Miscellanea.

A Peophecy. — Our readers may remember that some time ago we noticed the ravings of a poor man, who had been trying to persuade the people of Auckland that he was gifted with the power of prophecy. This same individual was lately in Nelson, and we conclude that he is the author of tho following effusion, copied verbatim et literatim by the Marlborough Press, from a manuscript issued at Wakamarina: — Wakamarina, M&rlborough, New Zealand. February 4th, A.D. 1866. News by The Berealation Telagraph. May I make it known, unto the English Colonies That England, are a goiu to War. With the united States of Atnariea. and England are a coin to take France as a Wallrfn Cane, and that Cane are too Heavy, for the purse of England, to support, in a Long and Bloody War. and in fire jean time, England Will be Foverized and This Will be the Complete Downfall of England, and England and Franoe $fay not Think That the Good QoD, of The Prophets. Will Deliver up The Amarican People in to Their handa, and so they hard Better Stayed The War. and so I do fore Warn All The English Colonies PrePare For War, for War, are cloat at hand With a Powerful foe. Btop The shipping off Gold and keep it in the Colonies and and Move all the Treasures out from sea Ports, in order That The enemy.s great guns May not be come Master of Them. Lookout. A Friend to The World. J. W. M. Professor. The coming- Debby.— The London correspondent of Belts Life in Victoria, writing on the 26th of December, says — "Already the metallic barometer at Albert-gate betokens that some well-known names in the list of Derby favourites are scarcely so' " serene "as they might be ; while others, that for some time had been struggling in the cold shade of disregard, seem likely now to make for themselves a' name in equine history. As to Lord Lyon, the favourite, opinions differ much : some maintain that ' he will turn out the G-ladiateur of 1866, and will come in alone when the great race over Epsom Downs is at an end; while others vow that 'he'll always crack at the end of a mile.' Time must decide when ' doctors disagree.' Lord Lyon's late stable companion, Rustic, is in great force, and of the two, has been backed for the larger amount at Tattersall's of late. Both are nominally at the same figure, Bto 1 ; but you can't get these odds about Rustic, 15 to 2 being the highest offer against him on Monday last. John Day's second string, Blue Riband, belonging to the Marquis of 'Hastings, is also much fancied, and with the line the stable has got as to almost every animal that we have seen as yet through one of the above, Mr. Pitt, or Jack-in-the-Green, the Danebury favourite — whichever that may be upon the day — cannot fail to be very dangerous. Student keeps very firm at about 10 to 1, but one can hardly see how, from his public performances, he merits the position he holds, and were it not for the great prestige attaching to the names of Mi\ Merry and Mat Dawson (to say nothing of the very material support always afforded by the former to his winter favourites) there is little qnestion but that he would not maintain his ' pride of place.' Some swear he'll turn out a second Liddington, but then again memories of Thormanby and Dundee, of Buckstone and Scottish Chief, flit across our minds, and we think it will be safer not to be too heavy against the colt that Mat Dawson tells his friends is ' the best he ever trained in his life.' Lord St. Vincent's colt, Redan, is looking up again, and Baron Rothschild's unfashionably-bred colt, Janitor, always finds friends, but somehow never improves his position in the market, in fact ' more t'other.' Still Janitor — like most of King Toms'— wants time, and as he gave every promise of making the vast improvement on the two-year-old form, for which there waa so much room, I should like to hold this great raking colt harmless in my book. The ' sensation ' Derby candidate of the hour is a horse called ' The Sfcabber,' in Tom Dawson'e stable ; from all I can hear, however, I should fancy that The Stabber was more likely to ' stick it into ' his friends than his enemies, which is very murderous conduct indeed. The ' Brother to' St. Albans,' better known as the ' Bribery Colt,' threatened a few weeks ago to come ' a hot'un,' but somehow or other he hasn't been looking healthy lately, and reckless individuals are not wanting to declare that he is already ' a subject for dissection.' "

Cotton Cultivation in the Feejbe Islands. — Among the more intelligent growers, the South Sea Island cotton is held in great favour, and found to flourish luxuriantly. It bears a far larger quantity of pure fibre, in proportion to the age of the plant, than any other variety. As compared with the kidney cotton, its value in this respect is as five to one. The cotton plant is here a perennial ; and after the first outlay for cleaning and planting, the subsequent expense is trifling. The island of Kandava and the banks of the Rewa river are the positions most in favour with the European planters. The facilities that both these places offer for transport and communication have caused this selection. Tho Rewa river, so disproportionate to the size of the island in which it rises, is navigable for boats of twenty tons for more than forty miles from its mouth, and for seventy miles of its course rafta and flat-bottomed boats could be used to transport the cotton from the upper country, without meeting with any obstacles in the shape of rocks, cascades, &c. The fertility of the soil, the salubrity of the climate, and the supply of cheap labour that can be obtained, will enable the cotton grower of Feejee to compete successfully with any other in the markets of Europe, as the quality of the fibre that can be produced here, is considered by competent judges to be equal to any that can be supplied by the Southern States of America. The high charge for freight to Sydney is the most serious drawback that the island traffic suffers. For cotton, in the badly-pressed state it leaves Feejee, the freight amounts to £9 per ton. Until the quantity of cotton exported shall be sufficiently great to allow of a direct trade with Europe, there is no prospect of any reduction in these charges. — Report by Mr. Consul Jones.

A New Atmosphebic Railway. — A new railway, worked by stationary steam engines, has of late been exhibiting at No. 338 Albany-road, near Cam-berwell-gate. This railway is the invention of a Mr. Halliwell, and is worked, somewhat like the old atmospheric line at Croydon, by forced or exhausted air in a tube which is placed between tho rails, and runs along the whole length of the line, by which the use of the locomotive engine is superseded. The patentees, Messrs. Halliwell and Allison, claim for the invention, that lighter rails and sleepers can be used, one half of the coal saved, and the tear and wear on the rails made not half so great. The tube, which is of cast-iron, is 18 inches in diameter, more or less. On this tube is a sliding valve of iron, which. is so tight, it is said, that it will stand as much pressure as any other part of the tube. By the old atmospheric railway, a lifting valve of leather was uoed, which could not be made tight, and was the main cause of its failure. A stationary engine will be placed at intervals of five miles, more or less, with self-acting valves, so that through trains might be run any distance without stopping. With regard to the *ptsed of the trains, that, it appears, may be carried aj high as fifty, or even a hundred miles an hour.