MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1573, 13 July 1885, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Among the treasures at New Orleans Exhibition is the oldest pair of trousers in the world, or as catalogued, " the most extraordinary pair of trousers in the world." These fa- : moos breeches have seen fifty-four Tears of honest service. One small square represents the original material, the remainder of the garment being made up of 200 patches and pieces, which have from time to time repaired the ravages of time and wear. Edla White, the owner, is a black person, eighty-five years of age, and he purchased the trousers when he was a young man of thirty. Naturally he is deeply attached to his old trousers, and when the suggestion was made that he should part with his trousers, teoni started to hi* aged eyes. He had hoped to die in fhein. But sentiment gave place to pride when it was pointed out that by allowing the trousers to go to the Exhibition both he and the garment would become famous. He now wears another pair «f trousers, and according ta the last reports is as comfortable as could be expected under the circumstances. In the year 1755, a Muscovite peasant, named Kyrlont, and his wife were presented to the Emprea3 of Russia. The peasant had been twice married, «nd was then seventy years of age. His first wife had been brought to bed 1 wentV'One tinws : four times of three, and ten times of twins ; making in all fifty-seven children, who were then alire. His second wife, who accompanied him, had beert delivered seven times ; once of triplets, and six times of twins ; which made fifteen children for her share. Thus the Muscovite patriarch had seventy-two children >>y two wives — a goodly contribution to the population. The, Weekly Register says:— "The readers of Mr. Frank Power's letters from Khartoum may be interested to kno* ftjftt a curious little re ie linking the wwid «§- the la c Tiroes correspondent with that of the hero of the Sondau, General Gordon, has reached Dublin, in the form of a tiny, book, a tlnodecimo copy of Cardinal Newmans 4 Dream of Gwrontius,' with handwriting and marks insid.%, On the fly-leaf is an inscription :—' Frank Poww, with kindest regards of C. G. Gordon, 18 Feb., '84,' and lower, across the same page: -'Dearest M -, I send yon this little book which General Gordon has given me. The penoilinarking throughout the book is his. Frank Power, Khartoum." The- Chinese Government pays the German gunner* in its service £50 a month, and guarantees their families £1500 in case they are killed by th« French. 1 1 now see what I have to be thankful for,' remarked a bald headed man as he looked through a basement win dow and saw the woman of tb« house arguing with her husband by the handful.It is not a matter of surprise (writes the Sydney Echo) that the passengers rescued from the wrecked Cahors desire to reward the brave fellows who saved their lives. The notion is sound and justifiable, and should be taken up by a far wider circle than those immediately concerned. The m«n have earned public ayplause and liberal reward, not by any sudden, impulsive act of heroism ffeut by the display under danger of the very finest qualities of seamanship and manhood. Pluck was required to face a fairly wild sea on a more than nsuallv dark night, to take orders calmly and deliberately, to give away with a will when called, to obey instantly when ordered, to await and to grasp to bring 200 people — more than half of them women and children— unharmed out of the very jaws of death. It was not the work of ft moment or an hour. All night long these heroes toiled, making journeys in the aggregate of more than 2$ milM. They added endurance to Wavery, and displayed throughout an admirable patience and watchfulness And care, and they should not be perwittwd" to go unrewatded. The quali. tit* tliuj foateii are valuable in the

">m<iiuiiky as thy higher intellectual faculties which claim liberal reward. They, should be remembered amongst seamen not only as who died well, but as men whom a clear-headed aud liberal hearted community paid well. In a letter on " Settlement on Santo, in the New Hebrides," a correspondent of the Brisbane Courier writes: "It may interest your readers to know what sort of life one leads in these lovely coral seas. I was landed here on the 17th March with all ray boxes of trade, household gear, and my son. On-landing I got. the chiefs to sign a treaty promising me protection and to trarle with me. I ffn my part I have promised to protect them to the best of my ability from these cuvsed kidnappers and man-stealers who still seem to infest these seas. Oiily 10 days before I lurried here two small schooners from Noumea fame, here, stole four women and threo men, went tip to the Native village, shot 15 quiet pigs, burnt nine horses, and clubbed the otd women with their rifleg, cut down several cocoaimt trees, and wound up by burning six large canoes, the remains of which are close to my doors. I have reported the matter fully to the authorities in Noumea, sa you are likely to hear more abouf it. The Natives seem vpyy glad *o have got me here ; but there are many who trade down here who «»re not glad to see the English ensign flying from the flagstaff at my door. The Natives work well for a few hours, and the great»secret is not to overpay them. The soil is exceedingly rich ; sugar-cane, com, &c, fjrow to perfection. There are muiy boys here who have worked in Queensland and other Colonies before. They are very bitter against the French, and I pity any Frenchmen who may land here. On the afternoon of the 23rd of March we had a severe earthquake, and to this I attribute the loss of the labour schooner Emily, which happened as she was passing through the straits. A schoonet from Samoa, which came, in a few days afterwards, got on the same reef, although the captain, an old hand, knew every inch of the bottom. There was another strong shock on the 2nd April, at half* past 4 in the morning, which nearly shook ns out of bed ; the iron of which ray house is built rattled again. Every shock raises these reefs to a great extent. .The weather has been some thing lovely since I have been here — j cold at night, not too warm in the [ daytime — and a pure air that one can breathe, with rain two or th'-ee times a week. It is wonderful how rapidly everything grows here ; we have, besides, abeautifnl harbour for vessels of J all draughts in all weathers." The following is the text of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher's speech at the farewell dinner given at Delmonico's to Henry Irving : — " I was born," said Mr Boecher, " of old Puritan stock, with all the popular prejudices against, the Rtage. I was taught that the theatre was the devil's house, that an actor was unregenerate and unredeemable and an actress — beyond words; In these beliefs I refrained from attending theatres. Once, not long >ago, I turned the thing over in my :nind. I said, 'Now, yon are robust, fortified' by family surroundings, and 70 years old. Wouldn't it be well to corroborate the opinion of 70 years' standing by going once to the theatre ?' — Loud laughter and applause), Somehady asked me if the example would be all right. I replied that it would, as the theatre must be harmless to anyone who waited until he was 7o yeaisold before li« went.— (Great laughter.) What wag the resnlt? I will not speak of the temptation and fall, but the temp tation and rise.- I tasted the forbidden fruit and since then have eaten of every apple that canie in my way. — Laughter and cheers.) I have witnessed s<;ven or eight performances of the Lycenrn company, and they have been sources of delight. If all actors and compan ies were like them I should commend them to my people as means of grace. — (Cheers,) Sorrow is disciplinary, and some people thiuk it their duty to be unhappy, because of the compound interest it will bear in the hereafter. Health and happiness are worthy ends | of endeavour. Happiness can be secured, from such a performance as ! our frUmd has given us. I have read Shakespeare all my life, yet I never reud him till I heard him. The man who can make him rise and talit gives resurrection to the past. — Cheers.) I shall dream Ophelia and see Miss Terry as long as I live. — (Cheers.) There lias been in spdta many Beatrices, but now I thank Mis 3 Terry for the riches she has given me ; they shall be abiding riches as long ag I live. It may not be in altogether good taste to speak of our guest, but I can say that he ha* touched nuny of the deepest and truest chords of my nature, and after he has gone I may feel that the autumn of life has set ki." As Mr Beecher concluded Mr Irving bowed gracefully to him, aud the assemblage rose and cheered." • During a; vijry interesting Jepture on the sun, delivered in Wellington by Dr Hector, he stated, in reference to the sun spots, that those spots reached a maximum about every 11 years. At snch a period hundreds could be observed and were photographed, because it was now part of the duty of every well appointed observatory to take photographs of the snrface of the Run. The sun has just ndw, it appears, passed through a maximum such as occurred in 1881 aud 1882, and is now half way towards a minimum. The appearance of these spots in large numbers every 1 1 years has a most remarkable influence upon the prod tic tiou of all things on the earth, upon the groth of grain, fend the existence oi blights and distructive disease! amonji plants and auimais, . Dr Hector (adds > the New Zealand Time*) remarked

1 that he had seen trees cut down on the . West Coast, near Greymouth, in the t rings of growth of which the 11 years' k cycle appeared as'distinct as possible in I the varying thickue3s of those rings. " Rough on Rats. "— C! ears out rats, mice, flies, ants, bed-bugs, beetles, insects, skunks, jack-rabbits, gophers. Druggists. Keraptliorne, Prosser t & Co:, Ageuts, Christchurch To restore nerve and brain waste, nothing equals Hop Bitters. Believe this and take none but American Co.'s. See TOWLE'S PENNYROYAL AND STEEL PILLS FOR FEMALES quickl" correct all irregularities, and relfcve the distressing symptoms so prevalent with the sex. Boxes Is IW., and 2s. 6<1., of al Chemists. Prepared only by E T. Towle, Chemist, Nottingham, England Wholesale of all the Wholesale Houses Rewire a? Tifitat'iow