The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-26
Varieties.


The ex-Queen of aples, whose death was
recently announced and who received the
usual obituaries, is not at all dead. It was
the x-Kings mother, the queen-dowager, and
widow OF Bomba, who died, and hence the
mistake, for which the Atlantic cable is res
ponsble.
The Alton ull.) Democrat says: "The best
judges of river matters say that there is now
more danger than ever that the channel of the
Mississippi will make its way permanently be-
hind the island opposite Alton. If anything
is to be done to prevent such a calamity prompt
action is necessary. There ere bars enough in
the city, without having our levee made useless
ty them.''
Little Georgy has a habit, after being un-
dressed for bed, of playing with his toes. This
Psychological amusement has heen forbidden by
his mamma. His disobedience in this regard
caused him to be threatened with severe
whipping in case of his violating the COM
mand. Under this privation Georsy introduc-
ed the following sentence into his nightly rem
dering of the Lords Prayer: "Please Dod,
make mommer let Georgy play with his toes,
and deliver us from evil"
M. Ch. Blondeau lately submitted three
sensitive plants to the influence of the electric
current. The first was operated ON for five mi
nutes; the plant when left to itself seemed
prostrated, but after a quarter of an hour the
leaves opened, and it seemed to recover ITSELF
The second was acted upon for ten minutes.
This specimen was PROSTATE for an hour, after
which it slowly recovered. The third specimen
was galvanized for twenty-five minutes, but it
never recovered, and in twenty-four hours had
the appearance of plant struck by lightning.
fourth plant was etherized, and then expos
ed to the current. Strange to say, the latter
had no effect, the leaves remained straight and
open; thus proving, says NJ Blondeau, that the
mode of contraction of the leaves of the sensi-
tive plant is in some way allied to the muscular
contraction of animals
DIR. S. G. Howe writes from Greece to the
Boston Advertiser that the cause of the
Greeks has greatly suffered from the sentiment
tai enthusasmof Philhellenes who have flock
ed to Athens from all parts of the world, talk
ing nonsense and doing mischief. In the days
of the first revolution there were more of them
than in the receGt periods of trouble 1t used
to be common question among the natives,
on the arrival of new Philhelene, "well,
where is he cracked?" Byron was among the
few who showed good sense and disposition for
practical work. He discarded sentiment, and
went in for action. Col. Stanhope and most of
the others were full If "glory and Greece" and
wanted at once ito set mp literature and re-
vive the old glories;' Byron said, "the Turks
are coming down upon Missolonghi; let us
first take measures to repcl them" "But at
least we must have a newspaper" said Stan
hope, como, give me a Greek motto for mine.'
"Welf" said Byron, "sinee you will have pa
per, which the people can't yet read, here is n
suitable motto from Seripture-'To the Greeks
foolishnessP" Dr. Howe echoes the wish of
hard-headed Greek some years ago: "Alasl
wish we never had had any glolious old ances-
tocs." a41 lfla EU
AS illustration of the maxim that
speech is given us TO disguise our thoughts,
may be quoted recent remark of the Satur-
day Review: "Among," it says, "the nume-
rous interpretations of the Emperor Napole-
on's recent speeches, the theory that he means
what he says is not the least plausible" The
journal evidently thinks, by its mode of stating
the matter, that this theory is very bold one.
"A curious document has made its appear
ance in some of the Paris papers, 1t is copied
fron the Collcordia, a journal published in
0rizaba, Mexico. 1t is q receipt for 50 PA,
given by hairdresser of Pueba for services
rendered in decking out the late Emperor and
Empress Of Mexico for ball given to them in
La Puebla, The two thousand odd dollars
was paid ont of the Mexican treasury by order
6f the French eommandant of the place! OF
course it is in the Liberal journals that this
curiosity is reproduced
"A correspondent writes: "Would you like
to hear how the men Of young France and
young England dress at Baden? L viii tell
Won in a few words. Their clothes are so
tight that il thev once get wet they must be
dried before the fire and removed by a scalpel
or when in natural state pulled off by pin
GERS They are, as was once said Of the island
OF England, nice little. tight little people, and
] should say were gradually reducing their
tailors' accounts by cutting their coat and
therefore their cloth.7
"A correspondent of the New York Times
relates an amusing incident as having occurred
at st. John, N. b.. on the arrival of the cham
pion rowers from the Paris Exposition. The
steamer that brought them over also had Com
modore Mutt and Minnie Warren as passen-
gers who had arranged to make a triumphant
entry into st. John in their goat carriage, and
a board plank was laid that they might drive
ashore in state. The hustle occasioned by this
proceeding gave the impression on shore that
the oarsmen were landing. The crowd cheered
and opened, the procession fell in, and the band
struck mp "See, the Conquering Hero Comes
with all the power of brass, in the midst oil
which the pigmy goat carriage ratified on, and
bowed
and kissed his hand, not doubting for mo-
ment that it was all meant for him.