MISCELANEOUS EXTRACTS

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1459, 2 October 1860, Page 5

MISCELANEOUS EXTRACTS

A Navigable Balloon. — The navigable balloon which under the name of the "flying fish," has been for some time exhibited at the Exhibition Palace, was on Wednesday afternoon taken to the courtyard of the Tuileries to be shown to the Emperor. Hl9 Majesty, leading the Prince Imperial by the hand, inspected the apparatus, and the Empress examined it from one of the windows. The balloon which is somewhat in the form of a whale, is provided with paddle-wheels worked by a small engine, and made to act in any direction by means of a rudder placed at one of the extremities. The whole was kept captive at a height of some yards, and executed different mancouverea among which were a circle and a stop, page before the window of the Empress. The Emperor witnessed the experiments with much interest, and addressed num.' erous questions to the inventor. — Galig-

11(1711,

Innkeepers' Liability Bill. — This Rill, which has been for several days on the House of Commons' paper of business and 'which was brought in by Colonel Smith, proposes to enact that an innkeeper shall not be responsible for the property of his guest where its value exceeds 40/,. unless it be deposited with him expressly for safe custody, and he may require it to be exhibited to him. It is also provided that any person obtaining food or lodging from any innkeeper without having the means of paying for it, or goods of the value, may be committed to gaol for two months.

Crinoline and Hats in Church. — At Bowness Church, a young gentleman put his hat under the seat, and shortly afterwards two prepossessing young ladies sat next him. At the conclusion of the service the ladies left the church first, and the gentlemen stopped in search of his hat, and to his surprise found it gone. He called the sexton, and applied to that worthy functionary for advice, who suggested that it might have been caught in the ladies' crinoline, and entangled in the crinoline sure euough it was. After bohing against one of the young ladies legs for a distance of about twenty yards the hat dropped out, much to the surprise and astonishment of those following.

Fearful Fight in a Spanish Prison. — A fearful scene has just been enacted in the Penitentary at Alcala, this vast prison-house, which is situated at a short distance from Madrid, is inconvenieutly thronged with the worst characters, such, as are usually congregated in such places; 300 of these miscreants turned upon the guard, who fortunately had been warned of the intended revolt, and had made their preparations to repel it. The insurgents were unarmed.

Foolhaudiness. — A young man, who works in the ooal mines of Gilly, near Charleroi lately made a bet of a few glasses of beer that be would lie down on the railway, and let a train pass over him. He performed his mad freak two or three days ago, placing hiraselt lengthways in the middle of the line between the rails, making himself as small as possible. He won his bet, but at the expense of a severe burn on the back of his neck from a piece of lighted coke falling on him, added to which he will be brought before the correctional police for his imprudence.

The Monijeuu de la Cote d'Or. gives an accountof an extraordinary combat between a wolf and a ram, in which the latter was victorious. The wnlf had seized a lamb in a flock, and was charged by the guardian ram with such resolution and success that he remained totally dis-» abled on the field of battle the lamb being rescued.