CLIPPINGS.

North Otago Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 793, 24 December 1872, Page 4

CLIPPINGS.

In setting up an account of a recent six-oared boat race, the compositor on.^ a contemporary made it a "six-eared goat race." The manufacture of strawberry jam' is becomings quite a ■ big local industry in the neighborhood of Hokitika. Mr Bladier, Arahura, offers to purchase 1 'white jars in any quantity. Brigham Young has just invoiced his 1 stock children again, and thinks there are 168 in all. The " Qneenslander " states that the Brisbane market has recently been supplied with a shipment, of bacon and hams from" Port Cooper, New Zealand, of , really splendid quality, the whole of which has gone _ into consumption at full rates — viz., 14^d for cases of both, and 16d. for hams aloiie. " Napier .appears to be in a flourishing condition. The " Hawke's Bay -Herald" says : — " Our - streets are ringing all day with the sound of the carpenter's ' hammer, and in whatever direction we turn our' eyes we see fresh buildings springing up. Wealth and population are pouring in upon us with unprecedented rapidity.' Everything, in short, is going ahead." There is a man. in San IPrancisco, aged 7 4 years, wh o has been in gaol twenty seven' times.': T He ' has ibeeri convicted 1 twice of murder, once of manslaughter, <4 times of burglary, 3' times' of "housebreaking, twice of incendiarism; /12> times of drunkenness, jtw^ce pf f shop- f lifting, and he is now' undergoing' a ' sentence of 5 yeaas' imprisonment 'for

A correspondent. at' "New York, says the reports which reach that oity with regard to the newly-discovered diamond deposits of Arizona are fabulous. • A bag of gravel taken haphazard and exhibited iii New York is said to " sw,a,rni " with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, while from a ton and a half of the same material wtere sifted stones of the value of L^0,000. 1 It is said *that in New York city there are 5000 confirmed opium eaters. They come from every social class in tlie city. The mild-eyed melancholy iiiebriates are known at once by the druggists, who fill their orders without a physician's prescription each drug ' store averaging three daily customers. So desperate are those once enslaved by the fatal drug that they steal it' rather than leave the store without it. •In its crude form it is oftenest bought by the Chinese, though' by the better classes sulphate of 'morphia is the fa'vorite fornv; one of its worshippers — a lady — drinking off ten grains at a dose ; another — an old man — drinking twenty-one grains. A rather awkward typographical eri'or occurred in a recent issue of the Sydney " Herald." In ' it's summ iry for home readers an account was given of the reception into a certain religious order of some Roman Catholic ladies. The exact words used should have been — -" The ceremony of clothing six postulants in the ,habit of the order, &c." Some sensation was caused amongst *a large section of the Sydney community by the" "substitution of the word " Protestants " for " postulants." There is on view in the window of Messrs Penholz and Teutenberg's jewellery shop, 69, Queen-street, Auckland, a pipe of exquisite workmanship. It represents the head of a Maori chief, and is beautifully and faithfully carved, even to the long greenstone earring and ribbon attached. Cut out of hinau wood, it is the natural color of the Maori, and is a truthful representation pf a " Rangatira." The top is formed of a small slab of greenstone ■ set in gold, and serves for a cap. At the back of the pipe "there is a fine piece of curving, being the model of a war canoe's prow. Fein leaves are carved down the stem. This pipe was carved by Mr Tutenberg, and shows that consideiuble labor and pains have been expended over it. The object has already become an attraction, andnumbei'S have called to inspect it. In the course of an address to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, the Rev. Mr Hagenhauer, on the progress of the Aboriginal Mission, said that the school had been originally established und,er great' difficulties,' and the' experiment had not at first been satisfactory. The reason for this he explained by a veiy humerous anecdote. He had met at Sale a very illiterate friend, he said, who was attempting to read a newspaper, but, unfortunately, upside down. Amongst the advertisements was a representation' of a ship. To him Mr Hagenhauer said,'" What is the news?" "Oh," replied his friend, "dreadful news — a ship has come into port, bottom upwards." " The following is from the " San Francisco News Letter " : — " "We are acquainted with an elderly gentleman, meek and saintly in appearance, mild in speech, decorous in dress, unfailiug in devotion on' the Sabbath, earnest in exhortation, powerful in pi'ayer, discreet in all his ways gentle in his manners, enlightened in his views, liberal in the expression of charitable sentiments, an up 1 holder of Sabbath schools for Chinese in 1 our midst, earnest in the support of missions to the heathen — of whom the pa'pers will remark, .when he dies, that he was an affectionate husband and father, and an exemplary citizen) besides being a worthy member of half a dozen societies, and a pioneer of California. You' will say at once that he is a sincere .Christhn. By no means. He is in business, and will rob you whenever he has an opportunity. His name is legion. Thomas Finch who was in the habit of supplying the Earl of Stanhope with home made shoes called one day with a pair when his lordship's chaplain was present. The chaplain took up one of the shoes and inquired of the Earl respecting the price. His lordship replied that it was eighteen shillings. " Eighteen shillings " said the chaplain, " Why, -I can get better shoes at ten jshillings a pair,- 1 '; and he threw; one of -the shoes across the room. The shoemaker stepped forward, and throwing ,the other shoe in the same direction, said " Let them go together, they are a pair. You, sir," he continued, turning to the chaplain" — " you can purchase better shoes at eight shillings, which is doubtful, while'I'without doubt can procure sermons in Holy well-street at one penny each, better sermons than those for which his lordship pays you a salary of L200 a-year." " Well done " rejoined' the Earl, " a chalk for the cobblei'. •rnake me a dozen pair of these shoes." Dean Swift was walking in the Pliceuix road, Dublin, when a thunder shower came on, and he'tbok shelter urider a tree, where a party was shelter ing also — two young men and two young women. One of the girls looked vety sad, till, as the rain fell, her tears fell. The dean'inquire'd the cause, and learned that it was their wedding-day ; they were on their way to the church, and bow' her' whiie' clothes were' wet,' and she couldn't 'got "."Never mind; I'll marry you," said the dean ; and he took out-his prayer-book, and there and {then married them,- their witnesses "being present ; and to make the thing complete} he -tore a leaf from his <pocketbobk, and with his pencil wrote and' signed'a certificate, 'which he hanlded to the bride. It was as follows : —

GENERAL ; ASSEMBLY'. OP <THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NEW ZEALAND.