Miscellaneous Extracts.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 891, 23 March 1877, Page 7

Miscellaneous Extracts.

— ■♦ ' — " TO AEMS." An American paper says : — lt is an ill war that brings nobody good. Both Russia and Turkey are eagerly buying up American revolvers and rifles. By the Colt machinery, bought by General Grorloff, already 3,000,000 rifles have been turned out ; Russia has imported 100,000 Smith and Weston revolvers, and §0,000,000 cartridges, to say nothing of the 400,000 cartridges manufactured daily in Russia from American machines* Meanwhile Turkey has contracted in fthode Island for 800,000 Martini, Henry rifles, of which 250,000. have already been shipped, and 100,000 more are ready for export, PEOPOSEP NEW COINAGE STSTEM. We learn from the ' Economist ' that a movement is afoot for negotiations between the United States and the British Government, for adopting a uniform coinage by the ttfo countries. The Bill, passed 0$ the motion of Senator Sherman , provides, " that the money of account in each country shall be the dollar, which shall be represented by a coin formed of standard gold," "All accounts fo? transaction iii coin to be kept in dollars and

"cento, or in fractional parts of a cent." The pound sterling is to be taken as equivalent to five dollars, the shilling for 25 cents, the' sixpence to 12^ cents, and the farthing to a half cent. Coins which are multiple parts of a dollar may be made, and will be a legal tender in both countries. The 'Economist' condemns the proposal on the ground that it is retrograding in civilisation to go from a large unit of account to a small one, and advocates an international coinage such as has been already proposed, namely, that called " the farthing slan." By this arrangement a new pound sterling would contain 1000 farthings of £1 Os 10d.. and the new florin 2s 2d, the new sovereign being of almost identical value with the American ' half- eagle," and having as its exact fifth part the American dollar, and the English half-penny would be equal to the present American cent. This system would cause very little fresh coinage, and would ensure a common money of account, and give Great Britain and her colonies the vast advantage of the introduction of the much-needed decimal system. BUTTER FEOM THAMES MUD. The ' Medical Examiner ' says : — Whatever incredulity has been felt in reference to the manufacture of butter from Thames mud there now appears to be no doubt of the fact that euch butter is made, and in no inconsiderable quantities. But the precise nature, of the material and its mode of collection have, we believe, remained an undiscovered mystery until the present time. It appears that as much as 3s 6d a day can, under favouring circumstances, be earned at low tide by explorers— properly equipped, and with a keen knowledge of their work — on the north bank of the Thames below Dagenhatn. Here these persons collect oleaginous globes. These globes, originally made of cork, matted with hair and woody fibres, are diligently planted for the purpose, and grow to the size of a walnut or cricket ball in the water by the action of the tides, which cover them with grease. The grease thus obtained is from the drain-pipes of our factories and slop Bewers of our kitchens, and in consistency and color it resembles Kusaiau tallow.