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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



have no feeling we are aware. Still it is 

 some satisfaction, to find that one of our 

 magistrates is honest enough, — not only to 

 speak his mind but to punish. 



_ Mr. Broughton has, before now, proved 

 himself " a singular exception" to our ma- 

 gistrates generally, who invariably wink at 

 crime when committed by " a gentleman." 



The law allows of fine, or imprisonment. 

 The award of either is in the power of the 

 magistrate. If a poor man offends, he at 

 once goes to prison — of course. If a" gentle- 

 man," or an aristocrat offends, he — also of 

 course — draws a well-filled purse, pays a fine, 

 bows blandly to the magistrate, goes home, 

 talks of his " jolly lark," boasts of having 

 " broken somebody's head" — and there the 

 matter ends. We sincerely congratulate Mr. 

 Broughton on his manly conduct, and hold 

 him up as a pattern for his brother magis- 

 trates to take example by. 



We must observe that " the law," in this 

 case, only admitted of " one month's im- 

 prisonment." Mr. Broughton did not 

 make the law, nor could he exceed his power ; 

 else, we imagine, Mr. William King would 

 have been " imprisoned for life," — a punish- 

 ment even then inadequate to the offence. 



The accomplices have escaped for the 

 present. Let us hope they will hencefor- 

 ward seek to be " amused" by less heinous 

 crimes. 



ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. 



Wild Honey Gathering in New South Wales. — 

 Wild honey, or, as the natives call it, " choogar 

 bag," is collected, Mr. Editor, by a small stingless 

 bee, not so large as the common fly. The honey- 

 nest is generally found at the summit of remark 

 ably "high trees. When the lynx-eyed nativ" 

 discovers it from below, there he will stand, wit 

 his head up, making a dead-point at it until it 

 is attained by his gin, who immediately begins 

 with a small tomahawk, and by a rapid action 

 of the wrist, to cut a notch in the bark of the 

 tree, large enough for her great toe to rest upon. 

 Winding her left arm round the body of the tree, 

 she adroitly raises herself to this notch, and there 

 rests the ball of the great toe of the right foot. 

 She then cuts a notch above her head, and quickly 

 ascends to this. So on, in like manner, until 

 she reaches the dizzy height to which she is di- 

 rected from below, — exhibiting throughout the 

 most astonishing stretch and pliancy of limb, as 

 well as the most wonderful absence of all fear of 

 danger. She recklessly advances towards the 

 extremity of a fragile bough which appears ready 

 to break. If she can reach the honey, she seizes 

 it, and places it in a sort of calabash slung round 

 her neck ; at the same time, holding her hatchet 

 in her mouth. Where she finds it impracticable 

 to reach the honey, she cuts off the branch, — 

 which, with its mellifluous appendage, falls to 

 the ground at the feet of her sable lord, who stands 

 below. The honey is of delicious flavor, after it 

 has been carefully separated from the comb, the 



cells of which are generally filled with small flies. 

 The natives, however, devour it just as they find 

 it, and are very fond even of the refuse comb, 

 with which they make their favorite beverage 

 called " bull," and of this they drink till they be- 

 come quite intoxicated, — Sarah L. 



Vinegar Eels. — The little eels found occasion- 

 ally in vinegar, are well known. Some persons 

 suppose that they are to be found at all times in 

 that liquid, when sought for with a microscope. 

 This however is not the case. It is only vinegar 

 which has been kept some time, and which is be- 

 come bad, that gives birth to them. What is 

 more, they will not live long in good vinegar. This 

 I ascertained on one occasion, when on adding 

 fresh vinegar to some that had been given me by 

 a friend, full of these eels, their motions from 

 that day became more and more languid, and in 

 a fortnight's time they were all dead. Previously 

 to this, I had kept them several weeks in the 

 same vinegar in which they had been brought to 

 me. When these little eels are immersed in 

 sweet oil, or proof spirits, their motions are much 

 impeded, but vitality is not immediately destroyed 

 — Jenyn. 



Cut Flowers. — At this season of the year, Mr. 

 Editor, people are too apt to cherish to the last, 

 the few flowers that adorn their rooms. They 

 can hardly be aware of the injury they do them- 

 selves, and others, by keeping their cut flowers 

 too long. Just give "a hint" on the subject, 

 pro bono. I do not write to you without a good 

 reason ; and I know your remarks will be read 

 in the proper quarter.— Dew-drop. 



[Thanks, little Dew-drop, your hint is well- 

 timed. We quite agree with you, that many 

 persons are not, cannot be aware of the unwhole- 

 someness of decayed vegetable matter in their 

 rooms. We are glad, therefore, to recommend 

 any mode which is likely to counteract the ill- 

 effects. The most simple rules are, not to put 

 too many flowers together in a glass; to change 

 the water every morning; and to remove every 

 decayed leaf as soon as it appears — cutting off 

 the end of the stem occasionally, as soon as it 

 shows any symptoms of decay. A more effica- 

 cious way, however, is to put nitrate of soda in the 

 water; about as much as can be easily taken up 

 between the forefinger and thumb. Drop this 

 into the glass every time the water is changed, 

 and it will preserve cut flowers in all their beauty 

 for above a fortnight. Nitrate of potash, in pow- 

 der, has nearly the same effects ; but it is not 

 quite so efficacious.] 



Sagacity of the Fox. — The following, from the 

 " Sporting Magazine," shows us, Mr. Editor, how 

 Nature endows some animals, more than others, 

 with an excess of cunning. Of course they could 

 not exist without ; hence, " the gift." — More 

 foxes are lost when dead-beaten, than at any 

 other time; and here they show their superior 

 cunning by the wonderful tricks they play the 

 hounds. Eor instance, when the pack is close at 

 him in covert, and he goes through the outside 

 fence of the covert only, instead of going into the 

 field — he drops down into the ditch, every hound 

 going over him. The pack then make a swing 



