The Portland daily press., 1869-04-21

Gleanings and Gossip.
"A clergyman had taught an old man in
his parish to read, and had found him an apt
pupil. After the lessons had finished, he had
not been able to call at the cottage for some
time, and when he did he only found the wife
at home. "How's John?" 'He's canny, SIR
said his wife. "How does he get on with his
reading?' ''Nisely, sir" "Ah, suppose he
will read his Bible very comfortably now
"Bible, sirl bless You he was out of the Bible
and into the newspaper long ago. tia
1t is supposed that q complete set of
George Cruikshank's works is not to be found,
even in the British Museum. In his own pos
session there is not one half of what he has
done. Including his book illustrations Cruik-
shank has produced several thousands of etch-
ings. Although now almost eighty years of
age, he continues to draw and etch with una
bated power of hand and mind.
The famous "Beefsteak Club" in London,
has been dissolved. This club, consisting OF
twenty-four noblemen and gentlemen, who in
rooms of their own behind the scenes of the
Lyoeum Theatre, partook of five O'Clock din
ner of beefsteaks every Saturday from No
vsmber till the end of June, was founded in
1885, t..-.. .sff...
! Mr.. John Chamberlain, of Ellisburgh,
N. Y. has new machine for shooting crows.
1t consists of three gun barrels, so arranged
that one cap fires all. He places some earri-
on in the field, short distance from his barn,
brings the machine to bear on the point and
when crowd of crows have collected, fires.
With three shots recently he killed forty, for
ty-five and ffty-one crows.
1t is said that Maurice Sand, George
Sands only son, though as a writer by far in
ferior to his illustrious mother, manages to
make more money by his facile pen than the
aathor of "Consuelo" and Indiana"
"A correspondent of a Liverpool paper
urges the ladies to ''cut off three-quarters of
yard from the trails of their dresses and send
the cloth to the charity schools
"A good instance of epigrammatic quota
tion is recorded of Hamilton Reynolds, we'll
known as possessing, among other acquire
ments, an exceptionally great acquaintance
with Shakspeare's works. He was present at
Gore House, one evening, among number OF
distinguished men, and as the Countess of
Blsssington saw him to the door on his depar-
ture, she said, 81 understand, Mr.. Reynolds,
that you enjoy the reputation of being able to
give aShakspearean mot suitable to every oc-
casion? Come; what have you to say now?''
Madame" replied Reynolds, without a mo-
ment's hesitation, 81 take my leave
Under the shade of melancholy bonghs.'"
He boausd profoundly as he spoke, and went.
= "A thermometer which has been kept for
seventy-five years in the vaults of the Paris
Observatory, at depth of ninety-one feet be-
low the surface, has not varied more than half
a degree during the entire interval. II
"A Japanese letter-writer says that the
Grecian Bend has been fashionable in that
country for four centuries.
"A plan for cutting canal through the val
ley Of the Garonne, France, to unite the Med
itertansan and the Bay Of Biscay, is receiving
much attention and is favorably regarded
The cost of the scheme is estimated at $68, ,400,-
900 and to be possible Of accomplishment in
six years. The projected canal would be for
merchant and war ships of the largest size.
Dom Piatt who doesn't like Clark Mills,
writes: II heard good story of Mills. Dur
ing the war he wrote the Confederates offering
to cast cannon for them. The letter was pub
lished, and some time after Clark Mills called
on Stanton to ask the privilege of doing his
head. "My headr' said the grim secretary;
"yop had better look to your own, you hound.
have mind to put it in basket, and would
If you'd suffer any loss" al.y al.ef = cdo
LAS q result of that reaction which has been
going on for some time in England against ex-
elusive attention to classical studies in collegi-
ate training, it is announced that DR.. Butler,
the head master of Harrow School, is about to
establish there modern" department for the
benefit of boys, "for whom, for various causes,
an advanced classical training seems undesir-
able" This is significant move; for what
Harrow does, Rugby must also do, and after
a while Eton; and great modern" schools OF
science will supersede in a great measure for
the youth of the country the ancient uniyersl-
ties of Oxford and Cambridge.
A religious paper states that fashionable
clergyman, who recently went abroad for the
benefit of his health, was able to eat four
meals day on board the steamer on the pas
sage out, and cured ssa-sickness with brandy
and water.
-Parepa-Rosa makes her first public an
pearance after her long and painful Illness on
Thursday evening, in the Creation, at Stein
way Hall, New York. Mr.. Nordblom, a
young Swedish tenor, who has been studying
under Madame Rosa's direction, win then
make his first attempt before New York au-
dience. .lr fs Il 0N..la
q Rogers, whose little groups of statuary are
very nearly the best things which the plastic
art is giving us in this day, is engaged upon
new group representing Beeeher, Whittier
and Garrison, listening to the story OF fugi-
tive slave woman.
Mr.. Robert Dale Owen is at work ON
hook to be called "The Debatable Lsno Do
twa.n This World and the Next
-Tbe Cincinnati Commercial calls the IN
auouration speech of the President OF tne City
Council "a cowardly attack on the Enghsn
language. -,
chickens have snapped charges. The pullet
snreads her wings with cluck and covers the
baby cats, and the pussy protects her natural
victims. n
For the first time in the history of France,
a sailing vessel, a little fore-and-aft schooner,
is moored in the Seine, directly alongside the
Tuileries. Considering that Paris is so far
from the sea, the Seine so numerously bridged
and SO shallow, it is little wonder, perhaps
that excitable Frenchmen daily throng the
quays and bridges in her vicinity, in order 10
gaze at the wonderful stranger Even tne
Emperor and all the Imperial family have
paid visits to the tiny craft