MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 61, 26 July 1878, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

A correspondent, writing from Amolio los Ihrna' says :— A very singular bluuder was committed tbo othor day by the officials of a railway station botwoon Perpigan and Toulon. A gentlomanwho had boon aponding tho wintor hero with hisfumily, loft last wook for Marseilles, taking with him tho body of his mother-in-law who died six weoka ago, and who had expressed a wish to be buried in tho family vault at Marsoillot. Whon ho reached Marseilles and wont with tho Commissioner of Polioo— whoso presconco is required npon these oooasions— to to* eeivo tho body from the rail^y officials ho notiood to his groat surpiMo that tho coffin wa9 of a different lhapo and construction from that whioh ho had brought away from hero. It turnod out upon further enquiry that a mistako had boon committed by the officials, who hod sent on to Toulon the coffin containing his mothor-in^aw'S ho&J, belioving that it hold the remains of a doooasod admiral, which wore to be embarked for intor* mont in Algeria, whilo the cofila awaiting dolivory was the ono whioh should hayo boon sent on. Tho gentloman who was placed in this awkward predicament, having rcqueatod tho railway officials to commaniciito at once with Toulon by telogranh, proceeded thither himself with tho cofHii of the deceased admiral but tho intimation had arrived too late. Ho asfiortftinod whon ho got thoro that tho coffin had boon duly received, taken on board amid tho thundor ot fort and (loot, tho Stato vcsbol whioh wan waiting for it, and despatched tho Algeria. Ho at once oalled upon the maritimo authorities of Toulon and explainod tho cironm* stances of the oase, though a dospitoliboat was tent in pursuit, tho other vc«sol was not overtaken* Ho is now at Toulon awaiting her roturn, and I bolievo that ho doolinea to give up tho coffin conta'ning tho doooasod admiral until ho rogains possession of his mothor* in law's romains. Cyprus is now a oontro of attraction. Limasol in Cyprai (acoordingto • Knight s Encyclopaedia ') is near Amntus, is 40 miles a. w,. from Larnico, and has o good harbor ; the town, however, is a hoap of ruins. 'Keith Johnstone's G«s»oftor says thatLarnic* is the soat of o^mmoroo of Cyprus. It is the residonoo of European merchants and consul*, and bns regular steam communication with Conatnntinople, Alexandria, Marseiller, and Liverpool. It does not pwsoss a hnrbor, but tho bny affords oxcollont anoorngo. It has oißterns. and numorous vestiges of nnMquity. Mr Mansford ha« inMrnafon tho sonlo of professional fees that would be allowed in tho Wellington Roai lent Magistrate's Court. In ohSoh up to £5 (whoro parties are Ruod by bntohors, baker?, and tho liko), no professional too will ho nllowod ; boiweon £5 and £10, tho foo will be linlf-n-guinon ; betwoon £10 nn^ £20, ono guinea ; between £20 nnd £60. two guinoas ; and botwoon £6"0 aud £100. throe guinoMS* In retiring from tho Roaidont Mag's* trncy in Wellington tho othor day, Mr James Coutts Crawford mado aomo sonsihlo observations rogarding the duty of the Pross towards tho public and public mon. Mr Crawford expro»sed it an his opinion that the principle bnsinosn of tho Pros* is rather to flint fault Ihnn to pmiso, and it -would be well if all public persons, or prrsins whoso occupations bring them within tho purr iow of public opinion, thought similarly. Tito agent* for the various insurance oompnnios in Wostpor* have all promised subscription* to the Volunteer • Pie Brigado funds, which will materially loason tho prosont liabilities of the Brigade, and, we presume, aot at an ennournKomont to tbe members to con* tinue in active duly. On tho birth of an heir to tho tiny principality of Reuss, the other day, tha capital oity wa» illuminated, and, as a Gornvm paper kindly remnrks, tho candles shod their mild light across tho frontier. This romsinds us of the story about tho rnlor of another small German principality, who in somo flb of indigimtio'i, ficne an order to 800 tho von to quit bis dominions within 24 hours. Boothovon sont back answer to tho effect that if his Highness would look from his baloony ho would son him (tho composer) crossing the frontior within flvo minutos. On Pobruary 6th, Mr W. H. Smitho, ' Tho Araorioan Postman, 1 as ho is popularly oallod, completed, at the Rot undo Rink, Dnblin, his task of walking 2,000 miles in 1,000 consecutive hours, within ton minutes of tho allotod time, Tin* is undoubtedly tho groatest podostrain feat that has over boon accomplished, and quito throws into the shade all provious offortß, Smythe commoncort his walk on tho morning of St. Stephen's Day at tho Rotundo Kink, tho conditions boing that ho should walk ono milo at least in ouch hour. Ho oontinuod porsovoringly at his task, night and day, his long, easy strida and steady gait remaining unclißngod throughout. Throe of the best of tho oity bands (inoludiug tho • Marty3*) woro profloqt, and tbo enthusiasm was immonso, ohoor after oheor boing given in tho hoarticst manner as each of tho last fow miles ■ was eovorod, Tho track I moasurod nino laps to tho mile. At tho conclusion of the performance ho an* nounood his intention of competing for Hit* John Aitley's priad of £500, in London. Tho Mastor of tho Rolls has decided that Mrs <vnnio Besant, tho Proo Thought and Malthusian Looturer, is to be doprivod of tho custody of ber daugbter 8 yonri old, on tho ground that sho entertains athoistio opinions and poculiar views on tho population quostion. The Master of tho Uolls hold that by hor peculiar viows she has so ruinod hor roputation that no respeotablo woman would assooiato with hor, and oonsequontly slio was not a (it guardian of hor child. To givo no religious instruction to her child would ruin her. Tho child is to bo givon up to her i'athor, tho Rev. F. Bosant, vioar of Sibsev. Tiny baskets tilled with natural flowors suspended by a ribbon from tho right si to, aro worn with ball costumes in America. '

Tho Ago says that at tho Dunodiu Police Court Professor Black stated on onth, that tbo most effective way to divorce from koroseno oils its dangerous property of exploding at oomparatoly low tomporaturo was to expose it to tho action of tho air— and that might bo done by oponing tho tin oases and stirring the oill That treatmonfc had tho effoot of causing tho moro volatile and dangoroua part of tho oil to ovaporato. By oxporimonts mado in this manner in his own laboratory, ho hod raised tho quality of korosono 50 doarccs. Ho took oil that would flash nt 90 dog., and in two hours had so far roduood it that it flash od at a tomporaturo of 140 dog. Wo commond tho remarks to tho attontion of housoholders nnk pooplo gonorallyi who are in tho habit of using korosono oil as a light. A letter signed « Thomas Hall, Hokitika,' appears in tho Otngo Daily Timos of tho 11th instant regarding tho Mount Hangitoto Silver Mino. Tho writer says:— 1 Sir,— l ico by your journal of Juno 20th, at a mooting of tho shareholders in tho mount Rnngitoto Silyor Mino, that tho shareholders in Dunodin passed a vote of oonsuro on tho directors of that Com* pany ; at tho mooting they stntod that thoro was not a single promise fulfilled, as per last report. For tho information of tho Duneci » shnroholdors I may say v'feoy ncod tootpeot anything of tho kind, as tho happy family of Israelites that exists among tho dirootors and thoir brothren in Hokitika havo tho supplying of goods and management of tho mino, which has been in existenoe for tho last two years and tho road flnishod up to it, but no galena; but tho shareholders must bo contontod with paying tho calls , which thoy will hnvo to do lor tho noxt two years to conic, as these shareholders havo got a travelling agent that visits all tho Now Zealand ports, also Viotoria, quitcly Belling tho shares at any prico~ no reasonable oflor refused. By roforring to tho Survoy Office you will find alt those that hnd takon up louses havo now abandoned thorn. For fnrthor information aeo books of company, and thon you will find out nil correspondence" By an oxohnngo vro loam I hat an old Hokitika resident has boon gotting into trouble laloly. Our contemporary says — ' A stroot fight took plnoo to-day botweon Lowis, a Dunodin merchant, and Mondorhwiaon, n tobacconist. Tho com* batunts aro members of tho Choral Society, and tho fight had its origin in an adverso criticism mado upon a recent performance A whisper eomos, tho World says, from tho Sea of Marmora to tho effect that norious domestic differences havo ariion hot ween tho noting commnndor on board ono of tho best known ships of tho fleet and tho girl he loft behind him in tho ponton of his spouse. The gallant com* mnndor, who lias soon somo srrvioo is not very young, and the lady his con** sidornbly his junior. Matters havo come to such a pass that tho husband's solicitors hare been instructed to warn tho tradesmen that ho will not bo rcspon* sfblo for tho debts of his wife, and to advorliso tho fnot. After this tho next Hccno of tho imbroglio will, it is oxpccUd bo playod in a certain Court in Wostminstor Hnll. Htro is a Gorman's ostimnto of litorary men, and the papers to which they contribute—' Most correspondents writo for thoir broad, moit journals aro pub' | lishod in order to mikn money. An e^porionood reader may easily know when thoy have received a Nuhvontion. when thoy expect it, or when thoy wish to foroo it by menncing throats/ Truly not a fluttering picture, Tho correspondent of a Honolulu paper aonds his impressions of Melbourno as follows:— "On every sfreot cornor it a potition as lone; us a fishing*rond ending out liko or » doctors for aiynnturos to a memorial addressed to If or Most Gracious Mnjosty, to overthrow and suppress thoir own Government. Her Mnjosty turns a deaf car to thoir supplications, and thoy vent thoir rugo in smashing newspaper offioes, knocking out windows, hooting and brawling about over the city in mobs of bool-blneKs nnd hacking drivers, with Rtioks, clubs and stones, making divers throats ngainst tho Ministry. Our Colonial ootiatna aro not vory familiar with American geography, A nowspapor horo hnd Chicago locntod down on tho Gulf of Mexico, and tjot Texas mixod up with tho frontier of Canada, A druggist of rospectablo stnnding uskod mo where wore tho Sandwich Islands. Ho « wanted to know if any white pooplo lived thoro.' lie ' wmtod to know *if thoy ato peoplo thoro. The Europorin oa bio is diiconnoc cd about nino days out of ten. Wo cot moat of our nowa from CUifornia. Tho Australians aro a groat sporting pooplo. Tho papers Iwro dovoto moro spaco to a ohickon fight or a horso raoo or cricket match than to tho TurkishRussian war. A racor and a smart hound or gooil sotter will command bettor prices than a good pronchor, and about as ranoh rcvoronoo.' That silk growing will ono day bocomo ono of tho groat industries of Australia soems to bo not only a reasonable probability, but ns noar to an absoluto eortainty ns any human expectation can bo, Over largo areas, tho elimato and tho soil nro singularly suitable, and silk is ono of thoso oommoditos with whioh tho world is novcr likoly to bo over Ruppliod. Tho demand for it is only regulated by tho price, and if inorensod production can diminish tho prioe, and still leavo a profit to tho produoors, thoro, will bo no difficulty about the oonaumption. Tho difficulties inoident to all now ontcrpmos, and tho slow proocss of experimentalising under now conditions, oombinod with tho groator temptations to, rural industry in other directions, bavo hithorto rotardod tho fow offorts that haro boon mado to dovolopo an industry whioh ono day will soom to bo natural to tho oountry. It is satisfactory theroforo, to find that onthusiasm on tho subjoot is not nltogothor non-oxistnnt, aud that efforts nro still being mado to draw towards this industry tho attontiont it deserves.— Sydnoy Morning Herald