GENERAL READING.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1693, 7 January 1874, Page 4

GENERAL READING.

The Home News and (he European Mail (in fact allpapers.'anfl magazines received by last mail) contain announcements of Mr B. L. Farjeon's Christmas number of ' Tinsley's Magazine,' under the title tf Golden Grain." The proprietors, notify that they will print 40,000 copies as a first edition of a Christmas story yet' issued. r< J.% as/Btated.that-, nearly four millions of ■ money are now invested enterprise, in Victoria, -and that these _£egular._employment to ...about. 23,000 persons. The Wairarapa correspondent of the Wellington Independent writes:. — "The SfianrlinavinTisi I . ana sorry to say, are re,vellinK in dirt,, and suffering from its dire effects-— disease, while some of them have already paid the. penalty of death. No one can pass their dwelling without being struck^, with the squalor and dirt. They love .the,- dirt, and no .advice, : no effort short of, absolute, force will lead tiiem to, make : any amendment. Medical attendance they have, but what avails this when his orders are unheeded ? And ho rem'ons trance, it seems, can bring official interference ! tobear upon this plague-sppt. Better burn : the' 1 whole settlement and recompense them, for their loss than that the seeds of typhoid (I believe that is the type)' should be disseminated in the whole district.;:,: . ;; i ' . ..There is a Btory. told of a gentleman, qyer seven feet high, a talented member of the bar, and a modest, good-natured icitizen, who' we think is almost celled for his quiet, delicious humor. He •was one'.; night'- sitting in the Btall of a theatre. When the curtain rose, and the actors advanced to their position, aery of " Down' in tHe front !"• become general throughout ; the audience. Their attention was directed towards the iall B , who, • feeling/ himself' the- object of remark, thought. he was required to settle a little. Looking as if he would like to _ settle i 'through the 'floor j he proceeded to Taise himself to a standing position, in such a manner, however,' as to convey : a'n impression, that there was no, end to him. At last 1 he did get straight out to ', his full.. " lerlgth/ when, slowly glancing found 'at the^Tastonished ajidiencej! he, very; delibe-. ratety remarke,d', ,f '6entlemeu,-. to satisfy you that I was, Bitting down, T will now , f stand,.up J'V., A burst of laughter and applause, succeeded, .> then audience and actors, became; .convulsed^ the - curtain descended rapidly, 'the with beaming, face, came forward, and, amidst the wildest applause, 'conducted the,gen-tleftiah-to'a private box» " How "is that for high T\ r ' ; ;; ' ... An,jEnglißh. paper pays :-p-." ; It, would' " ' seerri . that' , we shall shbrily haye to' fall back UponiAustralia and New Zealand for potatoes, as well as gold, wool, and preserved, meats, for. great ■ concern is being caused amongst the ; farmers and potato growers, in . tlie large , district of which r Sittingbourue" is the centre, and.in East 'Ken't'jgenerally, by; ithe'; alarming'spyead of the" potato blight. The whole of the crop up (ready for market has been , . entirely 'destroyed by the. .disease. . ;_. ? .'. , ,■.'.'' The Chinese methpd of extractingieeth io v'ery,renjiarkab.le;);and^ as many of our readers are probably, not acquainted with f the mg^its operandii we will ; briefly des- , ,9fj^e,H..j Jn. the first place, it mußt be/ u,p4erßtood:that every Chinaman imagiues ( ■; i that; the realicause of' toothache is '-a black maggpt in .thej^tqqth, and when that obnoxiouB 7 .b^ hoir* fa\ removed, all pains' conne^tedjvith tp,nthache. .cease. . .The - -sßhTnese dentist is equal to the, occasion ; i' ihetis'WVeVy^clever 1 'm^n, 'anti 1 bein'g.-perr. fectly aware that he cann.ot extract a ' imaggbt wher"€! bne"doeß l n6t J^iist, ho (; has a very skilfully constructed pair of foiceps ready, and one arm o^the'tforceps is a. _ ..piece of.bamboo painted black -to resembl^ the other arm. In the r hollow of the bamboo 1 a lot t>f' black maggots are placed, . and after .the^dent^l has -wriggled the! forceps ab^otiorJjßom'eutuhe in the mouth, of the agonised Celestial, he squeezes the. bamboo, and down drbps' the maggot into the patient's toeth. This little insect ib quickly prddueed, I 'anH his cußtoiner goeß away immensely relieved, in— pocket. l "