GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9034, 21 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

DEATH OF A GREAT MATHEMATICIAN,

The death of Dr. Jelletfc, Provosb of Trinity College, Dublin, inflicts a great loss on the mathematical world, and an even greater on Trinity men. His connection with Trinity lasted for nearly sixty years There lie was in turn student, fellow, n,Z fessor, and Provost ; to which' l a ,j dignity he attained seven years arro O i the death of Dr. Humphrey Llyodand it is seldom indeed that a head of a house is able to boast such a lono. and continuous connection with his college* But Dr. Jellett was something more thai? a self-enwrapped academic with it all. in 18(38 he was appointed a Commissioner of National Education, and a year later he was chosen President of the Royal Irish Academy With him has died perhaps the ablest mathe* matician we have had since Professor fcimith as by various treatises and papers on pure and applied mathematics he from time to time showed. A FAMILY POISONED. Intelligence from the Hungarian town of Bakong-JS r ana state» that in consequence of the ravages of wolves, the burgomaster of the place had a sheep killed a short time a"-o and having placed strong poison on the car! cass, laid it out as a bait for the hungry creatures. Unfortunately the intention had not been made public, with the result that when a poverty-stricken peasant espied the carcass, he appropriated a portion of it and took what he considereifa sumptuous supply of wholesome meat to his starving family, They all partook of it heartily, and next morning the peasant his wife, and seven children were found deadpoisoned by the innocent though careless hand of their chief magistrate.

AN OARSMAN KILLED AT CAMBRIDGE, At Cambridge University Lent race?, Mr E. S. Campbell, rowing No. 4 in the Clare crew, was killed by another boat running into his chest. The other races werestopped. The deceased was a second-year man, and a son of the Rev. W. Campbell, M.A. of Uppingham School. An inquest was held at Jb'en Ditton, Cambridgeshire, on the body It was explained that the boat in which deceased sat had made a bump, and got alongside the bank, to give the followers a free course. The Trinity Hall boat was hotly pursued by Emanuel, and the coxswain of the Hall boat, seeing the danger his crew were in of being bumped, turned on a lot of rudder to give the pursuers the \va?h. He said his attention was so riveted on the rival boat that he did not look to his left and did not see the Clare boat until they had run into it. That was when the deceased was penetrated in the chest by the nose of the Hall boat, causing the right ventricle of his heart to be pierced, and death ensued immediately. Other evidence showed that had the Clare boat not been there, the Trinity boat must have run into the bunk. The jury returnad a verdict of " Accidental death." A ROMANTIC MARRIAGE. A romantic marriage was celebrated ab the Dominican Church, Limerick, the other day. It appears that recently a young painter was sent, with other tradesmen, to the house of a country gentleman, and while the repairs were being executed the gentleman's only daughter fell in love with him, he being described as a fine athletic young fellow. The young lady was a prominent figure in the hunting field and a line horsewoman. Parental opposition was of no avail ih turning the current of her affection, and possessing a small fortune, she converted all her property into ready money and quitted her home, travelling to Limerick, where she arrived next morning, and was soon afterwards married. In the evening the pair left for Dublin, en route for London, from whence they will sail for Australia. JEWS IX CORK. In Cork they threaten a raid upon the Jews. The Trades Council discussed the subject recently, and came to the unanimous conclusion that the much-sufi'ering Hebrew should be hunted out of the city, on the ground that they were ruining honest trade. One delegate characterised the Jewish community as " crucifying gipsies," and thought they should be "exterminated." There are, it is stated, about; 300 Jews in Cork, all living in one locality. THE ORIGINAL OF " COLONEL, NEWCO.VBK." While carrying out operations in con* nection with the building of the new Holy Trinity Church at Ayr, the workmen found the remains of the late Major Carmichael Smyth, of the Bengal Engineers, the stepfather of the late Vv, M. Thackeray. The remains were subsequently interred under the chancel of the new church. Major Carmichael Smyth was the original of Colonel Newcoinbe. He died in Ayr in 1861. Immediately before his death, the Major exclaimed, " Adsum" (I am here), as if in response to some real or imaginary call from the silent land. Mr. Thackeray attended the deceased's funeral at Ayr, and the following memorial in the church was erected in ISsT by some members of the Thackeray family: —" Sacred to the memory of Major Henry William Carmichael Smyth, of the Bengal Engineers, who departed this life at Ayr, 9th September, 1861, aged 81 years. Adsum. —' And 10, he whose heart was as that of a little child, had answered to his name, and stood in the presence of the Master.—Newcombe, Vol. 111., Chap. 26.' On therebuilding of the church, his grave was brought within the walls. lie was laid to rest immediately beneath this place, by his stepson, William Makepeace Thac keray." HUMOUR IN A CONSULAR REPORT. Who would look for humour in a Consular report ? Our Consul at Baltimore, in a report on the oyster fisheries of Maryland, says : —" In some of the lower counties, down the Chesapeake Bay, oysters pass as current money, and in one town which boasts of a weekly newspaper a large percentage of its readers pay their subscription to it in oysters ; thus the editor receives from 150 to 200 bushels of oysters yearly, which he is forced to consume in his own family ; and, as oysters are declared by the faculty to be the most efficacious in producing and increasing brain power, it is to be hoped that the subscribers to that journal get good value for their oysters."

LEAVING A TRAIN WHILE IN MOTION.

One cannot be too careful, in alighting from a train, to make sure it is stationary. A terrible instance of the folly of attempting to leave a train while in motion has just) occurred at Southport. Dr. E. Mortimer Smith was travelling from Liverpool to Southport, and at Formby Station attempted to change compartments. Hβ alighted while the train was in motion, slipped between the platform and the train, and was dragged some distance, bemy terribly injured. He was conveyed to South port Infirmary ; but, though one of his legs was amputated, and every effort made to save his life, he died a few days after. A CURIOUS ECCLESIASTICAL SUIT. A curious question will shortly come before the Law Courts—whether a minister of the Established Church is justified in refusing to administer the Holy Communion to a man who has married his deceased wife's sister. The suit is instituted by a Mr. Richard Cane, to whom a clergyman in the diocese of London has refused to administer the Sacrament on the ground thab by marrying his deceased wife's sister he has broken the law of both the country ana the Church. Mr. Cane appealed to the Bishop, but was unable to obtain any satisfaction ; and a further appeal to the Archbishop of Canterbury met with the somewhat curt reply that the matter was not one "upon which a right of appeal to the Archbishop is given by law."

A BURLESQUE ACTRESS DIVORCED. In the divorce divison on March 5, Mr. Justice Butt and a common jury had before them the case of Gillett v. Gillett and Quinton. The petition was that of the husband, a., mechanical engineer, for * divorce by. reason of his wife's adultery with the cd-respondent, Mr. Mark Quinton, against whom damages were claimed. The respondent is better known as " Miss Harriet Vernon," a burlesque actress and singer. Answers were filed denying the charge. In opening the case Mr. North said than the marriage took place on the 28th February, 1875, at St. Paul's Church, Westminister Bridge Road. Three chiHren were living of the marriage. Petitioner was in humble circumstances, and he » vea with hiswifein Walnut Tree Walk, Lambetn. They lived together for eight years, vvnen she left him and became an actress, alter which this suit was filed. Evidence having been given, his lordship remarked that th» was nob a case for damages. In the nrs» place, no case was even made out sufficiently to condemn the co-respondent in costs, n° evidence being given that he knew the respondent to be a married woman. M r, North then withdrew the claim for damage* The jury fouud for the petitioner and » decree nisi was granted.