MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 32, 22 June 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Mr A. B. Moses has brocght under th«yf notice of tbe Arintdate Express* a snia|fl but cunmn^ly-dcvised instrument for tbj|fl purpose of rendeiiug tbe alteratiosj|^^| Ggures in cheques, promissory nofl^H &c, impracticable. Tins NMtromeat **4d purchased by Mr Moses in tbe Canadian^! annexe of tbe Sydney Show- for 17s 6J» The modus opertnuti is stmph'eity itself. Tlie ebeque being drawn, the left hand corner eoNtninrog tbe figures i* placed under a stamp in the maobfce, and ft small handle pressed down.? upon thecheque being withdrawn, it is foand that tbe figures are covered by, and appear under, a large number of small raised surfaces, which defy the ingenuity of themost skilful fo>ger to manipulate without immediate detection. # An American, who has beta in- London? ferreting up particulars of successful authorship, says George Elliot has notbeen paid so handsomely a* hat beengenerally supposed. Up to> ft recent date*, he declare*, the talented authoress had received" for " Scenes of Clerical Life," uOOOdols i for « SiUs M«mer,-750(W01f ? for " Adorn ßete," 17,600dol8<; for "Mill on the Boss," 20,000dols ; for* Romois," 15,000dols ; for " Felix Holt,** 22,500d01i * for - The Spanish Gipsy •* (poem),. 25GQdols t for " Middlemarcb," 40,000 dols ; for " The Legend of Jubal" (poem), 2000doU ; and for > Danier Deronda," 30,000d0b ; making, itt alt 162,500d015. As (this enterprising Amerk can goes on to say) i* » eighteen years since the piodoeed her first original work, she has only earned about OOOMola. a year, and those who know her declarethat she toils terrftly orer hermanoseripts, or rather oyer the plot, character* and incidents uf her stones, before she begins to write. George EUiot, we far* tber learn, is said to have been sorely disappointed at the general ODiniott thai "Derooda 1 ' v neither so able nee so> interesting as " Middlemarcb," because she considers it by all odds her mister* piece. She hss afreaJy Jbtjpm to outline another norel, whteh she is determined •hall exceed anything *be has yet done* She does not believe she hat yet feaehed ' the summit of her power, and she expect* to prore it by her next ptfrformasee. The whole secret now of natal power is> steam. Without steam — which mean* without coat — (remarks the London* Examiner) these great marine monsters cannot be managed at all, to say nothmgof the machinery of their guns, most of which again depend upon, steam for thesupply of the hydraulic power chiefly used. Now, tbe Power which is richest in coaling stations will be richest in thechief appliances of maritime war, other things being equal. But England ha» depots of her own in every part of sh» world, while the other Powers of Europehare very few such depots. Again, the strategio value of our fortified ports, such as Gibraltar, Malta, Aden, Hongkong, th» Cape, Ac, has been vastly raereased, since we should use them as inexhenstifcl* depots of coal, whence we could send our vessels of tbe Devastation type, while the * other Power* would be dependent on coal . drawn from a distance. . This applies pei» ticnUrly to Gibraltar, which may now bo made to seal up the fleets of other nations against mgress into the Mediterranean or egress from it — which was impossible when oar ships were dependent on wind for sailing power. Indeed, Mr Lefevr© shows that hostile filets mote than once passed the Straits of Gibraltar without our having the wind which would alone have enabled our fleet to dispute the passage. Finally, our resenes in coal and

iron ftire at tue«Joa»n«n<J « r thd o&nyms tmde «f to« worid-of the power of protecting it with itrift ttmed vewels, and of the power of interrupting what it not so MotSted* in « way in wluoh no other roxet of Jfinrope could pretend to compete with tts. A new (otM of propei'ty book has been preparflj hf tlie.Tp^n Clerk of AueUand, «O<J ,lafd on the table of the Council. DflMribiog it tho Herald says:— "The book if very complete, and contains in eone'ito form much valuable informntion roj^ifding* city .property and endowmoQlg. It gUe» the gob-section, lot, situation, names of previous and present lessee, the rental time lease expires, a description conditions of house, transfer of each allotment. Plans are prepared on a scale of two chains to the inch. Some time ago Councillor <3oldie, at a Council meeting, moved for a return of city endowments and p:operty, and .the TWn Clerk eonegired the idea of compiling a book g'tvig the information desired v aad also aJtlfaat was obtainable on tho subject." jA. projoet is on foot for making .*IMMhe9tCT a seaport by improving the *'ty§& navigation of the Irwell. A memorial (says the Pall Mall Gazette) has been addressed to the Manchester Cbamber 0} Commerce request iug that the whole question of Manchester tidal navigation be taken into earnest consideration by tl»at body. It is ur?;ed that tne following advantages, among others, will result from the successful improvement of the navigation : The transference of the cotton trade from Liverpool to Manchester, its legitimate and > most convenient centre ; a large savins* in cost of conveyance of imports to and exports from Manchester and manufacturing districts of Latichester and Cheshire and Yorkshire. The town dues upon Manchester eiporfs and imports now levied by Liverpool, which have hitherto proved an enormous source of revenue to that town,' would be altogether saved. The periodical recurrence ot disastrous floods caused by the overflow of the Irwell would be effectaully prevented by the widening and deepening of the ehanuel below Throstle Nest. The tendency which has recently shown itself of baring goods for eiport packed at the outlying manufacturing districts and forwarded direct to Liverpool instead of via Manchester would at once be checked, as it wonld tlien be cheaper for goods to pass through Manchester as heretofore. The C impetus to the trade of the city, and increase in the population which would follow from making Manchester one of the principal ports of the kingdom. The board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce have passed a resolution affirming in general terms the great benefits which would undoubtedly accrue t>|rom the successful accomplishment of M proposed scheme, but have expressed v opinion as to its practicability either as undertaking or in an /nghieeritig point of view.