LOCAL AND GENERAL.

' v The Agent-general reports having accepted a tender at L 3600 for the lantern and apparatus for the Stephens Island lighthouse. It will be the first double-flash light erected in the colony. If the tower be erected in time, the light will be ready in a year. The bank returns show a marked increase of deposits foi' the March quarter compared with the previous quarter. The increase in deposits not bearing interest is L 388.100, bearing interest L 155.000. The increase is L 94,000 more than in the same quarter of last year. It is believed that Doig, the commercial traveller from this colony who was killed in the railway accident in New South Wales, is a young man, Henry Doig, who was in the employment of Messrs Sargood, Son, and Ewen here for some years and left Dunedin for Australia about the month of August last. He used to live at Green Island and was frequently in the company of a woolscourer named Cassidy ; and the latter, who used to live at Burnside, is supposed to be the man of that name who was with Doig at the time of the disaster. Doig's mother lives at Timaru with her daughter, who is married to Mr D. Stuart, grain merchant. Inland money order telegrams up to L2O wiU be issued on and after the Ist prox., and the* rate of commission for each pound or fraction of a pound has been reduced from 4d to 3d. A Wellington telegram states that Mr E. H. Carew, R.M., is appointed recorder of the Native Land Court for the Middle Island district. Commencing with the Rimutaka, to leave Lyttelton on June 9, the New Zealand Shipping Company's mail steamers will leave the colony on Thursdays, instead of Saturdays as heretofore. About 50 shorthand writers responded to the advertisement convening a meeting for the purpose of establishing an association of stenographers in Dunedin. The meeting was held in the Choral Hall, and was presided ocer by Mr Mark Cohen, who spoke of the advantages arising from association, and gave a considerable amount of information respecting shorthand societies in America and inGreat Britain. Mr J. Crosby Smith also spoke on the question, and read from letters he had received from the Christchurch and Oamaru associations. After a general discussion it was resolved to establish a Dnnedin Shorthand Writers' Association, and a provisional committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs M. Cohen, Cope, Brown, Drabble, Harvey, Anderson, aud Hercus. The meeting was then adjourned for a week. The Paisley and Renfrewshire Gazette of 12th March says, in reference to the action of Mr Andrew Cameron in collecting money to clear off the debt on Knox Church : — " The Knox Church congregation should canonise him (Mr Cameron) for the present, aud erect a monument to his memory in tho distant future." The Lyttelton Harbour Board has resolved to offer LIOO for the first and LSO for the second best design sent in for an iron steam hopper dredge capable of dredging 200 tons per hour to a maximum depth of 34ft, and to carry 1200 tons. The medical evidence at the inquest on Richardson, a Wellington bootmaker, who committed suicide by hanging himself, showed that under the delusion that he was suffering from several diseases, he had been in a depressed state for some time and committed suicide. A verdict wps returned accordingly. A report has been assiduously circulated (says the Wellington Post) that H^ll, the poisoner, disappeared from the Auckland gaol, and had been smuggled away to San Francisco in the R M S. Alameda, another prisoner still iv gaol impersonating him. It is needless to say that a political colour was sought to be given to this story. We are assured by the authorities that there is not the smallest foundation for this absurd story. Mr H. O. Forbes, latu curator of the Canterbury Museum, was v passenger for Engluul by the Arawa, which lelt Lytteltou on Saturday mjming. A murder which has been concealed for 21 years has just come to light thru ugh the deathbed confession of the peipetrator, Ann Gill, a Liverpool woman, who had bten living with her sun for about five years in Lumb Lane, Liversedge, near Dewsbury. Since the funeral of Mrs Gill, Ann Hargreaves made a statement that on the Ist inht. she asked the deceased to pray that she might be better, and the reply she gave was : " I shall not go to heaven, as I poisoned my husband." She asked her why she did so, and tho reply was : " I was courting another man at the time, named Torn Flanagan, but he went to America." Deceased also confessed the crime to her son and a third pel sou. Mrs Gill was 20 years older than her husband, and when the deceased perpetrated the crime they lived in Palm street, Windsor, Liverpool. Mr and Mrs William Renton, two old residents of Dunedin, celebratid their golden wedding at their residence. Castle street, on the 21 th ult. Their many friends mustoied strongly, and a v. ry happy even ng was spent in reviving memories of the past and with sung aud hCory, ieire»hmenls not being overlooked. During tho c\emng a puise of soveteigus was presented to Mrs itouton, with the best wi.-h -s of all present. A report on the Postal department of the Slniits i^ei tie. uenis just to hand contains evi-di-nc's til touching pnthos beneath the mask of tho ChiniNu oxtwior. A i etitiou w:.s prepared askni;: iur a mine-Lion ot postage on Chinese co.jlie.s' lt-tteis home, and tho pititul effects of n ie.ub<:i «fiofi(. i t out in the following pathetic a;>}.e<'.l : — "The lev.ilt will be thub the wife, nut ri coning information respecting the whereabouts of h'T husband, will contract a l.ew iiKitriagc, and, taking her children with Ler to iuilow her new lord, leaves no one behind to perpetuate that ancestral worship so d<-ar to the heart of every Chinaman. The aged parents, nob hearing from their son, will

be occasioned to have a thousand anxious thoughts about him, will lose their appetite and die. The sister-in-law, who is a widow, and depends upon her brother-in-law for support, will starve, through receiving no remittances from him. In this way many Chinese homes will be rendered wretched." The Post-master-general at Singapore was much impressed, but was unable to support the petition. Mr Berry, the English " Lord High Executioner," has tendered his resignation. In a letter to the Home Secretary he informs that official that he cannot allow the interference of medical officers in the decision as to the length of drop required. In the course of more than 200 experiments he has studied the scientific side of his profession, and can graduate with nicety the length of the fall to the weight of the patient. In a recent case he had arranged for a fall of three fept and a half ; the medical man insisted upon six, and the result was that decapitation ensued. He reminds Mr Matthews, whom he addresses as " Dear sir," that during his tenure of office he has abolished the scaffold steps which inflicted unnecessary strain on the physical energies and moral fortitude of the prisoner, and has furnished with a spring the flaps "that used sometimes to fly back and strike the body." Mr Berry expresses his intention of delivering a series of lectures in London and the provinces on "Men he has hung," and proposes to employ his leisure time in assisting in the agitation against capital punishment. He hints that although he has never hung a man whom he believes to have been innocent, he has put a summary end to several whom he did not consider accountable for their actions. Mr Berry may yet go down to posterity as a great reformer. One of the presents to be presented to the King and Queen of Denmark on the occasion of their golden wedding on 22nd May is a crown of gold, the gift of over 100,000 school children in Denmark, who have each contiibuted a penny. The crown is composed of golden corn ears and clover leaves, and interlaced with a ribbon bearing the inscription: "The childreu of Denmark have woven this crown for tho oscasion of the golden wedding of King I'hiistian IX and Queen Louiso on 22nd Ma/ 1892." The Danish poet Nicolas B.oegh is composing au address to accompany this gift. At last week's mestinj of the City Council a letter was read from tho Colonial Secretary informing that body that tho Harbour Board had submitted a resolution t > the Government to the effect that the board nnd the council being unable to agree as to the future disposal of the city sewage at present being discharged into the harbour, the Guvernor bo asked to appoint a person to arbitrate in the mutter. The communication also stated that tho Government had encountered the greatest difficulty in meeting with an engineer compeUi.' and willing to give a decision which must by law be final upon a question involving such large and important issues. Mr Buckley therefore proposed that the bodies concerned should agree to submit the matter to a board of three engineers to determine - one to be appointed by each local body and one by the Governor. The reading of the letter created a good deal of discussion, in the course of which Cr Fish averred that the council were virtually asked to enter into a scheme that would entail an expenditure of LIOO.OOO, and compel the imposition of an extra rate of Is or Is 6d in the pound upon property holders. He also maintained that the council would not be forced into such an expenditure, Governor or no Governor, arbitration or no arbitration. The matter was eventually referred to the General Committee to report. The steamer Richmond, from the Islands, reports that affairs are quiet at R^rotonga and Tahiti. With reference to the loss of the barque Clara, which was burned at sea, the captain of the Richmond reports that the crew of ons boat, supposed to be missing, were rescued and brought to Tahiti. Tho other boats were also picked up and taken to San Francisco. The cause of the lire is supposed to 1 , have been spontaneous combustion in the cargo of coal. Tho Liverpool owners of the barque Compadre, which was wrecked last year on the Auckland Islands, have sent LlO in recognition of the humanitarian action of the Government in providing food and clothing depots. The Marine department has expended the money in extra necessaries, to be transmitted to the island by first opportunity. The Southland Hospital Trust have appointed Miss Curtis and Miss Smith, both of Dunedin, as nurses in the hospital at a salary of L 45 each. Miss C. Fearn was appointed probationer, and A. Fearn porter. Among the stories of extraordinary coincidences (writes the London correspondent of the Leeds Mercury) not the least curious is the history of a letter, for the accuracy of which he can vouch. .A short time ago a lady in London wished to write to a friend in America, whose address she did not know. The only means she had of procuring the address was to write to a mutual friend, who also lived in America. This she accordingly did, and the letter was duly despatched. The ship which carried the lotter was wrecked, and the mails for a time lost. They were eventually recovered and brought back to England, the letters, now much damaged by sea water, being returned through the dead letter office to the senders. The letter in question was sent back to the lady, who n.-iturally examined it minutely. To her surprise, .she found that another letter had become closely stuck to it. Holding up the twofold missive to the light, she deciphered tho address on the one which was stuck to her own. It was a letter addressed to the friend to whom she had wished to write, and to discover whose whereabouts her own letter had been despatched. Her letter thus literally brought back its own answer. A ba.ru and stable, containing a quantity of grass seed, some oats, harness, and weighing machine, were destroyed by tire at Blue Mountain on the 24th inst. The property belonged to Mr Thomas Muir, farmer, and was insured in the New Zealand office for Ll5O. Mr Muir, however, estimates his loss at L2OO. A number of bags of rye, of the value of LSO, the property of Mr Thomas Ramsay, farmer, of Hyde, were burned on the night of the 24th inut. There was no insurance on the property. About 160 bags of wheat, belonging to Mr John Brown, farmer, of Spear Grass Flat, were also destroyed by lire on the 25th inst. The wheat was valued at L6O, but was not insured. The next session of Parliament will meet on the lGlh or 23rd June— probably the former dtto. The Hon. the Premier will attend the banquet to be given to the Hon J. G. Ward, and intends to address a public mueting at Invercargill next Saturday. Inquiry is made in Lloyd's Weekly for the followin":— James M'Lelland, left Dundressan, Islandmdgee. Antrim, about 1878, for New Zealand ; last letter from Millar's Flat, Otago. — Frcdfrick Blake went to New Zealand 48 years biuce ; last heard of in 1868 going by the I

name of Bench. Brother Sidney.— William, Henry Allsworth, last wrote to Marian in 1878. Address, care of Mr W. H. Beetham, Brancepeth, near Masterton, "Wairarapa, Wellington, New Zealand.— William Clifford, left Calne, Wilts, for New Zealand on 4th May 1875 ; last heard from on 19th June 1877, Cambridge, Waikato, Auckland, New Zealand. Sister Mary. — Mary Ann Hall, nee Blunt, of Plumpton, Northamptonshire, sailed for New Zealand about 35 years ago ; supposed to be farming. Sister Charlotte.— John Anderson, wool stapler, was last heard of in 1879, living in Adelaide road, Wellington, New Zealand. Daughter Isabella. The Government Insurance department is preparing tables for a pension scheme for the civil service, with special tables for the police. It is pro2josed to bring the school teachers and railway servants into the civil service. The Government are not likely to adopt the Railway Commissioners' pension scheme, which they consider too complex, but it will be optional with the employes to avail themselves of the scheme that will be prepared for them. Messrs Piddington and Barton have just returned from a visit to the stranded steamer Elginshire, as she lies on a reef near Timaru. After a careful inspection they believe it is quite possible to get the vessel off, and it is possible an effort will be made to form a local syndicate to attempt the work if the agents are prepared to give reasonable terms. The vital /.statistics for the Duuodin district for tho past month are as follows : — Births, 100 ; deaths, 50 ; marriages, 46. In tho corresponding month of last year there were 115 births, 63 deaths, and 39 marriages. . Thohospital returns for the past week are :—: — Remaining from previous week, 77 ; admitted during the week, 13 ; discharged, 11 ; deaths (Matthew Dormer, Elizabeth Holmes, Paul Kbmuitz, and Charles Dawson), 4 ; total remaining in the institution, 75. I' News has been received of the death in England of Mr James Galbraith, a well-known old identity. He came to Otago from Melbourne in 1856 as second officer of the brig Gil Bias, and entered the employ of Messrs Macaudrew and Co. as mate of the brig Content Hu afti rw.inls became landlord of tho old Port ] Chalmers Hotel, and having purchased several pni|iciti- s in Dunedin, he was able to retire. He wuut with bis wife and family to England some yoji'rsi "go, but made several trips to the colony. Mr James Adam, of Bon Accord, Tokomairiro, wilt 'thrown from his horse on Saturday and sustained injuries which will conGne him to his room for a few weeks. , Proceedings are to be taken against several business people in Wellington for neglecting to send in returns of their iucome. Messrs T. Barmby and John A. Roikie have been returned unopposed as members for the Anderson's Bay subdivision of the Peninsula Road Board. For Highcliff, Messrs Buskin, Fairbaim and Stuart; and for Sandymount, Messrs Granger, Murray, and Robertson have been nominated, and an election of- two for each' of the subdivisions will be held on Saturday, 7th inst. • Dalziel's Ottawa correspondent says that Messrs Helland Brothers, the official reporters of the proceedings in the Senate, intend henceforth to use the phonograph in place of nhorthand. Respecting the Royal Families of Europe a correspondent writes to Notes and Queries :—: — " It may be a surprise to most people to know that nearly all the royal personages of Europe are cousins and not very far removed, as it has been laid down by a German genealogist that every crowned head of Europe, bar Turkey's, is descended from one of two sisters who lived about 150 years ago. These ladies were the daughters of. Duke Ludwig Rudolf, of Bruns-wick-Wolf enbuttel. The elder, Princess Elizabeth, married the Emperor Charles VI, and became tho ancestress of all the Roman Catholic reigning families ; the younger, Princess" Antoinette, was the grandmother of Kiiig Frederick William II of Prussia, and consequently the ancestress of all the Protestant Royalties, including the Orthodox Houses of Russia and Greece." At Oamaru on Friday morning Mr T. Chalmer, the -'Land Board's salesman, offered the balance of the grazing run leases at MaerewUenua unsold at the sale on March 29 at a reduced upset.. There was a very small attendance, and the runs, three in number, were all passed' in without a bid. An opinion was expressed by i^bose present (says the Oamaru Mail) that the runs would not sell unless the upsets were reduced to 3£d or 4d, but the auctioneer pointed out that tho board were of opinion that they could not legally reduce the upsets below 6d. His own opinion was that the runs should be withdrawn from the grazing run system and offered under pastoral licenses. A party of •ladies and gentlemen from Timaru (the Herald reports), consisting of Mrs Smithson, Misses F. aud L. M'Laren, and O'Brien, and Messrs Smithson, Gray, and Higgiubotham, made the ascent of tho Godley Glacier to the Sealey Saddle, a dividing pass of the Southern Alps, between the east and west coasts, on April 20, under the guidance of Mr M. Hannigan. They had some formidable diifioulties to surmount, and one of the ladies had a narrow escape of being struck by a falling rock, weighing about a ton. On reaching the summit, the cairn made by former mountaineers "Was found, and in it the party deposited their names, &c. The views detained at times were grand, but part of the ascent was made in the face of a driving rain. This is the first time the ascent has been made by ladies. ' "Au incident, is reported (says the Oamaru Mail) which shows that the old Maori customs have not altogether died out. Some three weeks ago an old Maori chief named Solomon died at the Puketotara settlement. Since his death, his ag6d wife, believing that food was tapu to her, refused to eat, and succumbed the other day to her prolonged fast. . The proposed syndicate . of Lyttelton and Cbristchurch gentlemen which was being formed to float the steamer Elginshire has been abandoned. Tho best terms the syndicate could make (says the Lyttelton Times) are understood to be that if successful in getting the steamer off and landing her at the Ljttelton dock the syndicate would receive one-third of her- value. These terms the gentlemen interested did not consider sufficiently tempting. The North ,( 'tugo Times understands that Mr Emrnerson, station master at Waiarela Junction', has devised a scheme for exterminating rabbits, by which he anticipates he will be able to clear New Zealand of the pest in live years. No details are yet forthcoming as to the process. The granting of- votes to tho ladies is usually defended . on tLe ground that their influence will-tend to purify, soften, and refine politics and" the ways of politicians. The following f lom'a London newspaper of February 21 would seem to show that electioneering ladies can throw themselves with a truly masculine zest into the exchange of the little courtesies and

amenities of the warfare of the platform:— "It is stated that correspondence has passed between Mr Surr William Duncan, the Conservative candidate for the Wisbech Division, and the Hon. Mrs Brand, relative to her songs at political meetings. Mr Duncan wrote to the Hon. Arthur Brand, M.P., as follows : — ' I am informed that Mrs Brand lately sung at Friday Bridge the following: "We'll put the Tories to the rout, And shove old Duncan up the spout." Will you plcaso inform me if this is true or not ?' Mrs Brand, replying, says: — ' I have sung at Friday Bridge and other places with great success the following couplet :— " We've kept Surr William Duncan out, and put the Tories up the spout." — Yours truly, Edith Brand." Mr A. Morrison, late chief engineer of the R.M.S. Coptic, writes as follows to the Wellington Post: — "In reading your paper of Saturday I noticed a paragraph in which Mr Barland, gardener to Mr H. D. Bell, purposes to carry out what to him seems an entirely novel experiment — that of freezing flowers in a block of ice, in order to transmit them to the old country. This idea was really thought of and carried out by me some five years ago when visiting M'Nab's gardens with a lady, who jestingly asked me to take a buuch of flowers she had gathered to her daughter in London. Freezing, of course, was our idea, and therewith I took them on board the Coptic, immersed them in a bucket of water, and committed them to the freezing chamber, where they remained throughout the voyage, looking through their icy covering as beautiful, and their colours as bright, as if newly plucked. London reached I took them in the block as they were to their destination, where they were subjected to a warmer atmosphere, but I was disappointed to find that as the ice melted, the flowers, though keeping their natural colour and form, presented a sodden and frost bitten appearance, fading and withering away almost directly. I hope that Mr Earland may find niore success attend his object." Mr Thomas Green, a well-known resident of Gore, was entertained at a complimentary banquet on the evening of the 27tb, on the occasion of his letirement from the auctioneering business. The banquet was attended by some 80 gentlemen from various parts of Southland. Mr Valentine, who presided, when proposing the health of the guest, presented an address and intimated that a gold bracelet for Mrs Green was in the hands of the jewellers, and would be presented in a few days. In a case brought by the "Picturesque Atlas" proprietors at Pukekohe, Auckland, on Friday, the plaintiffs' solicitor said that the bench having decided to admit collateral evidence it was useless to go on with the case. The caso was struck out, and defendants allowed Ll2 12s costs. It is understood that plaintiffs will appeal to the Supreme Court on the poiut in dispute. The many friends of Mr E. W. Humphreys, ex-M.H.R. for Christchurch North, will learn with regret that a cablegram was received on Friday announcing his death from cancer. Mr Edward Wingfleld Humphreys was born in Wales in 184-1, and came to this colony about 1864. In the following year he took up the Garthmyl run, and was engaged in pastoral pursuits until a few years ago. Always taking an interest in public affairs he took no active part until 1889, when Sir Julius Vogel resigned I his seat for Christchurch North. Mr Humphreys was then elected, defeating Messrs Ollivier and Eden George. At the last general election Mr Humphreys was umuccessful, but was a little later elected a city councillor. He was greatly esteemed by all who knew him, and on the occasion of his leaving for London recently ho received numerous tokens of the esteem in which ho was held, one of the most gratifying to him being a present to Mrs Humphreys by the members of the Cambrian Society, of which he was president. Mr Humphreys was married to a sister of the late Mrs Robert Campbell, and they had no children. Mr J. H. Stanley, of Messrs Fulton, Stanley, and Co., has returned from his visit to Europe, after an absence of about 10 months. The Rev. Dr Lucas, of Canada, preached at St. Androw's Church on Sunday morning before a large congregation. After preaching at Trinity Church in the evening, Dr Lucas delivered a lecture at the City Hall, under the auspices of the 1.0. G.T. District Lodge, the subject being "The Ultimate Success of the Temperance Movement." The lecturer referred to the great strides the temperance movement had made during the last 25 years, and showed how it had been taken up by the different churches. He pointed out that the dropping of the Scott Act in Ontario was not an indication that people were failing to take an interest in the movement there, but that the explanation of their actions was that they had only dropped a half measure, so that they could get prohibition sooner. He was fully convinced that within the next eight years there would be total prohibition over the whole of Canada. The churches there had taken up the temperance movement very enthusiastically, as was shown by the fact that 2000 preachers in Canada were prohibitiouists, including the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church ; that the Presbyterian Church, at its general assembly recently, passed a motion declaring for prohibition ; and that the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada — numbering one million souls, members and adherents — were pledged as a body to total prohibition. Judging by the strides that the movement had made in the past, he reckoned that the next eight years — or the commencement of the 20th century of the Christian era — would see its culmination. During the evening, the Trinity Church choir, under the conductorship of Mr Manson, contributed two or three sacred selections. A Gazette Extraordinary, issued on Monday, convenes Parliament for the 23rd June. The question of undertaking protective and other works at St. Clair and the Ocean Beach was discussed on Monday at a conference representing the city and all but one of the suburban councils. Mr Fish submitted a series of resolutions embodying the scheme which he propounded some time since, and which was subsequently approved of by the General Committee of the City Council. Several representatives declined to commit themselves on behalf of their respective boroughs and refrained from voting, but the resolutions were all approved of, and the Mayor was requested to telegraph to the Premier and ask the Government to take charge of a bill for the purpose of giving effect to the scheme. Effect was given on Monday to the Postmastergeneral's proposal to substitute female telephone exchange clerks for males, and in Diinedin 12 females took their places at the switchboards. They will receive instruction for some three mouths from the former operators, after which they will be called upon to do the whole of the work during the daytime. In a local paragraph in a recent issue we mentioned the case of a Hindoo young man, named Laloo Ramprassad Bhikaree, upon whom the doctors at Philadelphia Hospital have been considering the feasibility of operating, with the view of removing the headless twin who

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has from his birth been attached to him from his breastbone. Dr Fitzgerald, of Kaitangata, has kindly handed to us two photographs of Laloo, which he secured when he was at Edinburgh. He informs us that the boy used to be on view at the shows in England and Scotland, and that he carried his abnormal burden in a bag in front of him. The doctors of Great Britain refused .to attempt to separate the twins, for fear the operation v.ould prove fatal. A peculiarity about the case is that while there is no head to the twin, whoso body ami four limbs dangle from Laloo's chest, theie has been ascertained to be a separate heart and a separate circulation. The photographs may Le seen at this office for a few days by medical men and otheis mteiested. Among the passengers to Wellington by the Hauroto from Sydney on Monday morning was Lieutenant-colonel Fox, the new commander ot the New Zealand forces. He was formally received by Lieutenant-colonel Hume. There was a very fair attendance at the C.ty Hall on Monday uighb when Dr Lucas delivere t a lecture on " The Indian Tribes of Canada.' The lecturer gave an interesting auco:i:is of some of the customs of the Indians, llu also referred to their language, pointing out that owing to every tribe speaking a different language missionaries had considerable difficulty in spreading the Gospel amongst them. In alluding to the great powers of oratory possessed by some of the Indians he said h ; learnt from them that to be an v man did not require to know whab a book was* i.c described an Indian whom he heard speak as a perfecb talking machine, and gave au illustration of hii powers of oratory, which wa> received by t'.ie audience with marked demonstrations of approval. Referring to bhe carvings of the Indians, he said if some of the Indian carvers in stone were taken to Italy and properly trained they would make as good sculptors as any of the Italian artists of old. He also spoke of the wit of the Indians, giving numerous instances of their possession of that faculty, and recounted a number of other interesting and amusing particulars with regard to them. The lecture altogether appeared to be greatly enjoyed by the audience, who frequently showed their appreciation of the reverend gentleman's remarks by loud applause. Dr White, a lady who obtained high honours at the university, having announced her intention of becoming a candidate for one of the positions of resident medical officers at the Melbourne Hospital, a motion was proposed, which, if carried, would have the eftVct of preventing any lady, whatever her medical qualifications, becoming a candidate for admission to the institution. Only four out of 14 members of the committee favoured the motion, which was lost. An amusing remark, dropped by Mr Balfour (says the Pall Mall Gazette), recalls incidentally "a felt want" which we have several times regretted our inability to supply. The want is some word to cover all subjects of the Queen - Empress and all portions of her dominions. We are "all Danes," according to the Laureate, in our relations to the Princess ; but what arc we all at other times ? To speak merely of England and the English infuriates the Scots. And Briton and British leaves out the Irish. •' English-speaking" has been suggested ; but, apart from other objections, there is this, that the term does not cover all the inhabitants of these islauds, nor even, according to Mr Balfour, all the members of the House of Commons. "Feus," said the Leader of the House, "are— as I may remind the Englishspeaking members of the House." So Englishspeaking will not include us all. What in the world are we to call ourselves ? Bit by bit during the last three months (says the Tokio correspondent of The Times) there have come to light some more exact particulars of the great earthquake of the 28th of October than could be given directly after its occurrence. These sho.v, among other things, that the magnitude of the catastrophe was at first a good deal underestimated in nearly every respect. The number of people killed and burned to death, for instance, is now found to have been about 10,000 instead of 8000, and the number of the injured to have been 15,000 instead of 10,000. The area of the severely shaken district is estimated by Professor Milne, in a recent monograph on the subject, ab 4400 square miles. The same authority adds that the disturbance distinctly shook about 92,000 square miles of Japan's territory ; that tremors were noticed at Shanghai ; that delicate instruments may possibly have bc«u affected at our antipodes ; and that, if Japan had been surrounded by terra fmna instead of water, the laud area directly agitated would have been as much as 400,000 square miles. It is now certain that the locus of most potent energy was in the Mino Mountains, to the north of Gifu, as suggested in my former letter. The Neo Valley in that region, happily containing but few inhabitants, presented to the bewildered gaze of the half-dozen adventurous spirits who hurriedly visited ib soon after the disaster a scene of past havoc so tremendous and terrible as to have changed almost the whole face of nature. The Wellington Education Board has adopted new scholarship regulations intended to do justice to town and country. Ten or more scholarships of the annual value of Lls are open to children attending schools within the City of Wellington ; three or more scholarships of the annual value of L3O are open to any children attending schools within the Wairara^a North and Wairnrapa South counties ; L6O a yearormoreis to Lc awarded witlvnthe Hutt and Horowhenua counties, ai.d boroughs of Hubt, Petone, Onslow, Kurori, and Melrosp, as follows :—LIS: — Ll5 a year to be given if successful candidates can reach the College or Girls' High School by daily train from Porirua or Hutt, or if they reside at Vogeltown or Kilbimie ; otherwise, L3O a year. News has been received that Mr William J. Murphy, son of Mr J. J. Murphy, of Woodville, and nephew of Mr D. Wishart, of C. BeggandCo., has taken with honours the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of Heidelberg. The new graduate, who is barely 23 years old, was partly educated at Napier High School and partly at Wellington College. He is the first Englishman for 30 years who has taken the same degree, and is said to be the only one who has taken it with honours. Dr Murphy, since taking his degree, has acce.pted a professorship at Siou University in Switzerland. The many friends throughout the colony of Mrs Eichardt, well known as proprietress of Eichardb's Hotel at Queenstown, will be pained to learn that she died on Monday from the effeebs of the accident she sustained on Friday by a fall downstairs. Messrs J. J. MAuley, W. Argue, and A. Dickson have been elected metibers of the Otago Heads Road Board. As there are other three vacancies, nominations will be received up to the 11th inst. The Wellington Post states that Mr Percy Baldwin, son of Captain Baldwin, who has returned to the colony owing to his health breaking down after his numerous successes at the Middle Temple, was some little time prior to bis leaving England offered the appointment

of Equity Draftsman to the Board of Charity Commissioners, London. By the advice of his medical attendant he had to decline this appointment, which commenced at a salary of LSOO a year and ran up to LIOOO. On Saturday Mr H. S. M'Kellar, who has occupied the position of Secretary of Customs at Wellington for several years, practically severed his connection with the civil service. Mr M'Kcllir, who entered the Customs nearly 40 yi ars a B 'o, hns boen compelled by the Government tv retiie on his pension ab the age of 57. His successor is Mr W. T. Glasgow,, who occupied the office of secretary during his absence in England recently. Mr M'Kcllar is away from office on three months' leave, and at tlie «itd i.f that period he ceases to be connected \\ ith the service. Tho Premier (the Ilou. J. Ballance) arrived in Dunedin on Tuc.uliy night on hU way tj attend the banquet ..t Wiiitou on Friday to tae lion. J. G. Ward. The Minister for Lands (the Hon. J. M'Kiiuie 1 joined the express train from tins no.lh at Palm iston, and came inbj town with fje Prein er. The output of coal from the West port and Gieymouth mines for the month of Apiil was as follows :— Westport, 17,363 tons ; Greyrnoubh, 13,3 L 5 tons. The meeting convened by the Rev. Dr Stuart on Tuesday at the Y.W.C.A. room , in Moray place, in j>,ii!i. 1 tiou with ihe Zenan 1 missions, was attended by about a dozen ladies mid the Itijv. Air Banneunan. After short addresses by Dr Stuart aud Air Banneriuan, ifc was resolved that the ladies present f jrm themselves into an association for the promotion of Zenana missions in India. Dr Stuart intimated that the Association for Zenana Missions, connected with the Church of Scotland on the recommendation of Mrs Longhur.st, who recently visited Otago, appointed Miss Helen Macgregor (daughter of Dr 'Macgregor, of Oamaru) as a missionary. He also stated that the Edinburgh Association had agreed to pay her passage money and outfit, and L7O of her salary— which, we understand, amounts to Ll2o— for the first year, on the understanding that the association in 'Otago will pay her salary after the firat year. Dr Stuart was requested to visit Oamaru, Milton, Gore, anil Invercargill for the purpose of forming auxiliaries ; and Mr Baunerman wus asked to act as president of the association pro tern. Miss Fulton was appointed treasurer and Miss Julia Fulton secretary, a vote of thanks. being accorded to Dr Stuarb for calling bhe meebing and presiding. We are informed bhat the petitions against th^i extension of the franchise to women have been signed by over 5000 persons, fully—onehalf of the signatures being those of women. injjeonuectiou with an inquest held on Tuesday respecting the death of a young man named Filewood, Dr Coughtrey drew attention to an importaut fact, aud one that cannot be too widely known. He said that it was" a mistake to measure medicine by the spoonful, as tablespoons, dessertspoons, and teaspoons, were to be fouud which differed in their respective sizes, and, handling a tablespoon which was before him, he said that that spoon would hold what would equal not one dose bub a dose and a-half. All medicines should be given in a proper medicine measure, one of which could be gob for 3d. The doctor also drew abteiition to the advisability of aUking to the bottlea printed label giving directions, as well as writing bhe same in the ordinary way. Mr F. M'Guire addressed his constituents at Hawera ou Monday night. He strongly supported the present Government's taxation and laud policy, and, while indicating that he would continue to give the Government general support, reserved bo himself freedom bo vote as he pleased on measures brought before the House. An amendment of thanks as against confidence and thanks was proposed. A New Plymouth telegram states that the old Maori chiefs are dying off. Whareta, aged 10 years, died on Sunday ; while Jeicmiah, about the same age, died last week. Both lived at Mangone. On Saturday week a Maori, known as " Saturday," di d ab the same placo. Vessels arriving at Australian port* from Rjo Janeiro recently stabe that the place is in a fearful state owing to the prevalence of malaria. In February last the death rates had reached the extraordinary rate of from 50 to 60 deaths per day. The mortality amongst bhe shipping in bhe port was tenible. The captain of the Carned Lle.vellyn had two of his crew stricken ! with the disease, but he insisted upon his crew j making free use of tobacco as one of the best preventives from contracting the disease, and the experiment proved very successful, as none cf ihe other members of the crew were affected. The barque Carleton was nut so fortunate, as more than one-half of her crew succumbed to the disease. Yellow fever broke out on board of the ship Wandlatta, and only two of her crew were left alive, the remainder having died. Nine of the crew of a steamer lying in the port were taken to the hospital in one day suffering from yellow fever. Men dropped dead in the streets of the citj' daily, and it was a daily occurrence to see the "dead carts " flying by at racehorse speed, conveying as many coffins as they could hold to the cemeteries on the outskirts. Many of the remains of the victims had to be conveyed to the burial g.ounda by ! the relatives or friends who would volunteer to' deposit them in the holes dug out for their reception. In connection with the death of Miss Clough, principal of Newnham College, Cambridge, we have been permitted to make the following extract from the letter of a Newnham lecturer who.se brother resides in Dunedin : — " You would see or hear that we have lost our dear principal. . . . For 13 years she has been t) me, next to my own parents, my best and dearest friend. She was uniQUO iv humour, wisdom, and delightfulness, and in unfailing affection. She was buried on the sth of March in the little country churchyard ab Grantchester. The Provost and Fellows of King's sent an entirely spontaneous offer of their chapel for the first part of the service, and 1 [b ilieye that nothing soimp.essivc has ever tai.on place in it. Ail the present students of Newnham and mosb of those of Girton, and a very large number of our past students, with crowds of residents oP Cambridge, made a mass of women in black such as can seldom, if ever, have been seen before. I send the sermon preached the jiext Sunday in the chapel (by the Hulsean Professor of Divinity) which will show you better than anything else the complete recognition which the members of the university give to her work and her college. Mrs Sidgwick, the wife of the Professor of Moral Sciences, has accepted, the uuanimous offer (fiom the council) of the principalship. We are all greatly pleased ; nothing can replace Miss Clough, but this is quite the best that could bo." By the last mail from Europe (says the Auckland Herald) Sir G. Grey received a letter from an old friend and relation of his in England, who was formerly in high rank in tho navy, in which the writer makes reference to our new Governof in tho following complimentary terms :— " The new Governor of New Zealand, the Earl of Glasgow,

is a very old and great friend of mine. I went to sec him at his ancient Ayrshire Castle home. He is a man of distinguished ability, a good organiser and administrator, but under the Colonial Office has served no apprenticeship at all, so all his work will be new to him. The Countess is a charming woman and a charming hostess, and the young daughters are simply the most delightful children whom I ever mot. lam sure the whole party will be extremely popular in New Zealand." One of the prophets who has arranged for the disappearance of the earth from the solar system on April 11, 1901, was lecturing to a select audience in a metropolitan suburb on the complete arrangements which he and his collaborating prophets have mado. to ensure the success pf the catastrophe, when » listener rose and askeu whether the sooth-. iyor was prepared to hand over all the property he possessed do a charitable institution on the date just mentioned. The prophet answered tuao Mich a proceeding would be uwK'm, ueoiitse u,iu g v tins fatal 11th nobody would bit living to benelit by any money. "Never mind that." replied the se.'ptic ; "in casu any pout* people do «uw\\your property may be very useful lo them, and I and another gentleman, hjjre will bo glad to act as trustees So make oat ihe deed." Bat the prophet, like auother person whose courage whs not equal to his professions, ''went aw ty grieved, for he hail great possessions.'' The deed was not made out, and the lecturer lelt the meeting. From the annual report of the diiwt.ir.s uf the Australian Mutual PruiiduuD society, Lo bo presented to the meeting of members on the 11th iust., it appears that ihe new business of the past year exceeded any pivvi.ms year. Out ot 17,6j5 proposals received, 13,631 policies for L4-, 1(Jd,88/ wore completed. The new premiums amount to 1,165,199 10s 6d. of which L.26,930 13s represents single payments. By the death of 794 members, claims amounting to L 479.470 12b, including L 109.931 12s for bonus additions, arose, while 185 endowment assurances matured, amounting to L 75.946 18s. The accumulated fund now amounts to L 10,532,036, having been increased by over L 795,000 during the year. The actuary puts down the cash surplus at L6J1,78L 16s, of which L 489,528 6s lid is to be allotted for distribution among members, providing reversionary bonuses of over one million. As a measure of precaution, the board has set aside out of the profits of the year a sum of L 5183 in augmentation of the reserve for possible depreciation of mortgage securities. .Mrs Helen Davis, authoress of " For So Little," has left for England with the view of entering the literary world and publishing another novel which she has completed. She is .accompanied by her husband and two children. According to a Home paper, the ladies of Carmarthen recently held a debate at which the subject of discussion was, Should ladies open their husbands' letters ? The discussion seems to have become very warm indeed, in the course of which one young and innocent maiden timidly ventured to state she thought that ladies should not open their husbands' letters, and characterised such a preceding as ''inquisitive, unwomanly, and improper." All the matrons present immediately sat upon her ; and one stern Minerva-like lady proposed an amendment to the effect " that ladies were perfectly and legally justified in opening their husbands' letters, and also in m iking the fullest inquiries into all their business transactions." This was carried by an overwhelming majority ! In an article dealing with the late Bruce election the Tapanui Courier says :— " We have heard it stated that some of the small farming c ass are likely to be tempted to change pi litical sides through ts.-aping taxation under the Land and Income Tax Act. We can only say lo such that their action is premature. They ha ye not as jet felt the full effects of that act, oc of some of the other Government measures. For instance, the threatened scare of capital is nut the empty dream that the Government would like people to believe. Its effect has nofobeen largely apparent in our district yet, . but ib will come — in fact it has come in a small way, and is nob much noticed. It will be noticed, however, before long. We can say as a fact that more than one application for money in this district has 1 een refused, not because the security was noS good enough, but- simply because the capitalist is awaiting the turn of events. He makes no unc :rtain sound about it. He says* the matter may be all right enough, but ' I have the money in my pocket now, and there it will stay in the meantime.' Eighteen months ago things were very different. Some may say that after all this cutting off of borrowed 11101103' is re.illy a very good thing, and will end in leaving matters ou a much sounder basis than ever they were before ; but this will he but sorry comfort to the men whose mortgages are called in, and who will in consequence loose the hard-earned winnings of pern ips a lifetime." ---Scrath-Taieri readers will be interested in the following lett- r from the Lyttelton Times of Monday last: — "Sir, — Allow me to correcb an error in the obituary notico in the Lyttelton Times of last Saturday of Mr Humphreys. The notice says that Mr Humphreys married a sister of the late Hon. Robert Campbell. This is a mistake. He married a Miss Horndun, sister of the late Mrs Robert Campbell, the lady who was sfc^jenerous as to leave LSOOO to the Dunedin Hospital. Ib is said it takes throe generations to make a gentleman, and one is sometimes incliued to believe it does ; but no one 2ould have much personal intercourse with Mr Humphreys without being being forced to acknowledge that he at any rate was a " real " gentleman— courteous, generous, would speak no ill of his bitterest foe. One instinctively thoughb of him as a man of principle, with a loyal devotion to what he conceived to be h ; s duty, a worthy descendant of the ' Men of Harlech.' Mrs Humphreys is a Yorkshire lady, and I am sure all who knew her husband will sympathise with her in her present sorrow. —I am, &c, M. A. Ci.akk." The mandate of the Minister of Lands to the Otago Waste Land Board that the islands in the Waitaki river should be let at once to Mr W. Simpson, at a peppercorn rental, is (says Monday's Norbh Otago Times) meeting with a good deal of opposition from the scbtlcrs in the vicinity of the river, who see, if the Minister has his way that they will be depiived of privileges which they have perhaps u> legal right to, but which it would be most improper to deprive them of because the, sum of LlO per annum can be obtained for the islands. The matter is in the hands of the Land Boards of Otago and Canterbury, who have the right to deal with the islands, and not the Minister. A petition has been sent to the Canterbury Land Board by 22 settlers on the north bank of the river, praying that an enquiry be held by the Land Board before dealing with the application made on behalf of Mr Simpson, and that, in the meantime, no steps be taken calculated to imjjudice the interests of the settlers. The Canterbury Land Board reply that full consideration shall be given to the request of the settlers before anything is done. This is

satisfactory so far; but it is a new phase of government by Liberal despotism the Minister of Lauds demanding that a judicial body like the Land Board shall do a certain thing without being left tlio option of considering whether what they are ordered bo do is right or wrong. Had Mr Hishardson, the late Minister of Lauds, issued a similar Czar-like ukase, there would have been a howl from a section of the press at what would have been called the bare faced character of the affair. The other section of the press, kawewr, does not use iml.uumatory language of this sort. It simply says that Mr M'Kenzio's action was despotic as well as illegal, and asks him, as he has not yet been "called '" to tho position, to avoid usurping the functions of aOz ir. We admire Mr M'Keuzie for his enthusiasm in settling the land, we deprecate his want of ordin.ry politeness oven to hi.s friends and much more so to his opponents, and humbly hope he has no present intention of sinking the entity of Land Boards, and embodying all their functions in the present Minister of L:.uds. Mr .M-Kewzie may be a very good m'Ui, but too much of a good thing might be like Si mho's meals — "mush" for hiv.ikt'.ihti, " musU " lor dinner, and " mush for Mipijor. We would certainly grow weary of our Ministerial "mush." (Joiiuuenciiigon Monday last a train will leave Balclutha each Monday for (Jleuomaru, on the Catlins line, returning the same day in time to connect witli the expiess. ' We have received Stono's ADC Guide for May.