GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 1, 6 October 1877, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS

A CORRESPOXDE.VT at Madrid (says the " Home News ") relates a recent scene in the Spanish Dull ring, which seems to have made an unusually profound impression ou all classes ot spectators. The accident, it seems, was: due to an act of ostentation ou tuo part of the victim, who was noted for hu foolhardy vanity. His name was rruocuelo, and he is stated to have been much admired at Madrid, where no bull-light seams to have been thought, perfect without linn. On Sunday, A.pril 1, then: was a grand '•spectacle," in Wilich fr'rascuelo ».l. the principal performer, but wishing, it would seem, to snatch the laurels iioul a rival, he .made a v.. jh at the bull out ol hn turn , tne f.vo men got into each otii'-rs way. aria ilie w.u" tiut iiaiiocueio was ea.ugiij by tne bull, v.lucn imlieiea a severe Wound Upon nun, tne resuit ot watch m likely to provu tatai liiu.i eusued a iceuu which n is rather diuicuu to interpret. The King sprang to ins tcct in uorror, au arcuUudiuu ■was carried out taintiug, shneKs ot auguisu bui-t tana all the women, and men of every age and rank Uttered cries ot " uisui.iy and consternation.'' Vet the inuaeuu in themselves cannot bj called uncommon in the auiiala of bull hgnting. ho amount ol humaii agility, Bkul. t>r self-possession can oin,a;i .my nun against accidents m this duugeious auiitMUlKQt , and uu accident in audi a ciwi iiiuati nine timet out ot leu a vory Btriottl one. Ihat the pcifuiinei should be caught and gored uy the Infuriated uuiiuul against which be was pit I, ,1 \Mi . ill the ey-'S l'l ail old i.' .In-',-■! * habitue," u iiti'iiiintiiH r n i doubt to bt NgTMMd, but -nil not so uncommon hn to BMM linn any serious perturbation. In the palmy day* of

■■■ 1,in..; iii Efjlur..!. u waa eon* I .. very .-id even) it combatant] waa killed Kevertheiass, inch a tannination of t*"> contest v -ns knowu to b,- ulnars possible. and the patrons of the ring, did not desert it or. ! that account. It was much to b< i lamentt i. of course, but it was incidental jto the profession ot pugilism, and wo i great a fuss was nor to be made about jit Even in this Spanish case it is probable that in a good deal of the emotion displayed grief largely predominated ever horror—grief, that is, \ for the loss of a popular favourite rather j than horror at the acoideut which had befallen him. It seems, however, that a certain portion of the spectators were penetrated by different feelings, such as I might almost lead us to hope that some consciousness of the brutality of the sport was beginning to manifest itself in 1 Spain. But the same correspondent goes jon to inform as that, notwithstanding | these unusual signs of horror, the I accident will only have the effect of rendering the sport more popular than ever.

An interesting event, states the ,'" Ballarat Star," occured during the Ijourney of the last train on Tuesday j evening, from Ararat to Ballarat. One of the female passengers became very ill I soou after the triin started, and before it 3 arrival at Ballarat, a very fine baby ; hae been born. Some ladies travelling I with the mother attended to her, and on j the arrival of the train here the stationi master despatched the invalid and her ! baby , both of whom are doing remark - ] ably well, home in a cab, a porter and a policeman being told off to take care of I them. The little stranger, a traveller from birth; will have some difficulty at at a future date in naming its exact birthplace. According to the researches of Ilcrr F. Mueueli, our earth has at one time or other been inhabited by 155,000 kinds !of animals, of which 20,000 are now | extinct, while the other 135,000 are still j with as. Among che survivors are 2000 i varieties of mammalia, 5000 of birds, 1500 'creeping things," 8000 offish, 1100,000 of insect, 4000 radiata, 3500 polypifera, 1400 infusoria, and Hen Muench himself. —" Farmer." It is asserted by scientific writers, say 3 an Irish newspaper, that the number of •persons who nave existed on our globe since the beginning of time amounts to (16,627,843,237,075,256 Theso figures, when divided by 3,0i)5,000 —the number I of square leagues on the globe—leavo 11,320,(189,732 spuare miles of land; which being divided as before, give 1,314,626,070 persons to each square j mile. If we reduce these miles to square roods, there will be 1,853,174,600,000 which, divided in a like manner, will give 1253 inhabitants to eacii square rood, and these being reduced to feat, will give about live persons to each square foot of " terra tirma." It will thus be perceived that our earth is a vast cemetry. On each square rood of it 1233 human beings lie buried, each rood being scarcely sufficient for ten graves, with each grave containing 128 persons. The whole surface of our globe, therefore, has been dug over 20l urnes to bury its dead. Tho "Home News," says:—A curious and distressing eaoo has recently been under tho consideration of the pulico at Moscow. A few months ago a Russian peasant with his wife und four children were travelling iu a sleigh along the banks of the Pruth, whon they trera pursued by s pack of wolves. The poasuiit urged on the horses as much as he could, l»it soon perceived the horrible fact that the wolves were fust gaining iipou thorn. At the uiouiuut when tho sl»io,li was surrounded by tho ravening beasts, tlio limn sewed one of tho children, threw it. in the midst of them, and while tho wolves were struggling over their prey, he hastened on his burses, aud gamed ground. Four times tho wolves cumo up wan tho fugutives, and lour times the horrible sacrifice was completed. At lust tho peasant and hia wilo arrived al the nearest village, leaving behind tiium tho bones of their four children. In tho bitterness of despair tho mother informed against her husband, but thu judges, considering tnat it tho peasant hud nut resigned himself to tho homole suoniioe ho would not only hu\o lost his children, but al»o hia wife H'.quited thu prisoner."