The Portland daily press., 1868-03-18
VOrietieS.

The Loadon Quarterly Review makes the
surprising statement that the Instances are
rare in England in which, even among edu-
Gated persons, young men or young women
under five-ani-twenty know anything at all
either of what Sir Walter Scott wrote or of
what he did.
-Vicksburg is making an earnest effort to
rival Memphis 10 lawless ness. One negro ow-
ing another small sum Of money was met on
the street the other day by his creditor and
informed that he would be killed if he did not
pay in five minutes. The threat was carried
into execution, and the murder is mentioned
by the papers merely as a matter of common
occurrence
The retirement of "the head OF the House
of Somerset" the Duke of Beaufort, from the
turf, greatly troubles the sporting gentry In
England. 1t is generally given out that the
Duke wants the money invested in his horses
to work the mines on his estate. As it Is said
he realized twenty thousand pounds sterling
by his bets during the last sporting season, 1t
will be allowed that he retires at q prudent
moment
An essayst, whe evidently knows some-
thing of hnman nature, earnestly insists upon
the duty of feeding the poor, before attempt
ing to make them better. 1t is difficult, he
says, for iamished man to believe that there
is Father in Heaven until he feels that ho
has brothers on earth; is it surprising, then,
that religious truth should fad more indiffer-
ence than welcome among the hungry and
haf-nourished? Every one knows how un-
amiable even the best-fed are liable to become
if kept too long waiting for their meals, and
how inaccessible they are at such times to ap-
peals which, after dinner, meet most gracious
response.
A newspaper printed at Tuscon, Arizona,
| on the 18th OF February, says: "The gardens
about town are fast assuming their livery Of
| green, and the grass is springing up. Our
winters here, however, are merely nominal, as
there has not been day during the past one
but that vegetables fresh from the gardens.
such as beeis, turnips, radishes, onions and
| cabbages, could be readily obtained"
Among the documents now being classif.
ed in fresh order at the Archives of France
are the celebrated registers of the Bastile.
| These books are of three kinds. The first con-
tanned the name and quality Of each prisoner,
the number of his cell, and the list of his
clothing and personal effects. The second
contained an account of the expenses OF each
prisoner, and was examined by the minister
every three months. The third series consist.
ed of large iolios, in seven columns, contain .
ing the name and history OF each prisoner.
An American traveller, in a commuuica-
tion to the editor of the London Standard,
says: Ignorance is power with you. hon
Ored your letter of Introduction, and on re-
marking to your friend at the Bunker Hill
Monument, There is where the great Warren
| teli,' with eye-glass balanced, he said, Hurt
him?' profane bystander, disguised, said,
| Hell! it killed him. Your Junior editor, at
the Reform Club, said TO me one day, You
| may know q brother of mine in America
| As he gave me no locality, 1 said, was ao-
| quainted at Washington, Philadelphia, New
York and Boston. In wnat part of America
is your brother?' In Wio Janeiro' L told
him 1 did not remember him, and that he
must have removed"
The Troy Times states that Walter Brown
| of Portland has been for some time in that
city experimenting the construction of pa
per boat Tor himself, which is to be a single
scull, and viii weigh, fully rugged, only tweL-
ty-five pounds, A model OF racing boat for
Mr.. Brown is also under way. 1t will be thir-
ty-five feet long and ten inches wide, and its
weight is not to exceed twenty pounds.
"A humorous apothecary in Boston exposes
a case of soap in his show-window with tho
pertinent Inscription, "Cheaper than DIRT
Christopher Columbus is not the only
great historical parsonage just now candi'
date for the houors of denomination. scheme
il being discussed in high quarters for making
n saint of Joan dare. The successor Of the
nrelate who condemned her to the stake is
sa;a 10 favor the proposition.
The feast of the Epiphany is bathing day
i, Russia, but it comes at a very inconvenient
season of the year. At Kazan the curious
spectacle of the whole population plunging in
to the river when the temperature is at the
freezing points annually witnessed by q large
assembly of Tartars
The competition Of prison labor win r.s re
working classes Is securing attent3n "a
rope as well as in America: IN E.ussai .; ~
present, a monster petition Is pelng sgneu ~
he neonIe against the competition OF convict
labor with private industry