ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

North Otago Times, Volume XI, Issue 347, 18 September 1868, Page 3

ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

The papers containing the details of tho celebrated Yelverton-Longworth case weighed three tons. 1 his case has been tried 18 tinr>es, has employed 26 judges and 200 lawyers, and has cost L20.000. The French papers spej.t of an enormous salmon ■which the Rhine fishermen have sent to Paris. It is snid to be about nine feet long, about 3001b. weight, and to hare been purchased by the keeper of a restaurant for L44. It is a pity that the whereabouts of this fish is not mentioned, so that a coroner's jury might bo called in to Witness the body. In 1821, a 831b. salmon was exhibited in London, and that was thought a monster. — Land and Water. The Montroso "Standard," of the 22nd May, contains the following : — " On Tuesday morning the tido receded about thirty yards on the sloping beach, and about four feet in perpeudicular height in the harbor, returning in two or three minutes to its former elevation. By the sudden reflux of the water, some of the boats moored at the pier-hoad were cousiderably damaged ; the ' painters' having broken, they were dashed against one another, and one or two floated out to sea before they could be secured. Such an occurrence has nofc taken place in this quarter within the memory of the 'oldest inhabitant/ and has caused a good dual of speculation among the fishing population hero." The following advertisement appears in a London paper, to the disgrace of the advertiser and the publisher: — " A lady of retired habits, whose husband is dead, wishes to* dispose of a small but muscular female child, six months old. A captaiu of a ship or a gentleman going abroad would be handsomely negotiated with. The child is fair and of an engaging disposition, and has been well christened in a Protestant church. Satisfactory reasons will be given by the mother, having no further use for it. By letter only." A horrible discovery has been made at North Shiolds. The Rev J. D'Evelyan, the senior curate at Christ Church, preached in that church on Sunday week, June 14, and had not been seen in Shields after. But that did not cause any surprise tc his colleagues, as his wife, family, and domestics were staying at Croft, and he had only come across to take Sunday duty, and intended to return. On Juno 21, however, somo astonishmont was expressed at the non-appearance of Mr D'Evelyan to take part in the service, iiuxl his place had to be hastily supplied with another clergyman. On Tuesday, June 23, Mrs D'Evelyan and family returned, and upon entering the parsonage thoy encountered a shocking smell, and Mrs D'Evelyan, upon entering her bed-room, was horrified by perceiving her husband lying on the carpet in his night-dress, dead, and the body dreadiully swollen and far advanced in decomposition. He must have been dead a week. He had been liable to fits, and had evidently been seized with one immediately after he had got out of bed on Monday, June 15, and he had died in this awful manner without any one near to aid him. Heber C. Kimball, the distinguished saint and second president of the Mormon Church, died at Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday, June 21. He was a native of Vermont, in which State ho was born on the 14th of June, 1801. In 1832 he became a co ivert to Mormomsm, and lollowed the fortunes of Joseph Smith, the " prophet," with marked fidelity. Ho soon attained to high position, and was sent to England on the first mission. Here he met with considerable success, making many converts, and influencing them to emigrate to the United States. After holding various positions in the " Church," he eventually became one of its three presidents, Brigham Young and D. H. Wells being the other two. We must not omit to mention that hia family is quite large, his wives and children numbering, at last accounts, 60 porsons. Trebizond was the scene of a horrible tragedy on Juno 7. ~No less than 17 persons fell victims to the attack of a madman in a few minutes. Of the attacked, four died instantaneously, ton ure mortally and throo slightly wounded. Each person received but one blow in the cheat, and that near the region of the heart. The assassin had been domiciled in Trebizoud for about three months, where he sold old iron in a stall in one of the most populous streets of the town. He commenced his butchery in the open day, about eight o'clock in the morning, using as his instrument a knife sharpened at both sides. Having fastened the knife to his wrist, the blade turning inwards, he walked the street in -which he lived, striking at all who came within his reach, taking care, after each stab, to conceal the knife, so that his victims were at the moment in doubt who attacked thorn. He would have killed many moro if he had not received a blow of a stone on the head from a young man who perceived what he was at. This so stuuned him that the bystanders were able to seize him and hand him over to the police. At a meeting of the Edinburgh Association for tho Improvement of the Condition of the Poor, held recently, the Rev. Dr Hanna gave the following account of what he called a " scene of horror," whieh lately occurred in Edinburgh : — " A father dies, leaving three grown-up sons. By membership in two friendly societies they become entitled to receive L10, which was spent in drink before tho burial. The sons then took their father's clothes, pawned them, and spent what they got for them in drink. The mother having remonstrated, she was told that if she did not hold her tongue they would do with her as they had done with the dead ; and they did it. They took off her clothes, and pawned them, and sent her to bed. Next came the pawning of the furniture, which they disputed about ; and in order to settle the dispute, what did theso men do ? They dragged the dead body from the coffin, set it tip against the wall, having previously agreed that when it was shaken, if tho head fell in this way the one was to grain, and if it fell that way the other would be tho gainer ! " — Scotch paper. On Monday, June 29, the workmen at the Oaks Colliery had a narrow escape from another dreadful explosion. It is the duty of a man named Gromorson to grease tho fan by which the workings are ventilated. He had been cautioned on all occasions when performing this duty to uso a Stephenson safety lamp. At about six o'clock he was caught by another workman, actually oiling the fan with a naked lamp ; and how the pit escaped another fearful explosion is a marvel, as the foul £a9 escapes from the workings at the same point. Tho wind was in a favorable direction, or there would probably have boon another great sacrifice of human life. The man was, of course, at once discharged, and will be taken before the magistrates for the offence. Since the new law against dogs has been in operation a curious scene has daily been witnessed at Islington, resulting from the capture of lost, stray, and starving dogs in the metropolis or suburbs. It appeai'B that the average captures of canine wanderers, against whom tho law is now being exerted by a special force of constables, armed with the lasso, is daily between 700 and 800. The majority of these are mongrels, perhaps about three-fourths, tho remainder being dogs that have seen better days and those who have most unmistakably been lost, tho latter always commanding a good price when sold. At a recent meeting of somo of the gentlemen interested in a London charity called tho " Jewish Blind," a remarkable case was brought under the notice of the president, Sir Benjamin Phillips, A woman (stons blind) has been in receipt of a pension for about eight years. During a heavy storm that prevailed somo weeks since she became suddenly aware, as she expressed it, of " a glimmer of light," and from that time to the present her vision has improved daily ; perfect eyesight is now restored to her. The poor woman expresses herself as having been " greatly shocked" at tho thunder and lightning. A singular fact may be witnessed any day in the garden of Lincoln's-inn. For several years past a pair of zebra parroquets have haunted this spot, living on the most familiar terms with the sparrows, and never seen except in company with them. During the winter months the parroquets disappear, but whither no one knows. On the return of spring they come back and rejoin their old friends. This year for some time only one was observed, but now both are visible, with a brood of five young ones. If any one be curious to see them he has only to walk into the garden and disturb the flock of sparrows that will bo seen feeding on the grass, and on their taking wing the seven green-backs will at once be distinguished. It is to be hoped thit these beautiful strangers will become naturalised.