The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-03-26
Foreign Notes.

" wa Va 80
estimated the velocity of the Ocean-wave which
passed from africa, in Peru. across the Pacific Ocean
to Japan and China, at the time of the great earth
quake of August IS, 1858. His Investigations fur
nish data for determining the depth of the ocean,
as the depth is one element in the formula of the
velocity of a wave of translation. He finds that
the rate was from 2S4 to AT nautical miles per
hour ; and the mean depth between africa and the
Sandwich Islands was $3.50 feet, and 5000 feet
between africa and Australia. The eastern portion
of the Pacific is much the deepest
The British Almanac for 1870 contains some facts
of interest to Good Templars and others. 1t says
that there is expended yearly in the United King
dom, for drink and tobacco, more than q hundred
millions sterling $500. 000, Oe0.) The writer, DR..
Smiles, grounds his calculations upon Government
returns. Scotland imbibes whiskey at the rate Of
twelve gallons annually to each adult male. He
proposes to divide the earth into Z. drink zones"
viz: l, whiskey and brandy zone, including Scot
land, Ireland, and the North of Europe z, beer
zone, England and Germany s, wine zone, the
South of Europe 4, sherbet zone, Turkey and Per-
STA; 5. water zone, the tropics The. English con-
sumption Of beer is about a hundred and twenty
gallons yearly to each adult male.
The decisions of the New York courts are not
often of a character to command approval. but
Judge Barnard, recently, delivered one which can
hardly fail to meet with general commentator, and
we trust have a good influence here, where the
marriage relation with native females is too loosely
regarded. " Some years ago a young girl, living as
a domestic with a family named Brown, made the
acquaintance of a relative of her employer, who
offered her marriage. but objec@d going through a
formal ceremony. A few months after their ac-
quaintance began, he prevailed ON her to leave the
house where she was employed, took her to New
York, gave her a wedding ring and presents. intro
duced her as his wife, and lived with her as her
husband. In course of time a child was born to
them, but Brown falling in love with another
woman, abandoned the first girl, and repudiated
her claim of wifehood. He then married the second
woman, on which the first sued him for a divorce
and for alimouy. claiming that she was his lawful
wife, and that his alleged marriage with the second
woman was bigamous, and the connection aduIter-
Gus on his part. The court decided all the points
raised in favor of the girl, so that Mr.. Brown is just
now in rather an awkward fix, and will probably
pull up in the State prison. Judge Barnard's inter-
probation of the law in regard to the marriage con-
tract is not entirely new, though often overlooked
by parties DESTROYS of forming illicit connections.
1t is well to have the class of fast young men who
seek to enjoy the pleasures of matrimonial connec-
ton, without its responsibilities, understand that
when they call q woman their wife, and she accepts
the relation, the civil contract of marriage is thus
complete in the eye of the law. We are accustomed
to talk of :the social evil" only in reference to the
class of unfortunate women there is a still greater
social evil existing, in the persons OF the men about
town, who shun the obligations and ties of matris
mony in order to take advantage of the folly of
young girls. These are the parties who originate
and maintain 1.-THE social evil, !" usually SO called.
Tho rnap uh0 Dpou ON coniafu hu hafro win inavnn-
rieneed or necessitous girls, are the most mischiev-
GUS as well as the most odious feature of our social
system. They not only recruit the ranks of female
vice and disease, but populate the public relief
institutions and back slums of cities with unac-
knOwledged offspring. There is no future but mis-
cry and guilt for the woman betrayed and aban-
doned there is no life but that of the streets, the
cutters, and the prisons. for the neglected children
of such temporary unions. Any Interpretation OF
the law that helps to discourage Illicit relations
between the sexes, will be beneficial not only to
public morality. but to the material interests of So
ciety, and for this reason Judge Barnard's decision
will be generally commended"
A New York paper has the following remarks,
which all who know the reverend gentleman alluded
to will say aye to "With all Mr.. Beecher's faults, we
regard him as the greatest of living pulpit orators.
He has more imagination than Chaplin, more pathos
than Sturgeon, more force than HyacInthe. He is
as magnetic as was Somerfeld, and as earnest as
Wilberforce. Nature seems to have exhausted
upon him all the charms of oratory. In felicity Of
and fertility of illustration he is map
preached by any of his contemporaries, and though,
ike all impulsive and jealous men, he sometimes
makes grave mistakes, nevertheless, as a tribute to
MS splendid gifts and incessant labors, we feel justi-
led in uttering our Amen ~ to the increase in
MS salary.n -
In former years Nantucket whalemen frequented
mr. nOrt more than 0f late INIT instead Of fot1oU-
ng the sea, they are now scattered and settled in
almost every town and city throughout the world.
Their old home, however. still retains the same
anne it always enjoyed of being a remarkable
place for longevity Not long ago, a company of
I'D people assembled in Nantucket. " Fifteen per-
were present, two of whom were over ninety,
en- over eighty, and three over seyenty-seven {;
a total of 1853 years. The oldest of the /
was born just after the battle of Bunker
Hill, and some of them were the widows of men
Who commanded ships from London early in the
present century. The house in which they assem-
was built four years before the birth of Gen.
Washington" =
The manufacture of corn brooms might be car
led on here at the islands with great success, and
he foreign importation entirely superseded. To
ny purposing engaging in it, the following, which /
offices a really valuable and very simple invention,
nil possess interest: A Connecticut broom company
re now having manufactured for them a new arti- /
lie of corn broom, which it is claimed is the most
economical broom ever made. The broonis are
lade entirely distinct from the handle, to which
hey are afterwards attached by means of a long
on screw, and as they can be removed at pleasure
hen one wears out, another can be bought and
ttached to the same handle. The brooms are very
made, but without the handle can be
forded at less price than the oldfashioned article.
Improvements iD the manufacture of newspaper
to be made. The Mobile Register is now
rinted on paper made out of the okra plant. 1t is
7ident that with a material that can be grown in
most any part of the world at a very small cost,
rst class printing paper may be made cheap. We
ave often thought that wrapping and newspapers !.
light readily be made out of the bullrushes which
row wild in every part of this group. :
An accident which occurred lately in England =
Iggests a hint to architects. The monument of
ing Henry vi, in Westminster Abbey, was lately {
down and rebuilt, as it had become badly c
acked as if from the settling of the foundations. !
- - l---.-F AL.hA a. r1.,J 49, -no.o l