CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10220, 14 December 1893, Page 5

CURRENT TOPICS.

'There appears to be a very serious yater famine ia Dublin, threatening to shorten Vm supply of Guinness and Co.’s stout. Dublin water is, of course, essential to its jpecial brewing, and it would ho as diffii cult to find a substitute for it as it would 'Cc to discover water bettor suited to tho 'production of certain ales than that which Ta obtained at Burton. London water, .similarly, is excellent for its porter and itout. It seems that the tea merchants, too, have not lost eight of tho fact that the Water which ia used ia different parts of iha country.differs very much, and that tea gie quality yields very variable results, i is now taken by wholesale firms to ily, say, Lancashire with tea which is tly suited to the water that is there obtainable, and to send to Brighton tea Which, perhaps; would not give so pleasant beverage in London. The right sort of ea to be employed in conjunction with a particular description of water has been ,discovered by a aeries of patient experiments.

: The traditional smock frock, once dear ; {o shepherds, carters and drovors, ia reported to bo rapidly disappearing. Mr Bentall, an Essex archsoologist, has been struck by its elaborate needlework ornamentation, and the close resemblance of fin designs to those of tho tuniclea Worn by the Deacon and Sub-Deacon ia ;our churches in Catholic times. This he endeavours to explain by supposing that when, at tho Reformation, economical churchwardens sold the cast-off vestments of the clergy, they came into the hands of the peasantry, who copisd the tuniole, with some modifications of form, to Wait their special requirements. Mr Bontall considers that we can in no other way explain the presence among tho rustic population of a garment presenting on its very front tokens of ecclesiastical origin. While it is so totally unlike all modern clothing. Thero are, however, if we mistake ..not, still extant little drawings of husbandmen wearing -smock frocks; in illuminated - missals even dating from before tho Conquest, but possibly those hra without tho elaborate ornamentation.

.Some nice questions of international law are.apt to crop up in Europe, owing to the fact that States are divided la no many places by boundaries visible only to the mind’s eye. One of the moot peculiar cases Qt the kind ever known has just happened bn the Fraaco-Belgian frontier. A professional smuggler, named Baptiste Lalio, was recently arrested after a desperate struggle by French Custom-house officials. {The arrest took place at the little hamlet o£ Vergnes, which is on the imaginary border-line between tho two countries, yicoording to the prisoner, he was twelve yards from Belgium when drat accosted by the Cuitom-house officer, bub when actually imsted ho was in Belgium, for he succeeded in dragging his captors across the line. The latter admit that they were dragged some distance, but they stoutly Eiaintain that tho greater part of Lalie’a ody was on French territory when he was finally, overpowered, his head being in Belgium, while hiisbody was in Franco. (This nice point ia not likely to cause'any disagreement between the two nations, as Jialie ia an old offender, and is wanted jn Franco for ether offences besides Smuggling.

The Mayor of Chicago was shot dead at fiia residence in that city on Oct. 28, the assassin being an office-seeker named Prendergast, who ia said to be insane. Tho JLppdo ls Daily ,Nfi«is. New York correspondent states that tho manner of the Mayor’s death is the more startling, as Mr Harrison, daring his public career, had always sympathised openly with tho most dangerous elements in the population, and had indeed taken sides with the lowest classes in demonstrations against law and order, Many stories are told of his eccentricities. A member of tho Society of French Engipeere, who accompanied that body to the Chicago Exhibition, publishes a report of the Mayor’s speech, in which ho bade them Welcome, and some of tbo passages are ns follows ;—" You (the French engineers) Shave shown us the way, bat I reckon wo Shall very soon beat you. I am not an engineer, but I am tho Mayor, and as such I direct tbo engineers. I am also head of the Fire Brigade, and 1 extinguish dree. By virtue of this star you egg on my breast, I command all tho policemen in this city. I could order them to pat you ~all in prison, as I could order them to release you if I choee. You will say I am a groat person. I think bo, too. I am tho first man ia Chicago. Chicago is tho first' Pity ia Illinois, Illinois ia the first State of tho United Statea, and tho United States is the greatest country in tbo world. I am, therefore, the greatest man in the world. J invite you and your children to come to the next World’s Fair at Chicago. By that time, Chicago will ba tho greatest land most beautiful city in tho world, and beside it London will ba a village aud faria will bo nothing at all.”

A Melbourne paper Bays-Although Ji few Zealand is tho foremost of the Auatralias at present, owing' to her fiscal ■jstem and liberal legislation generally, it may, bo claimed for this colony that its natural resources are equal to those of the Bister State,.and some evidence of this is contained in a letter from a Now Zealand farmer to the Commissioner of Customs stating that he and hia family desire to come to Victoria as permanent settlers. The writer is Mr J. Barber, of Mount Barker, Pembroke, Lake Wanaka, Otago, Bnd he states that ho and his three eons •visited this colony ia April,'and were do ■very favourably impressed with it that they propose to settle here for good. Mr Barker asks whether this Government gives any inducement to settlers with means, ho and hia sons, lour in all, having about .£BOO each; but his chief concern is that as he wishes to bring moat of hia household goods with him, there being no sale for them over there, he should not ho charged duty on them. Ho objects to tho indignity of hsvihg their luggage searched, “ as if they were dynamiters,” and ho thinks that this Government should receive “ tho likes of them” with gladness, as in the case of the Government immigrants of old. Hs would hot have any goods liable to duty, unless turhapß' an old sewing machine. The Secretary, Dr Woolaaton, has replied to the effect that household goods up to ASO Sa value for each adult member of the family would not bo liable to duty, provided they were accompanied by himself. He gives particulars of the duties on pianos pad Organs, and calms Mr Barker’s fears pf a search by informing him that no iirinaceaaaiy examination of his goods will 'take place.