ENGLISH EXTRACTS,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 319, 27 December 1862, Page 5

ENGLISH EXTRACTS,

The Champion Running Match.-Lang and Barker—OS October 13, at Hackney-wick thS contest was decided, io the presence of a iSge Li U ! tude, and although as far as the ultimate Ss concerned, it was of a one-sided character, still the running wa, excellent, Lang, who was a very pc* tare of the highly-trained man, had previously defeated his opponent, who was nofc only far from well but had been attacked with illness a few- days before The distance was 10 miles, and the prize £50 and t£ splendid Champion Cup. ' A fewXtorfteSthS men appeared at the scratch, the superb condition of Lang being so apparent that 6to 4 was at one oS BnrWP°l T; He toVVered M[ r°™ above Baiker ; who ifc was at once seen was not so well as ?o ndoh£ rbeTw^ SlC{!' 2 W,OU *h * determination to do his best was well known. The comDetifcoiN haymg exchanged a friendly grasp, aid Se s S qmry of "Are you ready?" replied to affirmative to the word "off" was answered by Barker Jfc once dashing m front, and passing the referee the £ time by two yards, although it wa 3 ap^ar n t}£ Lang was running "easy- within bimseif. Tins they continued to the fourth round, when Lang came in front, Barker again and again running up to his S ,?/ '* V? at-,' yman ' Wver' bsin * &«? at the finish of the first mile, accomplished in 4 mm 50 sec Ihey passed and repassed each other d.irin- the second mile (10 mm 15 sec), Lang occasionally rushingin front. Barker as gamely bounding in for th* ea-1, althougn it was now apparent he was suffering" being out-paced at every stride. In commencing tlie third mile, Lang shot a head full six yards, ami in the next round increased his lead to 15. Once more did Barker "come again," struggling with his powerful antapjMiKt almost against nature, actually went in front of the 17 th lap, and held the lead till the following round. Here Lang once more shot ahead, and the race might be said to be over. Barker tried hard to live the pace but was left farther in the rear at every stride, and fell at a little over the third mile his face being indicative of severe suffering, from painful cramp in the stomach, which seemed to paralyse his limbs. The three miles were rua by Langinlomin. 22 sec, so that he still holds the Champion Cup—a position which, with Hs great speed and stride and, if in such good condition as last Monday, it will take a very first-rate man to dispossess him of. It is but due to Baiker to state that he had been doing excellent work to get himself fit for the event, bufc one of those sudden attacks of illness to which all may be liable prevented him from eroing the distance, although it did not, perhaps, alfcer the issue of the race.

Arsenical Color Poisons.—Some evidence given at a recent inquest, which we very briefly notice contained rather startling statements as to the extent to which one particular poison is employed for the production of color. Arsenic-one of the most tearful of all poisons—has the property of yielding, m certain chemical combination, most beautiful shades of green. There is.no green like ar3enl~al green, and it is consequently used wherever brilliancy of color is thought desirable. Not only is it employed in the manufacture of artiflcial wreaths but it enters into into the dye of wools and linen and into the staining of paper for he decoration of tha rooms. In every one of these cases the result is dangerous in the extreme; and such evidence as was given on the occasion above referred to by Dr Letheby renders it truly surprising that a practice so shockingly pernicious sbould have been continued. A child's cupboard in which its toys were kept was lined with green paper. The poor little thing sickened and died, obviously from the effects of poison mysteriously imbibed. Dr Letheby analysed the paperhanging oi' tiie cupboard, and found that a piece of it ouly six inches square contained nearly 13 grains of the deadly compound— enough to kill two grown-uo persons. Again, a balldress of 20 yards of green tariafcane "would contain about 900 giains of white arsenic," and this poison is not fixed, buLso 100-ely attached to the stuff that its particles would fly off in all directions and impregnate the air ofthe room with death. A wreath, agafo, of 50 green leaves " may contain poison enough to kill 10 persons," and we are further informed, not only of the quantity of arsenic which may be thus carried into a room, but of the quantity which may be given off. A German physician has calculated that 60 grains of arsenic may be shaken from a single dress in the course of an evening, and diffused in impalpable atoms through the atmosphere of the apartment Ten ladies in green might kill a whole assembly. If it be asked why such things do not actually happen, the answer is they do. Poor needlewomen and florists sicken and die from handling these stuffs. The coroner mentioned a case within his own knowledge where three deaths were nearly resulting from a single dress. The two workwomen who made it up were taken ill, and the lady who wore it was taken in too. It is not so very long since we recorded the death of an artificial flower-maker poisoned by the arsenic in the green leaves. Dr Letheby explaiued, for the public benefit, that the presence of this arsenical pigment inigbfc always he detected by dropping a strong solution of ammonia on tbe suspected color, which, if realty dangerous, would then be turned to a deep blue. But the truth is tbat the poison betrays itself by the very effects for which it is employed. It is employed to produce a green of peculiar brilliancy, and that brillianoy tells its own tale.

New DAnoe.—M. de Caux has enriched the ancient cotillion with a new figure, which is expected to become the rage at the ensuing season in Paris. This innovation was introduced at one of the Empress's late balls at Biarritz. Each lady is provided with a flag of bright and variegated colors: the leader of the cotillion holds a wand, from the top of which float long ribbons of every tint of the'rainbow. The movement consists in the obligation of each lady to seize the ribbon of the same color as the flag which has fallen to her share. The manoeuvre is extremely difficult, in consequence of the rapidity with which the leader flies through the figure. When all are taken, the ladies whirl rapidly round the'leader until he is completely enveloped in the ribbons, and drops upon one knee, when the dance is ended;

The Suez Canai,.—The Official Gazette oi Turin announces the arrival in that city of M. de Lesseps, on his way to isgypt,m order to be present at the inauguration of a portion of his canal by the admission of the; water of the Mediterranean into *I*ake Timsah. which lies nearly in the centre of the Irthonjs. He stat^ that the waters of the RMS^ in about six months more will fill the sj^tlak^, and that; next year the passage ivi4.be open for small vessels. '

JP^mikbv ik Finland.—Adri<^ ;frbm> Finland give very sad accounts ot the 'situation of that opuntry. The continued humidity of the summer destroyed atimost in totality the crops, and an abswlute^mine Has commenced.: The number of;persons;thus taenaced with want, of food is not less than 970.000-^ vast P r°P? rti',^te country where; the;^liqle papulation M<^-^^^.fififiAAA-fiAAyAyfifififiAfix^fifiA;fiy.y Extensive Fomeriks.—Lwther Yeates, who had fbrged nwayj&om thcftmil^neariy the whole? of ti& Lambeth property of the'lSt^l^Wlml&SlrvJ^fin *West>was brought up agafobefore; the? Lord Mayor on the 20th September. Several wituewes were examined, tending to bring borne the charges against the prisoner, who was committed by Uw Lord Styor

fi. MraiNo CpMPANr RBVMATt6»s;~Ah^^^^or. -'': diaatyca?e came b^re^fli^liS^sS^^iuii^^ onthe 6th October. Ai;^^'Jei_ini4g4»'wais.-brought''" up, cliarged with havilig^unlawfully ootainedcerSin. • securities of the value of L 199. Mr Jennings had bjea a sdisraWdere,■-director, and secretary,' ofthe Carrjs'k Mining 'Company. As secretary he was paid the magaifi :eufc sum of L 5 per m-mth; .and , th-J chairman of tha compauy, a Mr J J. Tustin, in giving evidence against hira, told the court the history ofthe company. The mines which it was supposed to work were his property, and in 1860, the "company' was got up, prospectuses being issued with the names of gentlemen as directors who never took shares, aid who do nofc seem to have ever acted. At any rate they all resigned in February, 1862, and Mr Tustin give his son, a Mr Bray, Mr Jennings, and a Mr HoJgson, shares to quality them as directors, with a number of shares eaca to be sold ia the market. A quarrel took place, anl tha shareholders, who were Mr Tustin, his son, aud Mr Bray, his intimat* friend, called upon Mr Hodgson and Mr Jennings to resign, and dismissed Jennings from his lucrative post of secretary. Jennings declined to begot rid of in this way, and laid hands on* some warrants and cheques which were iv the office, ou which he considered he had a lien, and for this the charge now made was preferred against him. The whole proceedings were so irregular that the magistrates stopped the case against the prisoner, and told Tusfcia that if any money had been paid under the circumstances he had rendered himself liable to a charge of obtaining money under false pretences. Sudpen Death.—An inquest was lately held on the boiy of a gentleman who dropped down dead in the street afc Clerkeuwell-green, while engaged in an altercation with a woman whom he accused of having robbed him. The woman was apprehended, but nothing was found ou her. The gentleman was not known ; and from certain circumstances it appeared that he had corns up to town from Stourbridge. One of the juroraatthe inquest suggested that a photograph should be taken of the deceased and sent down to Stourbridge. This was done, and the consequence was that a female from Lye, near Stourbridge, attended at the inquest, which was resumed a couple of days afterwards, aud identified the man as her brother. Fatal Effects op Wearing Crinoline.—The landlady of a public house iv the West End died a short time ago from her clothes catching fire; it was supposed from the use of crinoline. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of Accidental death, and the coroner, Dr Lankester, made some pointed rem irks on the danger of that article of dress, remarking that he held two inquests a month on deaths produced by that cause alone. Suicide ov a Lunatic—Mr Benjamin Ward, a gentleman who had been committed as a lunatic in tlie Grove Hall Asylum, Bow, effected his escape from that institution one evening lately. The next day he was seen by the barber of the asylum walking into Loadou, and was by him invited to return. - He did so, aud seemed much chagrined at having been caught. Shortly afterwards he was again missed, and on examination being made it was found that he had hung himself to the cornice of his bedstead with a new rope, which he must have bought while out of the asylum. " Essays ano Reviews."—We have not heard the last of the " Essays and Reviews" prosecutions. The Bishop of Salisbury has amended the articles aorainst Dr Williams, Vicar of Broad Chalke, and the case is to come before the Court of Arches bn Novernl er 3. Mr F. T. Bucklakd gives a curious account, in a weekly periodical, of a Frenc'i giant, M. Joseph Brice, who is now exhibiting himself in the metropolls. He is so tall that when he called on Mr Buckland, at the Albany-street barracks, "the troop horses shied and snorted at him, though they are pretty well accustomed to tall men." Lifeguardsmen of the highest stature caa walk under his outstretched arm and nofc touch ifc by some iuches, and when hia arms are extended his stretch measures no less than 95^ inches. M. Brice is " a joli garcon"—a. very " nice" giant indeed - possessed ofthe best of good tempers, and quite the reverse of the disagreeable,.quarrelsome monsters that giants are generally supposed to be. His exact height is said to be 7 feet 6 iuches. The Lorl Chancellor's Transfer Act came into practical operation on the Lsbh October. New offices wereopere-1 for the transaction of business under its provisions in Lincoln's-iun-fields, and a good deal of ' business is reported to have been done. A remarkable work in metal is now exibiting ia London. It is a fas simile of a golden eagle, life-size and in attitude of preparing to make a deadly swoop' The art-worker in metal has employed 10,000 pieces of copper, each piece being a perfect imitation of an eagle's feather. It is the labor of six years of unremitting toil, and fairly deserves the praises which the visitors daily bestow upon it. M. Ghemar, a continental photographist, has received an order fro n aa English house for 80 009 copies of the photograph of the Princess Alexandrina of Denmark. A recent letter from Biarritz gave an account of a ball at the imperial villa. "The toilets of the ladies," it is said, "were richer than over. Hairpowder.'seems to be coming into vogue again, for many ofthe ladies used it on this occasion." Lieutenant-General Sh* James Outram has left England for Nice. A despatch from Augsburg contains the following —"Queen Marie of Naples has just been escorted to the Ursuline Convent by her brother, Prince Louis. This retreat chosen by the wife of Francis 11. is definitive. She renounces the world." An explanation of this paragraph throws a doubt upon the "definitive" character of the renunciation ot the world spoken ot. The youthful Queen of Naples ha* had a quarrel with her husband j but as the Catholio Church does not allow a married woman to become a nun without her husband's consent, the latter will probably have a word to say on the subject. The Augsburg GazetU says that the retirement of thia roya lady into a convent " was not a definitive renunciation of the world." It seems that she has only gone to visit St. Ursula temporarily, "to assuage her violent grief." Mr W. F. Windham has beeu at Norwich since his liberation a short time ago from the tender mercies of one of the metropolitan magistrates. The other evening he was at the Norwich terminus of ths Great Eastern Railway, " larking" with the cabmen, and screaming in his peculiar fashion, "Cheer, boys, cheer!" He was found so obstreperous that it was found nocessary to or Jer him off the platform. At this he dec'ared that it was exceedingly ungrateful treatment after all he had-done for the company in his capacity of amateur stoker, guard, &c. Garibaldi is on the relief list of a benefit society. He is the president of a little society at Belgiojosal in Lombardy, and as an "invalided member unable to gun his living." is entitled by ths rules to 24 francs, . which he received a week or two ago. The general was amused and delighted, it is said, by the remittance, and sent off his formal receipt by the following post. On the evening of Sunday week a congregation in the neighborhood of Whitby were suddenly, and as if by magic, plunged into total darkness. The cause waa that crinoline had just entered ; a lady's dress caueht in the key of the gas meter, the lady dragged the crinoline, the crinoline dragged the £ey, and light was locked out. ° Of the personal appearance of the Princess Maria Pia we have many sketches in* the Italian journals. It appears that she has a very fair completion, rather a tall and very stitely figure, and is ftfl-grown beyond her yeara. Judging by the English standard, the princess would be taken <o be at least 18. Her features are not regular; she has some of the least pleasing peculiarities of both her parents^the lather a somewhat rough specimen of his soldierly race' the mother, a fair- and gentle, but not perfectly lovely scion of the Hapsburg-Lorraine dynasty. The princess's forehead is somewhat massive and prominent, the eyes small and twinkling, the nose retroussd, the hair a too vivid auburn ; her features by no means remarkable for either symmetry or elegance. The expression of the countenance is sufficiently sprightly aud intelligent. There fe humor and piquancy in the face, though it certainly does nofc match or harmonise with the graceful dignity with whicb the sight of her white-robed figure generally strikes the bsholder The new stone bridge across the Rhine at Coblenta is expected to be completed next year. In 1864 it is hoped that the railway will cross over, and thus a short back cut cau be made to Frankfoit and regiona beyond, leaving the angle of Bingen and the Bhineaa considerably to the west. A gossip of one of the journals assures us that two good-looking girls were taken among the Garibaldians: they were clad as soldiers, and their sex waa not known to their compaDions-in •arras.'* If thi* pleasant bit of romance be true, the question arises, what brought them there -war, or love I The international show of fruits* vegetables, roots and cereals commenced at the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, on the Sth of October, when an exhibition waa brought together from almost all parte of the world. Even allowing the fullest tot the drawbacks inevitable on this the first occasion of its kind the collection still remains th* largest, the most complete, andin mosbof its bnuv)hei the finest that has probably ever been shown at bbc time in Burope. The show mit is now Exhibited ? " occupies almost every available square foot of covered c ■'& surface which the Horticullural-ganienshave'at theh* disposal. -A-..A ■■;.<■■;■<;■; fi-xfiA *.'.:'"-*U*;*a