MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1503, 30 January 1885, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Mark Twain is the richest humorist in America. Besides bis own large earnings and savings, he married h lady wort 1 ov«rone hunired thousand pound* He has the. most Unique residence in America, at Har ford, Conneetieut A Minneapolis artist who has been doing Alaska during his summer raeatiou says tuatall the nieiuoers of his party, and there were seventy-five of them, a^retii that the Greek church at Silka is the finest church in Atnrrioa. It is built on tbs plan of a Greek cross, and the. interior is a inais of gold and silvf r of the magnificence of which the writer says b« can give no ide.i. The wallaie hung with portraits of royalty and the priesthood, sent by a Russian princess, who took thu temple under her* patrona ,'.-. Coininentin<; upon the case of Finuey v. Gannoyle, "The Times" of Noveja'i it- 21 ol<B«r\'es: — " Miss Pmney's cala will b«« an old story Iwfore the week 13 out. B it it is a significant incident. Ta j e-igi^ement, the trial, th« tone of the speeches of counsel, thp verdict bear witness to a change which ia iv pro^ ess. It is not tiie nrst, tim^ by any in -a;is that tha sons of peers have en^iijed t lie in Helves to actresses. A study of the peerage would show ttiat tits was no very rare incident But the case with which it is now taken for granted that such alliance; are natural is somewhat novnl. Th<actor and the actress, if fairly sue CKSsful in their art, are no longer social ciphers Years ago HazJitt wroto au essay on the question whether ' actors ou.^ut to sit ia th« boxes.' £0 him, a veteran playgojr of au oJ \ school, it seemed improper tint an actor out 01 harness should obtrude himself on th< j public notice. Hj wa< bound, thought Hizlitt, to affect oU the sta^e ob-jcurity and mjJjst,y. How wide of tiie mark this, according to modern notices, appeaia to be. Frances Keinble spok^ j of tue- antoc's hti m hsr youtli to wea'as ' the livery of Übor' a ' hirlaq'.iin's jerkin, lined with Uttsrs and tiie jester's cap tied to the beggar's wallet." How ludicrously unfaithful this as a dttscriptiou of the lot of cho unfortunate modem actor, who can look forward not only to wealth, but social distinction ! How absurdly inapplicable even to any actress Wiio, if devoid of .1 particle of genius, happens to combine Bprig!itliiiess and good looks? Miss Fiiii^y has received £10,000 as a solatium — lh«> largest sum, it appears, •ver granted in reparation for a similar wrong. Tais is, in one point of view damages for loss of ra-ik ; it may also ♦>« viewed as satisfaction for the tarn porary suspension of a theatrical career. Tlie sum is no extravagant estimate of the worth in society* 3u<iles of the rank of a countess; it will !>■ admitted to bo founded on a generoiu v.tlu itioti of the proviejU of the tjea trical profession." vV-iib Eujliili institutions are hfoo.nai^ Americanised, tlie " St James' (iazette," remarks, American institutions appear to be gradually Incoming Augliciseit Tiie British barmaid has lately been introduced into New York and uro.ni-i^s by all accounts to bea dacirlfu success. The credit 01 ti;e notion is dtto to the enterprising proprietor of a saloon in that city*, who obtained four 'genuine English barmaids ' from this side of the Atlantic with the view of adiling to the attractions of his e3tabiisumant. The system ; but the result, it is stated, it so satisfactory that the custom is about to be generally followed in the Broadway saloons up town. Tue four imported barmaids *m tho ohJKcts of much curiosity, miugled witii admiration. They are descrilwd as baiu^ ' al square-shouldered. er«ct, and pleasant young women, who smile upon the customers with discrimination and comport themselves with the dignity becoming the. position they occupy. The only drawback to tl.e triu o >!i t.uiy aaliievnd on tha first evening of thoir employment was theLprofound ignorance of American brinks. The saloon iv question receives the patronage of the audiences of several theatres, and it is necessary for the customers to be waited on rapidly. In their attempts to concoct the required mixtures, th« barmaids maJa son;* paiii/n! mistakes. It is, however, confidently expected that, with a little experience, they will soon overcorao their difficulties i:i this r«specfc ; and S3 iqu>;li interest is felt in -the experiment, that <*vdu the tujst nauseous are swallowed by frequenters -of the. saloon witj imperturbable good humour." Bloke Park, at the village of Stoke PogHs, B lckiiighainsiiire, tha chu eh, of which, immortalised by the po«j Gray, stands withiu thn grounds, has been otfared for sale ia England. It is egtimitjd that in Great Bri tain more tli* 1 eleven thousand pounds •terling worth oi silver is wasted every year in the course of circulation of crowns, half crowns, florins, shilling*, *nd sixpences. More goldfields are reported to ha- • been discovered ou the Bu*sun-Chuie.« frontier of the Amoor. twelve miles from th« frontier on U»e Chinese side ; •nd the Russians, who have complained so orach of the invasion of their o°.vn aide by the Chinese, are vow bwaruiing over the new Chinese £1 Dorado. Th« Rev. James Hawkins, Primitive Methodist minister, Worcester, writes that the Bight Reverend the Lord Bishop of Worcester has sent him a cheque for £10 towards liquida ting the debt on their chapel, Gorgestreet. A Union States Justice of the Pea.-c ttned a man £1 recently, and took in payment, tuenit' a piug of tobacco, k oii»--'i'laded jack-kuiie, a pack of carda clay pine, '&"~da~y '8 labor, 23 in cut, and a proni;3" t> pay the rent w.eniic t4ai <■ Vj t^vii.

• The editor of a newspaper published in the Bernese Oberlaud has been a*»sassuiHt« d by the President of au Ultramontane society upon which somtt editorial comments had been made. Tlim liauking firm of Rothschild in London, emyioy women exclusively as co -ijrjii counters, and experience 9:1 )vvs that they are far more reliable, ill ! iwlli.^'iit til m \i\\\e. employe..*. Tue H )ns«* nf Lords, has in the last irty years, been reinforced by 181 Liberals ati<l 6$ Conservatives. In the s line perio-'l the Liberals have made 225 'laroueta; the Conservative total is 77. Ti)i j Arc'ibnliop of York, speaking U Y)ik capital recently, said thet the British nat in ispent£l36,ooo,oooayear ... d ink,an(loiily"paltiy£l,ouo,ooo" . . the fxteii-iioi of Cil/istiauity in the .1 1 k places of the world. V • it, it is s « ill, will be the largest . 11 : mk>inPj ir ip^ is lieing frfiCted .L» iii>ii.'^. Is will he cap.ible of latino; a \vi,'!it of 150 torn. The , xt ia-uest is at Antwerp, which has . lifting capacity of 120 to.s. The ' • 7 st crane at \Vf»olwich will lift 100