MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 20, 14 January 1878, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

A rcrotrk'tble ph>nom«non yrns toernify obxerrod in the Wniinki District whioh '" '■'"•" described by mi eyo wit ness : — On S:tl«ird'iv, Dc'-omUtT 8. » perils of v«rv romn''lf»il»?o phono nenn ooeurred. A violent whirlwind drawing n )nrir*cloud info its vortex nt, tho upper ond and nt tlio lower "THthprintr up dust, *niicfc«, stonpn, nnd fl'ix formed nr> immense- spiral eo'nvn'n ft H st'nt nNoiif: n milr» tiborc I>iintrorn r on iivn niilcr of tho Wiiifnki, tui'l, crossinir tli<« ri< - or, f»iirk«tl tij; inimonso voltim*»!» nf wn'c, forming tli*n n ronipToto \rntor«pout < f frrun two to Mirre foot. (linmolrr nfc thf» point nt wTiioh it. tciiolio^ tlifl rirer, nnd liroadpnin^ ouMill if pined t!if» clouds nt n lifi^lit of from 4'X) fo 500 fi»cf. Aforini? dimjonnKy townrjs ChrkosfirHd. llin column nftcr lenvinor ITIO nror, whirled «»p snnd, «tonos f nnd fl'itbiiolinji, ffnd swept with immense | rnpidity norost \\\a »tntion r pnssfng within i n flonplo of chnirts of the. shipyards then ' full offiticep, nmonjj whir.h n num'tnr ol men wem cutting nnd t»\ilincr r tho "suclc " of Ihe vortox boJnjr stronjrly felt ns it pnssod 1 , nnd t.ho sound boing fo loud ns to be nudibin for a di>«tnnco of nearly two miles. Mrs Hugho*. wl o lives nt tho stnfion, in Rrcnt terror gotlirrod hor children into tho bouso bnt tho c«ormon» coTunm fortnnntely pna^ml hy without dnmnee. though hi»d it crossed (ho yitrtT* Mr M'lvor hcliorcs thnt both shoep nnd men must hnvo been whirled into tho itir., Tho pnisnge of thn wntersnont vrnn ruccccdcd by n linilstorm, such its has nerer boforo boon seen in the. distrct, thehnils alonos being described iih Ini'^u ns l»m< tflms' cpfls or preccsi or road motal, forcini* every ono to tnko shelter. A litllo boy, nnmed Abrnhnm Wttlinms, who wns too fur away to roncli tho bonne, eowore.i nnder ft flux bush, nnd though p«rti»l?y protected by tho JenroH, was much hurt nbont tho body by tho impact of tbo hniU dtones. At intervals dnring tho dny this monitor <rntcrspo^t wns aupceoded by threo other whirlwinds, •nch rising a column of nseondintf dust, stones, sticks nnd dobr'o. The hinhnnds of tho Aleppo under^) n trying or.leul before fioy obtain their bride*. Pnptnm Bnrnuby, nuihor of " A Hi. lo to Khiva,'' whilo in Asia reeontly, hod oorcmony described to him by n young Hey from Aleppo. "X rM hus, say, three lovoi's/' «"ys tU? B-y. " Sin;

tnKos three bits of Hto charcoal from on* of the iiro , giving eacli of her lovers »= lieoo, tell* thorn to plnoo it in tlio pilun of their hands. Tho fire burns through the slf'n. th© tendons nrwlnid bneo ; soni* Itinies tli" nmorons Rcntlcman will resist till the itah li«h been burnt to the bone. Here one or two of them generally su< % ■ cun>b to the torture ; the man who resist* tho lont^st win* tlio lndy." v Did you cror try itP" *' No," said tho Bey, fjui-h---in#. "I can Rfi a wife wklioat any trouble, so I don't care about burning my fingers. TVu burn our flnßcrs^quito soon enough after marriage «s it is." IVTrK. J. Creigton, formerly of Au<-In-land, and who has for somo tmo pn«t boon ft resident in San Franeiso. wri:.^ to ft friend hero in reference U> fc'iroo ti.^v patented machines for gold sayinsr. l-u---which ho has sernrod the oxdu»i™ rurhc of mo and manufacture for New Zealand and Australia. Mr Creiffhton says r— " I am satisfied T ! avo got control of t'r.n; machines which will smo «*" tho i;ol«> wiihoni. any great outlay, on blaok sum \, gravel tailings, Ac, withon'. wasto Of :mu more water than it ne.comry to run ii engine: Tito inventions are fast c<^»i:K into use, and Iwis boci> ofl'. t.> ! forth© control of the piitent of one^ f these ninchinos for Cnlvfornin. . . Tli.-i reports of independent and uninieros'r'l mining nn» nnnnimotr* in I'.-t---of tlio ' dry plncvr nmnlgnmntor/ Tlnj ninchin* will f»avo tho Govorom nt nt.y further ©xpcndiiuro foe wator ot* ro!«1---flfll^S." Tlio Melbourne. Argtw — Tn mmf, conntrks the parlition of tho territory I nmong ils popnhviion is considoreii tobn I 1 no of tho most sa'Klftctofv to^t< <M' tho ' nxtent to which prooorty i» «li it riluit hI nmontf all frizes of tli« (jommnnitv. f{«uv do we sttind in Hint respect P 1 On' «f si j |0|.»l«lion of 810 0<)(>souN wo havo -i^.f.HV) Innd owners, without reokoirinc """"y thonsnndn of fieeho'dWs in the T.-irmt -«i towiia nii'l Niihutbs whodonntown -m urn 9tm\\. The extent of land utionnt^d. or in process of aljv»ni ion. 'ro*n tlio Crown, it. in round numbers 14000.000 «c-.-. nf tnis nro.i n-tsrurds of 7.<X».000 aenv •n-<> owned, or Imve \yocn selected with a v'» <■ to owjiorshin. by 41,901 persons in hocks r'Mwiiitf Iroia- one acre to one iloi-im.i. 27 «Jl7 of t!it'Sf» owning fiirnwi (r< m fi '• to ffdO ncf"s eneh ,- nnd. »» wo htvo , 5 ..1). li-<licd free trnde in land, nnd wo |>a\'i? mdpliivl to if " those uronl, prim-inl s .»f polifi.«nl o'-onorny which." ns Mr Rrit'hf s'V-, ♦urn the pospi-P niid ehartiT of indn^t-v," it follows ns a nooes.inry enn«.rquiMie.< •'••" all the lurci-r i-stntes will Iwjinblo to r, pr>ce.s* of disinte«"-n»«rtn, iiwl th-i» . <••• n«M»rnf tondency orthinuM will be toward* dir-'sion rntlter tlmn ncaimulmion. The Anfklnnd St»tr is 'rsp tv<iblo 'or tli> fuloTintj incredible siorv. W« sho-il-l rr>c>mnnMid our retid.TS to tnko k cm';. ijnvo tails-:— \ K»ir-M>e'»n »'b> ly-'y visiii'd tlip N^'ti ninfiip >to at TCiwhiu in the interests of Melbourne cupiwilisf* mil.>-< ti» : tled n novrl proposal to tlio Native-. He ra-ried with him a (lir unknoirn ii: our nntiomtl code whreh In: ostontnriously disjih«vod in the vni>u<i vi luifps. M Kowhia he r> nm^led the chiefs to ci»" him oror hiilf a' million of iwn>s o^' lio.l on condition Ihut ho should seMhs Kur»-»-«»iiris npon if who i<ri> hny|i|i« tn tin* Jin ish flovo-nment. andttlni'ii »Ik> ovonr of war betw ci tin' Vlnroponns nn I iln» M»oris wouin tnke the side of Hip lalteiv Tl'« wi'y Ncntimaniapoti ahiolV liiTno.l to his rfM-rescntn'ioni nnd iMv'ond.-d ! o h i> ro»mifb>rnbly imnri-ssed witli tbo «eheme. Tlie re»inl» w-s thnt he thej pnid otit >i Sum of by wnv of nn ndvowo to tho Nntivpf, but rereive/1 not a scrap of pipr>r of nnv l<i"d of un-lnrtaltiiw in return, niut tho probnb'lity is that he will never ro.*eiv-» an*. Tlio NqatimuniH-.iot »s nn> tooshrevrd. to be d-f-irfd l>y sntsb nn urtifi-Oiis tins. Th«> D'ily News, ennvne-itinj on t'irt rreont rifli' mntfh nt Crodmoor, sstys: — Tho excellence of t'io shoofinc: \rns rer/ Urvnt. O'it. of a possible (or ;mp^«>*iblc)totnl of 36tX>. obtainable by 7'2Odiitinct shots, tho Ainoricnns came.l 3;)3l. or nn nrernire of nearly four and two third* for 'each possible fir* per shot, ron in wont vory near tfrw tli" fi>st t'ny, but. fell rrff 'the sT-ond. B'iH. »h»y avernued fonrnnd-a h«lf ouf of the fire, and this, be it romemb'-rod, lit. lom.r ranires only, It would s'iow n want of magnanimity to attempt, f> oxnliin awrthe victory. No doubt the t.ra'is>i ■<rt «> it team to n loner distance his its fliffiMilfi f^ and tho difference of clinvito not ti orely hns nn eflcet upon tho no >, out ir> such h nnttor ns lons-rnnffo ntl" shooting direct!* 1 nffo.et9 tho conditon of the content. But wo shn'l bo quito content lo admit that our men have ocen beaten I) cause they wore not tl:e best, mnn ; ami only s>i'''i eX|»lnn ifi> ns ncoi 1 •»e souuht as if ni tcndoil to tuny make tlu'in the best. Iho contest was. we belie vr, to some extent one between breech and mnsrzle-lond-r ; but this con l>o decided' a« well nt Wimbledon us at Croodnioi.r. Tho Amrrienns. however, nre to Ito much nhend of ud tn their nrrnniicmcir, for tenmfiriiiflr, sirowinß mneh less latitude than wo do to individual crotchet* and caprices. Certainly tho diff«rcn c be.twoen the highest and lowest tutiU ol" thcKnclish mnrksmen is eon.Mderablo.