AMERICAN NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1160, 21 February 1874, Page 21

AMERICAN NOTES.

Chicago calculates that she spends £9GO per diem in billiards. The Montreal Witness thus bears testimony to the value of advertising :—: — " While a compositor of this journal was setting up an advertisement for a lost canary, the bird flew in at the office window."

The Canadian Government is gradually removing the Indians to reservations farther and farther west, as the demand for the land occupied by them increases. The authorities of Sing Sing, New York, finding that the lightning rods on the prison conduct more prisoners than lightning to the ground, have decided to remove them.

The Salt Lake Tribune declares that Brigham Young's new house will be " one of the most gorgeous residences anywhere between sunrise and sunset."

The United States possesses more miles of railroad than all the nations of Europe combined. The completed lines of the States measures 70,178 miles, exclusive of 43,000 in course of construction, while in all Europe there are scarcely 65,000 miles.

Leather made from the skin of the white whale, it is said, is now a regular article of manufacture at some of the villages in Canada. It is both fin 6 and durable, and shoe thongs made of it are said never to break.

The Philadelphia Ledger says a man in New Orleans ia the proud possessor of an educated aud accomplished monkey,

which washes its handa and face with soap and water, brushes its hair, and after dinner, picks its teeth with a regularly organised toothpick. A man named Harper, who lives in Missouri, writes to the St. Louis Caucasian to say that he will bet 5000 dollars that President Grant, "unless he dies from natural or other causes, will be assassinated on or before the 10th day of April, 1874." The Philadelphia Public Ledger states that the Smithsonian Institution is in receipt of Captain Jack's head. The Modoc chieftain left this as a token of friendship to the whites. Sightseers always stop about ten minutes to look at it in going through the animal curiosities. An American editor says: — We acknowledge our indebtedness to Messrs Fordham for a dish of very superior soup. We marked it "inside matter," and gave it an early insertion. Our contributors can always send such articles without any fear of their being crowded out or laid oves until next week.

A strict Scotch woman of Presbyterian education was induced to attend services one Sunday at Trinity, New York, this being her first appearance, in an Episcopal Church. After service was over, she was asked how she liked it, and gave answer that " it was very fine, but it was awfu' wark for the Sabbath day !"

A new use for patent pills has been discovered. A farmer living in a Kansas village was abruptly visited by robbers not long ago, and having a gun and powder, but no shot, loaded with a box of fever pills, and blazed away. The result was as satisfactory as though the rascals had swallowed the pills. One of them was killed outright, and another dangerously wounded.

It is related that when Wilkie Collins was about to step in front of the curtain at Syracuse (U.S.), he said to Mr Hanchett, who was to introduce him, " Don't introduce me as the greatest living novelist. I've been introduced so a number of times, and I'd rather be simply Mr Collins. You know everybody is the greatest living something." The Pittsburg Iron World and Manufacturer says : ' ' The most powerful pair of engines in the world are in course of construction in this city. The following dimensions will serve to give some idea of their magnitude : — Crank, 9 tons ; shaft, 24 tons ; four sections of the two valve chambers, 124 tons ; flywheel, 70 tons. The four plungers will weigh upwards of 400 tons ; cylinder, 94in. in diameter ; stroke, 14ft."

At the inauguration of a Jewish synagogue in Lexington avenue, New York, the other day, there was introduced a feature which, in connection with the ancient form of worship of an ancient people, strikes one as being somewhat incongruous. The choir chanted the first chapter of Genesis, and at the words, "Let there be light," the gas throughout the building was instantaneously ignited by electric wires laid to each burner.

Water in California is no longer regarded as merely an agent in hydraulic mining. The importance of irrigation has been recognised. A " rush" has taken place. Speculators have striven for concessions, and the water power of California is in danger of falling into a few hands. Companies have been formed and entire lakes have been acquired. One of these will shortly be utilised, and will furnish immense volumes of water, doubly precious in a great grain producing country where there is no rainfall for eight months in the year. A criminal case received an abrupt and ludicrous interruption in the Broklyn City Court the other day. A couple of Cuban bank clerks, who are accused of stealing 120,000 dollars worth of securities from the Commercial Bank of Havana, were placed on trial. The evidence, which was very simple, had been completed and the case given to the jury, when one of that useful body informed his fellows that he could not agree to any verdict, for he was " stone deaf," and had not heard a word of the testimony. So the case must be gone over again. The death is announced at Leary, Jofferson County, New York, on the 23rd of October, of Robert Soxbury, at the great age of 110 years and seven months. He was famous in former years as a hunter, and had killed in Northern New York over 2200 deer. When over 80 he met with an accident necessitating the amputation of a leg, and without flinching he assisted the physician to perform the surgical operation. His funeral was attended by several of his children, who were aged between 80 and 90.

A new discovery of quicksilver is attracting attention in California, which it is thought will add materially to the world's supply of this article. The locality is about 150 miles south of the New Almftden mine, and is midway between the sea and the mountains. A company from Nevada have "located" the mine under the law of Congress, and have already set men at work to develop it. AU the cinnabar mines in' California

have heretofore aggregated a yield of 2,000,0001bs a year, but hereafter, when the new claim is effectually worked, this will be_ materially increased. Advices from Panama state that on the 29th of August a terrible noise was heard in the direction of San Pedro, Bolivia. On the following morning it was observed that a large and fine tract of arable land situated at the foot of the heights of Potosi, had disappeared. For some time the immense and dense clouds of dust announced that great masses of hills had given way. The people flocked for two days to look at the place where so large an extent of ground had sunk out of sight. The cracks and rents extended south to a distance of 4000 metres by 2000 wide. Five Indian huts, with their gardens, granaries, and cattle, went out.of sight in a moment. The other houses near are in a state of ruin.