The Portland daily press., 1868-08-25
Varieties.

"A curious gathering took place at Greg0-
ry's Point, Connecticut, on the 30th ult. The
occasion was a cam-bake, to which no guest
was invited who did not cause the scales to
kick the beam at two hundred pounds avoir-
dupois. And these heavyweight champions
were all to be from Fairfield county. There
were present no less than thirty mine men,
the lightest of whom weighed 200, and the
heaviest 315 pounds, while the combined
weight of the thirty-nine was 8,766 pounds.
The number of clans eaten by this formida-
BILE party is unfortunately not given.
The late Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt was
mother of thirteen children and grandmother
of forty.
A Schafhausen tavern keeper has in his
room, in nice frame, a board bill which Lon
is Napoleon has owed him for thirty-nine
years.
AN apparatus for rescuing persons from
drowning is described as "long, tough, ash
pole, with hooks of galvanized iron that can
be inserted in the mouth, nose or eyes" Who
wouldn't be rescued!
One of the descendants of Martin Luther
is manager of provincial theatre in Wur-
temberg.
On the 18th instant singular tidal phe-
California. A series of waves commenced
flowing upon the coast, causing the tide to rise
sixty-three or sixty-iour feet above the ordina-
ry high water mark, which was followed by
the falling of the tide an equal distance below
the usual low water mark The rise and fall
occurred regularly every. hour for several
hours, creating considerable alarm among the
inhabitants along the coast in that vicinity
The phenomenon is attributed to some subma-
rine disturbance.
The Springfield (Ohio) Republican says a
little child fell into a well in that city few
days ago, and sick man near, hearing the
noise, sprang out of bed, descended The rope,
and brought the child up in safety.
The following is all the fashionable per-
sonal intelligence we are able to give in this
issue. We can vouch for the absolute correct
ness of this information: Miss simpkins is at
Newport tor the season. Mrs. Pod is at Sara
toga. Miss Shippers is at Plymouth. Mrs
Jones is at Rye Beach Mrs. Snooks is at Ma
hant in her own "eot" Miss Featherfy is at
Swampscott. Capt. Winkers is at the top of
Mount Washington. Wigsby is at home, third
story, back flight. Budkins is at Hampton
Beach Col. Brassphiz is at Long Branch,
and, as usual, drawing his long bows. Nude
is up the spout-a fine watering-place on occa-
sion.
Here are three epitaphs to wives. The
first was by Pope, for hich he received TWEEN
ty pounds:
-She was-but words are wanting to say what;
Think what wife should be, and she was thatl"
The second is on tombstone in Springfield,
to the memory of Mary, wife of Ebenezer
Holyoke, who died in 1887:
"She vt lyes here, was while she stood,
A very glorie of womaphoode;
Even here was sowne most pretious dust,
Which surely shall rise with the just"
The third is witty and wicked but perhaps
true. 1t is in Psre Ia CAaise:
"Ci git ma femme c'est bien,
Pour son repose, ct lie mien~
DIR. Bellows's book, "The Old World in its
New Face" is reviewed by the. New York
World under the title of 'wool-g g3therings OF a
Wandering Preacher" DR.. Bellows returned
to New York on Tuesday last. esr m
The Saratoga correspondent of the Boston
Post writes: "You remember, my dear Colonel,
q STOPPING habit that prevailed among the
fashionable women-chiefy girls-of twenty
years ago, which was entitled the 'Grecian
Bend Well, it has come again, and is really
painful to behold. Nick calls it, with singular
felicity, the 'cholic stoopr~ why don't they
try peppermint lozenges?' inquiries Nick COM
passionately, it might help the poor things"
The barbarous practice of Furnishing dead
bodies is, it seems, not yet done away in Eng
land. A late Liverpool paper contains an ac-.
count of two young girls aged respectively 10
and 10, servants in the family of Mr.. Haw-
ri uh ho # inaua al
conduct, committed suicide by drowning them
selves. The bodies of the two unfortunatss
were found some days after, closely locked in
each others arms. A coroners Jury found
verdict of tslo de Sc, whersupon, says the pa
per before us, "the coroner made an order for
the two girls to be inferred in the parish
church yard between the hours of nine and
twelve at night, ,oithout Christian burial"
The Pope has decided to invite Napoleon
to his grand council but he hesitates about the
emperor OF Austrra wnom many OF tina nardi-
mails and prelates have united with the Jesuits
in urging him to exclude. This faction regards
the emperor of Austria as communicated;
but the Pope sees difficulty in inviting to the
council the "very Christian" and passing over
the apostolic" potentate.
The editor of the Revolution, writing from
the home of Secretary Seward at Auburn,
says: "Among Mr.. Stewards guests we were
happy to meet Charlotte Cushman, who has
recently returned from Europe. She is wo-
man of imposing presence, has a large heart,
benevolent face and most genial manners.
She was richly dressed in black and white
silk, and her grey hair was tastefully arranged
without dye or head dress. 1t is great step
towards freedom when woman has the right
10 grow old and feels herself no longer bound
to seem young when she Is not.
Somebody who has been to Fort Mack
,n.w writes thus to Chicago paper Of that
STRONGHOLD: @The fort is a massive work, with
A tight stone wall in front and board fence in
the rear, behind which is an emiuence that
commands the interior. In case of attack the
intention is to let the enemy capture the fort,
then the garrison will retreat to the eminence,
and proceed to she'll out the enemy. Taken all
in all. tits one of the most ingenious traps ever
constructed save, perhaps, the celebrated Pc
tarsbpro mine This fort is garrisoued by
battalion of soldiers Their duty Is onerous.
T, consists in ceaseless vigils to guard against
the approach of British gunboats, and in row.
ing and sailing on the lake. Twice OF three
times a week the officers have to come down to
the hotels and dance These duties, and that
of drawing their pay, are portion of what
has to be done by theveterans who guard Fort
Mackinaw"
Fruit puddings are in season now. Here
il q receipt for sauce for which every 'sus
reader Of the Press ought to thank US
"A cup of sugar, and little less 'nan
half the quantity of butter, worAeu 70
gether till white and smooth, aod WINE
glass of good wine, flavor WIN nutmeg
and stir in boilng milk till the wnoie is OF inc
consistency of thick cream. Send it to the ts-
.uba served