Miscellaneous.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 931, 3 January 1890, Page 20

Miscellaneous.

The Czar is making a collection of postage stamps, and is prepared to pay any price for such as he may want. He lately bought a defaced stamp of British Guiana, dated 1554, for 955 francs, and an unused speci. men of the same stamp for 1250 francs (£SO). Accordiug to the Brooklyn Citizen, the latest “fad” among American young women is to accompany themselves at the piano with an imitation of the cornet, produced by a buzzing of the lips. The accomplishment is, it is said, difficult to acquire, but the result is worth the trouble. A quick, lively tune is most suitable for the experiment. , ~ , Count Villiers de L’lsle Adam, the French poet and novelist, who died a few days ago in Paris in extreme poverty, was descended from the last Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. _ , , . The oldest public-house In England is the Seven Stars at Manchester. It dates baok to the time of Edward 111. The total number of emigrants from Germany since IS7I is almost 2,000,000. Tbe great organ of tho Catliolic Oafchodral at Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A., sitddenly became out of tune, and tho organist in vain attempted to make it melodious. Then an organ builder was called in, tvho discovered that a mußio-loviDg sparrow had flown into the metallic “D ” pipe, and had been unable to escape. The Bparrow was removed from the pipe, and the organ was again fit for use. Experiments bavo demonstrated tne prac’ ticability of handling large masses of iron in rolling mills by means of ele tromagnets suspended from hydraulic crane?. A society has been formed at Brussels for the study of instruments which have been almost obsolete for some time, such as the clavi-cembalo, the viol di gamba, and the viole d’amore. For these instruments there are many works by Baob, Handel, Couperin, Rameau, and other composers, and interest* ing concerts have already been given by the society. . _ . . , .sjjThe Government of France has taken possession of the telephones and will operate Discovery oe Fluor Spar. The Nelson Colonist describes the discovery of a large deposit of fluor spar in the Baton district by Mr A. Thomson. Samples were sent to Mr James Park, F.G.S., for an opinion. Fluor spar is largely used in metallurgy as a flux for the reduction of refractory minerals, as a glaze for pottery, and in the manufacture of hydrofluoric aoid for etching; but in the absence of smelting and chemical works in this country, the large deposits of this mineral at the Baton will have no commercial value at the present time. Its occurrence iB, however, of the highest im* portance, as iudicating the probable existence of valuable ore deposits at that place.