ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

A whale, 82 feet in length and about 30 feet in girth, has been cast ashore at Longniddry, on the Haddington coast;, ahout thirteen miles from Edinburgh. The roads between Edinburgh and Lonsrniddry were thronged wih persons in all kinds of conveyances, and on foot, going to see the whale, which at mid-day was surrounded by thousand* of people, manr of whom cut their initials in the animal, and carried away portions of the flesh and whalebone. On the 11th of November the whale was sold by public auction. The biddings commenced at £25, and after a spirited competition it was knor.ked down to Mr Tait, oil merchant, Kirkcaldy The fish is expected to yield from six to seven tuns of oil, which will realise nearly £490. It is said that the jaw bones of> the whale have been purchased by the Earl of Wemyss, and that an effort is to be made to secure another portion of the skeleton for the Edinburgh Museum of > Science and, Art. A recent number of the Illustrated News contains a sketch of the monster. Captain Cole's idea of a turret-ship is at length about to be practically tested. Mr Childers has laid the keel of a new iron-clad turret-ship, the Devastation, which, although nearly 2000 tons burden less than the "Warrior and Minotaur (4400 against 6000), will be by far the most powerful vessel 'ever constructed. She is to be purely a fighting turret-ship, and will have no masts or sails whatever. 1 Her armour, will be nearly three feet in, in thickness, arranged so that, although, it is barely twice the thickness of the "Warrior's, it will be nearly seven times as strong. Her crew will consist of only 250 men. The racing season in England has coma well nigh to an end ; not, however, without supplying a sensation that will last for some weeks yet to come. Sir Joseph Hawley had, entered three horses, Lictor, Siderolite, and Blue Gown, for the Liverpool Autumn Cup. They were all favourably weighted, and, as usual, the betting fraternity pounced upon the dne . (Siderolite) they thought '•' best in," and brought him to a very short price without the owner having a shilling "on." Sir Joseph had not then tried his horses; when he did Lictor was found to be best, and . the pen was put through the names of the other two. Immediately an outcry was raised against Sir Joseph Hawley, and a scurrilous scribe in the Sporting Times, and the Man ahout Town, who wrote under the disguise of " The Outsider," charged Sir Joseph, in the most offensive manner, with "milking," and other fraudulent turf practices. Summonses were at once taken out against the publisher and editor of the Sporting Times (the latter a doctor named Shorthouse), and asrainst the author of the article in the Man about Town, who turned out to be a London Solicitor, named Robins. Abject apologies were sent to Sir Joseph by both defendants ; but — in consequence, probably, of the gross nature of. the attacks, and the persistency with, which, he has been slandered in these journals — Sir Joseph Hawley determined to press the charges, and the defendants stand committed for trial at the December Sessions of the Central Criminal Court, heavy bail having been demanded. We may add, as the best proof of Sir Joseph. Hawley's good faith on this occasion, that Lictor actually won the race. No change of importance has taken, place in .the Derby betting. Mr Merry's filly Sunshine is first favorite, and is likely to remain so, though the recollection of Achievement and Lady Elizabeth, as well as Mr Merry's former ill-luck, will prevent her being supported with any spirit until her two-year-old form has been confirmed. Kingcraft, Camel , and Stanley (who belongs to the owner of Pretender) are the next favorites, and the happily-named Bridgewater, by Stockwell out of Bribery, own brother to St. Albans and Sudbury, is in the front rank of the outsiders. The Marquis of Westminster is the latest acquisition to the turf. The Royal Standard, which left for Melbourne on the 12th of August, was wrecked off the coast of Brazil on the 10th of October. She was dismasted on the 30th. September, and the captain put her under jury masts, intending to take her into Rio de Janeiro for repairs. Suddenly, when the ship was supposed to be in deep water, she struck on a sandbank, off Cape St. Thome, about 150 miles from Rio. Some of the passengers and craw were taken off by a steam-tug, others by Portugese and Brazilian vessels, and twelve left the ship on a raft. After great sufferings, the latter were picked up by a passing vessel, which landed them' at Falmouth on the 18th November. All the boats but one had been Btove in during the heavy weather when the Royal Standard was dismasted. In this boat twenty -three persons left the ship soon, after she struck, hoping to land upon the coast about five or six miles off. The breakers were so dangerous, however, that they were at first afraid to make the attempt, but being unable to regain the ship, they were driven to attempt a landing. Unfortunately, in passing through the breakers, eight of the passengers were drowned. Their names were Mrs Dummett (wife of a sugar broker in Mincing-lane) , and her five daughters, Mrs Lawrence, and Mrs Stoddart. No other lives were lost. Nothing whatever belonging to the ship has been saved. The Royal Standard was originally built as a steamer, but had been recently converted into a sailing ship. The Kileonjln" Diggings. — Only about thirty licenses were taken out. in the month of November by workers on the Kildonan diggings. They have since entirely given up their operations owing to the severity of the snow storms. It was stated at a recent meeting of the Edinburgh Geological Society that the average number of diggers at Kildonan during the summer was 200, and that the gold found up to the end of August was valued at £12,000. The largest nugget was about the size of a walnut, and was worth' £8.

Air Eccentricity. — The late elder John Smith, of Kentucky, who died recently at an advanced age, was one of the most eccentric wits south of the Ohio f Biver. He was familiarly known i throughout Kentucky and the "West by the soubriquet of "Racoon Smith." While attending one of the meetings of the Baptists, a tall, lank, green specimen of humanity presented himself before the association to grant him the necessary license. In addition to his stupidity, young "Weeks was the possessor of as ugly a pair of feet as ever trod shoeleather. Tired of his importunities, and not being disposed to grant the license, the association handed him over to Smith, with "instructions to make an end of the case ; and between them took place the following conversation : — Smith : " So, Brother Weeks, you think you have a special call to preach ?" Weeks: "Yes. The Lord has called me to the work." Smith: "Do you believe the Bible, Brother Weeks ?" Weeks : " Certainly I do — every word of it." Smith : " Well, if I can prove by the Bible that you are not called on to preach, will you be satisfied to drop the matter ?" Brother Weeks assented to this, and "Bacoon Smith" deliberately opened the New Testament at Bomana x. 15, and in a grave tone read : " How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, &c. ; then glancing at Mr Weeks's feet remarked : You see, Brother Weeks, that the Bible declares that the feet of the preachers are beautiful; you, Sir, have the most monstrous ugly feet of any man in the State of Kentucky ; therefore by the Bible it is clear that you have not been specially called." As Smith finished his remarks the entire association went off into a paroxysm of laughter, and Weeks really concluding that he had not been " called, " bolted from the meeting, house, and never afterwards annoyed the association for a license.