GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9166, 22 September 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

A MICROEPHALIST IS VIENNA. A MlCßocephalist, aged eighteen, |, M arrived in Vienna from Galicia, and been placed under the charge of Professor Nochnagel, of the Vienna University. i'j lri head of the youth is extraordinary =,n' fiat on the sides, and coming to a point - ' the crown. The unfortunate is an idiot" bat possesses a great power of imitation' and repeats words without difficulty H' has to be tended like a baby, and is v i, fond of dolls and other toys. In showi" ?' him to his hearers during a lecture t2 other day, Professor Nothnagel said tinr the man in appearance and its hCI ;'.' J greatly resembled a monkey, from wiiillf animal, however, he was distinguished h his power of speech. Besides, the Prof,- y added, nothing has yet been found';'" microephahc brains which would point a closer affinity with the monkey. *

LORD TOLLEMACHE's PICTURES. Lord Cairns' Settled Land Act, vhK permits life owners to dispose of' f in 'ji heirlooms, is being freely used in .'tVi direction. Lord Tollemach'e, writes ; i t," !i don correspondent, lias just sold two'ofT' magnificent pictures by Sir 0 "i \ li Reynolds, and Gainsborough's vdl-kno'vn canvas, "The Fighting Dogs," for enon- q, sums, and other possessors of these artists and by Romney, Hov,Opie, Raeburn, and the early masters have also made satisfactory"*?l" No doubt they find this class of propert 5 ' more readily saleable than acres. It i-.' m that Lord Tollemache received for his ti i > pictures little less than £50,000. ° *'

A BURGLAR TRAILED IX A TASK Early on the morning of July "f; premises of the Magnum Mineral Wit >■ works, at Loughborough Junction v-I'r-entered by burglars, one of whom tell into a 10-foot tank, more than half full 0 f wattWhen discovered shortly alter six' o'clock that morning, the man was half dead hp having the greatest difficulty in keei'iimr his head above water. When rescued h" became insensible, and after beinc seen by a doctor, was conveyed to St, Thomas' Hospital.

LORD WOLVERTON's WILT.. It is stated that Lord Wolverton's will is invalid. For some time there have btf'n rumours to that effect, but they have no's generally been believed, but there is no further room tor doubting their accuracy, whole of the immense fortune passe? from the present Lord Wolverton to a collateral branch. It appears that the will of the second baron, who was so well known as the Liberal Whip and Postmaster-General was drawn up inaccurately. He undoubtedly intended that the personal estate, which amounts to more than three millions', should go with the title ; but the will 'was 0 worded that instead of devolving on the present lord, who is the brother ofthe third baron, the personality returns to tha brother of the second baron.

HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IX ALGERIA. News of a horrible massacre perpetrated by a blackamoor comes from Oran, hi Algeria. A French colonist named Robin lived with his wife and two small children on a farm near Sidi-Bel-Abbes, and had in his employment as a shepherd a, burly negro named Emborek. One morning while .Aidme. Roliin was alone in the house with her two children, her husband having gone out to work in the fields, she felt herself suddenly seized by the hair behindhand then beheld the blackamoor, brandishing a huge knife, which he soon plunged into her throat. Mdme. Roliin received no less than twenty stabs, and was also fearfully hacked and hewn about the face. Wonderful to relate, however, she lias survived, and relates that the negro, who seemed to be " smiling " while he was trying to butcher her, left her for dead and went to the room where her little ones were sleeping. The negro battered out the brains of the children with a shovel and then endeavoured to escape, but was captured by sjig hi*. Ernborek has been condemned to death at the Oran assizes.

ANOTHER CREMATION AT WOKING,

The remains of Mrs. Flora Lindsay Ritchie, the wife of Mr. David 1). Ritchie, Fellow and Tutor of Jesus College, who died at Oxford lately, have been cremated at the building of the Cremation Society of England at Woking. This was in accordance with the deceased lailv's special desire. Prior to the body being taken to the crematorium there was a service at Mr. Ritchie's house, which was attended by about fifty friends, including the Master of Bailiol (Professor Jowett). Professor Max Muller, Professor Rhys, Dr. A. H. Murray, etc. The coffin was covered with wreaths of the choicest flowers sent by friends, and among them was one from the members of the Oxford Women's Liberal Association, of which Mrs. Ritchie was the first secretary, in conjunction with Miss Macdonald. The chief mourners were Mr. Ritchie and Mrs. Ritchie's brother, Mr. A. Macdonnell, Deputy Professor of Sanscrit. The process of cremation occupied about two hours.

MR. GLADSTONE S DOMESTIC HAPPINESS.

Mr. Gladstone, in replying to the congratulations of his friends on the occasion of the golden wedding presentations, thanked the donors for their beautiful gifts, and then dwelt at some length on the references which had been made in the address. He hoped he might be allowed to endorse them as being absolutely accurate. It was difficult for him to give any adequate idea of the domestic happiness which he had enjoyed during the fifty years of his married life. To this extent he concurred entirely in the terms of the address. When it came to the allusions to himself a diriiculty arose, for he could not help but feel that many of the words used were of too flattering a character. Referring to the long time during which he had been in public life, the right ho<). gentleman said his conduct had often been criticised, sometimes, perhaps, unjustly criticised, but he could not help feeling that on the whole these criticisms had been more to his benefit than the reverse. At all events, he could fairly say that in the whole of that long retrospect he could hardly recall in his public life any incident that was in any way painful to his recollection.

a t.ord censured from the bench. The liquidators of the Anglo-Indian and Colonial Institution Company applied to Mr. Justice Kay in the Chancery division, .1 few days ago, for an order against Lord Robert Montagu directing him to return £1000 alleged to have been paid to him out of the funds of the company. It was alleged that Mr. Malgarini, a director, had paid £1000 to Lord Robert Montagu, who was a member of the preliminary expenses committee, and that the money had been used for the purchase of shares in t:ie company. Mr. Justice Kay said that eases of this kind caused him the greatest regret. He could not regard them lightly, and he must deal with them as being very serious. A person with a title, whether it was a courtesy title or not, was eagerly sought after. The public believed that he would act honourably and honestly, and act up to the maxim noblesse oblige. It was obvious that persons with a title of honour ought to be not only honest, but strictly honourable ; but such a transaction as this ought to publicly condemned, lie directed Lord Robert Montagu to repay the £1000, wita interest and costs.

ELOPING WITH A MARRIED GROOM. A Queenstown telegram states that- a daughter, aged IS, of Mr. Levis Robinson, a merchant of Stockport, eloped with her father's groom, a married man and the father of four children. She was taking equestrian lessons when the love passages are supposed to have occurred. The pair embarked at Liverpool on board the steamer Bothnia, having taken passages for America. The runaways were brought ashore an Queenstown, and Miss Robinson was taken home by her father, who had arrived from Stockport in order to recover possession ot his child.

DEATH FROM THE STING OF A BEE. Miss Ella Baker, youngest daughter of Mr. T. Baker, of the Inner-Temple, and Kingscote, Wokingham, was stung under the eye by a bee in the garden, about 12 o'clock on the 13th of July. She treated the matter lightly, and suffered no pain after the customary simple antidote had been applied, saying that she had been stung before, the swelling would run its course and go down again. She continued to be quite cheerful down to 5.30 on the 14th, when she fell asleep on the sofa. At 9.15 she suddenly woke up in a convulsive fit, and died from syncope within a minute, aged '29. Miss Ella Baker was the author of " Bertram do Drumont" and other tales for young people ; also "Stories from Old History," " The Sovereigns of England," " Songa of tho Seasons." and ot' r pieces.