p. 205 | News and Miscellany

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 10, 1867

News and Miscellany.

Can ye not discern the Signs of the Times? Matt. xvi, 3.

“A Missionary Prelate’s Stock Outfit.” The reader is requested to imagine, if he can, what success the “reverend” owner of the following items of property, would have in preaching from the text, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.”

Mr. Ganly, “the Robins of Ireland,” is about to sell by auction the farm stock of the late Lord Plunket. The Dublin Freeman’s Journal, under the head of “The outfit of a Missionary Bishop,” publishes what it calls “a characteristic inventory of what in evangelical circles will, no doubt be looked upon as the complete Episcopal outfit of the late Arch-hierarch of the Church Militant in Connaught: Item first—817 head of cattle. Item second—29 short-horned Kerry cows. Item third—5 Durham and Kerry bulls. Item fourth—77 ditto bullocks. Item fifth—204 ewes. Item sixth—150 hoggets. Item seventh—242 lambs. Item eighth—81 two and three-year-old wedders. Item ninth—242 lambs. Item tenth—82 wedders. Item eleventh—17 rams. Then comes a long list of carriage horses, ‘weight-carrying’ cabs, ten family and farm horses, sows and litters, fat pigs and boars, carts to the number of eleven, ploughs six, and harrows four; single and double broughams, phaetons, jaunting cars, chariots, and saddles; grabbers and hydropults, scales and ladders.”

A Great Meteor.—Capt. Turner of the schr. Algerine, who arrived in the city this morning, reports having witnessed at about the hour of 11 o’clock on Wednesday night a terrific and splendid phenomenon in the descent of an immense meteor into Lake Ontario, which struck the water not more than 300 yards from his vessel. The captain states that a few moments previous to the appearance, he had come up from his cabin on deck, and was standing on the main hatch. The vessel was on the starboard tack, sailing along finely with a light southwest breeze, for Port Dalhousie, and about twelve miles off the Niagara light-house, bearing S. S. W. Presently his attention was attracted by a sudden illumination from the northwest, which almost instantly increased to a dazzling brilliancy. On turning, he beheld a large body of fire in the heavens, which seemed to be approaching at a descent of about 30 degrees and growing rapidly larger as it came nearer, the observation of time being so brief as hardly to admit of computation in seconds. The momentary impression of Capt. Turner was, that certain and complete destruction awaited his vessel and all on board, as the terrific missile seemed to be directed to strike the vessel broadside. The time for reflection, however, was brief, and the light emitted was so blinding in its effect that the man at the wheel and another of the crew on deck fell prostrate, and remained for some time completely stupefied with terror. The captain himself, as he states, remained transfixed, and saw the fiery body enter the water some three hundred yards ahead of his vessel, about two points to the windward. A loud explosion attended the contact with the water, which was sharp and deafening, equal to a thunderbolt close at hand, and a large volume of steam and spray ascended into the air, which was noticed for some moments afterward. In the confusion of the moment, Capt. Turner was unable to comprehend what had occurred, and the crew were inclined to believe that the phenomenon was an explosion of lightning, the sky being perfectly cloudless at the time. The captain estimates, as well as he was enabled to judge from the brief time for observation afforded, that the meteor was a body of about twenty feet in diameter, a long trail of flames of the most intense brilliancy was noticed as it struck the water. As Capt. Turner describes his sensation, his faculties for the moment were all compressed in the sense of sight, so overwhelming was the light from the fiery object, but he believes he was sensible of a terrific, whizzing, howling noise similar to that made by the steam issuing from the escape pipe of a steamer, which attended the meteor previous to the grand explosion on striking the water. Capt. Turner arrived at Port Dalhousie on Wednesday morning. He assures us that his nervous system did not recover from the shock experienced for many hours afterward.—Hamilton (Ontario) Times.