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Otago Daily Times, Issue 44, 6 January 1862, Page 1 (Supplement)

Politeness op a Travelling Prussian Oi'-1-jcke. Travelling Englishmen have of late been stigmatised in Prussia somewhat severely in connection with the celebrated " Macdouald" affair," and State Procurator Moller was pleased to apply some hard epithets to the class during the recent iudicial proceedings ; but, judging from the following narrative, taken {Vom the Newen Amsterdawer UundehblaU. tho Prussians have much need to look at home before they cast undeserved aspersions on others :— il A few days since, a roble officer of the Prussian Guards was present with a lady in a saloon of a steamboat on the Rhine. A gentleman in civil costume entered, when the officer ordered him in a very rude manner to remove his hat. Tho gentleman appeared not to hear the demand, when the officer knocked the hat from the gentleman's head. The gentleman immediately called the captain of the vessel, and requested him, according to his instructions, to put the officer ashore at the first station they reached. The captain hesitated to put liis instructions in force in the case of an officer of the Guards, and paid no atteution to the demand. As the next station was passed without the officer being put ashore, the gentleman .repeated his request ; and as another station was also passed, and the officer was still suffered to remain on board, the gentleman announced himself as the Pie.sid.ent of tho Prussian Ministers,

the Prince of Ilohcnzollcrn, The captain no' longer refused. The officer begged the prince's pardon, upon which he replied that he could punish him most severely for his conduct towards a civilian, and that his future military prospects would be lost ; but that he would content himself by having the regulations of the vessel carried out, in order that tho office;- might be taught a lesson. The officer was put on shore at the next landing place." Popular Similes.—Some ingenious rhymer has placed tho following sayings in poetic order, the opposite in juxtaposition • — As wet as a fish—as dry as a bone ; As live as a bird—as dead as a stone; As plump as a pai'Uiclge—as poor as a rat; As stiong as a horse —as weak as a cat; As liat'ii. as a fliut—as soft as a mole ; As white as a Ji'y—as black as a coal ; As plain as a pikestaff—as rough as a bear; As tight as a drum—as free as the air; As heavy as lead—as light as a feather ; As steady as time —uncertain as weather; As hot as an oven—ns co.'d as a frog; As gay as a lark —as sick as a dog ; As s'oiv as a tortoise —as swift as the wind ; As true as the gospel—as false as mankind; As thiu ris a hex Tin g—as fat as a pig ; As proud as a peacock—r.s blue as a grig ; As savage as ti;>-ers —as mild as a dove; As s.i"as a poker—.is Jimp as a glove; As Mind as a bat—as deaf as a post; As cool as a cucumber—a= wavm as a tosst; As red as a cherry—as pate as a ghost. Discovery op Ancient Graves in Perthshire. — Some discoveries of a remarkable charactei'havcbcenmadeinPcrfchshirc. As Mr, Paterson, fanner, Bams, on the estate of Kincardine,'was in the course of removing some stones fromaknoll lying near the farmstead, a large flag of nearly a ioa weight was come upon, under which a grave was discovered. The sides were formed of four flags;or>es placed on edge, and a similar one formed tSe bottom. It contained the remains of a human body, which must have lain many hundred years. The space which contained the skeleton is about thice feet and a half in length, barely two feet in width, aud of about the same depth. From tho size of the grave the body could not have been laid at length, and the bones were those of a full-grown person. It is supposed that the grave is a Roman one, as several others of a similar description have likewise been discovered in the district. More recently still another Romau grave has been discovered within two miles of the same place, on the estate of Blackford. While a farmer was engaged in uloughJTig his grounds, the plough came in con-a-.ct with the toj) of a Roman urn, containing a qHaotitv of human hosies, on an eminence like the fovmcVabout seventy yards from the farm house. The urn was quite entire, with the exception of a ;)Oi iioi-i of the bottom, which had been broken oft', ali'bofgh it bore indications of its ancient origin. What is remarkable, it was placed with the mouth down, covcing the bones. The unv is about ei'^itccn inches in length and nineteen inches wide at the month. There have been a number of urns discovered about the same locality f'om time to. i'liic. The troops of Agricola. on their ma^ch to t'.ic ramp at Avdoch, came through Glencnglcs, avid consequently, world pass near the spot indicated. Sonic antiquaviars who have seen the place conjectured that the u-n contained tho burned remains of a Roman officci* who had died on the journey to Aruoch.— Scotsman. Prolonging tiiv. Beauty ov Cut Flowers. — A recent author, E. A. Maling, states, that for keeping flowers in water, finely powdered charcoal, in which the stalks can be stuck at the bottom of the vase, preserves them surprisingly, and renders the water free from any obnoxious qualities. When cut flowers have faded, either by being worn a whole evening in one's dress, or as n bouquet, by cutting half an inch from the end of the stem in the morning, and putting the freshlytrimmed stalks instantly into quite boiling water, the petals may he seen to come smooth and resume their beauty, often in a few minutes. Coloured flowers, carnations, axleas, roses, and geraniums, may be treated in this way. White flowers turn yellow, The thickest textured flowers amend the most, although azleas revive wonderfully. The writer has seen flowers that have lain a whole night on a table, at'ter having been worn for hours, which at breakfast next morning were perfectly renovated by means of a cupful of hot water.