MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 13, 9 May 1877, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Charles Cowden Clarke, English lecturer and author, died at Gonoa, Italy . recently. President M'Mahon has sent the Marquis Dalzae, his? first aid-rle camp, to Berlin to congratulate the Emperor on Bis 80th birthday. This must be a nice Maori lad. He lives near Masterton, and is not above nine years old. His weight is Bst 121 bs, and his measure round the chest 35 inches. The yonng Russian Czarowita is a perfect Hercules, resembling greatly in build and stature bis magnificent grandfather, the great Czar Nicholas. A blind mesmerist, at Yasa, New South Wales, earned Sylvester Augustus Primrose, who read bumps and pretended to tell fortunes, is " doing" six months in goal. His sight was so bad that he mistook another man's trousers for his own, and his memory so treacherous that he represented that he had bought them. The other day in Catalonia two culprits were to be executed, The first died instantly, but when it came to the turn of the second the collar of the garotte, owing to the malformation of the prisoner's nook, would not work. The exeeotioner removed the dead man from the chair and tried the other collar, but the deformed criminal did not fit it, and after an hour's cruel work he had to give up, the culprit's neck and throat being badly torn. The circumstance was telegraphed to King Alfonso, who replied by pardoning the poor wretch. An approaching marriage is creating great interest not alone in "high circles." SirW. Stirling Maxwell, M.P., is about to marry the Hon. Mrs Norton* 'J hose inexorable . tale-tellers, tho yearbooks, show that the gentleman is 58 and the lady eleven years older. Ho is an author and a' widower. She is an authoress and a widow. Thus the match is a suitable and proper one. It is hardly necessary to say that she was a Sheridan, and therefore witty and beautiful. Mrs Norton is the mother of Lord Grantley. — Court Journal. Some of our readers— old identities of Dunedin — may remember a clever Scotch comedian, by name William Davidson Shield, who played for a long time at the old Theatre Eoyal and also at the Princess. Mr Sbiels was reckoned to be the best "Baillie N'wol Jarvie" in the colonies, and he was a great favourite with Dunedin playgoers. A letter from Mr Shiels lately appeared in the Dunedin Saturday Advertiser, from which it wonld appear that he has left the stage for the pulpit, and expects shortly to be regularly ordained to the work of the Ministry aa a Baptist preacher. Mr Shiels has been ia America tot some year*, following bis profession as an actor. He writes from Mason City, Illinois. In a leader upon charitable aid, the Lyttelton Times says of Canterbury :— •• It is startling to find that in this pros* perous province n»ueh more has been spent out of pubic funds in proportion to its population than in any other province for charitable aid. During the year 1875*6, in Canterbury with a population of 75,000, the Provincial Government bare spent about £9000 for this purpose ; in Otago, with a population of 103,000, the cost has been £6000 ; in Auckland, with a population of 76,000, about £4000 ; in Wellington, with a population of 37,000, about £700 $ in Nelson, with a population of 24,000, £600 ; and so in the other small provinces. In the majority of provinces both hospital and charitable aid are supported partly by public and partly by private aid, and are managed by committees, in which both the provincial authorities and private subscribers are represented." A remarkable disputed will case has just been decided here (writes the Sydney correspondent of the Brisbane Courier), after occupying tho attention of the Primary Judge in Equity and a special jury of 12 for nearly a week. A few weeks ago there died, leaving money and property to the amount of £120,000, an old man, Robert Hancock, who carried on business in Sydney for Beveral years as a wheelwright, and had lived here for upwards of half a century, At the time of jiig deatu he kept a small public house at the Glebe, living very economically, if not miserly, notwithstanding his immense wealth. He bad formed an intimacy with a Mrs Hannah Hinoksman, by whom he had a son, and also with a young woman named Mary Payne. He left a will bequeathing half his property to Mrs Jlincksman, and the remainder to Mary Payne. Probate of this will was granted to the executors, but subsequently a document, purporting to be the last will and testament of Bobert Hancock, was found, and the legatees under this will sought to atay probate. The legatees under the first will declared this document to be t forgery. Under the second will Hannal Hincksman receives only £8000; Mary Payne, £3000; and George Hincksman £2000; the balance being distributed amongst nine or ten different peopleamongst others, Mr Bead, the governor o Darliqgbust Gaol— and to a Sydne; charity. The jury before whom the cans was tried,- declared this aecond will to b. bad, and allowed probate of the first wil to go, ___

The rational public ia not to be convince* by mere assertion. It wants proof. Accord ingly when it learns that four ihousan phygioiana guarantee tho purity and efflcao of ai alcoholic iavigon nt, and see on ere* hand its wonderful cures of nervous debilit; kidney and bladder ailments, rheumatisn indigestion and torpidity of the lirer, ta pttblic p«ta its entire faith in the article, ft Hbovff explains why Udol/PHO "Woi-pe Bobibpam Ahomatio ScaifAPra enjoy »n( «nbo«uded popwkrity.