The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-10-29
Varieties.

In Louisville, the other night, a ballet
dancer named Kate Hayden advanced too
near the foot-lights, and in an instant her
gauze dress was in flames. Four other girls
were upon the stage at the time, but were too
much panic-stricken to afford assistance; in
deed, from the light material of their attire, il
would have been dangerous for them to have
done so. A gentleman in the audience had
the presence of mind to throw his overcoat
about the unfortunate woman, which in some
measure suppressed the fire. Miss Hayden
was removed to the green-room and a doctor
called, but she was so dreadfully burned that
it was thought impossible she could survive.
1t was scarcely a moment after the dreadful
calamity before the audience had regained its
composure and the light dances and jolly buff
foonery were proceeded with. In one room
lay the poor girl suffering the tortures of death.
while in the next the music and revelry went
ON with un&minished ardor.
"A naughty little boy, being told by his
mother that God would not forgive him il he
did a certain act, replied: "Yes he would-God
likes TO forgive little boys-that is what he is
for"
AT Erie it took justice of the peace, two
lawyers, six jurors and about twenty witness
es the whole afternoon to try a case in which Q
little girl, about nine years old had slapped
the face of playmate.
The big diamond in the end of Ole Bulls
violin bow was a present from the Duke Of
Devonshire, a deaf old gentleman, for
whose pleasure the violinist played half an
hour with string connecting the instrument
and. his hearers teeth, whereby the latter
heard the music.
The Maors Of New Zealand show a fine
appetite for Englishmen's brains, but utterly
decline to eat their legs.
The people of Minnesota will soon vote as
to abolishing the grand jury system.
The colored people of Washington have
erected the first monument to Thaddeus Ste
vens, in the shape of handsome schOolhouse.
"No tribute" says the Philadelphia Press,
"could have been more appropriate nor more
grateful to the venerable statesman, who al
ways deemed his labors in behalf of the COM
mon school system of Pennsylvania to be the
crown of his life."
The bull frog, according to Josh Billings,
is the boss of the puddle, and has log to sit
on, over on the other side of the puddle, and
talks to the rest of the frogs, way down in his
throat, so that you can't understand more than
half what he sez; he is generally cross, lazy
old devil, all over wartz.
Recently farmer in Minnesota wishing
to visit Rock Island, Illinois, with his family,
and not feeling rich enough. to pay for so many
passage tickets on the steamer, fitted up boat
with side wheel turned by crank, covered
it like an emigrant wagon, and made the long
journey most successfully in that way.
Judy says Lord Ambery, Earl Russelps
son, is like point---he has neither parts nor
magnitude, but has position"
I'm Boston Sunday School last Sunday
the question was asked, Where was Jesus
taken when he was arrested in the Garden?"
A little Miss answered Immediately. "To the
station-house." The teacher remarked that
there were no station-houses at that time,
when the juvenile corrected herself by saying,
81 meant the State Prison"
"A letter from Mr.. Livingston Stowe, dated
Mramichi, N. B., states that the salmon works
there are well under way, and that the average
stake" of ova is above fifty thousand a day. A
considerable number of the eggs have been
sold to the New Hampshire and Massachusetts
Commissioners for New England rivers.
An unclaimed express package was open
ed in Memphis the other day, previous to its
being sent to the sale of a quantity of such
bundles to pay expenses of transportation, and
found to contain twenty-five thousand dollars
in counterfeit fractional currency.
Experiments are being made at Antwerp
to fortify the river Seheldt by line of torpe-
does to be exploded by an electrical current.
The time for exploding them is to be determ-
med by camera obscura. When the ship ar
rives over the line of the torpedoes it will cast
an inverted image, and the electrical current
will then be applied. This novel method Of
observation was adopted for the defence of
Venice in tie late italian war The trials
succeeded perfectly, and are soon to be repeat
ed on a larger scale.
"A pleasant incident happened at the late
agricultural fair at Milford, Mass. A little
boy about eight years old, sou of Mr.. Eli Bates,
exhibited pair OF black calves, twins, not
over five months old, which were perfectly
broken to draw little blue cart which was
made for them. The little fellow, while ex-
hibiting his team, was made the recipient Of
"scrip" to the amount OF several dollars, by
gentlemen who witnessed his exhibition.
They nearly filled his hat with currency,
whereat he was so overcome with joy that be
cried, laughed, tried to talk broke down, and
finally ran away.
The Journal de Paris states that Hon.
George Bancroft has obtaihed iroih 'ne Aus
+n;o,, ,.o,,o,,,pent permission to search its
ouol,;,,os Cor documents bearing on the history
g g. r,adiatiou between the United States
"a ENGLAND attempted by the Emperor Jo-
senb III. of Austria and the Empress Catha-
rine of Russia during our revolutionary war.
Berger, the celebrated French lawyer, is
at present counsel for the United States, for
the ex-King of Naples, for Queen Isabella, for
the Emperor of Russia, for the Count de
Chambord, for the Bey of Tunis, for Baron
James Rothschild, and for the dethroned Duke
of Nassau.
The Saturday Review says that two things
are past denial: first, that the Briton loves be-
vond all other men to make speech; and sec
ondlv that beyond all other articulate speak
inc beings he is clumsy and incompetent in
the art.
A shopkeeper in England poisoned himself
Inv taking laudanum recently. The coroner's
;nrv returned the following verdict: "That de-
ceased died from misadventure, TO VIII, ir0u
the effects of laudanum, taken with the intent
Of frightening his mother, sister, ana wiie' so
os 10 produce a. better state OF ieehng ~ home'
opd not with the intent of taking away MS
life" .,
Admiral Farragut and his squadron werS
o,,oaotad 70 assemble at Gibraltar ON the 9Th
;sa, Tho United States Consul had written
90 Malta. expressing wish that the Admiral
should despatch an American ship of war to
MALAGA