Eatracts.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 31, 3 January 1846, Page 4

Extracts.

Modesty of the Uar,— Fitzrov Kelly, examining a very young lady who was a witness in a case of assault, asked her if the person who was assaulted did not give the defendant very ill language, and utter other words so bad that he (the learned counsel) had not impudence enough tofrepeat them. She replied in the affirmative. "Will you, Madam, be kind enough then," said he, " to tell the Court what those words were?" " Why, Sir," she replied, " if you have not impudence' enough to speak them, how can you suppose that / have ?"

Clerks. — The first clerk of all is the government clerk, whose situation is the most difficult of all ; for the filling up of the office-hours from ten till four vi ill require a great amount of ingenuity) The newspaper will furnish conversation, and, in the early part of the month, the magazines will afford light reading that will be a relief to the dreadful monotony of doing- nothing. It need hardly be suggested, that if a stranger should enter, he must be received with a stare and ajawn, while some of the old authorities recommend the whistling of a popular air from the last new opeia. The bank clerk differs from the government olerk apparently, rather lhan essentially. If an individual enters with a cheque to be changed, be sure not to raise your eyes from a desk at which you dre engaged, in drawing some figures on a pad, probably for your own amusement; and if you are laughing or joking wiih a fellow-clerk, do not cut short a good story to attend to an impatient fellow who comes to pay in or draw out money,— Punch.

Wonderful Discovery in Natural History. — Dr. Albert C. Kock has brought to light the fossil remains of a .monster in the animal creation that puts in the shade the celebrated " Iquanodon" of England, of colossal size, and the still more gigantic Missourium. Tins last discovery may be set down to the state of Alabma, and to a country adjoining Mobile, namely, Washington, being found imbedded in a \ellow lime-rock formation near the old Washington Court-house, The description of this is in substance as follows: — I have succeeded in biinging to light the very nearly complete skeleton of a most collossal and terrible reptile, that maybe justly termed the king of the kings of reptiles. Its length is one hundred and four feet— the solid poi tions of the vertebra are From 14 to 18 inches in length, and from 8 to 12 inches in diameter, each averaging 75 pounds in weight. Its greatly elongated jaws arearmedwitb not less than forty inci&soror cutting teeth, four canine teeth or fangs and eight molars or grinders. These teeth all fit into each other when the jaw s are closed, and it is clear that the animal was of a carnivourous nature, The ejes were evidently large, and were prominently situated on the forehead, giving the animal the power of keeping a constant and vigorous watch for its prey. The body had members attached resembling paddles or fins, which in proportion to the size of the animal were small, and w ere doubtless intended to propel the body of this enormous creature through the waters of those large jivers and seas which it inhabited or frequented. Each of these paddles or fins is composed of twenty-one bones, which form in union seven freely" articulating joints. The ribs are of a very peculiar shape, and exceedingly numerous they are three times the thickness at the lower than they are at the superior extiemity.— Mobile Advertiser.

Marine Phenomena. — The following extract o^ a letter received at Loyd's, from their agent Malta, recounts a circumstance of singular interest, but which in some paticulars is similar to what has been experienced by other manners in various parts of the world:— "Captain Casthness, of the brig Victoria, reports that on the 1 8th instant (June) at nine o'clock p.m, a heavy squall took both top gallant and royal mast over the side; at the same time no appearance of a squall. At eleven o'clock called all hands to reef topsail ; then blowing hard at S.S E. to S.E. All hands procerded aloft to reef the main-topsail : in a moment it fell calm, and all hands complained of being 1 so hot, and so much sulphur and dust, they could hardly remain up aloft, and it was worse on deck, the ship at the same time labouring. Half a mile from the ship saw three balls of fire come out of the sea ; this lasted about ten minutes. Another heavy squall from S.S.E.,and then the ship soon ran into the cool atmosphere. The posit ion ot the ship as well as he could judge from observations taken at noon was — latitude 30 dee;., 40 mm., 56 sec. ; longitude 13 deg., 44 mm., 36 sec, by two chronometers.