MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1134, 18 October 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

+ Midshipman De Chair, of the Alexandra, whose rescue by the English at Cairo has just been reported, it appears, left Ras-el-Tin with letters on 29th July for Eamleh, and was captured by the rebels. He was conveyed on horseback to Arabi, who conversed with him for nearly half-an-hour with great kindness, and subsequently sent him by rail to Cairo, with instructions that he was to be well treated. Mr. De Chair was provided with comfortable quarters, and two native officers, who spoke English, received orders to keep him company. The Bishop of Peterborough cannot help saying good things both in and out of the pulpit — especially out of it. One night a rich, benevolent, but somewhat brainless millionaire, was boasting after dinner that he gave away £2000 to the poor regularly every year. He said : " I think it's right, you know- ; a sort of duty in my position, I can't say what becomes of it, but it's given away in charity, that's all I know, and that's all I care about. £2000 every year." ' What 1 " said the Bishop ; " *do you, really mean to say you pay away £2000 to the poor every year as a religious duty?" "I assure you, my Lord, that is so,' replied the wealthy man, with careless complacency. " Well." sain the witty Bishop, " that's the largest insurance premium against fire I ever heard of ! "

Regarding the vi.^it of a party of American savans we find the following in a San Francisco paper :-^ " With the 75,000d01s appropriated by Congress to observe the transit of Venus, three expeditions will be sent out. Admiral Roran takes a party Patagonia, Professor Neweoinb has charge of a party that will make their observation from the Cape of Good, Hope. Professor Edwin Smith, of tho Coast Survey, goes to New Zealand, and another party goes to Texas. There will not be another transit for 119 years, and all nations are interested in getting correct observations. An international meeting will be held in Paris next year, when the various parties will compare notes. ViceAdmiral Rowan's party leaves here for New York, from whence they will sail soon for Europe in the United >tates steamer Brooklyn." Mrs Langtry has, according to Truth, made more money during her JSnglish tour than has ever been made by a " theatrical " in the same time, her net profits during one week amounting to. £14,000. This lady will soon make a fortune if she continues earning money at this rate. Unfortunately for herself however, her health has broken.. A new gold-saving machine, patented by Mr John A Ives, was tried at the t tago Foundry on 15th ult., in thepre.sence of a number of gentlemen, inr eluding Professor Ulrich and several students from the school of Mines. The machine appears thoroughly calculated to perform the work required of it, and Mr Alves has erred— if ho erred at all — rather on the side of unnecessary elaboration. The principle is as follows : The cradle consists of a case, into which are fitted twelve small boxes, arranged in tiers. These boxes contain liquid mercury, and are divided by strips of mercuried copper into narrow compartments, with outlets in the centre. Into these the sand or cement passes, where it is rocked to and fro and the gold deposited. The motion is double, there being both an oscillating and a rocking movement. Any gold that may escape from one box has instantly to go through the same process in the box beneath, into which it falls and so on for four times, after which any very fine gold dust remaining — w-hich is scarcely possible falls on to an endless blanket that is slowly revolving beneath. The chances of loss are therefore l'educed to a minir mum. The invention appears likely to come into great demand, and to prove most valuable to the mining community. Experiments were tried on Friday bypassing through the machine loz 6d\vt of gold dust, well mixed in a bucket of sand, and the result was perfectly satisfactory. I heard a good story of a Reading man yesterday, A friend met him and remarked that he was looking ill. '' What's the matter ? " he inquired. " The doctor says my lungs are affected, and that I must not not take more than three drinks a day." I would try some other doctor," suggested tho friend. '• I did, and he told me tho same thing." " Well, then, if each one of them said you could take three drinks a day, that makes six drinks." " I never thought of that before ; I'l see the rest of the doctors in Reading ? and if they say I can take three drinks, a day, that will make about ninety, Avhich is as much as is good for an invalid!" The Taranaki , Herald' recently had the following advertisement : — " Larrikinism. — The Committee for the Templars' anniversary soiree, wishing to secure temperance meetings and other assemblies from disturbance in future, pu Wish the n ames of the u nd er in entioned persons who were seen to behave in a disorderly manner at the entertainment last Friday evening." Here follow seven names, A boy, 16 years of age, living in Jersey, has become insane through witnessing the performance of " The Man in the Iron Mask." When he reached home from the theatre he fell under the hallucination that a masked man was in his room, and seizing a weapon would have done injury to one of the members of the family had he not been prevented. He has now been removed to a lunatic asylum. The " pretty barmaid " controversy has been occupying considerable space in the Melbourne papers lately. The Australasian says — " Justification would be wanted very much stronger then is given by the miserably weak pretext that men will drink for the sake of enjoying the comyany of barmaids. Men who will do this are bouud to drift to ruin in some way ; they may as well do so this way as any other."