Miscellaneous.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 1371, 22 September 1858, Page 4

Miscellaneous.

Indian Railways.—A return to the House of Commons is printed, showing that the liabilities of the East India Company with railway companies is U 16,673.584. Honorable Conditions.—Manv years a<ro, there lived a stalwart blacksmith, fond of his pipe and his joke. He was also fond of his blooming daughter whose many graces and charms had ensnared the affections of a susceptalile young printer, The couple after a mutual billing end cooing, “engaged” themselves, and nothing but the consent of the young lady’s “parient” prevented their union, to obtain this an interview was arranged, and typo prepared a little speech toastonish and convince the old gentleman, who sat enjoying his favourite pipe in perfect content. ’ Typo dilated upon the fact of their long friendship, their mutual attachment, their hopes for the future, and like topics, and taking the daughter by the hand, said “I now, Sir, ask your permission to transplant this lovely flower from its parental bed ;' but his “pheelinks” overcame him, he forgot the remainder of his rhetorical flourish, blushed, stammered, and finally wound up with— from its parental bed, into my own.” The father keenly relished the discomfiture of the suiter, and after removing his pipe and blowing a cloud, replied: “Well, young man, I don t know as I’ve any objections, provided vou marry the gul first.” It is stated in a letter from Paris that whilst at Coburg the Prince Consort made over his hereditary rights to the Duchy of Coburg to Prince Alfred, his second son. The young Prince is shortly expected at Berlin, anil will remain some time in Germany to prepare himself for his position as a German prince. Science.—Medical science has brought to light an unexpected cause for the gteat loss of life at the disastrous fire in Gilbert-street, Bloomsbury. It will be recollected that lhe Coroner ordered a poet mortem examination of the blackened corpses recovered from the ruins. The careful investigations of Dr. Rodgers have established the fact that, in respect to five of the deceased, the proximate cause of death was neither fire nor suffocation, bui the inhalation of the fumes of arsenic, given off from the mineral ores on the premises of Mr, Calvert, lhe metallurgist. The unhappy victims were stupified by the poisonous vapours, and consequently fell an easy ptey IO the flames, Such a discovery, under the circumstances, is a singular proof of the practical value of scientific research.

A Nevi Breed of Sheep.—D. J. Browne, Esq., the head of lhe Agricultural Bureau ol the Patent Office, has received a very interesting letter from Mr. R, L. Pel), of Massachusetts, concerning a new breed ol sheep which has been lately imported from Chins, Three years since Mr. Theodore Smith imported three ewes from Nankin, from which he obtained in 20 months, 72 sheep. One ewe produced 12 lambs in 15 months—three, four, and five at a birth and they commenced breeding at four-and-a-hsll months old. T his breed is perfectly hardy, bav. ing endured lite past severe winter without any shelter, producing lambs constantly, which bore the cold as well as the old sheep, and matured rap'illy. They will not jump fences, eilber stone or wood. T he .flock were separated last season fiom a rye-field by a cobble-otoue wall two-aud-adialf feet high, over which they never attempted to pass; nor can they be dtiven over any description of fence. Tbe fibre of their wool is exceedingly strong, and the fleece heavy. The mutton cannot possibly be surpassed, as it is entirely free from the strong flavour usual to sheep, and is lender, juicy and delicious. The tail, are broad, amt when properly preparer), much resemble marrow, and form a delightful motsel for the epicure.— Boston Advertiser. A Pleasant Story of Napoleon —Tbe last little story (or rather truth) which is tol l of him is, jthat in years past, when be was in the days of his surveillance and adversity, a soldier had it in his power to insult, mortify, aud de-

grade him. However, time rolled on anti released him not only from the hand of his brutal enemy, but placed him on the throne of France. In tbe meantime the soldier had gone to the Crimea, and there showed sufficient bravery to ’ warrant his name being put on the list of candidates (or lhe medal. This list was of course submitted to the Emperor, and when be recognized the name of his former tormentor, lie directed that be should be brought before him. The man approached, not without (ear and hesitation, for he, as well as the Emperor, had not forgotten what had uken place. “ Well,** said lhe Emperor, “ do you remember when I was in your care how you treated me?” The soldier bowed abashed. “Very well,” continued his Majesty, ” your name is on this list —tell me if our situations were once more reversed, would you forget and forgive tbe past? What would be your object in summoning me, as 1 have done you, with reproaches or punishment even more cruel than that?” “ Your Majesty,” replied the man, “ I cannot hope for forgiveness, and were our positions reversed, 1 do not think I could grant pardon, and therefore do not expect from another that which I could not accord myself. You have doubtless summoned me before you to overwhelm me with disgrace. But I beseech you, Sire, to remember I only did my duty.” “ And not on that occasion only did you perform your duty,’* rejoined bis Majesty, “ tor you have acted bravely during the war, and I have sent for you that 1 might place this medal with my own hands on your breast. Never shall it be said that Louis Napoleon permitted personal feeling to withhold a well-earned reward from a brave soldier,”— English Paper.

Logwood in our Cup of Glory.—The English Government has sold io France “ the possession of the habitation where the Emperor Napoleon I. ended his days, and of the tomb where his ashes reposed.” The price of the sale was (so says the Moniteur) 180,000 f. We have an especial dislike to this traffic in a dead man's grave. It strikes us as being very much in the spirit of a money-grubbing sexton. We wonder the Government is not ashamed of pocketing sil ver that has been rung upon a hero’s tombstone. It is turning the funeral urn into a money-box with a vengeance—the vengeance of a miserly shopkeeper. The graceful th ng would have been to make the French nation a present of the domain, and the tomb, and everything belonging to it. Good would have grown out of land so bequeathed. As it is, a Frenchman, noticing with pain the way in which an English Ministry thus turns a Napoleon profitably to account, can, with solace to his long-wounded pride, exclaim, “\\ aterloo is avenged!” We hope, if these 180,000 francs are ever taken in hand by the English, that good care will betaken first to have them well washed and well fumigated. Money dug out of consecrated earth has stains upon it ; and the earth in this instance was doubly consecrated, for it had held the remains of an enemy honorably conquered, whose last prison-sigh had been breathed there. Unless, as a nation, we have something of the blood of “ boutiquiers" in our veins, we should manfully object to finger a piece of money so soiled. Tbe best purpose, in our opinion, to which the dirty £7,000 can be devoted, is to build with it a mausoleum in black marble, on which, as a lesson to Egnlishmen coming after us, should be openly and in sorrowing letters, recorded our shame.— Punch. The two Abmiks of England and Fr.ance. —“Marshal Valliant, how many men can you bring into tbe field within two months ?” asked Louis Napoleon. “Seven hundred thousand,” was the Marshal’s reply. As a noble parallel to the above, we are proud to have it in our power to quote the following :— r ‘ In the event of a<> invasion, my good cousin, ’ inquired the Queen of the Duke of Cambridge, “ bow many men, do you think, I could safely reckon upon?” “The entire Kingdom, your beloved Majesiy!” was the Commander-iG-Cbiefs inspired reply ; and saying so, you should have seen tbe Prince: he looked like a second St. Geoige about to slay the Di agon,— Punch.