Pot Pourri.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 422, 13 March 1880, Page 4

Pot Pourri.

Dr. G. M. Beard, in one of his papers in the U.S.A. Journal of Inebriety, comes to the conclusion that sea air has a peculiarly strong influence in excitiDg the desire for alcoholic stimulants.

Experiments in army signalling show that the use of the heliograph is limited only by fog and the dip of the horizon. To signalmen miles requires an altitude of 68ffc; 20 miles, 273 ft.; 30 miles, 616 ft. ; and 50 miles, 1771 ft. A New York correspondent sends the Philadelphia Public Ledger this paragraph :—" The whims of some people had a curious illustration in an order received a day or two since by a well-known undertaker's firm to furnish a rich cloth-covered casket, with velvet trimmings and solid silver plate and handles. The interior of the casket was to be lined with white satin and silk trimmings. All this was for a dead dog belonging to a wealthy family up town. The animal had been nursed atid taken care of for the past twenty years. The dead animal lay in the casket wrapped in a mantle of white satin, with white silk ribbons around the neck. The remains were taken to a cemetery close to New York and put into the family vault. Six carriages containing the friends of the dog followed the remains to the cemetery. What next ?" One of the central New York towns thought a nice benefit for a charitable purpose would be to have a New York dramatic and musical organisation give a performance there. The arrangements were made for the night after Christmas, and the making out of the programme was left with the New York society. To the disgust of the inhabitants they chose " Pinafore," which had been played and sung 637 times in that town —more or less. There was nothing to do but to grin and bear it, as the society had the money and would neither refund nor change the programme. The night came and the house was packed ; for charity is popular in the town aforesaid. When the leader of the orchestra swung his baton for the crew of the Pinafore to begin, twenty or thirty singers, scattered about the audience, took up the 3 chorus and got through with it in fine style, to the " pain and the distress " of the genuine performers on the stage. So it went on throughout the evening. A. local "Pinafore " company was in the parquetteand parquette circle, and sang the opera amid the applause and roars of laughter of the assembled multitude. The amazement, the surprise of the city company could be seen by the expression of their eyes. The New York company were singing for money, and would not give up; the local company were singing for fun, and were having such big returns that they went on and the audience had the pleasure, or agony rather, of listening to two renditions of "Pinafore " at the same time.

If the last reputed wonder of science is to become a tangible reality, we shall have no more deaf people in our midst. By the use of the audiphone, the deaf are said to be able to hear as well as other people. The newlyinvented instrument is merely an india-rubber plate, shaped like a fan, and about Bin. in size. The plate is bent over by means of a silk cord attached to its upper edge, and the convex side thus formed is turned in the direction of the source of sound, while the upper edgeof the plate is pressed against the end or outside of the upper teeth, the eye-teeth being, it is said, by far the best. The sounds cause certain vibrations in the india-rubber disc, and these impart sound waves to the teeth, whence they pass through the auditory nerves to the brain. The invention has been tested with the hitherto helplessly deaf and dumb, and with wonderfully successful results. At this rate we shall soon have inventions which will enable us to see with our ears, and eat with our eyes. The New York World tells us the following story concerning California champagne :—" It was five years ago that I first tackled California champagne. I called on a lady and she opened two bottles. I drank both, all but one glass. Pretty soon I insulted the lady, beat her poodle to death with a chair, kicked a child, broke up the mirrors and gas-fixtures, and was dragged out of the house by the police. Next day the husband came after me with a six-shooter and demanded an explanation. I simply told him his wife had opened some Calfornian wine. He grasped me by the hand and said no apologies were necessary." From the Pekin Gazette, a basis can be found upon which a fairly accurate estimate may be made of the fortunes amassed by individual mandarins. During the last fifty years two prominent mandarins have fallen into disgrace with their sovereigns and have had their property confiscated, and the records show that property seized of the Duke Ho, the same individual who insulted the English ambassador, Lord Amherst, amounted to 120,000,000d015. Later on, when the Emperor Taukwang confiscated the property of Kishew, the Viceroy of Liang Kwang, it was set down at 652 catties of gold, 17,940,000 taels of silver, and eleven boxes of jewels, valued at 40,000 3 000d015. From a late Chicago newspaper (says an exchange) we extract the following passages of a review of the moral progress and improvement in districts hitherto much behind the stage of advancement claimed for some American communities. And with a sincere desire to promote the cause of temperance we eommend the opinion herein expressed, with profound humility, to the calm contemplation of Sir William Fox and Father Henneberry :—"A writer from Colorado, of unquestionably good judgment, says that Seipp's bottled beer has done more to reform the mining districts of the West than all the local agencies that ever have been sent there. Beer is and should be considered a temperance drink. Of course it may be abused the same as a man may abuse his system or health by drinking too much tea or coffee, or even by overloading the stomach with beefsteak or pastry."

To kDock a man down, if it was done publicly, used until recently to be regarded, in Ireland especially, as a very light offence—indeed, a sort of sportive display of the national humor of " the finest peasantry ;" but circumstances alter cases—very much so sometimes and a late illustration of the proverb arises out of the knocking down of Lord Fermoy by a tenant of his, evicted or about to be evicted for non-payment of rent. If we are to believe a statement in a Home paper, this performance has been rewarded with five years' penal servitude ! Nobody can justify tenants resorting to personal violence against their landlords, as if once that way of redressing grievances and paying rent became popular, and was not repressed by the authorities, it might lead to the overthrow of the whole currency system of the empire. But Lord Fermoy is a young man, and could hardly haveg suffered much from his tumble, and five years' penal servitude seems an enormons quantity of salve for the damaged person and wounded dignity of even so great a man. We dare say his coachman might be knocked down at the risk of a fine of five shillings, and his valet for about twice as much. We think it might be well also to take into consideration another view of the subject —namely, the dangerous inducement such a reward offers to a poor and excitable people, in these hard-up times, to go in for athletic sport, martyrdom, and five years' provisions all at once, merely at the cost of knocking down lords. It would be wise and considerate, we "think, on the part of the Irish Executive to promulgate a regular scale of penalties to meet, according to quality, this offence against the person, and not in this way to take by surprise a too impulsive people. Under the heading of Banking in Australia, an article in the Bankers Magazine for October concludes with the following satisfactory deduction as to the process of banking in Australia :—" It is most gratifying to us to contrast the extent of the banking facilities afforded in Australia with those of other countries. At the present time it may be estimated that Australia, including New Zealand, possesses 2,600,000 inhabitants ; which would yield about £9 of banking capital, £2O of banking deposits, £1 14s. in notes, £3 4s. in the store of gold and silver, and £22 15s. in discounts and advances, for every inhabitant of these colonies. These are most extravagant figures. In this country it has been estimated that the total banking deposits do not fall short of £500,000,000. Our population is 34,000,000, so that the deposits do not reach £ls per head, as against £2O in Australia. A still wider margin separates the discounts and advances in the two countries. In America and on the Continent the figures ' per head' disclosed are less, generally much less, than in the case of the United Eangdom ; and the conclusion is forced upon us that Australia is about the most powerfully 'banked ' country on'the face of the globe. Hence the vast development of her resources in the last ten years." The Marquis of Queensberry writes to Vanity Fair defending Lord Truro for the way in which he buried his wife. He states that he (the Marquis) has left special instructions in his will that he will not be buried in consecrated ground, and that either a wooden or wicker-work coffin must be used for his body. He adds :—" As to my reason for refusing consecrated ground, the reason is simply this : I am not a Christian, and I will not allow at my death that my burial should give the lie to what I have declared during my life. I implore of you to publish this. I have given the matter anxious consideration, and have long made up my mind publicly to declare myself, as I have already done in America, and will do here whenever I have the opportunity—l hope some day in the hearing of the whole bench of Bishops. The question is becoming national, and I consider myself that it is time that those who think as I do should boldly step forward and declare themselves as Ido now. One word to the many to whom I shall give offence because they will not understand me. The man Christ I love and respect, as I do all great humanitarians—that is all. I would ask of those also to whom I give offence, if they would endeavor to understand the spirit in which I have said this, that they should read Strauss' ' The Old Religion and the New,' the chapters in which he asks ' Are we still Christians V and to which he answers ' No,' and to which I answer ' No.' Why, therefore, should I lie in my death when I have endeavored to be truthful in my life ? My avowal will do no harm, and wild horses won't hold me from declaring myself now."

Referring to the custom in London newspaper offices to have ready biographical notices of eminent men, a contemporary has the following :—lnformation reached the metropolis late at night of the death of Mr. Roebuck, and at one of the offices a sub-editor went to a pigeon-hole and drew forth a sketch of the deceased member's career. It was a very interesting article, and the editor was much pleased with it. On inquiring the next morning for the writer, in order to compliment him, the chief was dismayed to hear that the writer had been dead four years. The account of Mr. Roebuck's life, which many thousands of people read with interest, was the work of a dead man.

Some unfortunate member of the " Force " is likely to " have his eye" on Master for giving publicity to a little mistake. A. city clerk, writes that gentleman, recently disappeared from his accustomed haunts, and his photograph was widely circulated amongst "the force." A suburban clergyman, wellknown for his geniality in private life, and for the breadth of his views on the leading theological questions of the day, left hia broadcloth at home, and in a tourist's suit sought change of air and scene. Something in his appearance —as if unfamiliar in his clothes, perhaps —aroused suspicion amongst the disappointed Kelly hunters, who follow him from place to place. A warrant for his arrest was secured, and one morning, while strolling from his hotel before breakfast, he was accosted by a red-eyed constable, who had kept his mid-

night vigil at the prisoner's bedroom window. " Good morning to you —I've been looking for you ; do you know' this likeness ?" " Well, I don't think so, but the original is a good-look-ing fellow—something like me." " Sure you're right," said O'Shea (X 25), who produced the warrant and showed the way to the watchhouse. " But here is my card ; I am the Rev. , of St. Scotia's Church " "Sure that's too thin entirely ; come along." Looking again at the photograph, the parson called attention to the abundant crop of purls, and, removing his wideawake, secured his _ freedom by displaying a poll as bare as a billiard ball, whilst clearly innocent of a razor. The ' Voltaire' says the following letter was found on the Czar's bedroom table on the 20th inst.: — " To Alexander II , Emperor of all the Russias. Sire,—For the fifth time fate has preserved you from the stroke of justice. They were five decrees dictated by the law of humanity—a law which you no longer recognise. You know our power and determination, Beware of the sixth decree. Do you wish to be a great monarch ? Do you wish all the Russian people to acclaim you and recognise you as their father ? Do you wish that those who strike to-day shall become apostles instead of excutioners ? If you do, then cease to be a tyrant and become a man, render to your subjects what belongs to man by the law of nature —namely, liberty. It is not your person that we attack, but your principles. So long as you remain as you are our judgment will be always the same. Saved to-day, you will perish to-morrow. Neither death nor prosecution will stay our arms. You possess brute force ; we possess moral force. We have sworn to vanquish, and we must carry off the victory in the end. The first apostles of Christianity perished at the stake ; their martyrdom was the cause of the ruin of Rome. Beware and reflect.—(Signed) The Governing Committee." i

The progress of infidelity in France is illustrated by the action of the Paris Municipality in having rejected by an -overwhelming majority the vote for the lodging of priests, Protestant pastors, and Jewish rabbis, and for the repair and embellishment of churches. It also requested the Prefect to arrage for the eviction of the Christian Brothers and Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul from premises occupied bv them rent free, worth 300,000 francs a year, and it is affirmed the Legislature ought to give the Municipalities the free disposal of buildings now used for worship—in other words, that it should have the power of letting, secularizing, or demolishing the 76 churches in the city. One of the prime movers in the affair candidly stated that the object of the Municipality was " to abolish creeds or superstitions, for clericalism and religion ars synonymous," and he added that the free disposal of churches " would revive the movement which, had it not been thwarted by the Thermidor re-action (the fall of Robespierre), would have definitely enfranchised our Municipalities." Such a glorification of the Reign of Terror needs no comment.

Teetotallers in Russia are by no means well regarded by a Government that gets the bulk of its revenue from the excise oh spirits. In 1854 and 1859 the peasantry formed Temperance Societies to resist the high price of spirits exacted by the Government monopolists for its sale. On both these occasions very summary measures were taken to make the people contribute to the revenue by their intemperance. Policemen and soldiers were sent into the disaffected districts, and the teetotallers were flogged into drinking, some who doggedly" held out had liquor poured into their mouths through funnels, and were afterwards hauled off to prison as rebels, at the same time the clergy were ordered to preach in their churches against the new form of sedition, and the Press censorship thenceforth laid its veto upon all publications in which the immorality of the liquor traffic was denounced. These things seem incredible, but they are true. In 1565 the people fancied that because they were no longer serfs they could not be treated so unceremoniously as of yore, but they found out their mistake. They were simply dealt with as insurgents, and though not beaten, were bullied, fined, and preached at till there was no spirit of resistance left in them. However, this new rising led to the abolition of the monopolies. An excise duty was substituted, the price of vodki fell by competition, and the lower orders of Russia are now drunker than ever. According to the latest returns, the liquor duties yield the revenue L 32,000,000 sterling a year.