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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1020, 6 February 1869, Page 2

Religious. — The Wesleyan Conference opened its sittings at Sydney on the 20th January. The Rev. W. Hose died at tho same place on the previous day. He was the moderator of tho Presbyterian Church. Anothee Wondee of Electeictty. — The American Artisan says : — Among the many wonderful evidences of the ingenuity of mankind is the electrical machine for setting and distributing type. This is now so perfected that I have before me a book containing 24,993 ems of solid matter — or 34,225 ems of leaded matter — the whole of which was both " set" and " distributed" in six hours and thirty-nine minutes by this machine. This is truly wonderful ; but I want to say that the wonder need not stop here. By means of one of these machines located in the large newspaper offices in the principal cities, and connected by telegraph with the Capitol, the reporter or operator can set the type himself, the machine standing in New York or New Orleans, and he being in the capitol ! Or, instead of setting the type, he may^ produce a matrix —by operating a series of arms or levers having type attached, and made to strike upon a suitably prepared and moveable plastic surface — from which a stereotype plate may be cast ready for the press, in a few minutes from the time the speech is dolivered,or the action had, whatever it may be. Speecheswouldstill haveto be reported by short-hand, simply because no one could either write them out or set them up as fast as delivered. The composer, having the short-hand notes before him, could then set the type from them upon the machine at a distance, or, if required, the short-hand notes could be translated, as is now done for the telegraph oporator, and then set up by telegraph. In the latter case the same labor of the operator that now sends the message would put it into type ready for the press, thus dispensing with the time and labour now required to write out the message and set up the type. A New Chum. — The peripatetic philosopher in the Australasian says : — Guy De Vere is a young man who has been liberally educated, has fagged at Eton, and been plucked at Oxford. He is tolerably wealthy, and travels about for amusement, which hejiever obtains. Not being endowed with brain to any alarming extent, he is given to boasting, and will talk about "poor Hastings," •and-';" that rum fellah Hartington, while he invariably speaks of the female members of the aristocracy by abbreviations of their Christian names, and bewilders the plebeian mind by constant reference to Lady^ Bab, you know," and " Little Emily," and hints that in his opinion " Flo' didn't do badly, when you come to think of it." He smokes cigars which he brought with him, and wears tho most fearfully and wonderfully made garments. De Yere, being at the last race-inoeting, was conspicuous for the alarming exceptionality of his coat, and being remonstrated with by a friend upon the unnecessary gorgeousness of that garment, exclaimed, "this coat! — this ! Why, my dear f 'la, I've got three more upstairs which I haven't worn at alll" The friend fled. Guy de Vere was great on horseflesh, and had achieved quite a reputation at the Deformed Club, by reason of his sporting vein of humour, until old Macldcwain (whose knowlodgo of pedigree is unlimited) hoard him speak of an animal with an epicene name as a " mare," and was down upon him with a stud book directly. Poor Guy de Vere ! He was disappointed in the colony, and went home. He said that he expected to find Collins-street blazing with beauty and fashion, and crowded with carriages. He walked down it once, I believe, and then retired to his club, where he read a novel (upside down) until dinner-time. On leaving for England, he remarked that Melbourne was not the place for an idle man, and that he should never again come farther south than the Mediterranean. Goodness knows that nobody can detest the colony more fervently than I do ; but I would rather stop here all my life— even in the menial position of a member of Legislature — than be compelled to travel home in company with Guy de Vere.