BRIEF MENTION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 113, 11 May 1909, Page 5

BRIEF MENTION.

j " A little nonsense now and -then, fe relished by the wisest men." ; The "stormy petrels" of the ! Dominion.—Millar and Massey. i Lively performances nest week, ac- ' cording to "inclement" Wragge. ■ A tidal wave, of considerable proportions, occurred in Maoriland, May ■ 11, 1877. One way to face difficulties is by turning your back on them.—Josh i Wise. May 11.—Born: Cardinal Pole, 1500;' Peter Camper, anatomist. 1722. Died: David 1., Kins: of Scots, 1153; William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, 1778; Spencer Perceval, English minister, assassinated 1812. A weak Ministry, under a Premier of -moderate abilities, Mr Spencer Perceval, was broken up. May 11, 1812, 'by the assassination of its chief. I On the evening of that day, Mir Perceval had just entered the _ lobby of the House of Commons, on his way into the house, when1 a- man concealed, behind the door shot him with a pistol. ! John Bellingham was the' assassin, and the crime was committed for the purpose "of ascertaining _ through a criminal court whether his Majesty's Ministers have the power to refuse, justice for an irrefutable 'act of oppression committed by their consul or ambassador abroad." | In Vienna a "young man has been left the care of 56 cats by an. aged aunt. Blubber is the useful product of a. dead whale, and the useless product of a live baby. Lives of fishermen remind us . ' We may strive for prizes grand, | And, departing, leave behind us j Tales of fish we failed to land. . | John Gilmer Speed, a. prominent1 author and newspaper man,, has killed liimself at Mendham, N.J., en 'account of ill-health.. j "There's one tiling I don't understand," said little Harry; "that's why good-tasting things like pie make me sick, while bad-tasting things like i medicine make me well." I Assuming that a rat does a farthing; lof damage daily, Sir C McLaren^'.introducing a Bill inthe- House of Commons for their extirpation, calculated that the 40,000,000 -rate in England do £15,000,000 damage annually. Alice: What a gallant person. Mr Dunkley as. He never addresses- me without beginning. "Fair Miss." Dorothy: Ola, that's forcel of habitHe used to be a tramcar conductor. • Since the institution of the Auckland city abattoirs the amount of condemned stock has been so large that the master butcher® are seeking to evolve a scheme of insurance against loss in this direction. "D'ye .think th 1 cruise iv th? fleet was a good- thing f'r th' peace iv tfo.'wuiTuld?" asked Mr Hennessy. "No," said Mi" Dooley, .''but it waff a good thing, f'r th' politeness iv th.' wunruld. _ Didn't ye iver .notice how irespiotful ivrybody is to ivrybody else in a town where ivry man carries' su gun?" .:;. ,;'':' Quite a number r of district •'farmer* who were not satisfied with the price (ruling for oats last season have had to dispose of them this season at from Is 2d to Is 3|d, or a drop of one shilling; a bushel on the price they could have obtained last year.—Gore Standard. The^ school-girl with the large feet was sitting with them stretched fan* out into the aisle, and was busily chewing gum, when the teacher espied her.. ■ "Mary!" called' the teacheay sharpy. "Yes,- ma'am?" questioned the; pupil. • : . : ■■•■' "Take that gum out of your mouthand put your feet in."—New York i Observer. ■ ... A contemporary say*:—Eyidencei of. the bountiful -harvests 'this' year is afforded by "the fact that the Lyttelton Harbor Board's stores at the port are now full of grain- awaiting ship--ment, and space as at a premium. The teacher was giving an exposition on culpable homicide. "If I went out in a small boat," he said, "and the owner knew it was' leaking, and I got drowned, what would that be?" " . After a few minutes' silence a. little.boy stood up and\ said : I "A -holiday, sir .'"—Catholic News.