Miscellaneous.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 701, 10 November 1909, Page 7

Miscellaneous.

LONG STRING OF DIAMONDS. Among the presents received by an American bride, the daughter of a millionaire were a string of diamonds ott. in length, containing- 240 stones a gold after-dinner coffee set, a silver breakfast service, and a cheque for ,&20,000. VILLAGE RULED BY WOMEN. The village of Froissy, near Paris furnishes arguments for the Suffragist cause in that nearly all the important osts are filled by women. Passengers alighting at the railway station are met by a woman, who is stationmaster, whilst her husband is only a guard. A barber's shop bears the notice that "Mile Jeanne" will "henceforth shave her customers only on Tuesdays and Fridays as she has undertaken other work." At the postoffice the local telegraph messenger and postman, Mme. Lesobre, is met. She walks on an average twenty miles a day. The municipal drummer is a woman in her ninetieth year. QUAINT CHINESE CEREMONY IN k CEMETERY. About sixty Chinamen proceeded to the graves of two recently-buried Celestials in Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool. A gigantic tray carried by four Chinamen and containing foods, including a fully-grown roasted pig decorated with red rosettes, cooked fowls, beefsteak;*, oranges, and sweets, was brought on the scene. A bottle or two of Scotch whisky, flanked with eggcups and liqueur glasses, were also placed on one of the graves. The spirit was plentifully poured on the meats and rice was sprinkled upon the grave, and afterwards joss-sticks, j.nper offerings, and boxes of crackers were burnt. The explosion of the : fireworks made a lively diversion in the otherwise solemn proceedings. THE BLUEJACKET'S ORIGIN. The use of the blue uniform faced with white which originated with the British Navy, but which has been widely copied, was suggested by a riding-habit worn by the Duchess of Bedford. It had been determined to clothe the sailors of the Navy in a distinctive uniform, and George 11. deputed the matter to the then Duke of Bedford, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Admiral Forbes. At the conference, the Admiral suggested ' that red and blue facings, or. vice ' versa, would be most appropiate, since these were the national colours. The Duke agreed with him as to the appropriateness' of the suggestion, but explained that His Majesty had that morning seen the Duchess in the park in a riding-habit of blue, faced with white, and had given orders that the uniform of the Navy should carry out that idea. Other nations, seeing the effectiveness of the combination, adopted the idea, and now, in most navies of the world, the uniform is the same —blue and white.

BIBLE HOUSES AS THEY REALLY WERE. German archaeologists excavating it Galilee have just come upon a hill 01 large mound under which they have found the fairly well preserved walls of a house dating from the time of Christ which belonged to' the dwelling of a well-to-do man. In a large outhouse also unearthed there has been found jars which evidently had contained wine and olive oil. The foundations of the house are so well preserved that there will be no difficulty- in making an exact plan of the rooms, which are similar in character and design to those in which the famous supper of Cana in Galilee took place. Thesj rooms are wholly unlike the conception of Leonardi da Vinci and other painters who have treated this' subject. The room in which the water was turned into wine probably was not more than 20 feet long by 10 wide and had a low roof. There were' stone benches around the walls and a recess in the wall facing the east, in which perhaps the giver of the feast sat.

HOW THE COBRA AND GIANT LIZARD FIGHT. Here is an interesting account of a cobra eleven feet long and a water snake and an iguana, or giant lizard. "All three reptiles had been living in peace together all the winter in their glass compartment, and it was supposed they were real good friends, but a dispute arose suddenly the other day between the cobra and the iguana, and in a fit. of foolish rage the iguana went for the cobra and bit him. Instantly the cobra spread his hood and gave battle, but the iguana took an unfair advantage of him then and there by disjointing himself and coming apart. The big lizard gave himself a shake, and lo! there were two of him —the iguana proper and the iguana's tail, both very much alive and active. Then the water snake took a hand and went for the cobra too, but the cobra gave him just one bite and the snake went into a corner, curled up and died. The tailess iguana kept right at the cobra, but the latter did not seem to care much. He had espied the tail cavorting around the cage, and it interested him so much that he made a leap for is, caught it and calmly swallowed it. That gave him a taste for iguana meat, so he next caught the iguana and swallowed him after his tail. Then the water snake was taken for dessert, and that ended the fight. Now the cobra is living alone."

GORDON'S ROSE TREE. Of the actual work of Gordon's hands there remains but a rose bush in the palace garden which, hewn down by the malice, of his enemies, sprang" to life again with \ the coming of spring—a type of the joyful resurrection to which the hero looked forward with that unfaltering eye. It is affectionately attended by an old Soudanese sergeant who was one of Gordon's men, and stands in the midst of an earthly paradise. In that indulgent climate, on the banks of the dark river, which carries down from the cornucopia of Abyssinia the waters that fertilise Egypt, the growth of gardens is tropically exuberant. This rose tree was found blooming beside the ruins when on the second day after its red victory at Omdurman, a British army, horse, foot, and artillery, was drawn up in the full pomp of war,'beside the last earthly habitation of Charles George Gordon, to give him, in the religions of the three kingdoms, the most solemn funeral service overe read over a general killed in battle, with one of his own gunboats tolling the minutes guns.