Year: 1868




England, at the age Of seventy-fVs
years.


Three new translations of Bancroft's
History of America are in course of
preparation in Germany-a conse-
quence of the extraordinary popularity
of the American historian and Embas-
sador in that country.


An Austrian, condemned to six years
hard labor, has made curious time
piece mostly from the refuse of his
rstions of rye bread. The clock indi-
Gates the hours, minutes, seconds, the
days and months of the year. The
hands are of wood, and the figures and
disl-plate Of straw; the rest, even to
the key is made from the crumbs of
bread. The only instrument employed
by the convict was a small pocket
knife.


For ornamentation electricity. is
coming into use. You may see at a
fashionable ball at Paris lady, on the
top of whose head sits butterfly or
humming- bird. The fly and the bird
futter their wings in the most natural
way possible. How is it managed ?
Why, within the chignon are concealed
small battery and minute Rhumkorff
coil. On the bosom of another may
be brooch with head upon it. the
eyes of which turn in all directions.
This, too, is accomplished by the use Of
battery and coli so minute IS to be
concealed within the brooch ITSELF


King Theodore it is stated, advised
his captains to attack the British by
night, but they declined, and descended
to their deaths by daylight Had
they obeyed they would have had a
new proof of the power which science
can bring to bear in aid of slaughter.
Sir Robert Napier had with him an
apparatus for employing the magnesium
light on a grand scale. At distance
of 600 yards a bewildering blaze of
light would have been thrown into the
eyes of the Abyssinians, and the Brit
ish, themselves ia impenetrable shadow,
would have shot down their enemies at
leisure.


At ladies, fair in Berlin one young
lady attracted host of customers BY
her witty answers, and sold her goods
at enormous prices and with wonderful
rapidity. An old gentleman, who was
quite fascinated by her, took heart and
asked her: "Tell me if you sell kisses,
too" "0f course" replied the young
lady. "What is the price Of your
kisses - GA hundred dollars apiece,
cash in advance" "Hsre are a hun
dred dollars" said the aged sdorer of
the lady. But instead Of the kiss he
expected he saw to his dismay that the
young lady kissed her little white hands
with her charming lips to him, amid
the loud cheers of the bystanders, and
then took the hundred dollars as coolly
as if she had sold something at very
low price. F


Napoleon and Josephine were din
ing alone, when the Emperor informed
her of his resolution to put her away,
Josephine of course fainted-a female
maueuver which alarmed his Majesty,
who Immediately summoned assistance
in the shape of Chamberlain de Baus-
set As the Empress continued imam
innate, Napoleon wishing to avoid a
scene in the palace, asked N de Bausset
if he we're strong enough to carry the
Empress into her apartments by back
staircase. The Chamberlain replied in
the affirmative, and took the Empress
in his arms; the Emperor went first
descending backward and holding JOS
ephine's feet When half way down
NJ de Bausset's sword got between his
legs and he clutched his precious, bur
den tighter whilst recovering himself
Great was his surprise when the Emp
ress whispered: 'FTake care, siryou are
squeezing me too tight"


A curious story told by the Mussul-
men of the Queen of Sheba is, that on
one of her legs grew some goats hair
The Ginns told Solomon that Balkis
had very hairy legs, and he consequent
ly wanted to see them and ascertain
the fact. He directed the Ginns to
build him palace, and to lay down in
front of it a pavement of crystal one
hundred cubits square. Upon this
pavement be ordered them to pour wa
ter, so that it might all appear to be
water. Then his ivory throne was at
his command, erected on the pavement,
and he took his seat upon it In order
to approach Solomon, Queen Balkis
raised her petticoats, least they should
be wet in passing through what she
supposed to be water of considerable
depth. The first step, however, con
vinnced her that the bottom was nearer
the surface than she had anticipated,
and so she dropped her petticoats, but
not before the great king had seen that |
the Ginns had malgued her, and that
the only blemish to her legs was three |
goats hairs; and these he was able to
remove by a composition of arsenic |
and lime, which was the first depilatory |
preparation ever employed. /