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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 80, 3 April 1878, Page 2

Season ticket holders at the Paris Exhibition, following the fashions of the Philadelphians last year, will all have to paste a photograph on their vouchers, a duplicate photograph being pasted in the book whence the voucher was withdrawn. The price of the season ticket will be £4. School teachers (says the Otago Daily Times of the 29th ultimo), are becoming a scarce commodity. Owing to the influx of children to the schools since the coning into force of the new Education Act, applications have of late been requested for a considerable number of assistant teachers, and in no single case, we believe, have the applicants numbered more than three. In ono or two cases that of an assistant for the Waikouaiti school for instance — there have been no applicants at all Female barbers (says the Wellington Chronicle) have been introduced by Mr Beck, the proprietor of a hair-dressing saloon iu Cuba-street. This is a novelty at least. The employment of girls in the same capacity has been known in sister colonies with varying success, but we think it is quite new to New Zealand. Wherefore we may judge that Wellington is going ahead in small matters as well as great. There has been an immense run on the establishment since the "* new features " were introduced. Our representative visited the establishment. During his sojourn in the place, no less than fire devoted creatures submitted themselves to be lathered by the fair creatures, aud scraped : though they hadn't as much hair on their face as would make a wig for a mosquito. It must be said that these barbers possessed charms of no ordinary egree, aud the only wonder seemed to be that they could choose such an occupation for the display thereof. Tho wonder (to the reportorial miud) was hot diminished as through a window he watched the frightful attempts made by a scorbutic youth to ogle the pretty girl who was smothering his distorted visage with soap, after the most approved style. We have girls employed in all sorts of pursuits which not long ago were the sole prerogative of men, and really, why not have girls for barbers after all? Those who used to like getting their hair cut the old way say the new fashion is much, the nicest. A curious question has again come to the surface at Washington in regard to a balance of money which, at the close of the civil war remained in the Bank of England to the credit of the Southern Confederacy. Some time after the war the Americans laid claim to the money, and have made several efforts to get possesion of it. When the question was first raised the English Foreign Secretary was willing to recognise the United States Government as the successor of the Confederacy, and to turn over to it all balances in Great Britain, provided the United States on their part would assume all liabilities of the Confedracy to British subjects. This seems to be a perfectly equitable arrangement, but the United States, although prompt to assert their claims as legal heirs to all assets of tli6 Confederate States, were not so eager or willing to acknowledge or be held liable for their debts. Under these circumstances the chances of the Washington politicians coming into the property are very remote. Meanwhile, the money in the Bank of England awaits a better claimant, which may some day appear in the shape of Confederate bondholders, who are mostly British subjects. Such a disposition of the money would be a little rough on the Northern politicians ; but, in addition to the recent award of 5,000,00Ud01 , to Canada, it would prove, a good quid pro quo for the Alabama damages. A French nobleman, who won a fortune on the turf during the early part of last season, yielded to the entreaties of his wife, and gave ber 10,000 dollars wherewith to buy a diamond necklace which she had seen in the Rue de la Paix. She took the money and carried home the necklace, but neglected to pay for it, owing to the more pressing claims of the dressmaker and milliner, and possibly to losses incured at the baccarat table. The Count, not suspecting that the diamonds had been bought on credit, and being rather hard hit himself at the gaming table, took advantage of the absence of his wife to raise money on her necklace. Not liking to put the diamonds in pawn, he sold them outright to a merchant in the Palais Royal at a low figure. The purchaser, pleased with his bargain, offered to sell the necklace to certain jewellers, and finally showed it to the dealer of whom the Countess had purchased it. The jeweller was furious at haviug the diamonds which he had himself sold on credit offered him for a song, and made criminal charges against the Count. The Countess returned f romjNice in response to a telegram from her husband, and the noble pair scraped enough together to pay for the jewels. One of the " star " prima donnas of the Imperial Opera, St. Petersburg, recently took her benefit. On being called for the 20th or 30th time before the curtain, she advanced to the footlights, and, 'addressing the audience in the Russian language, offered to show her gratitude by singing a national Russian soug. The song was received with enthusiastic applause; but the prima donna was much disgusted when the . management subsequently fined her 2000 francs for " addressing the audience without permission."

" Snyder," in the Poverty Bay Standard, \ has au article on dreams and their interpretation. Amongst other things he says:— To 1 dream that you are travelling from port to port on a stumping tour in a Government steamer at the public expense, is a sign that you will turn out a great economist, and will see that poor people are protected against the oppression of the rich, while you lend out your own money at the highest rate of interest. A singular* discovery was made on the 12th January on board the Irvine, a full rigged vessel, while in dry dock at Rotherhithe. The ship recently arrived from Peru. When in dock the body of a woman was found embedded in the cargo, which consisted of soda. The body is in a good state of preservation, and it is supposed to be that of a victim of an earthquake which occurred many hundred years ago iu Peru. The body, is a present lying ifl the captain's bathroom in a crouching position. Rings are inserted in the ears. A West Coast paper states that while in Milford Sound, which he visited with Sir George Grey and party, the Hon. Captaiu Eraser discovered a workable vain of statuary marble 33ft in thickness. Ifc is situated in Anita Bay, iii a convenient position for shipment. Captain Eraser immediately reported the discovery to the Minister of Lauds, and made application ior the ground with a view to working the quarry. An inquisitive passenger on a recent trip of one of the McMeckan line of steamers from Melbourne took this mode of satisfying hfe curiosity abotit other people's business : After learning the number ia the cabin and steerage, he then went to each, finding out their destination, and whether they had been in New Zealand before, and if they intended to remain in this colony, the result being that some were visiting ifc on business and some on pleasure, ; and some to make a permanent home there. Among the cabin passengers one fifth of the whole number had never been to the colony before, but were corning to make a permanent home here, and a little over a quarter of those in the steerage to do the same. Some of them, however, had been here before, but could do better in New Zealand, and were returning. A were delighted to see the welcome verdu re of the hills, so refreshing to the eye of a person from the sister colonies. — Cronicle