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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 233, 22 September 1876, Page 4

A rival of Captain Webb has just appeared in Austria. A Capiuin Alulstrom has swam down the Danube from Vienna to Pestb, without any apparatus, remaining thirty-nine hours in the water, and scarcely stopping to rest, From the Pall Mall Gazette we learn that during a cricket match on Prince's ground on July 12th, between Middlesex and Nottinjihuaishire, the ground keeper, Tom Box, formerly the well- known Sussex wicket-keeper, fell down dead while performing his duties. The laatch was then abandoned. The following may be interesting to the colonists of New Zealand who have been holding public meetings in furtherance or the " tuneral reform movement." "On the 30 June," says the Home News, " od the occasion of the funeral of Miss Edith Liddell, the third daughter of the Dean of Christ Church Oxford, when, amongst, the distinguished persons present was hia Royal Highnesa Prince Leopold, who acted as pall-bearer, not a single scarf or hatband was worn. The Bishop of Peiersburgh recently presided at the annual meeting of the Leicestershire Ci,urch Extension AsBociaiion. In the course of his remarks the prelate said church extension was a constant duty, and where church extension ceased, Church stagnation and death began. They muat begin to strive outwards and forwards if tiny were to fulfil Christ's mission in the world. Let them remember that they had to encounter a growing danger nowaday?; a danger not of inertness, but of hostility — not hostility alone in the Church, but increasing hostility to the faith. The growth of secularism and of practical infidelity was a real danger, not merely to the life of the Church of England, but to the life of Christianity in England. The masses who were unevangelised and alienated weuld not remain in the unintelligent torpor ia which they remained last century; but influences were at work leavening them in the direction of secular unbelief, and moving them to an antagonism against Christiauity which it behoved Church people very seriously to consider and lay to heart. Ha had seen lately publications, cheaply got up, cleverly wrilten, and largely circulated amongst the working classes of this country, which, for virulence of abuse end ra*cour of hute wguiust not merely tlie doctrines of Chrtsti uiiiy, but thb very peison of its blessed fouuder; which, for fouinessof deuuueiation, were unpuralleleJ iv literature, and which were not to be. exceeded by the foulest and most horrible utterances of the* lasi century even amid the horrors of the French Revolution. When these ihingc wero circulated by the working-clast around them, surely it was no question whether they should hesitate or puuse for a moment iv carryiog on Church extension.

As shewing the hold the new Tareao religion (says the Waikalo Times), ia taking ot the minds of the Maoris generally, several parties of natives from the lower country settlements have just passed through Hamilton and other townships, en route for Kihikihi, where they cross the border, and proceed on to Aotearoa, at which place a new large church is to be formally opened by Tawhiao and the prophets. Speaking of prophete, we learn that Jimmy Thompson, a half-caste well known to most of our frontier settlers, claims to be the prophet for the Kopua district, stating that he has received a dispensation from above to that effect. Lately, when interviewed by the friends of an opposition candidate for that office, he stoutly maintained his intention of giving way to no rival; that he was the prophet ordained from Heaven, and until he received a direct intimation from Heaven to do so, he abould make way for no one. There are European loafers, and there are Maori loafers, and smart men amongst the class in both races. A peculiar case of inhumanity to a child was brought before the Hobart Town Police Court on the 29th ultimo. The Mercury relates that a respectable looking womaD, named Mrs Graham, was charged with unlawfully beating a girl named Henrietta Myers. The girl, with three other children younger than herself, are the daughters of Capt. Myers, of the whaling barque Marie Laure. Their mother died some (wo years ago, and since then they have been under the care of their father's sister, Mrs Graham, who has been receiving £5 per month for their sup. port, On the 24th ult., Henrietta and her sister Lucy went into a neighbor's house, were they have frequently been forbidden to go, and on returning Henrietta solemnly declared that she had been in an outhouse. For this deliberate lie, and also for disobeying her command not so go into the neighbor's house, Mrs Graham flogged the girl. Taking her into the kitchen, she made her strip off overy panicle of clothing; then she went iato the garden and obtained a number of switches from a plum tree, and with these she whipped the girl for a quarter of an hour. Not satisfied with that, she put the girl to bed, and rubbed salt butter ou her back, aud as the skin was broken in several places it can easily be imagined how the pain would be increased. The woman's brutality would, in fact, be beyond credence were it not for the conclusive evidence of the girl, and also the testimony given by Dr Hall. He examined the the day after the flogging, and found her back from the nape ot the neck downwards reaching even as far aB the back of the thigbe, covered with red streaks. The marks were so numerous, he says, that he did not attempt to count them ; the skin was perfectly mapped. Besides th is, her body was in an emaciated condition, from the want of sufficient nourishment, so that the woman had actually been starving the girl. The magistrates held that the chastisement was grossly excessive, and in fact I amouuted lo terrible cruelty. They I therefore 'sent the woman to gaol for three months without the option of a fine, besides ordering her to pay two guineas costs. Iv a nutch recently played at Prince's Cricket Ground, London, between Middlesex and the University of Oxford, the remarkable total of 1217 runa were scored for the loss of 24 wickets. In the first innings of Middlesex 439 runs were obtained, the captain (Mr I. D. Walker) putting together 110; Burghee, the only professional in the match, 104; and Mr Turner, 82. In their second innings the County obtained 169 for the los 3 of four wickets, of which 79 were accredited to Mr C. J. Thornton. But the Oxford innings was a startler. The last wicket did not fall till the score had mounted to 615. The principal scores were Mr Webbe, 98; Mr Heath and Mrßriggs 71 each; Mr Game, 141; and Mr Boyle (not out) 68. Only one* man failed to score in the match and besidea him thera were only two who did not get into double figures. The match at this stage was drawn, of course much in favor of the University. The performances of the batsmen in this match have not often been eclipsed. Last year, the Royal Engineers at Chatham scored 724, for the loss of eight wickets but the nearest approaches to the present feat which we can find mention of were in 1869 and in 1871 when two matches were played, iv which 1136 runs were obtained for the loss of 21 wickets, aud 1139 scored in all, respectively. In the present case, the 12J.7 runs were actually obtained in about 17 hours, aud the balls delivered were only 22L0. The run-getting thus averaged 71 per hour. "The hopes of farmers, says the Geelong Advertiser, with respect to the invention of a workable reaping and binding machine are in a fair way of bting satisfied. For nearly fifteen years Mr James Ferrier, a farmer residing ac Coleraine, has been engaged iv making models of mschiues culculated to do tho work required. After many failures, nnd also improvements on likely machines, Mr Ferrier has succeeded in getting one- of his models to do the whole or the work by itself. Hie model ia now in the hands of Meaara Humble & Co,, of the Vuican Foundry, Little Molop-street, who are constructing the reaper aud binder, which will be publicly tested in about * month's time. This new agricultural implement will not ba larger than a two horse reaper. The machinery, judging trom the model we saw at the foundry ia quite simple, and the only manual

labor to be employed about it will be a driver for the horses. It will be like the ordinary reaping machine in appearance, the aelf-acting machinery will be fitted on one side, a spindle will drive the knives, and the corn will pass over a table and fall into another place, where it will remain till the binder is full, and t ien by the action of a apiadle it ml be tied, pass along the back of the j machine, and fall on to the ground in the rear." j j