SCISSORS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4083, 22 August 1884, Page 4

SCISSORS.

New York city is credited with having four hundred and fifty millionaires. Three men wore drowned at Leicester recently in trying to save a fourth who had been dragged into the river by runaway ponies. Tho Queen's new book is to be translated into Gaelic, and the work has been entrusted by Her Majesty to Mrs Mary Mackellar, the Gaelic poetess. We know a man who is so fond of money that when ho pays a bill he always walks homo with tho man to whom ho pays it, so as to be near the money us long as possible. The united Bcckford and Hamilton libraries fetched recently under the hammer the total sum of £5G,444, of which Mr Bernard Quaritch alone was responsible for £■1-1,105. . A dancing master, in renewing his solicitations for patronage, wished to express his obligations for past favors, when thn printer made him say, " Most respectfully oilers his shanks."

The Bcga Gazetteer, in its own inimitable way, says: "More twins; this time Mrs Wilson, formerly Miss Barbara Monck." Well, and why notr As a Monck she could have nun. She's only making up for lost time.

The high altar in the church of Notre Dame do la Garde, at Marseilles, lias been destroyed by fire, together with a statue of the Virgin and several sacred objects. The value of the articles destroyed is estimated at over 150,0001". " And do your workmen," asked a London visitor of a Lancashire mill-owner, "do your workmen really live in those hovels? "Certainly not," replied the master. '' They only sleep there. Thoy live in my mill." It is said that Jay Cooke, whose fortune was swept away by the crash of 1873, is today one of the wealthiest men of Pennsylvania, lie has invested in iron, coal, gold, and silver mines, and railroads, reaching far into the millions.

A gentleman who was lately on a visit to Western Australia tells me that at a place called Bunbury he saw an old celebrity in the person of Banker, tho Melbourne Cup hero of 18G3. My friend says the son of Boiardo and Jeannettc, who is now in tho " sere and yellow," was as fresh and lively as a kitten.

Of tho number of emigrants who left the United Kingdom in the iive months ended May 31, 107,228 were of British origin, 28,9-1G foreigners, and 11 L(i whose nationality was not specified, the total being 137,824, showing a decrease of 40,777 as compared with the corresponding five months of ISB3.

The ex-Empress Eugenic still clings to Chiselhurst, and is new negotiating for a new residence, an estate known as " Coopers," which is larger and more attractive than Camdon, whero she so long has lived, and is particularly acceptable: to Eugenic, as it commands a view of the tomb where her husband and son are buried.

Lord Wolscley presided at the aimual dinner of tlio Artists , General .Benevolent Institution in London, and in proposing the toast of the " Army and Navy and Reserve Forces," suid that no one who was not as old a soldier us himself could realise the extent to which the creation and existence of the Volunteer force hud popularised the tinny. Messrs Alcock and Co., the well-known billiard table manufacturers, havoanuounced that they will present one of their match billiard tables, valued at 150 guineas, us a trophy in a. billiard match for the championship of Australia, to be played in Melbourne during the Cuullield Cup week. The game will be 100U up, and open to players who have resided in any of the Australian colonies for twelve months prior to the match.

A passenger on a Chicago cubic cur, wishing to stop the Juggernaut, readied for the bell strap, and pulling, rang tlm bells at both ends of the car. " What did you rim? both bolls for?" gruffly demanded the captain of the car. "JJccuu.sc I wanted Loth ends of the car to stop," was the laconic response. The conductor wan mad because the people all yelled, and it would

not be dignified to kick himself in their presence. A Belgian town (Truth states) has paid a somewhat doubtful compliment to Sarah Bernhardt. A street in the Commune of St. Giles has long been known as the Rue St Bernard, but a laicising municipal council has determined to suppress tho St. and to name it Rue Sarah Bernhardt, The reason alleged by the council for this choice is that the street'in question is long and very narrow, and is accordingly in keeping with the personality of the great actress. The first missionary (before ho was himself converted—into stew) had so largely restricted his preaching to the "Word of St. Luke," that that phrase was about the first English that tho niggers succeeded in mastering. The chief, indeed, knew no other, and when some whalers presently touched upon the coast and trotted out a peace-offering in the shape of a bottle of rum, he solemnly called his people one by one to come and taste some "Word of St. Luke."

"Tho cup that cheers?" Oh no, my son, the cup never cheers. Sometimes it tries to, but then it is only a hie-cup. It gets mad sometimes, and then has its back cup. It sees you when it is a look cup. It is proud when it gets on tho bracket, for then it is stuck cup. It is discouraged when you let it fall, for then it is all broke cup. Often it is lively and tries to kick cup. It is inebriated, even on cold water, when you sit it down, for then it is drunk cup. But it never cheers. It is " holler ," holler as a drum, but that is as near as it comes to cheering. For the years "IS4I to ISSO, the average death-rato'for London was 28-95 per thousand. The worst small-pox years were, 18G3, IS7I, and 1877. In those three years there were 1-1,359 small-pox deaths, yet their average general death-rate was only 23-GG, instead of 23-05. The years of the highest general mortality are not years of sniall-pox epidemics. In 18-19 the mortality was over 30 per thousand, but there were only 52! small-pox deaths. In 1851, with a mortality of 29-4 per thousand, there were only 194 small-pox deaths. Compare these years witli 1871. In that year (notwithstanding eighteen years of compulsory vaccination) there was the worst small-pox epidemic of the century. In London alone there were 7912 deaths from it, yet the general mortality was only 24-G per thousand. Clearly, therefore, small-pox epidemics do not increase the general death-rate, or justifj-Parliament in regarding them as a great public danger, requiring to bo provided against by special legislation.