Miscellaneous Extracts.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 804, 19 May 1876, Page 3

Miscellaneous Extracts.

From Valparaiso, where Her Majesty's scientific discovery ship Challenger has arrived, the * ' Western Morning News ' has received an interesting account of the doings of the ship for tbe previous three months. The scientific party explored a series of active volcanoes in an unfrequented island of the North Pacific, and were rewarded by a magnificent spectacle of surging waves of molten lava and spray of brilliant fire. There was a run ot 2500 miles to Tahiti, and they passed an agreeable fortnight exploring everything of interest there. The dredging on this voyage, at the average depth of 2100 fathoms, was very fertile of marine curiosities. After leaving Tahiti, forty days were spent voyaging the 5000 miles to Chili, sounding and dredging proceeding with most satisfactory results, the average depth being 2100 fathoms. The island of Juan Fernandez, which was first reached, was unanimously declared to present the most beautiful scenery of any throughout the expedition. On this island is a monument commemorative of Alexander Selkirk's four years' solitary residence there. Several new varieties of birds, and twenty-four novel species of ferns, were here obtained. The island swarms with cattle and goats, and the bay abounds with fish and seals. A stormy voyage was made to Valparaiso, whence the Challenger would sail to the Falkland Islands via the Straits of Magellan. The Challenger will thence make a straight course for home, deeply laden with the spoils of the longest continuous series of voyages on record. In regard to the total solar eclipse of 1876, September 17-18, * Nature ' says : — " Its track of totality is wholly upon the Pacific Ocean, and in such course that only two or three small islands or reefs appear to be situated near the central i line. In New Zealand the eclipse attains a magnitude of about 0.5 at Auckland, greatest phase at 9h. 18min. a.m. ; towards the extremity of the Southern Island, about Otago, one-third of the 1 sun's diameter will be obscured about 9h. IJjJojin, local time. A partial eclipse

between similar limits will be visible on the East Coast of Australia and in Van Diemen's Land.

An interment of a most outre character took place at the village of Hatfield, near Doncaster. The deceased was a gentleman of property and good family, whose real namo was Pilkington, but who refused ! to answer to any other name than Hawley. j ** Squire Hawley " some people called him, but" Jack Hawley " was the designation he delighted in. He waa buried in his own garden, the ground being specially consecrated for the purpose by the Romish priest of Doncaster, to whose church deceased belonged. The body was carried to the grave on a board, and then placed in a stone caffin, weighing over a ton, which was situated between two favorite cows of the deceased's, which had died during the rinderpest. His old pony, Nance, was shot and buried at his feet with saddle on (a Patagonian custom) ; and his dog and an old fox were buried at his head. The whole of deceased's property was left to his groom, on condition that the latter had the funeral performed in accordance with his wishes, failiug which the property was to revert to tbe priest at Doncaster for the benefit of 4 the Boman Catholic religion. He was fifty-two years of age at the time of his death.

The San Francieco ' News Letter ' writes: — Thedespised Mongolian occasionally gets what the phonetic hoodlum calls " the bulge " on the supercilious Caucasian. A couple of young ladies on Sutter-street, while retiring to their presumably virtuous couches tbe other night — and accompanying that rieceeaary movement with cheerful scandle and slumber-wooing gossip — became conscious of some uninvited masculine intruder under the aforesaid couch. A vocal panic and general rush for assistance was the result. A vigilance committee in undress uniform was hastily organised from the aroused neighbors and the desecrated apartment invaded in force. On examination the burglar was found to have fallen asleep in his felonious occupation. The bed was suddenly wheeled away, and the valorous multitude, armed with bed slats, Indian clubs, and pokers, fell on the unsuspecting cracksman like so many steam pile drivers. After the victim was battered up into a lot, an inspection revealed the fact that it was the China boy, who had fallen asleep that afternoon while hunting for a pair of slippers. The brother of Wung Chung now dines with the family daily, and does its washing for the specially contracted rate of one hundred dollars a week in advance, while one of the young ladies above mentioned, fans the fevered brow of the lacerated Celestial in the second storey front, or assists her sister in running spiced wine into his recumbent anatomy with a glass thing. For the family's sake we trust the incident will not get into tbe pape-s. Edward Payson Weston, the American pedestrian, is claimed by an Irish newspaper as a son of the soil. However this may be, the gentleman himself says he comes from the State where the wooden nutmegs grow, old Connecticut. With a delicacy that none born on this side of the Atlantic are adequate to appreciate, he refuses to walk for a wager, but does not disdain to pocket gate-money. Dexter, the owner of the fast-trotting teams in New York, had the same objection to running his horses for a bet, but compromised with Satan by offering a liberal prize to any sinner who could bring out an animal to beat his, on condition that the animal afterwards became his property. Mr Weaton is a regular reporter of the 'New York Sun,' and a strict teetotaller ; but his teetotalism did not prevent him from absorbing a couple of bottles of Irish whisky in bis. last matph. The liquor, it should be added, was rubbed into his legs to harden the muscles. At the parish church of Lairg, recently, after the precentor had proclaimed a couple for marriage, **, young damsel got up in church and forbade the banns. Such an unusual procedure took the congregation rather by surprise, and made a few open mouth and eyes in astonishment. The young lady was requested by the minister to ptay till the end of the service and state her reasons, which seem to be a promise to her by the! would-be happy bridegroom, — ' Boss-shire Journal.' A very peculiar case of religious mania came before the Uxbridge Magistrates lately. A medical Btudect, the son of a well-known physician, waß charged with being found wandering at Uxbridge, apparently insane and not under proper control, and it appeared that constant study of the Bible had turned his brain. A few days ago he left home prepared to literally carry out the command of the Lord, " Leave all and follow me," On Sunday night he presented himself at St. Andrew's Church, Hillingdon, and requested the verger to let him have a private room for an hour. He refused to enter the building, and subsequently ran rapidly to Uxbridge. There he gave away his t vercoat to a man who, he though f , was in more need of it than himself, and when taken into custody he referred to this act as ono of love and charity. He stated that he had not tasted foood since Friday, aud wished to continue fasting till Saturday next, but the sergeant on duty at the station prevailed upon him to eat something during Sunday night, after which he seemed much refreshed. His father arrived from London during the sitting, aud the Magistrates, having heard the circumstances of the page in private, allowed the prisoner to depart with him.