MISCELLANEOUS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 282, 19 March 1877, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦ A.V EAST ISDtAX LADY AT A rMVERSITY. A young native Christian lady competed the candidates at the recent entrance examination of the University of Calcutta, and passed in the second division. She acquitted herself most creditably in Kfcgtisb, Persian, geography, and history, but was slightly deficient in mathematics. She was educated in the Dehra Mission Girl's School. BO«Crf AMERICAN DEGREES. Professor Breidenbang, of the Chemical Laboratory, Pennsylvania College, at G-dtysbnrg, publishes in the Ration a correspondence with a " Bogus Degree Agency," in Boston. In the Baltimore ! American, of November 22 and 23, ap- ! peared the following advertisement: — " Physicians, dentist*, &c, who wish genome chartered University degrees, ; can address, enclosing ten J. Ri YuiMe, Boston, Massachusetts." In ! answer to a letter of inquiry from the Professor, under an assumed name, came i the following communication, with the compliments of J. It. Yuilfe (the advertisement being in the name of Vttilie) : i " Upon the reeeij t of fifty dollars in gold, a medical thefts, evidence of study or practice, and certificates of moral character, I will procure for you the degree of M.D. that will sand the laws of any State. For seventy dollars in gold I will sond, with the diploma, a registration certificate, matriculation ticket, and a full set of class- tU'kets. The degree of Ph.D. wilt bo- furnished at the same ratts." The Professor wrote again to his correspondent asking the r.a.ues of the universities, : but to this ktt-T no reply was received. " We can, no doubt," he says, " imagine their eharaeUr."' JfEW AERIAL MACHINE. Experiments were made recently at Chatltatn, on t':e Great Lines, with an invention of Captain M. T. Sale, E.E., who is Secretary of the Hoyal hngineer Committee. The invt n'ion is a new aerial j machine ; to i>*> used for rmovering the position, &C, of an ereny's camp at night. The mae'diie cot si''s of a light framework covered with lo »3j canvas, i which iiecnitit'S tilted with air, and thus the machine is kept afloat. When at a proper height a pa astute provided with tire-batts is sent np the line holding the machine ; ami »»n untiling the machine, the parachute explodes, and the fire-balls are discharged, a -id thus the surrounding country is lighted up for a considerable distanc, and the position of an army would fie- shown, Ttie trials proved very i satisfactory, tti spite of flu: bad weather which prevailed ; and further experiments will be made under more favorable circumstances. The xvjfc made in thy presence of Major Ma p«ay, instructor iiu tie hi t'ortitteath lit. and many other engineer officers. or «;.">to.viAf» oeosirapity. After ad that has been said about the ignorance of Australian "co-raphy shown by people in Great Britain, it was hoped, remarks the ■-"v-'huy* Lknti'i-y Rears, that the new and revl.iud cdi'ioti of Urokis's General Gazetteer and Geographical Dictionary of the World, lately announc-.d by Tegg and Co., Loudon (and tfie title paper of which bears date 1870), would help to spread more accurate information. On examining a copy of this work, however, we find, on turning to the word " Australia," that Sydney is the capital on the east coast, and on the north, at Coburgh Peninsula, is the town of " Victoria.*' In the description of Sydney, which occupies about half a dozen lines, we are told that it has now (1876) "a hospital for convicts and a naval yard."' Tte followhig description of Melbourne will be best appreciated by the Victorians :—" Melbourne, a tity of South Australia, the capital of the district of Victoria, in New South Wales. It is quite of modern origin, as the site twelve years ago (that is, in 1864) was a wilderness, only tenanted by the tribes and savages, and the kangaroo, emu, and wild dog ; now it has a population of more than one million two hundred thousand. On the western side of the city there is an extensive swamp, or rather lake, it being usually covered in its whole extent with water, on the surface of which numerous flocks of waterfowl sport. The city is supplied with tolerably pure water from the Yarra Yarra, which has a dam below the wharf to keep the fresh water." ME- S»FKt*SGIN3 AKOCSED. Mr. is somewhat remarkable for his grandiloquence of language, which r.nders his society an object to be sought after by those who are inclined to make merry at the eccentricities of genius. • " Sprk'gins," said one of these, "you are a fool [" " Sir," said Sprigging, with great dignity, " I seldom presume to extend gratuitous advice to gentlemen ; but permit me to observe, si-, that a reiteration of the sentiment you have just uttered might not prove conducive to a convalescent state of your personal individuality." Spriggins was aroused. THE TCRKISH ARMY. The A'eir Free few of Vienna, in a tetter from its war correspondent at Constantinople, states the regular Turkish force at 31 battalions of infantry, 183 squadrons of cavalry, and 606 field guns. Estimating the effective strength of the battalions at 600 men, the nrnnhn* of regular infantry would reach 300,000, and the horsemen 18,000, besides the artillery. Turkey, he says, can set on foot GD2 battalions of the normal strength of 1004 men each, and raise five regiments of reserve artillery, each with six batteries; and these new levies will bring up the Turkish force to 700,000 men and 872 Krttpp gnus, to which mu.3t be added 70,000 zaptiefis, alt old soldiers, and at least 20,000 Circassians.