GENERAL EXTRACTS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 139, 16 June 1869, Page 2

GENERAL EXTRACTS.

A ROMANCE OF LOVE. AN AGED VENUS AND A YOUTHFUL ADONIS.

'•'Man proposes, but God disposes" is the English rendering of a French proverb. Alas, how true, and never more true than in a little mci lent which is said to have occurred in oue of our most fashionable hotels yesterday. As we hear the circumstances related, we glean from them the following story, which is but another illustration of the mutability of human plans, another boulder in the road which leads to matrimonial joys and bliss divine. It appears that a blooming widow, " fat, fair, and forty-five," had cast affectionate glances on tbe person of a stalwart youth of the mature age of seventeen. The down had scarcely irradiated his manly lip — barely showing its tender shoots above the smooth surface, presenting no harsh obstacle to the pressure of the ripe red lips of the gushing widow. She, poor soul, that " longed for love," had not yet ceased to feel " The fires which burn for ever on Until all of woman's years have flown, And all of life are gone." Her breast " still rose and fell in love's confusion," . as when in the days of her sunny youth ehe was wooed and won by another one. Feeling with her increasing years the need of young support, she listened with a favourable ear to the young man's tale of love, and in the fullness of her matronly heart she returned his intense passiou. His love, which like the vine, would as soon twine arouud the withered stub as around the young and juicy sapling, went out to ber with a desire that possession alone could satisfy. So the wedding-day was set, and yesterday was to have seen them united in those bonds that death and the District Court alone can sever. The bridal robes were donned, the parties were on their knees, and the ceremony was nearly complete which would have made them, as the poet says, . " Two souls without a single thought, Two hearts bent on some fun." When — oh, horror, how shall we write it? -»the angry pareut-of the adolescent youth rushed into the room, with hatin hand, with every individual hair on end, and a frown black as the shades of despair on his massive brow., Unnoticing tha blooming damsel who was so near becoming, his daughter-in-law, he strode up to the child of his love, and grasping him by the [collar, dragged him from the room and the outstretched arms of the distracted bride We draw a veil over the scene. No doubt kind angels hovered Over the couch of the.7 widow and in her dreams consoled her. The parties are all of the first circle, among the wealthiest and most aristocratic of our citizens. We really pity the young mau; but, as for.Ae...wisp_^tm.!wo ! aJ^J. suggest to her. that y Calves are plenty cin the market, and = she 7cau replace by pur*, chase the one i she could not keep for love. > —-San Francisco Morning Qhronielf,

A Romance of the Cuban Rebellion.- — An American citizen, who was in the Theatre of Vilianeuva on the evening £of the 22nd February, and witnessed the riot and massacre in the streets of Havaua that evening, says that fhe origin of the outburst was the shooting of a young woman. He says: "A very beautiful girl, the daughter of Aldama, one of the wealthiest and most noble of all 'Cubans, wore upon her left breast the Amerieau flag with the inscription, ' Long ■live the Republic of Cuba"' upon it. When .that -stirring song was being sung, .the whole aud ience rose .and cheered this young woman, and as she rose to acknowledge the salute-— all eyes were now bent upon her-— a low mean cowardly :Spaniard shot her with a revolver, killing her .instau tiy. Two American gentlemen ■occupied =the box adjoining tbe Senora Aldama, whose names I do uot know, but -.one of whom seeing tbe pistol pointed at the young .lady's breast, drew his revolver, and, a second after the Spaniard had fired, blew the top off the. bead of the cowardly assassin. .Instantly the whole theatre was .the scene of -the .greatest confusion, and the Spanish troops rushed .in and begau ■firing upon the masses of *the ihuddled unarmed innocent men nnd women." Poison in the Pot. — In France, as iv other parts of the Continent, .the use of copper saucepans iis very far more general than it is in England, aud great care is taken to keep them in good order Iv all. well. conductedhouses coppsr vessels :are -tinned 'frequently, and cooks are thoroughly impressed with the danger •accruing from neglect in this. respect. The -police regulations .{according =to the Journal, of fh. Society of Arts) requires thut nothing but pure tin should be used; but that melal is dear, while .lead is cheap . and -therefore a mixture of the two metals ;is -too -often made use of. The mixture •works well; but when the lead forms a ■ considerable part of it, the vessels become • decidedly. dangerous. In consequence of .information obtained, and suspicions enter.tamed, the .Minister of War ordered .an .enquiry to be made on the subject by the -directors of the military hospitals. The result- of this enquiry has been read before the Academy of Medicine, and brings out the stertlmg revelation that some manufacturers of copper uteusils and tinners .mix twenty-five, and in some cases fifty .per cent, of lead with the tin, and that in : addition to this, antimony, another -dau7gerous metal is added. From the facts tthus brought to light M. Gubler, a member of the Academy of Medicine, has drawn • up the following list of recommendations : — 1. That .the metal used to line copper drinking vessels shall not contain more jthan.l per cent of lead. 2. That not more than five or six per cent of lead be .mixed with the tin used for saucepans or other ' cooking vessels, that amount offering no -serious danger. 3. That every maker -shall be required to mark his productions -with a special stamp. 4. That the travelling tinmen shall be strictly watched. — .British Medical Journal. Whaling in the South Seas. — The whaler Sapphire arrived lately at Hobart Town with fifteen and a half tons of oil. cShe reports having spoken the Derwent:Hunter, at Cape Northumberland, with twenty .two tons.; the Louisa, with .fourteen; the .Runnyraede, .with fourteen ; therPlanter, with: fifteen ; and the Zephyr with six and a half tons. The City of Hobart, which had arrived, had spoken with the Victoria whaling brig with eight- '. iteen tons of oil on board. She was fast to a large whale, which she lost in the night. It was picked up next day by an ; .American whaler, which had been seven months out without ever having <cast anchpr. Acase of some importance to passengers by omnibuses has just beeu decided in ,the Glasgow Sheriffs Court. Mr Sheriff (Galbraith ruled that an omnibus proprietor may legally refuse to carry a " chimney sweep" .or a " baker" iv his work-a-day" clothes. In the eye of the law, at least,-the negro is "a man and a brother." An instance of this occurred a short .time since in Cleveland, where ,a negro recovered £300. for having been ejected -from a skating rink on account of color. Theee is perhaps no mechanism equal to tUatvpf the Beer-engine in its power of j . elevating the masses. CiiOSEp Uppers.— -Two -swollen eyes. A Tight FiT^PSlirum tremens. Table that are always being Turned. Over— Time-tables. • ."■■-•-