The Portland daily press., 1867-11-09
Varieties.

-HI-4 Varieties.
1 The celebrated French philosopher, Blot,
observed the transmission of sound through
| the empty water-pipes of Paris, and found
| that he could hold conversation in a low
voice through an iron tube 9,12O feet in length
The lowest possible whisper indeed, could be
heard at this distance, while the firing Of
pistol into one end of the tube quencbed
lighted candle al the other. .. ... ..
Little Jimmie, only about ten years of
age, was standing on the steps of his father's
store, smoking cigar. A gentleman passing
asked him with surprise, "Why Jim, when
did you learn to smoke?' "Oh," sats the
Child, very coolly, when was little feller."
-Some gentlemen We're out pheasant shoot
ing at Pignenard, near Poissy, fifteen miles
from Paris. when they observed traces of wild
boars. They at once sent for bullets and went
in search of the nober game. and after some
hours pursuit, two of those destructive animals
were killed. 4i.. z.r .-.a
Papa" said little boy sought the mas
ter to fog me for what did not do?'' seer.
tainly not, my boy" said the father. swell"
replied the little fellow, "he did to-day when 1
didn't do my sum-"
Gen. Mcclellan, who is residing Temporal
rily in Paris, will not return to this country
until next spring. The General will then re-
sumo his former business as an engineer. He
tells his friends that he desires return to the
active duties of life, at he is still Young
man, and feels that he may have future be-
fore him outside the pale of politics.
--One of the popular amusements in Cor
stantinople is the telling of the ARABIAN
Nights" in the coffee-shops. These stories
serve them for sermon, drama, lecture and
minstrels; just "Homer" used to amuse the
Greeks In passing by the doors of some of
the coffee-shops you will notice a man stand
ing in the center of the room, telling the tale
while around him sic score or more of hsren-
ers, eagerly drinking in every word he utters,
and occasionally bursting out in a roar Of un-
comfortable laughter.
1t is not generally considered heinous
crime to steal umbrellas. An English paper,
however, tells OF person who had lost an UNI
brells, who found it few days afterward in
| conspicuous place on his premises, with the
| following inscription pinned upon it, "This
umbrallar has prade hon my koushens ever
sin stole him. w. r."
"A Brunswick journal denies that the
States of that Duchy have addressed a conf
dental communication, as some German let
tiers announced to the Government, to assure
the Incorporation of Brunswick with Prussia
in the event of the Dukes death
The farewell dinner given last Saturday
in London, to Mr. Charles Dickens, prior to his
departure for America, was very brilliant
affair Lord Lytton presided, and among the
stewards who oficiated on the occasion were ID
the following distinguished gentlemen: Earl
RUSSELL the Earl of Shaftesbury Lord Hough-
ton, Alfred Tennyson Mr.. Glad stone, Robert
Browning, Sir Roderck Murchison, Sir Ed
win Landseer. the Dean of st. Pauls, Profess
or Owen, A. III. Layard, Thomas Carlyle, vii.
kie Collins, John Forster j. A. Froude, Chas
Knight w. G. Macready, John Murray, b. w.
Proctor, Anthony Trollope, and the Lord
Chief Baron Kelly. Mr.. Dickens sails to-day.
The deaths from base ball violence num-
Der about one per month The last fatal casu-
atty of this nature occurred in Ottawa, Illinois
on Saturday. Henry Goudolf, aged fourteen,
while making ''home run" was struck by
ball in his groin, but under the excitement of
the moment, was unconscious of having BEEN
hurt. But the hurt soon became painful, and
on Monday he took to his bed, the symptoms
indicating internal rupture. He tngsed
until Monday evening, when, in spite of the
1T is fine thing, as some one observes, 20
be set down in great, ove,-crowded hotel,
where they do not know you. looking dusty,
and for the moment shabby, with nothing but
carpet bag in your hand, feeling tired and
anything but clean, and hungry, and worried,
| and every way miserable and mean, and TO un-
dergo the sppraising process of the gentleman
| in the Office, who, while he shoves the book
round to you for your name is making hasty
calculation as to how high up he can venture
| to doom you.
The recent woed-sawing tournament" at
| Lafayette, Ind, was a novel and exciting con-
| test The four contending mines" were es-
| corted to the place of trial by bands of music
and immense throngs of citizens, and the
progress of their work watched by thou
sands. The victorious nine completed their
| task-a cord of wood each--in three hours and
| forty-two minutes, and We're decorated with
red ribbons by their admiring young lady
| friends. At the close of the contest the saws
and horses were put mp at auction and sofa ior
sums ranging from three to fifteen doiiars anu
afterwards given to various poor woou-S""SviS
| about the town. All the proeeeoS VI '"o nON'
| including the sawed wood "p"
| draa doiIars in money, went to oeneVoient
/ T..a.,a,, The net results may be summed
.t,,s-tbirty-six cords of nicely sawed
ap "a seventy-two blistered hands, thirty-six
,.o,s hacks, and thirty-six pairs of sore legs
| The Lafayette (Ind.) Courier has fish
| story of bass in that city which had been
| scalded, dsemboweled, cleaned and placed in
a restaurant window, when all at once it ex-
hbted signs of lfe moved its fius as if in the
act of swimming, worked its gils as if breath
ing, and finally Topped over entirely, clearing
| the dish of every thing upon it. All this oc-
| Cured after the fish had been cleaned at least
| half an hour.
Greeley says that smoking is the "vilest
| most detestable abuse of his corrupted SEN
| sual appetites whereof depraved man is capa-
ble.' And yet Greeley tells us in his auto
biography that his mother smoked pipe.
| The Masons have done themselves honor
in recently denying to some Of Brigham
| Young's saints a charter for q Masonic Lodge
Some of the practices common in Utah arc
inconsistent with Masonic ideas.
| The North German Parliament mas unan-
mously requested the executive 10 pun oo"" =
public gambling throughout the eonieuer"''ou-
This makes IL certain that the establishments
80 w;oshoden. Homberg, Ems and Nunheim
will not be relcensed'