CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 10482, 20 October 1894, Page 5

CURRENT TOPICS.

A mild sensation has been caused by Ms Maxim’s achievement, with his wonderful flying machine, respecting which he read a paper before the British Association. Mr Maxim has actually accomplished the feat of raising his machine from the earth, and he claims to be the first who has ever done so much. Another inventor comes forward, by the way, to say that hia model lifted itself from a dead level in 1879 without being assisted; but oven if that be so, it does not vie with what Mr Maxim has succeeded in doing on a large scale. For the present the interest in the matter lies in Mr Maxim’s announcement that he is so far encouraged by his achievement that he is determined to prosecute his experiments to the end. When this is done by so determined and able a mechanician, wo have some ground for hoping that the fiying machine will before long become an actuality, and no longer one of the abstract dreams of the future.

" Listener ” writes“ Sauntering down a Kentish lane a few days ago, I passed the open doors of a village school, and stood still as I caught the sounds of infant voices singing in chorus these words, so suitable to the season ‘ We carry the umbrella. We carry the umbrella. We carry the umbrella.’ Then a pause. Then the mistress’s voice; * What ships is it P What ships is it? What ships is it?’ * It’s reound. It’s reouad. It’s reound.* ‘Now answer—What ships is it?* Children (in chorus): ‘lt’s reound.’ Mistress; ‘What ships is it?’ Children: ‘lt’s reound.’ Mistress: “Quicker; what shipe is it P * Children (at high speed) : ‘lt’s reound. It’s reound. It’s reound.’ Sir, I prophesy that in examination this school will ‘ taike the caike.’ ”

No fewer than five occupants of the Bench, The Law Journal says, will become entitled to retiring pensions in 1896. The first will be Mr Justice Mathew, who was appointed a judge on March 8. 1881. Eleven days later Mr Justice Cave will complete his fifteen years of service on the Bench, and before the end of the same month Lord Justice Kay will do likewise. Mr Justice Chitty will achieve a similar distinction in September, and Mr Justice North in November, when, if no material changes meanwhile occur on the Bench, the number of judges who have sat for over fifteen years will be doubled. The number of judges who have already completed fifteen years of service in the courts is five. The names of these judges, with their years of service, are as follow; Lord Esher, twenty-five years; Lord Justice Lindley, nineteen; Lord Justice Lopee, eighteen; Baron Pollock, twentyone ; Mr Justice Hawkins, eighteen.

Mr Payn has a funny story of a curate in the Corrihill. This unfortunate man having a horse which had been ordered by the “vet.” to take sea baths, thought one day that he would combine his own bath and bis horse’s. So he jumped stark naked on the animal’s back“ She turned short round, and before ho could throw himself, .off, made straight for the little town of which he was (or rather thought he was) the perpetual curate. He was not fastened to his steed like Mazeppahe was not a voluntary equestrian, like Lady Godiva, but he had not the presence of mind to throw himself off, and, like the other lady in the ballad, he had ‘ nodings on.’ That day was the last of his curacy.”

While Rear-Admiral Razvozoff, Commander at the Port of Cronstadt, was driving in his carriage to his office in St Petersburg, a man called out to him loudly to stop. The Admiral spoke to the coachman, and the carriage came to a standstill. Thereupon the man who had cried out approached the vehicle, and producing a revolver which he had concealed, fired it point blank at Admiral Razvozoff. The latter fell back, bleeding profusely from a wound in the left side. The assassin immediately turned the weapon upon himself and blew his brains out. Tha Admiral was taken as soon as possible to his own house, where he expired a few minutes later. The murderer proves to have been a former employe at the Post Office, named Peninsky, who had been dismissed by ; Admiral,Razvozoff. - i :

An important meeting of the Board of Directors of the Colonial Missionary Society, was held on Sept. 4, at the Memorial Hall, London, Mr Walter M. Hitchcock presiding. The report of a visit paid by Eevs B. T. Hallowes and H. W. J. Miller to Napier, New Zealand, waa considered, and £IOO placed at the disposal of the New Zealand Congregational Union for the new church to be formed there. Arrangements were made for the formation of a Scottish auxiliary, and for its representation on the Board of Directors.

Deplorable accounts have been received from Borne of the condition of those districts in the island of Sicily which have been recently visited by earthquakes. The chief localities afflicted are Fieri, Pisano and Zerbati, in the province of Catania, where the few houses that remain standing have been rendered uninhabitable, on account of the dangerous state of the walls. At Zerbati the church, with its tower, threatens to fall in at any moment. In the country districts surrounding these places many windmills have been destroyed, and a great number of the numerous cellars in which wine, which is the principal product of the country, is stored have fallen in. Whole tracts of land covered by vineyards and other plantations have been rent open, and the highways are impassable. There is scarcely even a bridle path left, and the condition of the inhabitants in this part of the island is distressing in the extreme, the damage to property being estimated at 3,000,000 lire at the least. With the view of alleviating the distress the public authorities have suspended the collection of taxes in the affected districts, and have forwarded money and food supplies.