News and Miscellany

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 26, 1867

News and Miscellany.

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

—The distress in New Foundland, caused by the failure of the fisheries and the potato crop, is increased by the prevalence of a bad form of the scarlet fever, which is sweeping off whole families in some places, and very sad stories are told of the scenes of suffering and want witnessed on every hand.

South America. The war of Brazil against Paraguay has been recommenced with spirit. The Brazilian fleet has bombarded Curupaity, and then sailed northward to attack the strongest of the Paraguayan fortresses, Humaita.

France. The speech of the French Emperor, deserves attention as an unmistakable proof of the decline of the Empire. Instead of vainglorification as in former speeches, we, this year, find complaints and efforts to explain away undeniable disasters. The discontent with the new army bill throughout France, augurs to the Empire for the coming year at least as great a want of success as during the year preceding.

Great Fall of Meteorites.—It is reported that a remarkable fall of meteoric rocks and stones, from a perfectly serene sky, took place at Kniahynia, Hungary, between four and five o'clock, p. m., on the 9th of June, 1866. With a detonation like that of a hundred cannon, a gray cloud-like body passed in view, seeming enveloped in smoke, but not luminous; and within two or three minutes a noise like the rattling fall of a multitude of stones was heard, continuing (its echoes doubtless included) ten or fifteen minutes. About sixty of the smaller stones were picked up quite hot. The largest, weighing 550 lbs., was broken in two by the shock, and buried itself eleven feet in the earth. Eye witnesses twelve miles to the west of the place (between the phenomenon and the sun) describe the meteor as of a luminous yellow and orange, followed by a train of a blue tint.—Scientific American.

Europe.—“The boundless preparations that are going on from one end of Europe to the other are proving a heavy burden to all shoulders and pockets. But these preparations are one of the great characteristics of the new year. On the New-Year's Day of 1866 Europe presented the appearance of a peaceful workshop; but on the New-Year's Day of 1867 it looks for all the world like a vast arsenal. When the year comes to an end, Europe will be nothing but one immense system of barracks; and the citizens will no more have a home, but military quarters. A year ago disarmament was the universal talk, and philanthropists were dreaming of a universal peace. What will they be dreaming about a year from now? Europe is arming itself as if a new Mogul host stood on its frontiers. This arming is not like that of the Great Republic, which, in a single night, converted the sword and the other implements of war into peaceful machines and the plough and the spade.”—Allgemeine Zeitung.

Prussia.—The commercial marine of Prussia, which one year ago consisted of 1,665 vessels, now numbers 10,202 ships. The tonnage of France is 985,535, while Prussia boasts some 1,293,138 tons; thus it will be seen that, in Europe, Prussia is the second commercial power.