The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-08-24
Varieties.


"A blind negro boy in Louisiana has learn
ed to read by feeling over the inscriptions on
grave-stones. aH. fte.H..J 3 i.. .i.t .f.I
There have been many queer Verdicts rem
dered by coroners and other ju-ies since the
days of Shakespeare's "Crowner's 'quest;" but
none has exceeded, in originality and certain
grimness of humor, that rendered, not long
since, by a coroner's jury in Montana One
Hugh McElroy, miner, shot himself deliber
ately through the head with his revolver, while
lying abed, and a coroner's jury having been
duly called, and the affair investigated in form
by these gentlemen, they finally returned the
following verdict: "That the deceased COM, =,
mitted Suicide and that he did so in Sel-defence'
We continue to hear favorable reports
about the introduction of the silk culture in
California.
Hundreds of disappointed miners are re-
turning to Montana from Gallon River. pro-
nouncing the mines to be a humbug The
South Pass, or Sand Mountlin, and Green
River mines are reported to be very rich, but
almost deserted, ON account of tho Indian
troubles
Mrs. Benjamin Reynolds, of White Coun-
ty, Ind, recently looked out from the house
and said she saw calf up in tree. One of
the boys said it was deer, got his gun and
shot it. He shot it through the heart, and it
fell to the ground. when it was found to be a
lynx of large size. 1t measured over five feet
in length. Last Spring one was killed in the
same neighbourhood, and this one is supposed
to have been his mate. t.
"A committee of fifty-six persons, including
such distinguished names as Guizot. Chasse-
loup, Laubat, Drouyn de Lhuys, Henri Martin,
and Michel Chevalier, has been formed in Paris
for the purpose of organising new expedition.
to the North Pole. The route to be persued is
one discovered by French photographer, M.
Gustave Lambert, and has not yet been tried
by previous explorers. Ts ,..
During some experiments lately, in Eug-
land, to test the respective value of various
kinds of safety lamps, it was found that when
stream of gas was allowed to flow into-a box
in which the lamps were placed, sufficient to
surround them with an explosive atmosphere,
the Dayy lamps will explode the gas in nine
seconds, the Belgian lamp in ten, the Mozard
in ten, the Clanny in seven and ten, and the
Stephenson in seventy-fve seconds. The ex-
periments proved that none of the so-called
safety lamps can be depended upon when
coming in contact with strong current of fire.
damp. sH taaleut Fiaray ra
-On the first of January next Mr. George
p Putnam will revive Putman's Magazine.
1t is announced that the plan of the new ma
gazine will generally resemble that OF its pro-
totype, with the addition of new features,
that "and that IL will aim at a broad and gene
rous nationality, and an enlightened persuit of
all topics, whether of politics, society, art,
science or literature" The high reputation of
the old magazine is the best introduction for
the new.
The first four volumes of Maximil;an's
Literary Remains which, it is said, were pre-
pared for the press by the express desire of the
Emperor of Austria, have been published.
They contain description, in the form of
diary, of the travels of the Archduke eighteen
years old when he made his first Journey in
Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Alsiers'
between the years 1851 and 1853.
A correspondent of the London Star quietly
observes: "We have had so much looseness of
quotation amongst literary men Iately-Words-
worth for Keats in the Times, Kemble for
Moore in the Athen@um, &c.-that the Lord
Mayor may be excused for quoting as the
words of Edward Everett the finest sentence
ever uttered by that great orator Daniel Web
ster." The passage was from Webster's speech
of May z, 1884, defending the right of revolu-
ton.
"A German arrived at Lafayette, Indiana,
last Friday, who had walked all the way from
New York, following the tracks of the rail
roads. The strange journey lasted twenty-six
days. On being asked what object he had in
view, he replied, "To obtain employment"
"A couple in Worth County, Mo-, who had
been married year or t~o ago, considering
the job only half done on account of some
technicallties, were remarked second time
few days ago. They had witness at the
performance of the last ceremony not quite a
year old. ge -II Ca .t
"A few days ago it was reported by tele-
graph that the English prisoners in Abyssinia
whose hard fate had occasioned so much
anxiety, had been liberated from the hand of
King Theodore, by a band of native rebels,
who would probably release them ON moderate
terms. A later arrival, however, brings the in
formation that Theodore still holds many of
his prisoners. Consequently, the preparations
which have been begun at Bombay for an in
vasion of Abyssinia, with an army composed
partly of Sepoys, are still going forward, and
will not be delayed longer than necessary IL
is stated that the army of invasion viii COM
prise about ten thousand men, lnciuding an
unusual nronortion of artillery. Much doubt
ia selt in ENGLAND as to the praeticability of
s,ccasstp, invasion by an English army, on
occount of the difficult nature of the country,
and the want of influential and assailabls
centres: and the ultimate fate of the luckless
prisoners is still problematical.
The Chicago Tribune has letter from
Greece, probably written by DIR. S. G. Howe,
which gives later detailed intelligence in regard
the Cretan insurrection. Omar Pacha had ad-
vanced with large division toward the eieva-
ted defile in the interior, meeting Win no
serious opposition, while Mehemet Pacha mad
made n iunction with him from the other side,
at a considerable expense OF lite. Following
| this bowever. came the news that the guerril-
| ,as were Gathering about the Turkish army,
with some hope of cutting off Omar Pacha
| from his base and line of retreat. Moreover,
| the eastern part OF the island, apparently sub
dued, had given the Turks trouble, while the
| Turkish troops were becomming eisaffected
and the Egyptian allies malcontent The wri-
ter at the cate of this letter, Jnly 25th, thinks
that the war in Crete is by no means over, and
| doubts whether Turkey can stand the strain
on her resources involved in keeping there a
standing army of fifty thousand. Meanwhile
the atrocities of the Turks are more numerous
and blacker than ever before.