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EXTRACTS.
(From our flies to February 24th.)
DRAINING THE MINES OF SIERRA MORENA.—An
English company have leased the celebrated silver
mines of Guadalcanal, near Seville, in Spain, which
has been under Water for a period of 150 years.
Before that time they produced to the Spanish Government
£100,000 per annum in duties alone, and
from the proceeds of these the Palace of the Escurial
was built. They were the property of the Fuchars,
rich contractors, who, not satisfied with the enormous
wealth they is they desired from them, secretly took away the
ores from a new node they discovered without giving
notice to the Government, and, to prevent imprisonment
and confiscation, they let the wider note the mine, hill
for 130 years they have remained in the state in which "
they were thus left by them.', About six mouths ago,
he went on, the mines were pure based by an English
company on the most advantageous terms and capital
of £10,000 was raised among few English adventurers,
in order to work them—Mr. Nicholas Harvey of
Hayle, who drained the Lake of Haarlem in Holland,
being one of them; and an engine of great power
having been obtained, and transported, under the
direction of Captain Michell and the engineer, Mr.
Dane n Shaw, to the mine bids fair soon to drain the
120 fathoms and discover the hidden wealth once
more. From advices recently received, the engine has
drained the mine, in one mouth to 31 fathoms level,
and some very valuable specimens of silver ore have
been taken from the nodes, and are now on their way
to England.- February 17.
" The Godless Colleges."—Dr. M'Hale and
the Bishops of his province in synod assembled have
pronounced against the Government College scheme,
and in favour of the establishment of a Catholic
University.
Cathedral of Fredericton.—The Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge has granted a second
sum of one thousand pounds towards the expenses of
the Cathedral of Fredericton. The society has also
granted two thousand pounds towards a Collegiate
Institution at Adelaide.
Ingenious Work.—We have lately seen a
cloth cover let, seven feet square, bearing 181 figures of
men and animals, plants, &c., in cloth, of their natural
colours. To give an idea of the labour of the work,
we may state that there are 163 pieces of cloth in the
figure of a giraffe, and 205 in that of a coach dog.
This curious work of art has been exhibited to Her
Majesty. The worker is Mr. George Tindal, of 21,
Nassau-street, Middlesex Hospital.
Governors of Colonies.—From a Parliamentary
return just printed, it appears that there are forty-five
Governors, Lieutenant Governors, &e., in the colonies,
of which number 10 are in the receipt of naval or
military pay beyond their salaries. Three governors
receive £7.000 a year each, the highest amount paid;
and two £500, the lowest sum paid: Two fire paid
£6,000 each ; five, 5000 ; two, £4,000 ; four, £3,000 ;
and the others smaller sums. Sir W.M. Gomm, the
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Port Louis, has
a salary of £7,000, and £1,122,188 as a colonel in
the army.
Another Gold Mine.—The Americans seem to
be having it all their own way at present, and more
gold mines of immense value have been discovered in
Virginia. Thirty-five pounds of gold were collected
in five days by three negroes. All these accounts are
very fine at present. It is further stated that two
American ships of war off the coast, and occasionally
touching at San Francisco, have lost nearly all their
crews, who have run to the diggings. The Captain has
offered a reward for them to the extent of fully thousand
dollars, but in vain.—February 24.
Smith 'O' Brien's Son.—may probably be interesting
to our readers to know that this misguided
gentleman has a son in the college for the deaf and
dumb at Rugby.—Master O'Brien is between nine and
ten years of age, very intelligent looking, and remarkably
quick at comprehending anything communicated
to him by the usual signs, During the whole of the
proceedings attending the trial of the Irish agitators,
Master O'Brien has kept up a continued intercourse
with Mr. Bingham, the talented master of the college,
sometimes expressing considerable anxiety as to the
result. But, upon the writ of error being argued he
became more sanguine, and now looks forward with
confidence to his father's being ultimately restored to
liberty. When speaking of his father in his domestic
character, nothing can be more affectionate than the
terms he makes use of, both as regards the feelings that
he entertains towards Mr, O'Brien n himself. and the kindness
and affection that the latter universally displayed
towards all the members of the family.—Sunday Times.
Very Extraordinary Feat—Splitting a Bank
Note—The governor and directors of the Bank of
England having been informed of the extraordinary
ingenuity of Mr. Baldwin, and that he was able to
split not only a newspaper, but a bank note, sent for
him in order to test his skill. That his task might be
as difficult as possible, they picked him out one of the
old one-pound notes, which are printed upon paper
much thinner than the notes of the present-day, and
told him to split it if he could. Mr. Baldwin took the
note home with him, and returned it the next day in
the state he had promised. The paper was not to the
slightest degree torn, and seemed as though it had just
come from the manufactory, so little was its appearance
affected by the operation. The directors remunerated
Mr. Baldwin for his trouble, but could not elicit from
him the means he employed. The discovery is considered
of much importance in complexion with the
paper currency in the country.—Sam
Munificent Bequest By Clergyman.—The
Rev. George Vanburgh, late rector of Auglhon, in this
county, and who, we believe died at Waterloo, in this
neighbourhood, in October, 1917, Full of years and
honours, having attained to the good old age of four
score years and ten left various bequests so nobly
munificent, that they well-deserved to be prominent'?
chronicled, alike for worthy imitation by the different,
and for the silencing of those levellers who find' malicious
glee in carping, at the benefited or dignified
clergy of the Church. Besides bequeathing £3000 for
alms houses in his own parish of Augton and £1000
to the Liverpool dispensaries, both free of legacy duty,
The venerable deceased bequeathed no less than £10,000
merely the following religious societies, namely :—
£4000 Additional Curates Society; £2000 Propagation
of the Gospel Society ; '£1500 Chester Diocesan
Church Building Society ; £1500 National Society;
and £1000 Christian Knowledge Society." But; probably
from a miscalculation of the extent of his property,
and from the, bequests Subsequently made, the residuary
estate wits only sufficient to pay one-fifth of
these latter bequests, which, we understand, were paid
over last week in about the following sums, forming a
timely and most ' welcome accession to the heavily
drained funds of these most useful and truly excellent
societies, viz. Additional Curates' Society, £800;
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, £400;
Chester Diocesan. Church Building Society, £300;
National Society, £300 ; Christian Knowledge Society,
£200.-Liverpool Times.
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