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Southland Times, Issue 2244, 24 December 1875, Page 3

A discovery has lately been made on an island in the Mississippi which shows that the aborigines of America were not wbolly unacquainted with mechanical Burgery, but occasionally wore wooden legs when deprived of their natural limbs. la a subterranean cave, hewn oui of a huge solid rock, which " had undoubtedly been made thousands of years ago," was found, amoug Beveral other remarkable articles, a skull as brown as a polished walnut, perfect in every respect, and of extraordinary size, also an almost complete skeleton with a wooden leg. The fastenings of the artificial limb consisted ot petnned leather and bronze buckles. The original leg appears to have been removed hilf way between the hip and knee. This discovery is regarded as extremely interesting, as not only proving that timber extremities were fashionable in early ages but that a knowledge of bronze was among the learning of the aborigines. It is, however, rather painful to reflect that the state ot society thousands of years ago had not even the redeeming point of being natural, but was artificial, as at present, and that in honoring the bones of our forefathers we have often unconsciously been merely honouring their wooden stumpß. A Georgian editor has had his pistol stolen. He advertises to give the thief the contents, and no questions asked, if he will return it, "Wanted a Turnover.— The gentleman who has arrived at " the sere and yellow leaf" would like to turn over a new one, and begin his little book again. A physician said of a quack that '• he was such an ignoramus, that if he could take a lantern, and go down inside his patient, he couldn't find out what the matter was." i A citizen of Rouse ville, in Pennsylvania, boasts that his village can beat Boston out of sight on crooked streets, and then have crooks enough left over to start another town. In a pool, across a road, in the county of Tipperary, is stuck up a pole, having affixed to it a board, with this inscription, "lake notice, that when the water is over this board, the road is impassable." A widow who was weeping over the new-made grave of her husband, finally dried her eyes, and said. " There's one comfort in it, anyhow ; 1 shall know where he is ut nighfc." Daniel Webster, on being ouct asked who made the last sspeeeh at a certain convivial gathering, replied, " The fact is, no one ever distinctly remembers who makes the last speect on 6uch an occasion-" Throat disease is bo prevalent k Isew fcouth Wales that in thechurchet and schools the voices ot the clergymen and teachers' are drowned by tin continuous coughing ot those present The greatest sufferers are those wh< have recently had the measles.