CURIOSITY OR INQUISITIVENESS.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 124, 20 February 1873, Page 2

CURIOSITY OR INQUISITIVENESS.

For lowi.n'c, the field which it embraces, curiosity is a prnisewoithv quality, as well as a very leprehensible f.wlt ; and in th? latter case those •who are the victims of this infirmity cherish, their ugly failing precisely hecause they Lave, not conscience enough te acquaint them with the full extent of its hideous aspects. When exercised in the legion of things, inquisitivciiess means nothing lesa^ than a love of science and a thirst for truth ; but when curiosity has for the objects of its active exercise matters connected with pcisocs— their habits, their rcsoxnces, and their antecedents — it is tiansfoinied into, a fault at once^ detestable and inexcusable, for the reason that it has malevolence or ill will for its origin and for the in^er^u §d effect of its application In some instances we may lind cuno&ity of the faulty kind evinced by persons wlio, in the piactice of inquisitiveness, have not been entirely malevolent, but this does not iutcifere with the general character which I have attributed to the habit ; for those who practice it without being chaiacterised by any great degiee of ill will are yet the unfortunate possessois, of little mind^. In such a case, one may affirm i\ith certainly, that curiosity is a failing of low or vulgar minds, or of, ujylefstandings extremely, limited, and which are inaccessible to any ideas or inteiests of a general older, and of persons w ho accustom to nourish with avidity things of the most insignificant nature, provided that these things related to a neighbour. ' Every person here below who m.iy possess an inquisitive mind, which seeks to make impertinent inquiries into the affairs of neighbours, ought to apply him or herself to correct that failing, for no one has a 1 ight to become a plague ta society. Take, for instance, the curious woman who intrudes herself into a certain circle, that she may have an opportunity of retailing or misreprrsentm'4 any stories she may hear, and that 3he may effect by her arts the desti action of peace and confidence among those with whom she may h«i\e l^een allowed to mix. In a case like this we should without do,ubt not be alow to unite against such a person as against a common enemy. We should certainly take care in the piesence of such an inquisitive person to be very spai ing in our topics of conversation, and to make them as unimportant as possible, so that we might be assured that whatever the listener might then swallow with voracity would be comparatively harmless. ' There may, perhaps, be some delicious delight in, deceiving this appetite for, news, and in obliging "curious imp,e.i tinents " to swallow' with a gieedy pleasure unseizable or shadowy suppositions, peculiarities, or facetitious or imagined intelligence. But in despite of these precautions, or rather 'peihaps as their result, the public security, that is of the particular circle to which I have referred, has stUl not a little trouble, struggling instinctively to reco\cr itself befoie \he cncle finds it advisable to remove from it by force such an inqui- • sitive person. It is difficult to imagine to what mancruvies a woman imbued with curiosity ■« ill descend w hen Bhe is desirous of satisfying the passion with which the is },osse£sed. She will interrogate servants adroitly so far as she is concerned,' but malndroitly (maladroiiment) so far as the interest of the rest of the worldgo ; she will lansack the diawere to asceitain whether anything is to be found that will suit her malevolent purposes ; she will turn over the contents of boxes and opten letteis ; indeed every action of such a person makes it cleaily evident that her causes for so acting and the decjrts themselves ai c equally ignoble. Why do we find this person acting after such a fashion ? Tjhat «Jie may discover some incident which may be of such a nature as would be likely to do an injury to the person whose every actiou she submits to espionage ; and to attain this result sh? allows no feelings of shame or qualms of conscience to stand m her \v;iy in the puisuit of anjthm" by whioh her ends may be achieved. ° d

RAriNo Tntfm ickkcr — " Not Qqunre the ciiclc ? " e\claimed ray Lord Tom Noddy, aftoi lunch at Goodwood. "Why a nng't, a circle isn't it? "Well, tliQn take tlic hotting rui?, ami I'll bet ten to two that anyone ea; ' bquaic ' it." " ' "

Latin Pronunciation. — The Syllabus of Latin pronunciation, which the head muslci'd of bC\eral public schools requested to l^e drawn up on the authou'v of the Uimciwity Profe^ors, hoi nut been put forth b\ Messrs Palmer and Munro ; ia is. i.njiapptly, tl c list official work of the Cambridge Profe-*-er It is very brief and ver\ good ; the faeH »re, of course, H(nt^ r l dogmatically, but they are ail capable of proof, winch would be out of place here The Italian proqunciat.on of the vowel is not recommended in toto, but the valuable aid which Italian gncs is Mlv recognised, and, indeed, accepted \n alrno-it avery case. We »» OU W to diaposod to dissent from the identification of o yjith jjie Italian , cjoso o, as we think it more probable that the sound was pure, and that the very peculiar closed o was a later Ital-'an development, probably <}orived from earlier provincial sounds, but not heard of in Rome in the time of Cicero. In everything else which is s.aid about the vowels wo cordially Hgree Passing to the consonants, wo are happy to find it laid down that c is always to have the sound of*, and t) is alwa\stoha.v.etbe,?-soundin#etf. Perl^ps tho good people who ure so much disquieted at the thought of losing their old friends Sisero and Soesar, may be comfortedifthe head masters will make the compromise th&t Latin words which become by long use an integral portion of thp English language should still, in common talk, have their accustomed nnspronounciation. The Professors have n.ot been convinced by M> Roby that s in rosa, musa, &c., should be sounded as s and not as z — they retain the *. sound : w^ think top balance of proof goes the other way. they seem also inconsistent in deciding (rightly) that the Greek sound denoted by eh was& followed by h, but still proposing to sound ph and th (in tho borrow ed Greek words) as at present. Surely there is iy> difference of principle : pmetical considerations huve probably prevailed, as to Englishmen k'h is undoubtedly aai ea^cr sound than ph. The only question left undecided is the sound which v is bear : the professors vident meliorq,, and believe that it was sounded nearly as our w ; but they * leld to tho prevalent diversity of opinion, apd loavo us to do as we like. This wo rather ucgrot, for we firmly believe that the sound of the v was either our 10 or a labial o— much more probably the former — but that it was not our labiodental v. We presume that the head masters who ( made the request w ill accept tha law now laid down for them. In this ca-e there is good hope of a real reform. When onco boys n-e properly taught af schools, even the Universities must for shame amend their ways, lest theybe laughed at by their own pupils — Alhenaum, October 19.

The TKi,hon\rir lUnqukt in Lo:o)o>". — Tho " AngloAustralian in London," writing in tho European Mail, after describing the proceedings at the banquet, says : — Now for a few words on some of the happy allusions whujh were made. Earl Kimberley, in reading off one of the telegrams, which stated that it w as very "hot" in tho neighbourhood from whence it came, remarked that he ought to reply " It was cry cold here " A hearty laugh followed this sally, and this was increased to a perfect roar when his lordship added with ipuoh simplicity, " Really this is tho most remarkable verification of tho old adage in reference to extremes meeting that ever came under my notice.'* A* a matter of fact it was " very cold here," and not only so but very damp, for tie rain, winch had persistently held on for something like sit weeks allowed no signs of declining cvon after the meeting broke up. It was a happy idea that telegram ns to tha.state of the weather. Most people would have thought it a matter of no significance, but what w,aa its effect? Why, to turn people's thoughts in the direction of that sunny clime where the sun was so all-powerful Even Punch has caught tho infection, and has uttered an appalling menace," to the effect that " it is all yen ucll tv s^y '£hcfii' up!/ but if this sort of weather goes on here I'm for Australia. I'll manage England by telegraph. Splendid hq£ sunshine in Australia, Sir, was reported at the telegraph banquet on Friday nisht — message sent in an hour. I'll go, St ; sec if I don't !" What should we do without our Punch ? 1 hear that a deputation is about to wait upon him to s°e whether ho can't be induced to a)tcr his determination. Thu» you see that, by one happy suggestion as to tjio " stato of the weather," you have hit upon a simple and inexpensive means of inducing wholesale emigration. Then, you will be glal to hra.r that Punch, in commenting upon the coins exhibited at the new Guildhall Library, deemed it a fitting occasion to suggest some special meme,nto of tho work under mtiee. He say 3, ' We do thing* ; why not record them ? Where is the Australian telegraph medal ?" The quevv is certainly pertinent ♦o the tnitter, but in the absence of the medal, time will not Tail to record the achievement on the pnge of hi:»tory. Be careful, therefore, in any future telegrams, especially during t he winter months, not to s&v, "It is -very hot." When our Hummer is on, you may remind us, w^th advantage, " that jou have very mild and bracing weather." Do you see ? A S\x Fkancisco Funeral.— A letter received hereby the last mail thus de«eribes the funeral of a Rev Mr Watson at San Francisco :—": — " Tho rostrum and front of the choir, and the chair he used, were draped with black and white, which has a bet tcr effect than all black; the stand for tho Itible had blnck stretched over the front of it, as viewed from the bod\ of tho church, and thnt formed a bnek ground lor white flowers and evergreens — there w-vs but little green, quite small running le-ives and white Jillies and rosebuds artistically arranged, which was really beautiful. Thero were set on ministers on the rostrum. The coffin w»3 brought ,ii and placed in front, and lying upon ii, was a splendid white wreath of hothouse flowers. G?ho lids of the coffin (or caskets as they are cilled have) are made with glass ove, 1 the face of the body, so thnt it can bo seen, but previous to interment an ornamental lid of wood fits over it. The services oommenced-by the choir (composed of Fingers specially pro Aided for the occasion) singing " NNearr *r my God^to thee," in parts, thei) prayer by onq c.f the ministers, then a brief blotch of the career of the deceased was read hv another, and the remaining five each delivered a short address suitable to the occasion, a short prayer followed, and tho service concluded by the choir singing " Eock of Age? " in parts. After that the whole congregation (and the plaice was crammed) filed past the coffin and looked at tho corpse, which I mut-t describe. The hair was dressed as well as in life, beard well trimmed, and body clothed as usual. He had on a fine white shirt beautifully got up, with three small gold studs in it, a black velvet vest, a fine broad cloth coat, collar and neck bow same as in life. It is the custom here to dress males for burial in their best suits. It was very impressive, but I felt somehow that the flowers — beautiful as they looked — were rather out of place."

A Convebs vtion wnn the xate F. Di Maueiok — £^re you not weary of men ? ' I said to him one day. 'If Homo to you at any time you lav down your pen or your book, and you let mo w aste your time, and you who are never at rest seem to have endless leisure to listen to others and to help them' — 'They teach me more than I teach them,' he answered ; and indeed it was this immense teachableness which made him so great nnd wise n man And so he drew men's load of care from them and helped them to bear their burden*, and many who came sq him desponding, and crushed, and heartless, went from him full of hopo and new courage. I remember saying to him one d«y, 'How are we to know when we have got hold of God. became sometimes we seem to, have got a real hold upon Him, whilst at others we can realise nothing s> He looked at me with tho«e eyfs which so often seemed to be looking into an .eternity beyond, whilst he said, in his deep and tremulously earnest voice, ' You, havo not gpt hold of God, but Ho lias, got hold of -you.' I shall never forget it. It came like a revelation to me that we were rhiingnble, that we could not measure Him by our feelings, because we were so full of vacillation, fancies, and inconsistencies; but that He was the Changeless One, who had got bold of man, and would nrver let him co. That has been a strange comfort to me in all my intellectual difficulties, in all mj moral and spiritual wanderings ; the {nought tha£ this great Father has got hold of us IJig childi.cn, that in His pitiful and pitiless love He will put us into eternal fire, plunge, us into hell, after hellj until we have got hold of Him and cling to him to be delivered frim ourselves, our selfishness, and our sin " — Rev W S Haweis.

Germany Preparivo for Francb — Tn a recent i*sue of the Berlin Militar Wochpuhlaft, the official army paper, %vo are treated to these interesting avowals :—": — " Nine years hence France, under her new military laws, will hapo a most compact and reliable army of at lc^st a million men. To produce this great result the new laws have a retrospective, effect, Rubiecting the hundreds of thousands to the conscription who had ceased to be liable to it under the old laws. The- French nation docs not conceal from us thnt it hates vi most heartily, and that it meditates revenge, Under these circumstances we are forced to watch what is going on on the other aide of the Vosges, apd to guard aeainst underestimating tho resources of our neighbours. The German army, we are sure, will not allow itself to commit such asignal mistake. It attaches no undue importance to its former victories, but on the contrary, earnestly endeavours to complete and perfect its own organisation. It is devoutly to be wished that all classes of the people should remain alive to the etcrn realities of the case. In keeping w it.h the c o Fcnliments, ihe erection of a new line of forts at Straaburg lin,i n^t been taken in hand. There will be five principal works at from 7,000 to 8,000 metres from tho city, a distance sufficient to exempt the placo from all dangers incidental to a siege. New forts are also being erected on the sand banks at the mouth of the Wcser, as well as at Kiel and Friednchsort. The latter placo is to ba armed ■with fifty euns of the heaviest calibre.

GbrM\ny and Romax Catiiot,tciBM. — Tlio Spectator remarks that the Prussian Litjernjs despise tho toilsome way of undermining the foundations of the great authoritative Ohm oh, and prefer to resort to tho old-fashioned method of persecution. They will reap what tfiey arc sowing. Tho freest pri\ nto though*; in Europe has been hitherto that of Germany, but it will not lont; survive this shameful confession of weakness, this spasmodic terror of tho CClurch of Rome. The State which authoritatively persecutes an authoritative Church will find itself cutting its own ground from under its feet, and leading impartial German citizens to suppose that there must be truth behind a syit.jm so formidable as to call for State aid to assail it. It is an ill omen for the infant Empire of Germany, that in its very enrlient days it in abandoning tho sober traditions of that free thought and free relis;ioui combination fr.om which the. intellectual influence of Germany has sprung, and (uibstitifcirig for it a principle of dictatorial and jculouti dol^jnation.

About a year agu rumours rcacliod us that asnuglittlo 40toimor, called the Kingfisher, owned and sailed by Mr V R. L^>e, a distinguished Romil Academician and a veteran )aehtsman had left England for lustrnlm We subsequently hoard of her ariival n ( the Capo, and of her return to England, where Mr Lei speedily nought out a lirgor and inojo comfortable ere ft to luur him through "tho roaring forties eastward of the Cnpo," His selection wa3 the schooner Linda, of IL'G tuns, built in IHO 9 by Camper and Nicholson, of Gospoit, for Mr R Clifford Smith In his new craft Mr Lie left Plymouth on July 22, calling en route at Madeira on August 4, at Capo do Yordes August 12, Cape Town September 27, remaining there for three weeks. She then left for the island of St. Paul's, anA thence to Amsterdam Island, where a landing could not be effected owing to heavy weather. She arrived at Melbourne on December J l, remained about a week, and proceeded to Tasmania, visiting Hobart Town, Port Arthur, and Portescue Bar, from whence sho male a fine run of five Jajs to Sydney, and arriving early on tho morning of the 28th gave Mr Lee an opportunity of seeing some of our fastest yachts cither racing or cruising at the Animersary regatta We believe that this is the first time that the St. George's ensign pf tho Soy&l Xoeht Club has been seen m these waters, and»fchey are flown by as pretty a craft a? could well be designed for cruising. She has every indication of speed as well as power, but comfort rather than great speed seems to have been the special design elf her builders. Her model is admirable — a nicely rounded side, plenty of freeboard, and just enough sheer to give her plenty of lifting power fonviiid, without being unsightly. A fine entrance, and prettily oarved stem, terminating in a half-bust figurehead, give her «a smart 'api>cirance at the fore cud. Her atern is marked by the loug overhang which the system of yacht measurement has helped to perpetuate. A good sized gig on davits amidships, and a yacht's punt of tho usual description, forms her complement of boats. That she can go is testified by log, showing 1551 miles for six days, and 11 00 for 5 days, during her outward passage . On stepping below we find a large and splendidly flushed saloon, upholstered with crimson, and ornamented with mirror.; and mahogany panels. Abaft of- this i» the ladies' cabin, also elegantly fitted, but converted for tho nonce into a repository of curios, &.c, collected by Mr Lee during his present cruise. Several spacious staterooms complete that portion of thfi vessel intended for pleasure. The sailing master and crew are berthed forward, and both in their portions of the yacht and in the steward's department everything is fitted up with a nice regard to comfort, convenience, and space. The dato of the Linda's departure from Sydney is not yet fixed, but it is probable thaj; she wjll leav,e for New Zealand in the early part of February', and return to England via Torres Straits. — Sydney Mail. The annual expenditure on drink and tobacco amounts to more than £3 6s per head of the entire population — men, women and chddren — or of more than £13 for every adult mule in tho United Kingdom. The gross amount seems perfectly fabulous ; but it is competent for any one to test it by tho Government returns, which are indisputable. A hundred millions sterling a year on drink and tobacco ' Yet wo profess to bo an economical and reforming people, camassing every item of national expenditure down cren to the pen-mb3 in the pubfic offices, and the wages of tho docL-yard laborers. The whole expense of governing the United Kingdom for the year ending the 30th June, 1868 — excluding tho interest of the national debt — amounted to only £37,196,626 ; yet nearly double.this ampunt was voluntarily expended by the people governed — upon drink. Surely all the government extravagancies that can be conjured up sink into insignificance besida. i,his. W x hat we spend on arctent spirits and beer alone exceeds the entire national; expenditure, including the interest of the national debt. Our army, which docs dufy in all parts of the world, costs fourteen and a half millions sterling; while we spend over thirty millions upon gin, whisky, and brandy. Our navy costs nearly nine millions, and our beer nearly forty-four millions. TJie whole expense of^ managing the postal service costs only one-fourth of 'what we spend on tobacco. Some three millions a year are devoted by the middle and working classes to life and health assurance; and thirty times the amount to the indulgence of the s.'nsual appetites. — Companion to the British Almanack, 1870. Tho following story &bout the locusts is from tho Coleraine Albion :—": — " One of our subscribers at the Chetwynd has sent us a specimen of the locusts which have invaded that part of the district. On Saturday last they were as thick as a swarm of bees over a piece of country ten mile long by eight wide travelling in tho directio nof Cashmere. Our informant states that it was impossible to see trees a hundred y^rds distant, so densely was the air filled with them. To test the destructive propensities of the insect w,e gave it a few stout stems of young grass, and in about a minute the grass was cut through and through. It stands on its logs and begins feeding as high as it can reach, taking a strip half way through clean off down to the bottom, and then rises to commence afresh ; tho blade drops, and then it turns its att.'ntion to another. The animal is about twice the size of an ordinary grasshopper, and appears to be the next link to the grasshopper in animal creation. From Edenhope and Chctw vnd had stories continue to arrive of the havoc being made with the crop 3 and grass. On New Year's Eve tho members of the Casterton banS loft their homM, intending to ride over to Warrock. the residence of Mr George Robertson, to play tho old year out. Tney were met on the road by the grasshopper!, and wore unablp to get their horses along. It was, with considerable difficulty tho musicians led thcL*. hordes." A curiosity in the shape cf a dried speciman of humanity has been brought to Melbourne from Darnley Island by the French barque Vi^torine. The barque, it wiil be recolleted, left here about the end of September last with a number of diggers for, Cleveland Bay, and, after landing them, she went to the coa*t of New Guinea and took in a cargo of guano at Bramble Bay, the same island from whence the brig Syren brought a cargo of guano last year. The barque, after loading, called at Darnloy Island, on the New Guinea coast, and remained there for two days. The natives \» ere very friendly and also hospitably disposed, and mutual cuchanges were carried' on, pieces of cloth, shirts, and other articles being bartered for fruit, bows and arrows, shells, &c. ; and among Ifhe.. varied cojlec^on secured by the visitors was the preserved body of one of the old' chiefs of the island, who had been held in repute for his warlike disposition, and of whom distinguished mention \\»s made iu,the traditions of the natives He was, moreover, said to be the first native of New Guinea who had settled on Darnley Island. In addition to the shrivelled and shrunken remains of the cannibal celebrity, there are also on board two skullo in a peculiar state of preservation, looking just as if they had been dug out of red clay, and rendered hideous by the piece's of pearl shell inserted in the eye apertures. The mummy is not unlikely to find its wav to some museum, public or private. — Argus. The American Seal Lock. — This ia a new lock in which the key-hole is covered by a seal v.J>ich is a. small square piece of glass, held in position by grooves in which it slices. The " beal " covers the hole through which alone the spring catch is accessible, and this cannot be relensed until the seal is broken. The " seal " itself is a piece of common window glass, marked on the back with a letter and a number, and ajso with various irregular dots and splashes, in a sort of chocolate colour. The lettering and uumbering are conduclfid on the same priuciple. as on tho Bank of England notes, so th,at np duplicate of a seal will ever be njade : and the dots and splashes are accidental in shape and, ppftjtiqn., bejng sprinkled on at bap-hazard. Before the seals are cut the entire sheet is photographed, and the printed photograph is perforated like a sheet of postagestamps. The purchaser of the seals is supplied also with photographic facsimiles, so that he can send one of these to any person whose business it may be to veiify the security of a package. Ifc would appear that tho effect of the sound of the bagpipes is not confined to human beings, but is death to the snake tribe. The Maryborough Chronicle says :—": — " Here's the latest snake story. We don't, vouch for its authenticity. Mrs P. was thrown into a state bordering on hysterics by her little,, girl crying out t^hat a large snake had gone under the houslj. The alarm soon spread. Tho neighbours assembled and assisted Mrs P. in searching for the unwelcome visitor They were unsuccessful and in despair. Happy thought ' Some one remembered ' that music hath charms.' Mr 11. was prevailed upon to visit the sceno, and stand behind with his bagpipes. Before a dozen bars had been played his onake- | ship made his appearance, to the delight of the ' charmer ' and-the terror of the ladies and children. Mr H retreated, still playing, and the facinatod reptile followed. When about twenty yards from the house tho musician struck up ' Love among the roses.'- The snake reared- himself on high, darted out his tongue savagely, fell over with a guggle, and expired." A French sportsman (M. X.), set out one morning recently, first promising his. wife that he would bring her that very evening a brace of partridges at the very least. Punctually at 10 ojclock the same nijtfit ha returned home, greatly fatigued, and covered with (lust to the eais. His game-bag, liowever, appeared to be very full , and Madame X. ftt once concluded that her husband had had good sport " How many have you, my dear?" she asked, taking up the game-bag- "Two, as I premised," nonchaleiAtly replied M.'X., throwing himself into a chair. " I li.ul no sooner reached my destination, than bang — bang, fire !— I had killed the brace." Reddening with pnde, Madame X. opened the game bag ; but — O. horror !— in place of the partridges, she drew from it a superb lobster rolled up in a, paper. Tableau ! It was all the fault of the fishmonger, when applied to "by the stammering sportsman for a brace of partridges, the tradesman m,istook him, and gave instead a " cardinal of tho sea." A correspondent points nut that tho obituary of the Times of Thursday la?t recorded the deaths of nino persons whose united ages were- V7O years, giving an average of 85i years to each. " Yon sa.met.imes nptice,"-lio adtw, " the high averago of the death-rate, but this is a.lopger list ami a higher average than I ever recollect beiug obsered in your obituary column." A Calif ornian writes that tbey have fire-flies so large in that interesting state that they use them to cook by. They hang the kettles on their Mud legs, which arc "bent for the purpofae like pot-hooks.

American Musical Criticism, — Some "choice specimens" of musical Criticism Iml c lately appealed in the American papcia Here, me <i few .^nnLii <r of Sisjncr Mario's icuiit np^cuancu 111 opora in the Tinted Si, depone \cw V',l j ..I. u''f<,- — '• Tue perfor-tiT of his method I'cin i hi, b'U ins \oiee like the nieu.ory of n. bum I jo\, not to bo imagined, lull hardh admits of description ," nnotlier, however, wibhni^ to be more concise, timply c<impxre3 the artist to "' an ugi d nightingale with a cold " Of the style " higlifalutin" the critique on Madame ßuderadorlfuffords a rich example — this also is from a New York p'per — "To tell }ou how she snng would be impossible ; but if ono ma\ compare an object of sight to one of sound, \iq would say that, her voice is like a rocket, which from the fir->t bursts upon the light with a magnificence that claims undivided attention, and in tin instant carries your attention from earth to heaven, when it bursts ijitp ten thousand o;'ba^ of glory that scni'i'laßvf "cacTi'arsep^ra^e gem upoji the blue cap; roan and burn, each with a hue of beavity that at once districts and commands attention, until they bi'rat iuto a fleecy trail of stars that float down the vaulted sky softly and slowly, until the earth seems overarched by a laccwork of fire, that drops earthward.'as it falls, growing thinner, finer, until, like the expiring breath of a sigh, is lost in the evening air."

RoMVxen will Nkvek Die. — Here is the groundwork for a first-class no\ el. A blind man was crossing Regentstreet, when lie was ea the point of being run over by a reckless |llansom cab driver, and at the risk of her own life, a beautiful jounglady ran to his rescue, and piloted the poor mnn to the pavement in safety. A rich bachelor saw the transaction, and straightway sought her out, wi»s introduced, eourto'l, proposed, was accepted, and married the heroine without loss of time. The effect of this has been wonderful. Hopeful young ladies cau bo soon standirg m the vicinity of strcet-erosiiugs, with one eyo searching for 6tray blind men, and tho otlier on the Jook-out for a rich bachelor; for it would bo an awful bore if they thjuld ta Kb the old inun and have the bachelor nowhere or jund. Ghammar and Wiiiskev.— lt was in the good old days when students and professors mixed more with each other than they do now ; and certain of the former who had gained prizes for their essays weie being entertained to supper by their hospitable teacher. As it drew near to " toddy time," a discussion arose as to what kind of drink a writer should take in order to strengthen him to encounter the throes of composition. After some talk, the professor turned to one of Ins young guests, of rather jovial repute, anil said, " And what ' drink do you take before writing your es?ny?" "Whiskey, sir," was the frank reply. "Ay, ay, James," was the quick retort, "and I have nae doot ' Esse takes tho same case after it that it does before it.' "— "Glasghee Facies," by John M'Ure. A Poslr . — Two w ea\ ers who were drunk went to the Itocudale Canal. One of them attempting to bathe w <is drowned, the other, who was too drunk to attempt bathlug, slept on tho bank, and consequently wasn't drowned. We should like to know the temperance view of the case. The obvious conclusion is, that the more drunk you get, and the more you avoid cold water, the better for you. Eh ? -Punch. Those ponderous twin pieces of artillery, christened ' Woolwich Infants," winch sank on board the Marlborough in Chatham Dockyard Extension Basin a week ago, have now been recovered The guns, which arc of 35 tons weight each, have taken no damage by their ialL; although, of course, they will be carefully inspected before they pass into use. The Lancet asserts that the statement as to the existence of a di«ea»e among horsc3 in this country, identical with that which ha 3 caused ro much havoc in America, is without foundation A few cases of bronchial catarrh or influenz iat Dronfield represent the vtholo history of what is termed the " epidemic " among liorse3 m this country. Mr T. P. Addison lias been appointed by her Majesty to the virtually honorary office of Constable of Lancaster Castle. The salary of the olllce is said to be the same now as it was m the reign of Edn ard 111. — twenty marks per annum. Engagement bracelets are the latest novelty. They are placed on the lady's arm as soon as papa has given his consent, and then locked on by a email gold key. It is announced t'mt tho trial of tho Tichborne Claimant is fixed for the fifth daj of Easter term, April 19. An Alabama editor mildly alludes to his rival as " a,reservoir of falsehood and an aqueduct of mendacity." . The death is announced at (xottengen, of the great mathematician Klebsch, at the age of forty.

Dr. Bkiuht's PiicuriDDYNE.— Multitudes of people are hopelessly Buttering fiom Dtjbiljt}:, N&rvons and Liy&i Complaints. Depi'ession of Spirits, Delusions, Untitness for Business or [Study, Failure of Healing, Sight, and Memoty, Lassitude, Want ot i'owei, <Le, whose cases admit of peiinanent cine by the new lemudy l'liospoilvue (Ozonic Oxygen), whiuli at ouce allays all irntation and excitement, imparts now eno _'/ and liii. to tin. enfeehled constitution. ,»nd laj-idly cures c\ci v y &t.T_i <>f tln.se hitherto incurable and distressing nnl'idics by all Chemists and Storekeepers throughout the Colonies, hoin whom pamphlets containing tfbtnpnm <X t~ 1- V ,- ' "-• .. tion • Br ,1.,,' 3 , 1".,, „u.Oi»jin., as imitations <ue • - , ,>nu .u nl purch.ibing biugie bottles, tiie genuine aiticie being bold m cit.es oid\ — Auv.