Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 204, 9 September 1879, Page 2

A large swordnsh was picked up on the beach near Napier a few days ago. It is said that it is the first specimen of this kind of fish found on the coast in the neighborhood. The swordfish measured 14 feet in length, the sword being fully four feet "long. A schnapper about three feet long was found inside, and it is surmised that the traveller of the deep came to grief by taking more than could be easily digested. The greatest woman in America, according to the well-known standard of the Napoleon, is a Mrs Austin, of Washington, who has had 44 children. She had twins 13 times, and triplets six times. Her sister Mrs Carrie Kinney, aged 43, has had 26 children, and her husband's sister has had 41 children, making a total of 111 for three women. The tenth annual report of the Mutual Life Association of Australasia has been ißsued, and shows a considerable increase of business. During the year ending the 30th June, 1879, 1562 policies, representing a total of £477,275 were issued, oi't of 2233 policies applied for. The premiums on the new business amounted to £16,315 13s 1 Jd. The total yearly revenue now exceeds £64,000. An American legislator suggests that in order to protect workmen from fraudulent employers the United States Government should in future insert a clause in all its contracts, reserving the right to retain a portion J of the contract money for the payment of the employees. The London correspondent of the Christchurch l J ret» writes :— Under circumstances so depressing to the farmers as the present Bummer, when the corn is rotting in the ground from the greatly excessive rainfall, and the cattle and sheep in the fields are languishing for want of their proper pasture, and dying from disease caused by the present winterly summer, it is not surprising that the loud cry of distress which has gone up from every agricultural county in the kingdom should have been heard in the House of Commons. The landed interest is, in fact, under a very serious cloud just now. For some months past every owner of farms has had to make constant remissions of rent to hi 3 tenants, even if he would keep them in their holdings, while farms are being given up in large numbers, as it has been clearly shown that they could only be worked at an immense los 9. Some years ago when there was a great competition for farms in Eng land, rents went up rapidly, and leases were accepted with the most onerous conditions, but now that we have had a succession of bad seasons, and the imports of corn and meat have forced the price of home-grown products down to a very low figure, enormous rents and the expenditure caused in the carrying out of these severe covenants have proved too much for many a man. Agricultural land in England has never produced a high per ceutage to its owners, and it is now absolutely unsaleable except at a tremendous sacrifice. Well, the House of Commons has listened to the speeches of the farmers' representatives, and Her Majesty's Government has agreed to grant a Royal Commission to inquire into the causes of this agricultural distress, but it is difficult to see what human aid can do to remedy the present state of things. There is a story afloat which, according to the Italian saying " Se non <■ vero o ben trovato." It is represented that the Prime Minister meeting at the Koyal Agricultural Society's Show last week a county member, who is also a large farmer, said : " What can I do to meet this agricultural depression ? " «My lord," was the reply, " you can pray for three weeks' fine weather." God alone can help the farmer in his present plight, and every Sunday prayers are offered for fine weather. With an Atlantic storm at least once a week we cannot expect our crops to ripeq.

"Lounger" wfitea in the Herald i— "l want to belong to a football clnb. I long to be kicked in tbc abdomen, punched in the chest, butted in the ribs, jumped upon, torn about, knocked down, get concussion of the brain; hate a shoulder joint put out, a leg snapped, and be broken about generally. Inis desire came upon me last Saturday t<9 I watched tbe festive sport ou tbc East Melbourne ground. But I want some other fellows to join— men to whom I owe money —who have reviled me and beaten me in the race of life. I want us all to be brothers in the hunt for leather, and before the spring I shall be free, ha ! ha ! or go to an horored grave in small parcels to suit customers. I hat's what's the matter with t«e ; ' J The Dunedin Morning Herald of August 19 says:— "From a lengthy account of' the frightful sufferings of a number of shipwrecked sailors off the coast of California, we extract the following extraordinary instance of a sailor's faith, told by a survivor: -'One of the men, George, was becoming very faint, and I saw he was going to die. I told him be must try to keep up, but he replied that he did hot think he would live very long. I asked him if he thought he was going to God, and he said " yes." I then said: — "George, when you get to where God is, tell him to send us some water." He told vie he would, and then begged me not to throw him overboard as soon as he died. He became insensible, and in a short time died. 1 let his body remain under cover one whole day and then put it into the sea. I believe that he kept his promise, for soon after he died a squall came on, and the rain fell in torrents. I held out my sou'wester until it was full, and treasured the water. The other men lapped the water from the sides of the ve3sel just as dogs do.' "