The Portland daily press., 1867-09-19
Varieties.

tnOple, under the presidency OF tne sultan,
His Majesty spoke in favor Of the construction
of railways throughout the Turkish Empire.
The concession for a line TO Belgrade was APP
proved and granted to the Servian Company,
and the only point to be settled is the State
guarantee. e
1t is assei ted that Charles Kingsley comes
here to make muscular Christians out of
Brown and Hamill, who are at present mere
musclemen.
The New York World Of Monday says:
"Mr Beecher did not preach yesterday as was
expected He is still in the country twanging
his slight catarrh."
The Pail Mall Gazette says: "A paragraph
has appeared in several of the weekly journals
to the effect that Mr.. Dickens IS in SO bad
state of health that he has been ordered en-
tirely from literary labor, and that his cOntem-
plated visit to America is to be undertaken
principally with the view of restoring his
health The industrious paragraph-monger has
evolved this frem his inner consciousness, the
sole ground for the rumor being that Mr..
Dickens has been suffering from an inflamed
foot, to complete the cure of which Sir Henry
Thompson insisted ON his giving up all exer.
sided, and Mr. Dickens is in perfect health"
"A woman was arrested few days ago in
Albany on charge OF vagrancy Her state
ment was, that while she had been blessed
with four husbands, there are none left to her
now. The first had his neck broken in an at
tempt to cross the Isthmus. The second was
killed in some of our wars, but which, the wife
does not recollect The third died Of cholera,
and the fourth would have been in the front
during the late rebellion had he not lost his
life in attempting to jump the bounty" The
woman had had so many husbands that she
could not, "for the life of her" remember the
name of but one of them.
The way they sprinkle the streets in Vien-
na is odd and decidedly slow. An immense
hOgshead is mounted on four wheels, filled
with water, and drawn by pair of horses. To
the rear end of the hogshead is attached q
leather hose provided with common
sprinkler. As the cart moves slowly along, a
man, walking behind, shakes the sprinkler to
the right and left by means of cord attached
to il. .......-.
john G. SAKE, writing of what he saw in
Europe, says: "I saw more pretty girls in Dub
I'm ehoh IN A4Ohuoh, Shu MANY hiViC Au A<ch-
don that in Paris. The sweetest voice ever
heard in conversation came from German
woman who sold beer and biscuits In the sub
urbs of Gotha, with smiles benignant enough
to turn cakes and ale into ambrosia and nectar.
saw good deal of peasantry in many coun-
tries, and thought the Irish the most, and the
Roman the least attractive of all had the pri-
vilege to study"
-PhOtoperipatetigraph, q long name, which
would have puzzled the peripatetic philoso-
piers, is applied by Mr.. GOebel of Missouri to
his contrivance to be used in our-doot photo
graphy. 1t is a dark closet on two wheels,
which contains all the apparatus required by
the photographer who wishes to make pii-
ture of parade. A full description OF it may
be found in the Philadelphia Photographer for
September. ....
AT recent meeting of the California Aca-
denny of Natural Sciences, Mr. Mystrom read
paper on the formation of Table Mountain. He
maintained that it was the produ It of AN aero
lite coming in contact with the earth A little
half formed planet, soft inside, had fallen down
there and fattened out, like an egg falling
upon the floor. This new theory excited con-
siderable remark and some amusement among
those present. 1t is stated that opposite the
Golden Gate-the entrance to the bay of San
Francisco-there remain the stumps ofredwood
forest trees, which are of extraordinary size.
One measured over ninety feet in circumfer-
ence four feet from the ground, and must have
been one of the most remarkable trees that have
ever been known.
During the "Black Hawk war" the inhabi-
tlnts of the little town Of l. were one
morning alarmed by messenger on horse
back, in hot haste, bringing the intelligence
that the great chief and his warriors were en-
camped ON the Kankakee, some thirty miles
distant. The "milingtary" were orderad under
arms, and due preparation made to receive
him-or rather, to arrest his progress. Major
P, feeling himself not exactly posted re-
specting the enemy, sought information of one
of his brother officers in this wise: "Cap'en,
which of the linens are the most savage, the
hostile ones or them that go ON ioot?" The
"Cap'en" impaired the requisite information,
and expressed the hope that the Major might
not be caught and kept as hostage by the much
deprecated "Hawk" before mentioned.
"A Milwaukee pork packer who filed his
barrels with salt aud sand, is going to rest
from his labors, in the State Prison, for three
years. -
Musical critics say that Jenny Lind's voice
is now little better than a wreck.
The Chicago Post asks if "Radicalism" is
dying out, what must have been the condition
of the Copperhead Conservatism for the last
five years?
There is no word in the English language
80 much abused as Professor" 1t sounds well
used to distinguish the calling of man of in
tellect, but when assumed by peders of soap,
music and legerdemain, it weakens even ther
pretensions.
"A barn one hundred and four years old
was torn down at Gilmanton, N. H., the other
day. When erected there were but seventeen
families residing in the town. all the members
OF which were present at the raising.
The Ecumenical Council called oy inc
the Pope, to be held in 1868, will be the twen-
tieth co,,ncil of that kind held by the catholic
church. ,..-....r
IT ia asserted that the Russians have con-
..;,,a1 means of saving the power lost by aI-
80, hralees to cars on steep descent and
,,s;n,, n when the train ascends grade.
The new weekly Journal of the Harpers is
IN be caifeu EIdtpcI bdAasti, anu IL ueScftDcu
as a depository of Fashion, Pleasure and In
struction." 1t is to be fashion magazine, and
will be illustrated to profusion with fashion
plates.
Amongst Lord Eldon's humorous answers
to applications for prefermcnt should be re-
membered his letter to DIR. Fisher, of the Char
terhouse; on one side of a sheet of paper,
@Dear Fisher, cannot to day give you the
preferment for which you ask. Iremain your
sincere friend, Eldon. Turn over; and ON the
other side, 81 gave it to you yesterday" This
note reminds of Erskine's reply to Sir John
Sinclair's solicitation fog subscription to the
testimonial which Sir John invited the nation
to present to himself. On the one side of
sheet of paper it ran, "My dear Sir John, am
certain there are few in this kingdom who set
a higher value on your services than myself
and have the honor to subscribe" ON the 9TH
er side it concluded, myself your obedient
faithful servant, Erskine."