MADAME MARA.—This lady is still living at Revel, in Russia.
On the celebration of her 82nd birth-day lately, between seventy and eighty of
the most distinguished individuals of the town and its neighbourhood collected to receive her on the occasion of a public banquet given the ci- devant cantatrice. The pleasures of the scene were greatly enhanced by the performance of an ode written by Goahe, in which he retraced the enthusiasm produced by her first appearance in Metastasio's oratorio,
S. Elena at Calvario, in the year 1771, when GoCthe heard her for the first time. She was then plain Mademoiselle Schmeling, and he a at ip- ling student of twenty-two. The ode was set for four voices, by Hummel.
MR. PEEL 3lisstsra.—" We have seen," says a morning paper, "a letter from Perth, Western Australia, dated January 5th. The writer
takes an unfavourable view of the prospects of the colony', and mentions that Mr. Peel and two soldiers have been lost for fourteen days ;' he adds, 'all his people are starving.' Many accidents had occurred, and
no fewer than fourteen lives have been lost by drowning. Money was scarce, and complaints abundant. Fowls, the letter states, were very dear. No less than five-and-twenty shillings had been offered for one consi- dered to be of a good breed.
Popuwenow.—There is at present residing in the parish of Great Hazely, Oxon, a woman in her fortieth year, who was married twenty
years since, and had one child by her husband, who absconded before it was born, and has never since been heard of. The woman for nineteen following years has produced an illegitimate child each year, making a total of twenty ! Thirteen of the children are living. The Reading Mercury terms this a case for Malthus—it strikes us to be a very fit case for the tread-mill, and bread and water diet for a twelvemonth.
LIQUID DIET !—There is now living at Shiplake a little girl, two years of age, who has not tasted any thing solid, and not even bread, since last
Christmas twelvemonth. Her usual diet is a gallon of nuts per week, with water, and occasionally apples and oranges. Though thus abste- mious she is in good health, and runs about as lively as any other child, —Reading Mercury.
THERE WERE GIANTS. IN THE LAND IN THOSE DAYS !—Died lately,
in her 23d year, Susanna, daughter of Robert Boyd, of Scribe,. near Seaford. Though born of parents rather below the middle size, this ex-
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