
to argue him out of his opinion by represent
ing this not to be the case as there was no work
for him or any one else to do. His answer
was, "You gwo way, massa; 1 know better. If
deres no oder work for culled persons up dar
dey'll make um shub de clouds alongi"
| M. Francis Lacombe, the author of His
tory of Monarchy in Europe" has recently
died. NJ. Lacombe fought some years ago a
duel with Louis Dlanc's brother, NJ Charles
Blanc, and would have been killed, if luckily
| the ball of the pistol had not struck silver
coin in his waistcoat pocket. The poet Merry
said, on hearing this, "rhat was good invest
ment."
Miss Putnam Ia sister Of Rev. DR.. Putnam
of New York; is engaged in translating for
Roberts Brothers, Sainte Beuves Portraits of
Celebrated Women" which will be published
| at an early date. a -rre.t 81,
II "A new edition of Thoreau's ''Week on the
Concord River" is in press. 1t will contain his
| last additions and alterations.
-Spurgeon is described as common look
ing little chunk of man. with a rather large
head, higher in front than behind, brown hair,
straight and not Short blue eyes, thick lips,
| large white teeth, coarse though not decided
features and face. including upper lip, covered
with closely trimmed beard OF a light color
His neck is short aud thick, and he is SO round
shouldered as to look somewhat hunpbacked.
His arms are short and his hands fat and
chubby. The angle of his face is bad and its
expression is neither refined nor insellecsual.
He cannot be more than five feet six inches
1
pounds. His style of speaking is conversa-
tional and perfectly natural; he makes but
few gestures, and those not graceful; looks di.
rectly before him for the most part, leaning up
on the railing of the pulpit.
An irruption of fleas seems to have occur
red throughout the country visited by the
rainy summer.
/ "A Statistical Convention is to be held in
Florence during the current month, at which
delegates are to be present from all parts of
\ Europe, as well as from the United States
The statisticians and political economists of
the country are taking interest in the scheme,
and the official journal has already published
l several lists of the names of those who have
given notice of their intention to take part.
! "A Dundee captain fell into the hands of a
: pirate named Angria in-the last century after
: whole days fight The pirate took him on
board his own ship and gave him good din
! ner, after which he began to question him
: about Dundee. The captain, much surprised
e replied, but with readiness and correctness
4 upon which Angria exclaimed: "Wen! sec
. ye are just what ye described yoursel; and
dell hac my saul if hurt hair o yer head
f for We see, Captn Crichton, I'm Dundee man
mysel, and ken whift's correct betuxt fellow
townsmenf'
The man, says Greeley, VIII pays more for
his shop rent than his advertising doesn't
know his business.
AT Lowell Mason s recent golden weddinp
all of the original bridal party, except one Of
the groomsnen, were present The two brides
J maids wives of Rev. DIR. Barstow, of Keene
! N. H., and Superintendent L. B. Phillips, oI
the Michigan Southern Railway, with Mrs.
Mason, were the first lady Sunday school
, teachers of Massachusetts,.
1t is said that the oldest wooden housein
the United States is the "Minot House," in
Dorchester. 1t was built in 1888, and rents to-
day for $50 year. 1t was the headquarters
OF General Washington, for a season, during
: the Revolution, and was once defended by
Mrs. Minot alone when attacked by Indians.
: One of the oldest houses still standing in New
, England is in the town of Medford, Mass,
eighteen miles southwest of Boston. 1t was
3 standing when the principal part of the town
was burnt by the Indians in 1876, and conse
quently NEST be more than one hundred and
nihety-ope years old. 1t is an interesting
specimen Of one of the early styles of build
s ing. Therei is portion of a house now stand
) ing in Marshfield, Mass, built by Peregrin
l. White, the first male child born Of Englisl
r parents in New England It is now used Al
e the kitchen of dwelling erected TO connect
r with it. The Craddock Mansion, in Medford
II Mass, was erected in 1854. Its walls, which
i are yet strong, are eighteen inches thick Thi'
Il seat of the old Governor is one of the mos
J. precious relics of antiquity in New England.
|. "A letter written by King Charles the Sec
ond, at Perth, and addressed to the Proves
i aud town of Dundee, thanking the inhabi
. tants for their loyal devotion to his house an(
! fortunes, was not delivered until 200 years afte
! it was written. Yet Perth is only one hour
p ride, now by rail, from Dundee. The posta
v communication of Dundee is considerably i'm
;, proved. The letter was only lately discovered
,, among the papers of the Wedderburu family
f 1t is now in the Charter Chest of Dundee.
v The New York Evening Mail gives on tn
: authority of peter Bayne, vino lives in Lon
t don and knows what is going on there" a ru
!. NOR to the effect that Miss Ingelow is about Il
. be married to Mr.. Robert Browning. II thi
!. be true we may certainly infer from Mr.
}. Browning's choice of a second partner that ex
a perience has taught him that a great poetes
Q may be a good wife. We are inclined to think
!. however, that the story will bear little doubt
= The sensational styles and melo-drsuat
o absurdities of many fthe most popular move
: and novelists of the day, are broadly oaricatu
d ed in Bret Harte's book, entitled "Condense
n Novels" which Carleton & Co. publish tn
:, week.
The learned Sir Samuel Baker remsrke
l. the other day that it was comfort to find tha
e after so many thousand pilgrims had been f
" centuries selling their clothes to enable the
to to prosecute their journey to the Tomb
Christ, that they had been kneciins at dir
lie spot which was now discovered not to
rs Christ's tomb at all. For centuries Sll sorts
i'll people had been to Jerusalem. It was on
G. lately that science had been there, snS Rcv
to know what it was that we saw which pilsrir
el never did.
Dy "A novel fog-bell and marine sgeal was c
{, hibted in New York on Saturday. Operate
III of the Western Union Telegraph CoihPs'
u' who tested it, transmitted signals and rness.
10 with accuracy and facility. 1t is olain'eo %
81 the sounds can be heard six mlie' throo'
foe. The whole apparatus is ''1p 'S S %
er, stguctiop, portable and can be paoNeu H.
ay- small compass