MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2121, 29 October 1864, Page 5

MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS.

A Swimming Match vor Women. — The programme of tlie Brighiiin swimming contest included a " match for females, open to ull comers, distance 300 yards, for a very bundsome silver plated teapot, value 555." This odd affair is described as follows by the Spectator: "On the cliff, the pier, the beach, tbere must have been now 4000 or 5000 spectatois — *.i somewhat awful ordeal, one would think for the ' females' in question. 'They must have good beart to come out at all,' said one middle-aged woman to another close to our elbow, aud we quite agieed. Afier a short delay, however, the door of a bathing machine, which had been drawn up to the sturtiug place, opened, and out jumped lirst one and then a second youug woman. This was all. There were four entries but only two came to the scratch — Mrs Mary Taylor, who wor_ a scarlet and white head dress, and Miss Gooding (or Jenny Gooding, as she was called in the crowd), who showed iu wliile aud blue. Tlie rest of their persons were clothed in short bluejackets, not tunics suob as women wear at French watering places, and trousers fitting rather tight, which no doubt ■lifliint'iilffl (urn mum ftflUT ir awim ia than loose

3 young women, and we gathered from the tall. ) about us that they were sisters, tbe danghleis > of a proprietor of machines, accustomed to '. attend on ladies bathing, and both of them . first-rate swimmers. After a short delay, tbe , signal was given, and they ran inlo the water, , und started for the 150 yards' flag, round which j they were to swim. We were disappointed in ■ the' pace, Mrs Taylor and Jenny taking (he ; matter quite coolly, and swimming side by hide (liiictly until the close, when the married lady took a few feet precedent of her sister, and came liist to ground amidst much applause. Whether tlie ajijilausc incited the young women tp prolong tbeir pei forma nee, or whether it was part of t:io programme, we cannot say, but instead ol g"ing to the machine they now swain out for 30 yards or so, and began floating and diving, and were hauled up into a boat by a youug ma'i, who, we were tidd, was their brother, from which they each took several very respe cI table headers." EXTRAORDINARY M URDER OX THE HIGH Seas. — At the Southampton Police Court on the 12lh, before the mayor, Mr G. H. Brinton, aud other magistrates, a German seaman, named Adolph Bj»msen, about 25 years old, was charged with wilfully murdering thf captain of the barque Gustave Adolphe, an English registered vessel, on the high seas, on the 21st uf June last. It appeared frum the evidence of the lirst mate, Mr Preston, that the ship left London on the 7th of May for China. When they were wiihin about five days sail of Pernambuc.*, the liist mate was in the cabin — the time beiug 930 p.m. — when he heard a noise proceeding from the captain's cabin. He inline' iately went there, and found the prisoner in the cabin with the captain. As soon as the prisoner saw him he raised a pistol and fired, but the shot missed him. He then went on deck, the prisoner followed him, having still a double-barrelled revolver in his band. Shortly afterwards the captain came on deck, and asked where the second mate was (inc. ming the prisoner,) and whether he had not been secured ? Prisoner was standing* near at the time, and he turned round and deliberately shot the captain through the head. The captain fell, and after lingering, for about half an-hour, died. The prisoner in tlie meantime had betaken himself to the captain's cabin, where he remained for a considerable time, the crew being unable to get at hini, as be had obtained possessiou of all the firearms. He afterwards came on deck heavily armed, and proceeded to lower the lifeboat, into wliich he got, and at once started from lhe ship. It was then about half-past two in the morning. Shots were fired ai him, but it was exceedingly dark al the lime, and they did not take effect. As soon as the day dawned all eyes were strained in order to discover, if possible, some trace of the prisoner, and the boat was soon seen in the distance. The vessel went immediately in pursuit, and came up with him about 10 o'clock. Shots were fired at the prisonei's boat, which was completely riddled, and when it was in a sinking state, the jollyboat belonging to the ship, and manned at the time by six of the crew was sent to seize the prisoner, who was placed in irons as soon as secured, and conveyed to the vessel, where he remained in confinement till Pernambuco was reached. He was then arraigned before a naval court, where depositions were taken, and the English consul directed his removal to this country. It was stated that no disagreement had taken placc between the captain and the prisoner. At the conclusion of the first mate's evidence the prisoner was remanded for a week in order that the register ofthe vessel might be produced, Mr Mackey, who appeared for the prisoner, having expressed a doubt as to whether it was authorised to carry an Euglish flag. A few mornings ago a man of genllemanlik e appearance, at least 8| feet high, stout, and wel' proportioned, was seen walking along Fleet-st. and the Strand, in company with another gentleman, who, although a tall man, looked like a pigmy beside his friend. Hundreds uf men and boys followed the tall gentlemnn along his route, who appeared to be completely undisturbed by the eager .iess with which he was stared at and commented upon, anil chatted calmly with bis friend as he passed along the puhlic thoroughfares. A general order has heen issued from the Horse Guaids, by command of the Duke of Cambridge, and promulgated at Chatham garrison, announcing that in future every recruit on first joining the headquarters of his depot or regiment, is to be asked whether he is a Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, or belonging to any oilier sect, and that the answer be recorded in the man's pocket ledger, duly attested by his signature, aud witnessed. A new machine, by means of wliich its inventor hopes to supersede the steam-engine, is the order of the day in France, [t bas been already introduced with success into a paper factory belonging to aM. Auzon. This machine can, it is said in a report of the French Academy of Sciences, be made to do the woik of a steam engine of equal power at an economy of from 60 to 70 per cent. It is, too, free from such drawbacks as the necessity of high chim neys, smoke, or the danger of explosion. In many ways it bears a close analogy to the Ericsson engine, nud is called a gazometeur, being composed of three principal pails, namely, an air-pump, a smoke-consuming furnace, and a motive cylinder. The furnace, when the engine is at woik, remains closed, unless at the orifice by which the air pump opens on it and the one by which the heated air sets the cylinder in motion. It is so arranged that a quantity of combustible mailer equal lo that which it consumes falls constantly into it. A state of combustion is kept up by the air-pump. Part of the air passing from this rushes into the furnace ; tbe rest combines with the coal gas, form ing thus a gaseous mixture the volume of which is far greater than that of the air previous to its introduction to the lurnace. This mixed air acts on the piston ofthe cylindre moteur with a force proporlionate to the volume produced by augmentation of the elevation of the temperature. The Woman with Five Husbands.— -At the Exeler Assizes, Mary Jane Sharpe was indicted for subscribing a false petition to the inspector ol seamen's wills in the name of Mary J, me Collins, falsely asseiting herself to be the widow of William Collins, a seaman, with intent to obtain possession of his pay and wages. In August, 1844, the prisoner was married to one Richard Sharpe, who was then a seamen on board ber Majesty's ship Siromboli. In the year 1849 Sharpe weut on board her Majesty's ship Acheron, which went out on foreign service, and in July of that year she married Collins. On the 4th of January, 1864, Collins died on board her Majesty's ship Surprise. The prisoner.then assumed to be the widow of Collins, and subscribed a petition for the purpose of obtaining bis effects. It happened, however, that soon after Collins had married tbe prisoner lie discovered tbat she was already a married woman, and that ber husband was living; he therefore left her, and married another woman. Upon his death the real Mrs Collins applied to the admiralty; and it now being discovered that two persons were calling themselves the widow of William Collins, inquiries were set on fool, and theu it seemed that the prisoner was in truth tbe wife of Richard Sharpe, who was ; still living, and this prosecution wus instituted. The jury retired for a short time, and then re- ; turned a. verdict of " Guilty." There were five i indictments against the prisoner fur bigamy,

i The experiments wither William Arras strong's 600-peunder shunt gun were continued ) at ShoeburyEess on Atogust . 16. A flouting i Warrior Target, measuring 12ft. by 10ft., was j moored at 500 yaids froth the gun, the charge , being reduced lo 50|1b., so as to bring the i velocity of the shot down to what it would bave i been if the gun had been fired at 2000 yards i distance. Although the first shell ricocheted it went clean through the target, making a large hole, blowing the upper plate completely off aud breaking nearly every bolt in the middle plate, w hich was detached seme three or four inches from the backing. Tlnee other shells were fired, lj U t one of them struck the top end, tbe other t W o tlie left and right side ot # ihe woodwork of tlie target, inflicting no veiy serious damage. It was the opinion of the most eminent artillerists piesent that the loss of powir caused by the ricochet of the first shell which did the largest amount of damage, was equivalent to 100_ty'a' r <ls added to the range; so tbat the experiment really showed that the gun would do with lhe full charge at 3000 yards and confirms the experiment made some time since at tlie box target, to wbich Lord Hartington alluded in th eHuuse directly after. We believe that the Ordnance Select Committee have, reported most favourably ou the gun, and the war oflice authorities havg decided on ordering four more for this year's delivery. A fight between an elephant and a bull toek place recently at Madrid. When the elephant was bronght to the Place desTaureaux a fiery young bull wa.* turned out. The bull advanced against his terrible adversary without evincing the slightest fear. He attempted to flank him, in order to wound him ; but the elephant, exhibiting an equal agility in his motion, did not suffer bim to approach. Finally, the bull attacked him in front; hut, everywhere confronted by the formidable tusks which interposed an impregnable barrier, he did uot succeed in wounding bim. At last, in one of the assaults, the bull succeeded in thrusting his head beneath tbe tusks; but, before be could penetrate the tough hide of the elephant, he fell to the earth. Tbe spectators only saw the elephant bend bis head slightly, and rest tbe extremities of his tusks, whicb had been plugged, upon the back of the bull. From that moment the bull was hors de combat, and when tbey afterwards killed him it was found that three ribs were completely crushed by th'e almost imperceptible movement the elephant had made in holding bim with bis tusks. About 10 months ago two gentlemen of San Francisco laid a wager, by which one of the parties was bound to the following conditions: — If the Federal forces did not capture Richmond withiii 30 days from that date, he was to give his opponent a single sound, eatable apple ; if Richmond held out 60 days, be was to give him two apples, and so on, doubling the number f r each month until Richmond was taken to the end of time, if that event did not occur before. Nine months have passed since the first apple was handed over, aud the list of apples delivered at the end of the successive montlis is as follows:— l,2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256-tolal, 511. Thus far it is all a good joke, and the loser has paid forfeits regularly, with a good grace, but the last payment ruined a 10 dollar piece to meet the demand; apples are 15c lo 20c per lb, and it took a fiftylb box. Should Richmond hold out a. year longer, his last paymeut would cost him 40,960 dollars, and he would be 81,900 dollars out; in three months more he would be out 686,340 dollars; and should the war last as much longer as it has already lasted no country on earth could meet the terms of the wager, even allowing it , to be reduced to a cash basis. Mr George Irwin, of Serpentine Avenue, Dublin, writes to the Daily Telegraph to offer a solution of the Waterloo- bridge mystery. He says that tbere is strong reasou to suspect tbat the mutilated limbs fouud in tbe carpet bag . were tbose of Mr R—-— , a Tasmanian of some property aud respectable position, wbo came ! over to England about the time in question, i sold £1400 worth of Tasmanian bonds, went to lodge with a Jew named W , a returned i convict, who lived close to Waterloo.bridge, and was nevei heard of again. He was a man i of eccentric and penurious habits, and known to scarcely any one in London. The jew W— — — also disappeared abaut the same time. Mr ! Irwin offers lo give the names of all parlies ' represented by initials to any one conducting a proper investigation into the matter. By pub--1 lishing the story in its present form, however, Mr Irwin has done quite enough to put W— — on his guard< It would certainly have been better to bave given the police the opportunity of making inquiries without exciting suspicion. [By the mail which left England for Tasmania on August 20, the police have forwarded to the widow of the supposed victim alluded to ; above, carefully taken aud colored photographs of the coat and waistcoat, and the carpet bag in , which, with certain human remains, tbey were found, wben the bag was discovered on one of the buttresses of Waterloo-bridge.] The taction of tobacco, wben smoked, upon the pulsations of the heart, is a subject whic i in this country has not received tbe attention it deserves; we are therefore glad, for tbe sake of science, to find it has been tsken up in France. AI. Decasisne contributes a valuable paper to the Comj>tes Rendas, and therein expresses his opinion on the matter. He examined no less than eighty-eight incorrigible , smokers, and found among the number seventy- , one cases of intermittent pulse, which did not arise from any affection of the heart. Of these, • nine were attacked by dyspepsia. Five or six ■ had themselves perceived tbe peculiarity of tbeir circulation, without, however, attaching auy . importance to it. Tt was remarkable that as • soon as the habit of smoking was giveu up the , digestion improved and the pulsations became more regular. Tbe average age was tbirty-four years. If we consider (1) thut none of the in* , dividuals suffered from organic disease of the • heart; (2) that, most of them enjoyed a state of health very unfavorable to the production of intermittent pulsaliou ; and (3) that by forsak- . ing the habit of smoking, there were nearly half the number restored to health, the followiug conclusion will not appear unjustifiable .---The abuse of tobacco-smoking may produce in certain constitutions a species of cardiac naicotism, which is indicated by the irregularity of the pulsations, as reckoned al the wrist; and it is only necessary to relinquish a habit in order to obtain a healthy action of the heart.