The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1880-03-06 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

INCREASE OF THE AUSTRIAN ARMY  IN THE TYROL.  The Vienna correspondent of the Muss, under date Feb. 13th, says: Reports have been circulating that this Government intends increasing the military force in Southern Tyrol. The facts are these: In consequence of the partial mobilisation in 1878, the distribution fixed since 1870 of the troops had everywhere been more or less disturbed. To the extent that the effective of the troops of occupation in Bosnia has been reduced, the troops withdrawn have been sent back to their former garrisons. Several battalions taken from the Tyrol to form part of the army of occupation have hitherto not been replaced, but this will now be done. They will thus complete the effective of the troops in the Tyrol, in conformity with the permanent distribution decreed in 1870, bringing the numbers there up to the same point as before the mobilisation in 1878. The measure Is purely military, and would have been carried out irrespective of the Italia lrredenta. Of course, it will afford an additional guarantee in case of any attempt to create a disturbance on the frontier, of which, however, there is not the remotest indica tion,—iind little a' pprehension, the Italian Government exercising the greatest vigilance in this respect, and having full means of preventing any incursion from the Italian frontier. Italy bas, in fact, a special organisation for the service along the frontier, the Clacciatori Alpini, of whom there are are ten battalions, at their full war effective of 250 men per company, permanently distributed along the frontier line of the Alps, five battalions along the French frontier, one *long the Swiss, and four along the Austrian frontier.  A GENTLEMAN seated in the stalls of a theatre, who was afflicted with remarkably long ears, overheard the jocular remarks of a neighbouring young man to another, which were by far too loudly expressed. The proprietor of the ears turned round thereat sharply and said, "Sir, it is this my ears are very large indeed for a man, but yours are very small indeed for an ass."  --BIGGLBS, a queer genius, had made frequent promises to his friends that he would put an end to himself. One stinging cold night be vowed he would go out and freeze to death. About eleven per. he returned shivering and snapping his fingers. " Why don't you freeze?" asked a loving relative. "By Jove!" said the pseudo suicide, "when I freeze I mean toilet's a warmer night than this for it!" ,•• 'SHERIDAN agreed with Walker that the pronunciation of wind should be wynd, but insisted, contrary to Walker, that gold should be goold. Sheridan tells us that Swift used to jeer those who pronounced. wind with a short 1, by saying, "I have a great minn'd to finn'd why you pronounce it winn'd." In illiberal critic retorted this upon Sheridan by saying," If !may be so boold, I should be glad to be toold why you Pronounce it goold." , WHIM a heavy sea runs high, would you'eapect a light house to be brought low? What sort of tuneMece is the dog watch? Do rats avoid the eathead ? When a sailor tips his hipper, does his money change hands? Of what build is the tug of war? 'When sailors are right out at sea, can they be wrong in the main? Would you say a seaman given te marine proverbs and deep sayings was fond of a sea-saw? Is the ship's waist the proper place for her stays? In hugging the shore does a vessel lay hold of a neat of land? Are Mother Oarey's chickens kept in the hencoops under the hatches? A CHARAOTERISTIC traitof Indian bill character is quaintly depicted in the following narrative. An officer stationed in a bill district lately visited a town, and while there made some purchases, attended always by a wild creature of the mountains, whom he entertained as a personal servant. In the course of the day he went into a shop to buy a small but expensive article, and, on going outside, when at some distance from the door, the bill-man, with all due respect to his master, produced from his waistband a new cigar-case, which he begged the Englishman to accept. "Where on earth did you get it?" asked the master. "Sahib," he replied, "I saw that infernal dealer was taking advantage of your softheartedness, and it went to my soul to notice how little you got for so many rupees; but, Providence be thanked, I got the chance, when he was-not loorfig, ifon of a thief !"  A