The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-04-17
News and Other Items.

The grand jury of Caroline county, Maryland,
has been unable to find any indictment against
Fred May or James Gordon Bennett relative to
their duel.
In case of a European war, Gen. Sherman
wants some of the young army officers sent over
there to serve as volunteers on the command
lug generals stats, and see how they do
things.
In delivering lecture in Dorchester one
night last week, Mr.. Cough remarked that he
had not spoken there since 1S43, when he deliv-
cred three lectures, for which he received nine
dollars, and special contribution of seventeen
dollars from the ladies to buy a cloak, of which
he was in urgent need.
The latest dodge of the whiskey thieves to
cheat the government, is to place glycerine in
the barrels. the effect of which is to reduce the
proof from four to five per cent. Molasses has
heretofore been used for this purpose, but it
discolors the liquor and leaves taste, which
glycerine docs not. By simple process Of dis
tillation the glycerine can be thrown off, and
no traces of it left.
A dealer in American antiquaries got himself
into trouble in an Iowa town the other day. He
sold five pairs of Washington's only breeches
in the same town, then missed train, and the
five different torical societies, running around
and Boosting, discovered what he had done be-
fore he could get away. But he compromised
by taking four pair of breeches back, and issu-
ing in lieu thereof the club that Captain John
Smith killed Pocahontas with, the skin Of the
wolf that Israel Putnam killed in the den,
Ethan Aliens pocket testament, and the raw
end Of the swear that George shot Off at Gen.
oral Loo at Monmouth. Than tranquility was
restored in Observation-Disclosures.
The benign blassinoa enta;lod NJ oon,o H.
lish laws are curously illustrated by an incident
related by the London correspondent of the
New York Times: "Mr. Ward Braham, the
brother Of the Countess Waldegrave, died sud-
denly the other day at his beautiful residence.
View Island, on the Thames. There is an old
law that carrying corpse over any plot of land
or through any place or passage creates a right
of way. A neighboring landowner barrcaded
his property against the passage of poor Bra
hams remains, which had to be taken some
miles roundabout to the adjacent churchyard. !"
The ten yesr old son of Lieut.. Gen. Sherman
is developing taste for the profession of arms
Bis only toys are guns, trumpets, swords and
drums, and, young as he is, he knows the name
and station of every extraordinarily, cav
airy and artillery-in the army; he knows the
rank. actual and by brevet the name and sta
ton of every officer, down to the youngest
lieutenant. West Point is the object of his
hopes, and he is thought to be seriously exer-
cised lest his cousin, George Miles, should so
effectually quell the Northwestern troubles as
to leave him no chance to strike blow.
The Western Unionstelegraph company have
planned to mark the exact hour of noon in New
York, by dropping large time-ball from its staff
high over their building, and in position to be
seen from the shipping in the harbor. The
exact moment Of noon will be indicated in New
York by telegraph from the United States naval
observatory at Washington. while the move.
ment of the ball will be recorded by an electri-
cal apparatus to serve for comparisons. which
may secure exactness. The apparatus is mar.
ticularly valuable in sea-ports and the COM
pany are prepared to introduce it, and also to
distribute the noon signal wherever the neces-
sary expenses are paid.
At the Plymouth church prayer meeting
Friday night, Mr.. Beecher cautioned bis people
against too great dependence on emotional
religion. People sometimes felt like Christians
when they got warmed up in church or prayer
meeting, but there was almost always a rsac.
ton. Such persons were like ship alternately
raised and lowered by the tide. Emotions never
ias1eo long, and were generally succeeded by
corresponding depression. One constant aow
OF feeling was a sign of insanity, A we'll.
mated married couple spent more time ,v;thon+
feeling than in feeling. They might love- Zach
other ever so much, but the demonstration of
this love was comparatively rare. Lincoln was
a patriot, but he didn't 90 about saying, 81 love
my country" from morning till night 1t was
far more important for men to do their duty
than to aim at acquiring this gushing force.
Feeling could not be produced by yolition