ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Colonist, Volume VII, Issue 664, 8 March 1864, Page 4

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

A.\~ AirrirtCAN Steamer Burned.—Tho steamer Glasgow, from Memphis on tho 12th November, brought to Cairo the painful intelligence of the burning of tho ateamer Sunnysido about five o'clock in the morning of the 13th, opposite Island No. 16, 5i6 miles below Now Madrid. She had a large passenger list, and a heavy freight on board. Among tho latter •were 1383 bales of cotton, which, with the boat, were totally destroyed. The boat caught fire from sparks from tho chimney, which ignited the cotton. She ■was run ashore, and her engines were kept working to hold her to tho bank. The exit from the boat being insufficient, many of her passengers wero obliged to jump overboard, several of whom wcro drowned. The scene is described as most terrible. Of thirteen female passengers only four escaped, and of eight children six were lost. About thirty passengers in all "were drowned or burned. The boat's book and the money on board wero lost. Tho Glasgow brought the survivors hero, most of whom lost everytliing they possessed.—JYew York Herald.

The Western Times states that the lady who left her fortune to Mr. Disraeli was a Mrs. Brydges Willyams, of Mount Braddon, Torquay. She was of a Jewish extraction. She became acquainted with that gentleman by his answering an inquiry of hers as to whether ho was descended from a Spanish family.

Large numbers of mechanics arc daily leaving Montreal, tempted by the apparently high wages in the United States. Many trades are already seriously inconvenienced by the scarcity of workmen.

A fund lias been started at Buenos Ayres to assist the Mexicans in their resistance of the French. The amount subscribed in the capital city is £18!

The British Army Iteview is informed that Colonel Crawley has commenced an action for libel against "Jacob Omnium" (Mr. Higgius), in consequence of the article by " J. O," in the CornMll Magazine, on the " Mhow Court-Martial," which appeared in a recent number.

Indian Expectations.—A periodical issued from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel gives (but without date) a letter of the Rev. Dr. Caldwell, missionary in Tcnnevelly, in -which the writer says : — All over the southern provinces the people are expecting the advent of a native king and the expulsion of the English in 1865. A written prophecy to this effect is being copied out and sent from Tillage to village, and every copy of the prophecy is -worshipped as a document of Divine authority. All that is known of tliis king is his name, Vassanta Raja, King Vernal."

Sixteen Persons Poisoned by Eating-Unwhole-some Pobk.—A few days since sixteen persons partook of a dinner at Herrstadt, in Prussian Silesia, when shortly afterwards they all becamo very ill, and exhibited strong symptoms of having been poisoned. Notwithstanding the most prompt assistance sixteen of the sufferers died in dreadful agony. A postmortem examination detected the presence of infusoria known ng trichines, which are principally found in pork, of which meat the victims partook.

Father and Sox.—The case of a man not setting eyes on his own son until ho was fifty years old is probably without parallel. The story is told by Leslie in his agreeable " Eccollections of West," the painter's father. On his emigrating to America ho left his wife in England, who died shortly after giving birth to a son, whom his father first saw on his return to his native land fifty years afterwards. The painter was one of the second wife's family, born in America. — Notes and Queries.

Science v. Spirits.—Mr. J. Manning an ingenious optician, who exhibits his cunning work at 24 Kegentstreet, has constructed an instrument by means of which the spirits which are now haunting the several theatres and singing rooms may be seen and heard to yet greater advantage. All sorts of writing on the wall and rapping under tho tables can be done by 3VIr Manning's spirits with an appearance of reality which might deceive the quickest eye and ear. A hand appears on the canvas: it writes a word and rubs it out again, but the spectator feels for it in vain' for neither the hand which writes, nor the written words can be found by actual touch. Only the phantom can obliterate what the phantom has written. The experiment is very strange and startling, but real science, after all, must beat the conjurors. We undertake that Mr. Manning and his feilow-opticians will drivo tho Homes and Posters quite out of the field"— Athenceiun.

Ihe Tkeastfres of THE Deep.—The Times of December 10th says :—A short time back, tho divers engaged in searching the pool where the Royal Charter broke up, four years ago, came upon a very rich stove of gold. They found, in the same spot, in the course of a few days, about £1200 in sovereigns, and a bar of pure gold weighing nine pounds and a halt, which was brought up to London. The treasure •was far from being exhausted when the Btorm came on, and put a stop to the diving operations for the season. Messrs. Gibbs, Bright, and Co., the owners of the vessel, sold, about a year ago, to some persons in Anglesey, all claim to' the treasure found on the spot, and it is said that tho speculation has already paid 300 or 400 per cent, profit, although the cost of working it is very considerable.

A 1 cgilist "at Home."—A good story is current respecting King, the pugilist, and the "host" of Hassock s-gato Inn, whore ho resided during his training. It appears that a day or two previous to the encounter with Heenan, King, during his " play hours" from training—tho "ruling passion" bein* strong in him, induced "mine host" to have a set-to m the parlour, the host to do all the hitting, the great pugilist stipulating not to return it, but only to parry the blows Warming at his work, " mine host" let foil his blows both fast and furious. "Now," B aid King, who was standing with his back close to tho wall of the room, " Jut me full in the face." Quick as thought, the request was responded to, and with equal quickness did King avoid the blow by shifting his head, when the knuckles of the worthy host went with such tremendous force against the wall, that the sponge was immediately thrown up. Indeed so Bcnoiu was the injury sustained, that mine host was compelled to seek surgical aid in Brighton, and there is every probability of his retaining a lasting memento oi the visit of the great pugilist to his house.— Surrey standard. a

A . Cumstuas SmiMEß.—ln Yorkshire the mildness of tho season is unusual. The gardens, many of them, retain the scarlet geranium and stocks of summer yet m bloom, and roses still keep their foliacefc r^ll" 0 !? ICaf Pai' tlyj ™d aboufc ScaSSl°tliorpe, in full south positions, have actually flowered : and rhubarb is pushing in the open ground. Altogclhcr there have not been more than 12 hours of sl.ght frost. In the fields the wheat crops are remrkably forward, "proud," as the farmers say, and the breadth of wheat so™, thanks to the 7 open weather, is very large. Turnips have hardly ceaS fnaTZrClirSmar 013 '*"' ia more

Pu"v I 1 G rTITIT ULOCCIJ? EiNCE BTTHE EXPLOSIOWOFA x akaffii, Lamp.—An accident of a fearful character occurred to a female named CarolineMcm^oof James Street, Bethnal Green, London, and from the "t I »J Vo^taroofaV l in JUrie9it is f«^d that c cannot survive many hours. Tho unfortunate female got up from her bed at about seven o'clock to St the fire for her breakfast, and sho went to thn S to put out the light of a paraffin oil l^p *£? £uti not extinguish it and stooped down to blow the burning wick out, when tho flame suddenly ignited the contents whereby the lamp suddenly expbded and saturated her with tho oil, which covered her dress from head to foot. She was momentarily enveloped m a mass of flame, when her screams brought her husband to her assistance, and tho firo was oxtin-

Circassian refugees are arriving at Constantinople from all parts of the Black Sea on the crowded decks of every steamer, at the rate of about a thousand a Vk n™J ar° m a Btate of Sreafc distress. As many as 15,000 are expected. A man recently died in London from the effects of an over-doso of chloroform.

P-? ? ARTiLMET.-Holloway's Ointment and A sergeant in the Eojal Artillery writes, on December 12th, 1862, from Poonamattee, Madras Presidency, that his right leg, from the ankle to" the calf, wa9 a quagmire of disease and corruption ; that any?™ n thG h<^ ital "U for twelvemonths withou any improvement in his case ; that ho, as a forlorn hope resolved to try HoiWy's celebrated OinSent ana i ill 3. These soon gave ease, expelled the bad humors from the limb, healed the apparcn tty incuraSo sore, and restored him to sound health. Soldiers and