GENERAL NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 21, 23 June 1880, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

John Bright is said to carry about with him a pocket edition of Milton's " Paradise Lost." "We were shown at Mr. W. Bayly's butcher's shop (says the Taranaki News) one of the finest sheep we have seen for some time. It wag a maiden ewe, was bred at Stony River, and weighed 1251bs* A coat of gum. copal varnish applied to the soles of boots shoes, and repeated as it dries until the pores are filled and the surface shines liked polished mahogany, will make the sole waterproof, and make it last three times longer. Cinchona cultivation in Ceylon has so increased of late, that it is estimated that the island in five years' time will contain about 50,000,000 of young trees. The present consumption of cinchona bark throughout the world is estimated at 10,000,0001b. Not very long ago there appeared in the several German papers an advertisement, emanating from a soi-disant doctor of Geneva, offering, in consideration of the small sum of two francs, to give a rceipt for the radical cure of corns. For a while the trick answered, and he did a flourishing business, until the chief of the Geneva police, getting wind of it through a lady at Berlin, who was not precisely satisfied with the value she had received for her two franc 3, put a summary stop to his proceedings. His " cure " consisted in the prompt amputation of the suffering toe, for which purpose he recommended a saw of his I own invention, guaranteed to preform the operation without pain to the patient The pneumatic clocks, which have been erected in Paris, have been set going with undoubted success. The arrangements for affixing them upon the Boulevards and other prominent points having been completed last week, they were solemnly inaugurated under the auspices of the Prefect of the Seine, the Austrian Ambassdor, and a crowd of the most distinguished scientists and merchants of Paris. The mechanical arrangements by which the compressed air is stored and released at regular intervals of one minute, when it acts up and pushes forward the minute hand, have already been described. These proved entirely successful, and the curious who waited to see the new clock tested were amply satisfied. The clock faces consist of a large blue disc raised to a height on graceful stands, and are an undoubted addition to the decorations of the street of Paris. Probably they will soon be introduced in other capitals. Brussels ha 3 already a number of excellent small clocks, worked in the ordinary old-fashioned way at the corner of the principal street, but this good example is not yet generally followed. How far the system will be accepted in ! private houses must depend upon thecost. According to j>resent. ideas, however, anair clock will be as cheap as a gas light, and its inventors claim that it will be infinitely less likely to fall out of repair than the regulation household clock, which so constantly requires winding, and which so constantly goes wrong. Matthew Webb has accomplished the task of keeping afloat in the water for sixty hours, an achievement never before rivalled, or even approached, by any other swimmer. The swim took place I in the whale tank of the Royal Aquarium, around which he continued to gently paddle almost without any prolonged rest, all refreshments being handed to him while afloat. The conditions of Webb's undertaking permitted him to avail himself of the opportunity of emerging from the water for the space of half-an-hour in every twenty -four. But with the ex- ' ception of an absence of twenty minutes, which he indulged in after completing his fortieth hour, lie never once quitted i his aquatic habitat. The tank in which he passed his sixty monotonous hours' awiin was exactly forty feet long by twenty broad. The artificial sea water was six feet in depth, and was kept at a temperature of from 75 degrees to 80 degrees all the time. The principal refreshments he paHook of during his siay in the water consisted of minced steak mixed with eggs ; beef tea, coffee, and strong green tea. When the six- I teenth hour arrived, Webb turned two somesraults in the water, and then easily ascended the ladder placed for him by his attendants at the landing stage. He did not require any assistance on landing once more on terra firma, but walked straight to his dressing-room. He was perfectly fresh and well, and appeared capable of remaining in the water a considerable time longer than | had been required. j