Home Talk.

Bruce Herald, Volume II, Issue 46, 23 February 1865, Page 5

Home Talk.

{From Home Papers.) For some time past the public frequenting- the Theatre Royal, Dublin, have been greatly annoyed by the conduct of small bands in the galleries, who, in addition to a din of brutish noises, have made it a point to hiss the performance of the National Anthem. Similar outrages bare disgraced the city of Cork, in consequence 61, which Colonel Muller was obliged to refuse the use of a military band even for a charitable object. At the earnest request of the mayor, however, he gave them one trial more the other night. The offence wa» repeated, notwithstanding an earnest nppe il from the mayor, but the voice of the rebellious rabble was drowned in the cheer* of the respectable inhabitants. The change that has superseded the "Wooden Walls of Old England" is indicated by the formal abolition of the o3icer under the Admiralty of ' Timber Tester;' in his place w& a-re to have a new ofßoercalled ' Issuer of Iron/ The Rev Peter Young, the oldest minister in the Churoh of Scotland, expired recently at Wigtown. Mr Young was born on the 27th of Januarj', 1772, and was ordained minister at Wigtown on the sth of September, 1 799 ; he was consequently iv th.c ninety-second 3>:ear of his age, an. l the; sixty-sixth of hio, ministry. ;

A curious case' of drowning 1 has occurred at Bristol. A man named Gibson had fb" some years past been afflicted with what is known as ' moon blindasesd' and when the night approached he was scarcely able to see at all. He had met with .many accidents in consequence, but he would persist "in taking a walk every night. At last, in one of these midnight excursions, he fell into -the floating- harbour,, where he was- drowned. There- is- a superstition in Devonshire, flh.at.if the sun shines ; bright at noon on Christmas Day a plentiful crop of apples may be expected in the following year. Madrid is to have a national museum j arid a sun* of nio less than forty millions of reals has been granted for the purpose. "An invention lias just been patented in Paris, by means of which printing can be conducted without the employment of ink. The process consists in the introduction between the paper and the type of a she.et of some- fabric on which is deposited lamp - black and glycerine. A mole-killer of Monthay, in the VaIttis, in Switzerland, was recently brought before the correctional tribunal of that place, on a charge of swindling the authorities, which he effected in an ingenious manner. The destroyers of those animals receive a certain sum for each, but they : are not bound to presant the bodies to obtain the reward, but only the tails. The man in question delivered not Jess than 2000, and received a sum of 300 f. Surprise was felt at the number, and on close examination a great many were found to be artificial, manufactured by gumming a s-t'rip of the animals skin on a bit of wire covered with paper. The tail-maker was condemned to three months' imprisonment. An ecclesiastical objection has been suggested to the contemplated marriage of the King of Greece. The orthodox eastern canons prohibit matrimony between a sister and a brother-in law j consequently if Princess Dagmar becomes wife of the Czarowitz, his sister, the Grand Duchess Maria, T (born in 1858, cannot wed his .Athenian. Majesty. The registrar of one of the Sheffield districts reports the birth of a child whose mother, a factory worker, is only thirteen years and ten months old. A very pretty little quarrel has just commenced" between Mr Dickens and one of the chief contributors to "All the Year Round." A novel by Mr Sala has been, as is pretty generally known, for some time in course of publication in the pages of that periodical, bat some time ago a longinterval occurred between the periods of the arrival of the different instalments. A similar break having occurred a second time, the conductors became irritated at the delay, and commissioned Mr Halliday to finish the story thus interrupted. Mr JPalTiday accepted the commission, and aoW has published some two or three chapters. In the mean time Mr Sala has sent over more MS., which of course cannot be used. There will probably in consequence be some employment for the legal profession", unless the good offices of friends should avail to smooth the difficulty over— which, . under the circumstances, is scarcely likely. It is said that immense efforts are being made by the Emperor of the French create in-France a rival to Liverpool. : The future Liverpool of France is to be a model town, a handsome watering-place, •flic rendezvous of an in imnse commercial ; marine, and; the glory of tae Second Empire.:. George' Benjamin, of Bennington, Vermont, once ft member of the 2nd Vermont ,2&egtinent, and who was reported as having died in battle, it appears had put his , letters and papers in the pockets of a man just breathing his last, and then ' skedaddled' to' Canada, where he has lately . turned up. His estate has been adminis-tered,-and his friends have mourned over Eis supposed* decease. A.Frankfort paper relates an amushig ■ incident connected with the Emperor .of Russia's visit to Nice. A certain French .dealer in false pictures- journeyed to Nice in the hope of persuading the JBmperor to Luy sonae of his false Rubens, false Paul Pottess, and false- Wattea us.. The first .picture- he offered was a Rubens. This tuaneii oat? to be a most: unlucky 'blunder, jjfor tbevEgbl Rubens was ih:bne of the Inir "Tperial galleries, in- Russia;, ©a. learning tliis from the' Emperor,; tlie discomfited dealer took his departure..

1 General Meade has issued ti sharp order relative to regiments who lose their- colors '■■ in battle. It states that where such loss occurs in regiments, except on satisfactory ' proof that the loss was entirely unavoidable, they will not be allowed to carry co- . lors until they have redeemed themselves ■in a subsequent battle. Three regiments have already been placed 2 under the ban. Lieut-Col. Henry Jackson Parkin Booth iof the 43rd Regiment, would have .been recommended to her Majesty for the distinction of Companion of the Military Division of the Order of the Bath, had he survived the operations in which he was engaged in New Zealand. It-has been definitely arranged by Government that the Martello towers which are to be retained round the coast of Ireland are to be mounted with 18 pounder rifle guns. Between Bray and Kingstown three out of seven towers are to be retained and so mounted. A retiaed solicitor who is known to be worth £150,000, in addition to landed es- ; tates of the value of some thousands per annum, was, until lately, in the habit of paying- a person to collect bis rents in the neighborhood of the town in which he usually reside?; The remuneration which he gave was 2s Cd for each amount received, which was, perhaps, an eighth of the usual percentage paid by other persons to agents .for similar services. It would seem, however, that even this modest stipend was begrudged, as the landed proprietor in question now collect the rents himself ; but, in order to avoid paying 1 for the use of a room at the hotel, he brings an ink-bottle and his receipt-book, and standing* at a gate in the village, receives his rent from each tenant, and hands him an acquittance.. This edifying spectacle may be witnessed each quarter-da}'. Private theatricals are beginning 1 to produce their effects, as the tree is known by its fruit. Considerable consternation has prevailed for some weeks past in a most distinguished family, one of their beautiful and accomplished daug-htei-s, whose talent in private theatricals is well-known, haying- determined to drop her rank and adopt the profession of the stage. Family meetings, family arguments, family threats have been all of no avail ; even total disinheritance is accepted heroically by. the inspired young- actress ; but a sapient member of the family has at length suggested a crowning impediment, and every member of the familj r agrees to sign a commission of lunacy against her, and place her in n safe retreat for the rest of her life. Three days are given the young- lady for consideration, at the end of which she must either make a solemn vow never to go on the stage or consent to be immured in a private madhouse. A few counterfeit sovereigns of a rather dangerous character have been detected at the bank counters in London. They are made of gold, but of an inferior quality, being two carats seven and seven eighths •grains worse than standard gold, and are only worth about 17s. The coins are new, bu", seem to have been purposely soiled, to give them the appearance of having been worn in circulation. The imitation is sufficiently close to deceive on casual inspection ; and the sound which is dull and wants the sharp clink of the true sovereign, is one of the best means of detection to those accustomed to the ring- of the genuine metal. It is not apprehended that there are many in circulation. Political consequences of the Proposed Marriage of Czaro witch and Princess Dagmar. — A leading article in the 'L'Europe' (Frankfort) is devoted to the results of the Princess Dagmar's espousal to thei heir of all the Russias. Foremost among these consequences has been the formal breaking off of long pending overtures for the marriage of the lady's brother with Princess Josephine Eugene, only daughter of Charles, XV, Sweden's King 1 , bornOctober 1851, and thus yet only thirteen. This alliance, which would, on the demise of both fathers, combine under one sceptre the three kingdoms of Scandinavia, had been a favorite project with Denmark's sovereign, Christian IX. To disarrange such a plan was the main solicitude of the ,Czar, and he found in Prince Oscar, Duke of Ostrogotha, a willing helper in upsettting it.. Under the dynasty of Vasa, ;royalty at Stockhom- was transmissible to female holders -(as in the case of .the eccentric Christina), -'but- inn. the. new-.: line of Bernadotte the • Salic ilaw of, inheritance is understood to 'prevail. -A., united Bean-, dinavia is further off. than. ever..

• Our literary men' appear to receive .more 5 favor from persons in authority than' they ; used to do. We don't make ©rir. pqefes ,ex- - cisemen, but we give them posts iir which . they may maintain their self-respect and earn honorable wag-es. Thus, Mr Antho- , ny Trollope is iri the post office, Mr Arthur Helps is clerk of the council, and. now, we learn that Mr Tom Hug-hes has IVeen- put into a new post in the War Office. The author 'of Tom Brown ' is to be reviser of military reg-nlations, thence we infer that he has abandoned his intentions ot entering- upon a political and parliamentary cai*eer. A frightful accident took "place at.Ulm from petroleum oil. During- a representation at the theatre, twenty-four lamps attached to the chandelier suspended from the roof burst in. succession with great rapidity, and the burning- oil fell " like a shower of fire on the spectators, amongwhom were a number of ladies. In a moment the dresses of twenty of them were in flames, and most serious burns were' the consequence. One of the females was so dreadfully injured that she died in a few hours after.