SCIENTIFIC NOTES.

):o:( A letter signod "Te Whiti, New Zealand," on " Dull Hearing and tho Microphone," appears in the number of " Knowledge " for November 30. Mr Proctor has received a challenge from the Zetetic or Earth-Flattening Society. He meets them with five prepositions proving tho earth's rotundity, and charges the leaders with insincerity in not believing tho theory they advocate. Mr Kirby, the entomologist, has just published a work expounding the theory of evolution. He joins A. K. Wallace, how ever, in contending for the action of spiritual intelligences in controlling the action of natural laws for definite ends, especially in the case of man. Mr Herbert Spencer, in an essay on "The Nebular Hypothesis," argues that Laplace's theory is inconsistent with the phenomena observed in the asteroids, and he advocates, the Olbers explosion theory as being more consistent with the observed phenomena. Mr Proctor, while admitting the force of Spencer's argument and the defects ot the nebular hypothesis, maintains that the alleged planetary explosion is impossible, and that the theory of meteoric aggregation, combined with that of vapourous con densation, ;,!-.. L - ill LlieuiUicuUif*. ExTiNcrioJ i-ua Mastodon.—Pro fessor Joliu ■'.'•;. cIV ideological report of Indiana (••> !,..■ v .v !.'_■'• .-1-ii.o< flint tin; mastodon was in existence in North America much more recently than is generally sup posed. Thirty individual specimens havo been discovered in Indiana, almost always in marshes, ponds, or other miry places, in dicating at once the cause of the death of the animal and the preservation of the bones from decay. During the summer of 1880, an almost complete skeleton of a mastodon was found six miles north-west from Hoopston, Jroqouis county, Illinois, which practically settles the question not only that it was a recent animal, but that it survived until the life and vegetation of to-day prevailed. The tusks formed each a full quarter of a circle, were 9ft. long, 22ft. in circumference at the base, and in their water-soaked condition weighed 1751b. Census Results in England.—lt ap pears, from the last census of England and Wales, that in 1881 the total population was 12,039,902 males, and 13,334,537 females, pgainst 11,0.55,9;>4 males and 11,653,332 in 1871. Taking the six great groups into which the nation is here divided, we find that in 1871 the total population of 22,712,2i>6 was divided thus: —Professional class, 654,102 (including 197,984 females) ; domestic class, 5,905,171 {including 5,660,443 females); commercial class, 815,424 (including 57,237 females); agricultural class, 1,657,138 (including 186,696 females) ; industrial class, 5,137,725 (including 1,1121,998 females) ; and finally indefinite and non-pro ductive class, 8,512,706 (including 4,028,974 females). The corresponding figures for ISBI are :—Professional class, 647,075 (including 196,120 females); domestic class, 1,803,810 (including 1,545,302 females); commercial class, 980,128 (including 19,467 females); agri cultural class, 1,353,184 (including 64.540 females) ; industrial class, 6,373,367 (in cluding 1,578,189 females); and indefinite and non-productive classes, 14,786,875 (in cluding 0,930,619 females), and this with a total population of 25,974,439. The most notable increase in the professional clase is that of artists—from 16,562 in 1871 to 58,517 in 18S). Tt is nlsm evident from the census that women ara_,playing a more im part in the education work of tho country. Strange Marine Monster.—A well authenticated uccouiit of an unknown sea monster has been attracting the attention i)f scientific circles in England. While the boats of Captain Seymour's barque Hopo On were on the watch for whales off tho Pearl Islands (between forty and fifty miles from Panama), the water broke a short dis tance away, and Captain Seymour made ready for a whale. But a head like that of a horse rose from the water and then dived. The creature was seen by all tho boat's crew. Captain Seymour describes the animal as almost twenty feet in length, with a handsome horse-like head, with two unicorn-shaped horns protruding from it. The creature hud four lees or double jqinted fin.s, a brownish hide, profusely speckled with large black spots, and a tail which appeared to be divided into parts. The creature was seen on two different days, and if whales had not been about at the time an effort would have been made to catch it. Captain Seymour and his officers ajjree in considering that the creature is peculiar to the locality, and that it could easily be killed with lances and guns. It is important to notice that officers of the Pacific Mail Company state they have seen the animal on several oc casions, but not so closely as ('.id the officers and men of the Hopo Oi>." This report gives colour to the many plausible statements that have been made about the sea serpent. The Comet.—\V. K. Bradgate, writing • in "Knowledge" of thePons-Brook'scomet, —that now visible in the evening sky—says: ''This comet, whose identity with that of 1812hasnOH'beon proved, was discovered by Pons.ofMarseilles.on.lnly 20, lSl2,inthecon stellation Lynx. It shortly afterwards de veloped <i tail 2dega. long-, and was visible to the naked eye foi ten weeks. Tho portion of tho heavens represented in the map is taken from Proctor's ' Star Atlas'; tho path of the comet from November 13 to December 29 is projected from Chandler's corrected elements of Schulhoff and Bossert. On January 30, 18S4, it will be in Cetus, on February 13 in Sculptor."

HOPES OF EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY.

(By Professor Tyndall.]

The course of true science, like that of true love, never did run smooth. Opposi tions are encountered and overcome, each period of retardation being followed by more than the normal rapidity of advance. In the early part of the present century thia was strikingly illustrated in regard to the undulatory theory of light, and it has been illustrated in our day by tho fortunes «f the theory of evolution. Both theories ■were pushed back for a time; both con quered ; the period of resistance being tally atoned for by the subsequent period of acceleration. It is profoundly interesting to observe the illustrations of this modo of scientific progress now going forward. A few years ago the genii theory of com municable disease was held by only a few of the bolder and more penetrative minds. It bow overspreads tho entire field of medical thought and action. We cannot take up a journal in which the etiology of disoaso is handled without being confronted by this theory ; and the more it is, con sidered, the more thoroughly is it seen to account for and reconcile the facts of clinical observatio jmti tho surer is the

ht which it sheds upon the work of the ysician and sanitarian. One of the most traordinary and unaccountable expori ccs in medicine was the immunity jured by a single attack of communicable sease against future attacks of the same ilady. Small-pox, typhoid, or scarlatina, r example, was found, as a general rule, occur only once in the lifetime of the in vidual, the successful passage through the sorder apparently rendering the body vulnerable. From time to time during s long and valuable life I was honoured by immunications from the late Sir Thomas ratson. Knowing the profound interest I It in questions of medical theory, and vare of my leaning towards the germ leory of contagious disease, he once asked ie how I supposed the immunity just re irred to was to be accounted for. I iknowledged the difficulty, but stated at ie same time that the germ theory came earestto a satisfactory solution. A certain mount of mineral matter was known to be ecessary to the constitution of a tree. Vithout it the tree could not grow, lthough, in comparison with the other onstituenta of the wood, its quantity might ■c infinitesimal. The exhaustion of a soil ften meant the removal from it of a minute >ut necessary constituent. Reasoning from nalogy, I ventured to express the opinion hat the rarity of second attacks of com- QUr.icablc ilise'iSu vs- <"l\ia to tho removal rom the system, by the first parasitic crop, if some ingredient nuessary to the growth md propagation of 111 l parasite. The cultivation of micro-organisms, vhich is now everywhere carried on, mables us to realise the smallness of the :hange which in many cases suffices to con cert a highly nutritive liquid into one in •.apable of supporting microscopic life. Various important essays bearing upon this mbject have been recently published in the ' Revue Scientifique." M. Bouley there Iraws attention to the results obtained by VI. Raulin in the cultivation of the micro icopic plant named Aspergillus niger The )mission of potash from Raulin's liquid mffices to make the produce fall to one ;wenty-fifth of the amount collected when ;he potash is present. The addition of an jifinitesimal amount of a substance nimical to the life of a plant is attended with still more striking results. For example, one part in sixteen hundred thou sand of nitrate of silver added to the liquid sntirely stops the growth of the plant. And now we come to the important application of this fact, which has been indicated by M. Duclaux. Supposing the aspergillus to be a human parasite—a living contagium— capable of self-multiplication in the human blood, and of so altering the constitution of that liquid as to produce death ; then, the introduction into the blood of a man weigh ing sixty kilogrammes of five milli grammes of the nitrate of silver would ensure, if not the total effacement of this contagium, at all events the neutralisation of its power to destroy life. An index linger here points out to us the direction which physiological experiment is likely to take in the future In anticipation of the assault of infective organisms, the experi menter will try to introduce into the body substances which, though small in amount, shall so affect the blood and tissues as to render them unfit for the developement of the contagium. And subsequent to the assault of the parasite he will seek to intro duce substances which shall effectually stop its multiplication. There are the strongest grounds for hope that in the case of infec tive diseases generally such protective sub stances will be found. It is, indeed, confi dently asserted that such substances have been found. Dr. Polli, of Milan, for example, who has long experimented on this subject, finds that alkaline sulphides, introduced into the body, act powerfully on the con tagia of marsh fever, typhoid, miliary fever, puerperal fever, and small-pox. In cases of pus-infection, these sulphides have been found particularly efficacious. >7cver was greater ardour shown in medico-physiologi cal research than at the present moment ; and this very ardour renders it incumbent on the experimonter to keep his wishes and expectations under strong control ;it also hints at the necessity of caution in accept ing alleged discoveries. But, as M. Bouley justly remarks, if Dr. Polli is correct in his facts, his results must be unspeakably im portant to humanity. For they would furnish the proof that it is possible, by the use of special agents, to place the human body in a condition incompatible with the existencs of contagious organisms. By the researches of Crudeli and Klebs, the deadly malaria of the Campayna was proved to be of parasitic origin ; and Grudeli is now engaged on experiment?, planned on the largest scale, with the view of discovering the means of defence against this formidable enemy. He is a member of the Italian Parliament, and is liberally ; assisted in his work by the Government of his country. His experiments thus far have been made upon the em ployes engaged upon railways which traverse various intensely malarial region*. Arsenic is the substance which ho has chosen to defend them from attack. He incorporates this substance in gelatine, formed into little squares, each square containing two milligrammes of arsenic ; and he begins by administering to each porson a singlo square per day. The dose is gradually augmented until it reaches S milligrammes daily. The result thus far is that out of 455 individuals treated in this way 33S were either cured of the fever or preserved from attack, while the negativa a'ld doubtful results were, in part, to be accounted for by the want of confidence on the part of the employes, and their conse quent neglect of the means intended for their protection. In other places similar experiments have bcea made with satis factory results. While cautiously hold ing the final judgment in reserve, it is impossible to read these reports without entertaining tho hope that theday is not far distant when the knowledge yiolded by strict scientific inquiry will en able us to sweep these parasitic diseases from the face of the earth. But to attain this end one condition is absolutely neces sary, which must be stated here without disguise. The most direct and obvious way of ascertaining whether the human body can, in the way indicated, be pro tected from the attacks of malaria would be to take two individuals —or, better still two groups of individuals —and, having defended one group with arsenic and left tho other undefended to inoculate both groups with the malarial poison, and watch the result. It is needless to say that the man who would venture upon such an experiment would be execrated as a murderer; for assuredly some of his subjects would succumb to tho test. Is nothing, then to be done ? Is this deadly malady—and it is only one of a number of deadly maladies —to be suf fered to continue its ravages without let or hindrance t Why is it that Koch, in his recont experiments in Alexandria —experi- ments, be it noted, conducted at the risk of his own life, and of the lives of his assistants —attached so much .importance to the power of communicating cholera to the lower animals? It is simply because he knew that once thus communicated, a way would bo open to him of combating the peat—of devising means to fortify the animal body in anticipation of attack, and to destroy its invaders after the attack had begun. Until this has been accom plished ~no sure progress can be made to

wards the complete extirpation of cholera. In the case of malaria, fortunately, the disease is communicable to bovine animals, and more especially to those unacclimatised to its action. Thanks to the liberal funds placed at his dispasal, M. Crudeli is en abled to collect a large number of animals assailable by the disorder. He purposes dividing these animals into two groups ; to treat one group with arsenic, and to leave the other without treatment, and then to determine, once for all, by inoculation ex periments, whether arsenic really possesses the power which his researches seem to haVe assigned to it. I appeal not to the partisans of either side, but to the common sense of England, whether, in the interests of humanity, the proposed experiment is not a legitimate one. lam neither a vivi- Bectionist nor an an anti-vivisectionist, and cruelty to animals is abhorrent to my nature. I have approached this subject with a desire to weigh the pros and cons connected with it, to estimate the evil in comparison with the good; and the result of experiment, reading, and reflection leads in my case to the conclusion that they who oppose investigations such as those here in dicated are unwittingly ranging themselves on the side of the enemies of the human race.

SHOCKING WITH MURDER.

An outrage which for cold-blooded cruelty

aild li<j£n. tutooiicao ouUio. iiulniy uc aiut>u.«vu was committed at l'rahran two weeks ago. The story of tho terriblo deed is of a sad nature, and discloses the fact that for many years past domestic infelicity pre vailed in the dwelling where the tragedy took place, and that tho perpetration of the horrible deed was but the culmination of the warfare which had hitherto existed in the family. The particulars of the event which can at this juncture be gleaned indi cate that Charles Rice has for a consider able time past been the occupant of a four roomed brick cottage situate in an unnamed right of way in the immediate rear of the courthouse at Prahran, and within about 20 yards of the local police Btation. During the time of his residing there Rice had followed his business of tailor, and is said to have earned very good wages, notwith standing the fact that he was generally re garded as a man of intemperate habits, and had on numerous oc casions being confined in the watchhouse for drunkenness. The exact cause of the deed is not known, but it appears that a disturbance between Rice and his wife arose whilst they were having tea, and re sulted in the latter putting on her bonnet with the intention of going out, evidently to do some shopping, she having also a small black bag in her hand. Although it is not known whether Mrs Rice made any remark which might have lead Rice to think that she intended going for the police to give him in charge, it is generally sur mised that Rice thought that was her deter mination, inasmuch as he blockaded the front door entrance and refused to let her pass out that way. Mrs Rice, however, went through the house to the rear, with the object of getting out in that direction, but she was instantly followed by Rice, wha had in the meantime obtained possession of a large piece of quartering, with which he struck the poor woman a frightful blow on the head, and caused her to utter a piercing sc ream, A daughter of Rice, named Lizzie, aged about 20 years, who was in the house at the time, hearing her mother call out, immediately rushed into the yard. Rice observing her, directed his brutality to the girl, upom whom ho delivered a number of terrible blows with the piece of wood, and then left her lying prostrate on the ground. This brutal attack upon his daughterseeined to intensify the ruffian's thirst for blood, as he had no sooner finished with his second victim than he returned to his wife, and standing over her as she lay on the ground dealt her several more blows upon the head, inflicting wounds from which blood flowed copiously. Another daughter of Rice, a little girl named Catherine, and her brother, aged about 14 years, were also in the house. When the outrage was being committed the boy was taking a bath, but he was attracted by his young sister's screams. The little girl, who had witnessed the entire scene, called her brother and the latter hastily rushed out to defend his mother. Almost simultaneously, however, a Mr Stobb, a baker, residing close to Rice's house, having heard cries for help, ran into Rice's yard, and there saw Mrs Kioe lying prostrate on her back in the centre of a pool of blood, whilst the girl Lizzie was sitting in a help less state on the door step, and bleeding from the wounds which liad been inflicted upon her. By this time llice had thrown away his weapon and Wits quite composed, but endeavoured to make his escape into the right of way, when he was secured by Mr Stobb. Senior-constable Denmsey, who was in tho local watchhouso at the time. which, as before stated, is only about 2C yards from Rice's house, also heard the screams of Mrs Rico and her daughter, and lie immediately ran round to the house, where Mr Stobb handed Rice over to his charge. Sergeant Grcer, of Prahran, also was attracted by the crfcs, and assisted Senior-constable Dempsey to convey Rice to the lock-up. As soon as possible after wards the attention of the police and Mr Stobb was directed to the injured women, and Dr. Cook, who had been sent for, also appearing, a cab was procured, in which Mrs Rice and her daughter were conveyed to the Alfred Hospital. The former was quite unconscious and had lost a large quantity of blood, and to all appearances was dead. Her daughter, although seriously wounded, retained conscious-ness, and was with less ditliculty than her mother taken to the institution. Rice when taken into cus tody was evidently in a sober condition, and betrayed no signs of anger. Upon arriving at the Hospital Mrs Rice and her daughter were examined, when it was found that the former had sustained a compound fracture of the skull, and from the first her case w<is considered to be hopeless. The younger woman was also, it was found, suffering from severe scalp wounds, and was in a very critical condition. Mrs Rice remained un ■ conscious until next evening, when she expired. '' v cause of the continued infelicity i between Rice and his wife is so far purely a 1 matter of conjecture, but in some quarters 1 one reason is assigned, which, from circurn i stances in connection with the family, is 1 apparently not devoid of truth. From the i statement of Dr. Cook, who examined Mrs > Kice soon after she was assaulted, it ap i pears that a few years ago he was called in :to see a daughter of the deceased woman, and found her suffering from convulsions. • Upon examining the girl, who was about 17 i years of age. Dr. Cook came to theconclusion that she had been the subject of attempted abortion. The girl subsequently gave birth ito a child prematurely. Some time after , this event Dr. Cook was again informed i that the same girl had given birth to a i second child, prematurely on this occasion also. The girl afterwards died. Informa tion of tae matter was at the time reported to the police by Dr. Cook, but after investigating the case no action was taken. Rice, by sorue of those who knew him well, is considered to be a man upon whose mind the wrongdoing of

any of his daughters would greatly prey ; out whether he had of late any reason to undergo mental suffering from any such cause is at present not ascertainable. It is indirectly stated, however, that such a state of affairs had existed, and that tho desire of Kice to act in the matter according to his own dictates was opposed by his wife, and consequently a quarrel arose between them upon this par ticular point. At all events, nothing to this effect is definitely known, but it is ex pected that some important disclosures will be made in due course.

STRANGE BREACH OF PROMISE CASE.

Singular Conduct of a Clergyman's Son.

In the Queen's Bench Division, London, before Mr Justice Cave and a common jury, the case Jackson v. Cutler was heard. It was an action to recover compensation for breach of promise of marriage. Mr Digby Seymour, Q.C., and Mr Lankester were for the plaintiff, and Mr Willis, Q.C., and Mr Eor.rnicn for the defendant.

The defendant in this case is a son of tho late lector of Brixham, in Devonshire, and In the iNhitnn of last year he met the plain tiff, who was at that' time leading an im moral life. He saw her three or four times, and in October following he promised her marriage, but on the 29th of that month he declared that " conscience had triumphed over sin," and that the engagement must be broken off. On December Ist it was arranged that plaintiff should return hia presents and his letters. She did so, and received from his solicitor £30 as compensation. But whilst the plaintiff was with the solicitor for this purpose the defendant was arranging that the marriage should, notwithstanding, take place, for he bought a wedding ring, and gave notice to the_ Registrar for the marriage on the following Monday. He, however, did not keep the appointment on that day. The matter was then finally broken off, and the present action was brought.

Mis 3 Welly Jackson, the plaintiff, was called and said that her correct name was Eliza Ellington, and she was the daughter of a farmer near Cambridge. At the begin ning of 1882 she left her father's house and book a situation in London. After that she lodged in Clarendon-street, Pimlico. In June, 1882, she met the defendant at the Aquarium, and saw him several times after that. He told her he was the son of a rector in Devonshire. On the first evening he asked her if she would like to get married, but she replied that she had not known him then sufficiently, and that at that tinie she had no idea of getting married. On the second occasion he brought her fruit and vegetables from the country, and she met him at the station. He again spoke about marriage, and she then said she would like to be married. Onfthe third occasion when she saw the defendant, in September, they dined at " The Continental," and afterwards went to a theatre. Defendant again spoke about marriage, and said he would take her to the Cape. She said that she thought she would be a very bad sailor, but he answered that he had been a sailor himself, and he would see that was all right. On the 26th October the defendant called, and threw the letter he had brought with him at her. She said she should like to keep a country inn, but would not care to live at the same place as her father and mother. He said the marriage must take place before Christmas. The letter 3 she sent to the defendant and liis father were not written with her own hand ; a friend wrote them for her. When defendant came up on the Ist of December and brought with him her letter to his father, he said he found it on the rector's table and opened it. ■ The defendant seemed much distressed and offered her £100 to let him off his promise. She said "no j" she did not want his money; she wanted him (a laugh), and she must hold him fo his promise. Afterwards she went to the defendant's solicitors and agreed to give up the letters and presents. The defendant, however, came to her in Cambridge-street. He said he would rather do anything than she should show him up, and told her to go to his solicitors and take whatever they gave her. He, however, said he would still marry her and he would go to the registrar's to arrange for the marriage. On the following day he came again, and she went to the solicitors. He had given her a wedding ring on the previous day. It was not large enough, and he took it to get another of the proper size. She gave the solicitors the defendant's letters, and she signed an agreement and received a cheque for £30. She 'then went back to the, defendant in Cambridge-street. He then ' had a fresh wedding ring, and'he put it on her finger. (The 'vitness, amidst some laughter, took off the ring and handed it' to her counsel.) Ho/said hehad r be'^n to the registrar, and the marriage was to take place on the following Moinday. On that day she went to the Registry-office, but the defend ant was not there, j She found that the certificate for marriage had been taken out on Friday and had be£n cancelled on Satur day. On the Monday night she took the train for Brixham arid saw the defendant. He said she had bettor go to his solicitors and settle the case again. She asked why ho had come to her again after she had been to the solicitors, and he said he wanted to get out of the other affair. She did not know what he meant by- that. Cross-examined : She,originally came up to London as a housekeeper and lady's com panion. She understood that defendant was 23 when he met her at the Aquarium. He told her he was engaged to be married in Devonshire, but not before he promised witness marriage. He spoke of marrying her the first time he saw her.—Q. You didn't be'ieve it surely. A. . No, not then. —On the 23rd October the defendent wrote : " I shall not break off my engagement now, as I have been treated very lovingly lately, and I don't feel that I could. However, I will not forget you, Nelly dear,, and if you write to me I will answer-your letter. It is a good job that I love so far away from London, for if I loved near I sbonJd always wish to be -with you, and you knowl could not afford that." (Laughter.) This was the man she thought of marrying.' „ She thought that the defendant's father wi?uld sanction the marriage. (Laughter.) She agreed to take £100 and let the plaintiff go, but she did not think that in that she had done agood stroke of business. (Laagh ter.) No one was keeping her at that time. There was someone looking after her to see if he could put her into business. When she went to Mr Ward. £he solicitor, he told her that the defendant was entirely de pendant upon his father. She would, How ever, havemarried him whether he had money or not.—But how were you to live if ho had no money ?—Witness replied that she did not know. She signed a paper,' arid re ceived £30. She did not tell the solicitor about the regiitrar's certificate and the wedding ring. The defendant told her not to say anything about these things. Thomas Leigh .Godfrey, jeweller, Wilton Road, Belgravia, said the ring handed to him was bought at his place. He sold it on the 7th orßth December last year. He exchanged it for another ring which had been bougnt from him. ■ v - ~ ft • \V, r .,

Robert Walker Wellborn, doputy super intendent registrar of marriages at Mount street, Hanover Square, produced a copy of the defendant's application for marriage by licence with Eliza Ellington. It was dated the Sth December, 1882.

This concluded the case for the plaintiff. Mr Roumien submitted that no case had been made out for the jury. Mr Justice Cave replied that the jury must dei ide the case.

Mr Owen Charles Ward, of Clements-inn solicitor for the defendant, said that when, he saw the plaintiff he told her that defend ant certainly could not marry her. She told him nothing about any further arrange ments for the marriage taking place. The receipt for £30 was put in, and it stated that the money was received in full discharge of any claim upon the defendant. Mr 1. E. Cutler, the defendant, was called, and admitted that there Mas a pro mise of marriage before the Bth of December, but there was no promise of marriage or present of anything after the plaintiff had signed the releaso and received the £ 30. Cross-examined : This was not the only point on which he disagreed with the evi dence of the plaintiff. He never told the plaintiff to sign anything, He did not re member saying that signing was a farce. He told her that she must take whatever money was offered to her, and he did so be cause he regards! i. ».• iii'tiewe. Rio told her to go and tlmt still he would marry her. Ho then intended lutnying her. When she: came back nit'r-T ■" ■' ".;•" '• had signed he said he should not marry her then ; there was no need for it.

The jury, after a short summing up, in which his lordship said that neither party was entitled to their sympathy, retired to consider their verdict. After an absence of twenty minutes they sent to inquire whether the decision of the majority would be accepted, and after somo discussion this was agreed to.

The verdict was for the plaintiff, damages £250. *?

DR. JOHN WILSON McCLOY.

A memorial volume, entitled " Selections: from the Writings of the late John Wileoa McCloy, M.D., M.S., of Lame," has re cently been issued at Belfast for circula tion among the many friends of the de ceased. Dr. McCloy was born in February, 1843, and was little more than twenty-five. at the period of his death, in March 20th, 1868. The " Lame Reporter," in a brief obituary notice, states that tins young man studied at Queen's College, Bel fast, where he was a matriculated student in medicine for four years ; and by his diligence, perseverance, and high, literary attainments, he succeeded in gain ing the medical scholarship of the third year, the senior medical certificate of the fourth year, and a number of first-class prizes. He graduated in the Queen's University in Ireland with honours, obtained First Honour from Queen's College, Belfast, and the second from the- University. We learn, further, that Dr. McCloy was appointed to numerous offices in the Cunard service and in Liverpool j and, finally in 1567, to the Great Eastern steamship as chief surgeon. Ho was also a Mason and an author, his writings consist ing of poems, light sketches, and paper? on medical science, the chief of the latter being a pamphlet on "The Treatment of Cholera and Epidemic Diarrhcea," read o.t a Cieetiag of the Medical Society in London. Several of the memorial poems from his pen are above average merit, especially "Abraham's Vision " (Lincoln), "Love's Stratagem?," and "|The Saint's Ferry," a lay of St. Patrick. These effusions display much humour and fancy, as for example:— " Good reader, you've heard of St. Patrick, I'm sure. For his name is still fresh, and willcvcr endure While the clear Shannon flows, Or the green shamrock grows. In an Irishman's heart wherever he goes. A moßt pious man with an inkling of mirth, too. A strange chequered life, and a still biranger birth, too, The latter was wondrous, strange meteors were fallin', And I know for a truth thatthe saint had a caul on. 'Mid a glorious rumpus tlie priest called hint Some say it was this day and some it was that That the infant was born, but. wo don't want to> know If the child was too fast, or his mother's clock slow; We have settled it now, and each son of tbe soil Wets Ms whistle on ' Pat's day,' and drowns his trefoil." The "Devil's Churn and the Devil's Piper" is a poem of a similar character, based upon fairy love, and which relates to the legend of the Devil's Churn, a cave on the sea-shore about two miles from Lame. The story goes that a drunken piper went in to explore the place, but never returned. According to the pleasant superstition, his pipes may be heard playing at midnight underneath the hearthstone of a house at Ballycraigy, where this marvellous cave is: supposed to terminate. Among the briefer effusions of Dr. Mc- Cloy we would notice "Leaving Home," " Friendship," " Murmurs," and several others of the pathetic order. " The Story of our Lives from Year to Year," quoted from Shakespeare, is a pleasing little poem full of feeling, and possibly suggested by the seven ages of man. An extract wils suffice to show its character:— A child was playing on the lawn— A merry little child. And his silvery laugh rang through the air So joyous and so wild. He tried to natch the sunbeam, He gathered fragrant flowers, He twined them in his golden curls; Thus passed his youthful hours. I gazed upon the happy boy. So free from care or strife; I turned away, and sighing, said, 'Tis but the dawn of life. Mr Moat, of this city, while on his recent-, tour through England and Ireland, paid a. visit to Dr. McCloy's family. Mrs Leers,, of Auckland, is a sister of the deceased, poet of Lame.

HUMOROUS.

On a rough sailor being asked by one of the members of a learned society to write a concise account of the manners and cus toms fa somewhat barbarous nation, whose territoriea he had lately been exploring, he put down the following exceedingly brief" summary of the characteristics of the people: Hn question: "Manners, none. Customs'' riasty."

'Mr Blomberg and Mr Blumenthal kept, rivfcl ready-made clothing shops within a few-doors of each other. Mr Blomberg waS alwayß to be found with his head out of thb door, soliciting custom from the verdant passer-by. Mr Blumenthal objected' to this manner of doing business, having found that the watchful Blomberg had captured several of his customers, and on© day he w§nt up to Blomberg and said,. *' Look hef<?, Mr Blomberg, vy don't you kfeep your rigly face inside? You might petter.get a jjackass to stand py de door. He vould pc » pig improvement.' " Vy," said Blomberg,' " I did try dot vonce, and all de people, a^dey pass py, say to him, 'Good day, Mr Blumenthal; I see you've .moved.''?, ~ ■~'.,-,Y ■:'. ■' ;'■ •■' '-— ■-■ ' "

STAR SATURDAY SUPPLEMENT, FEBRUARY 9, 1884.

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