GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9172, 29 September 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

A WOMAN ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY YEARS . OLD. Probably in no country are examples of longevity so numerous and so striking as in Russia. Almost every day the newspapers contain well authenticated accounts of women and men who took part in, and have a vivid recollection of, the most noteworthy events of the last quarter of the eighteenth century. The latest of these instances is that of a woman who is only forty years younger than the Patriarch Isaac was when lie died. This human relic of the past, who celebrated her 140 th birthday some weeks ago, lives exclusively on potatoes and milk. She was at all times a strict teetotaller. She is still j lively, brisk, and cheerful, and can read I without spectacles. A GLOOMY FICTCRFI OF LONDON. ! Cardinal Manning his just, delivered a ' remarkable discourse, reported in the Tab- i let, in which, among other thing's, lie gives j a very gloomy picture of London and the j disintegration of human society in these' j latter days. He says :—" London is a desolation beyond that of any city in the Christian world. Four millions of human beings, ; *' of whom two millions have never set their foot in any place of Christian worship ; and among these two millions God only knows how few have been baptised, how few have been born again of water and the Holy Ghost. London is a wilderness. It L? like Rome of olda pool into which all the nations of the world streamed together and all the sins of all the nations were continually flowing. Such is the London at this day." THE "WHITE PASHA." A third hypothesis is now started about the " White Pasha." What if he should lnj General Gordon? He might have escaped, concealed his identity, taken refuge in the far South, ingratiated himself with the people, stirred up the tribes, organised .t force of soldiers, waited his opportunity, and made his first onslaught at a point where he could be easily mistaken for Emm Pasha or Stanley. All this fixes itself pleasantly enough on the mind. It is the ro- "j mance we should like to be true. But wo [ have to put it aside with logical severity to discuss what is to be done, if anything, between Wady Haifa and Khartoum. There is a cry for Zebehr Pasha as a warden of the marches. He is clearly the man, I but he must have a free hand. Can the

Egyptian Government be trusted to act in' this matter without a spur from this country'.' We doubt it; and unless there is this action we may see Stanley in danger, or blockaded, or hindered in a glorious work. THE GOOD WHICH RATS DO. Though the rat is a despised animal, says Good Housekeeping, yet he is a useful servant to man, for the animal lives in and '% near human habitations and eats every particle of refuse and filth that he can get, at. He is the only animal which can thrive and keep a clean coat in the most filthy localities, where the air would be fatal to any other creature. I?ats are almost incessantly licking their fur to keep it clean, and, though they doubtless become ;i nuisance in many instances and placet, veto they after all perioral great- service for mankind, especially in cities, by cleaning up every edible thing that would event; ally become a source of noisome odours and of disease. THE LOST LOVER. An old lady asked Mr. Bros, at Dalston Police Court, to assist in finding her daughter's lover. Mr. Bros : I have no power to find him. Applicant : But he has promised her marriage and committed himself. Mr Bros : If he has promised to marry her, you can firing an action in a superiorcourt. Applicant: But we can't find him, and there's trouble coming. Mr. Bros :If trouble comes you can make him pi.y. Applicant: I thought your worship mights bring him back before it happens. Air. Bros : No, I cannot help you. He may 30 on the other side of the world. A HINT TO BILIOUS I'EOPLE. It must be borne in mind that regulating the diet will do you more good than any amount of physic. If you are not prepare.! to put yourself to a little inconvenience in the matter, and give up some o: your accus-

tomed luxuries for the sake of getting well, it is no good going to the doctor—yoi had better try the undertaker. \on shoull never forget that that which may ultin* ately destroy life tuo often enters by tie same portal as that which is intended D support it. For the maintenance of healtl, it is necessary for most people to put i curb upon their appetites. If your live: shows any signs of performing its work badly, you had better take it in time, and cut off supplies. You will have to give up entrees, and shun all highly-seasoned dishes, as you would the plague. Some people; may get on very well with them, but they '• are poison to you. You had better label them mentally with a skull and crossbones. , A HUNDRED AND TWELVE YEARS OLD. A man has just passed from us for ever i who was a living link between the p;esenu age and that in which the earlier struggles of the Americans for independence took place. In fact, the Battle of Bunker s Hill was fought within the twelve months preceding the birth of John M Donnell, whose death is now announced from Ireland. He was, therefore, a hundred and twelve years old when nature at last succumbed to the destroyer it had so long resisted. "He regard with wonder the few men remaining alive who bore arms on the memorable field of Waterloo in 1815, but John M'Donnell fought in the Irish rebellion of 1798, and must have been twenty-two years old at; the time. He could probably distinctly recollect the news coming of the execution of Louis XVI., and, nine months later, the decapitation of Marie Antoinette. He had, indeed, heard of many revolutions and attempted revolutions in the course of his long life. His memory seems to have been pretty retentive to the last, and within tho past six months he is said to have related stories of the rebellion in which he fruitlessly took part. BIG SALARIES. Some interesting figures in regard to salaries have been elicited in a suit now in progress in Brooklyn against a bakingpowder company. It was shown that the president of the company drew a salary of 50,000d01, the vice-president 30,000d01, and the treasurer GOOCdol. The president oi a paint and varnish company, who was introduced as an expert in regard to salaries, stated that the superintendent of his company received 50,000d0l a year, while the yearly business did not exceed :>,000,000d01. Another witness stated that in companies with which lie was acquainted the chief executive officers received from oOOOdol to 50,000d0l a year, while a representative of a kerosene oil company said that he knew one officer of a large corporation who received a salary of 30,000d0l a year, and two others who received '20,000d0l each. These

figures (says the Baltimore Sun) arc enormous, and were unknown until the days of trust and combinations. The explanation is furnished in the testimony of one of the witnesses, who said the business of the company with which he is connected had been increased until the profits had reached 450 per cent, on the original capital stock. lIOW KAISER WILHELM TESTS THE EFFICIENCY OF HIS TROOPS. Berlin, Aug. lis —It is believed here that before the end of the year Emperor William will have changed the roster of the entire German army. He is removing generals to the retired list and decapitating subordinate officers at an astonishing rate. One day this week the Emperor galloped to the Hussar barracks at Potsdam at 5 o'clock in the morning, caused a general alarm to be sounded and turned all troops from their beds to check a supposed invasion of the enemy from Spandau. Some of the superior officers were slow in turning out, and were punished in consequence. The Emperor is testing his army by some surprising device of this kind nearly every day, and it results in an amazing number of removals and Ganges. A FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR DOG. J. K. Emmett, of Albany, has just pur- { chased Plinlimmon, the best St. Bernard J dog of his day. He is said to have paid ; 5000dol for him, the largest price ever , given for a dog. Plinlimmon is about five / years old, and has never but once been beaten on the show bench, and even that is , regarded as a mistake on the part of the ; judges. He was bred by T. Hall, of Liver- J pool, and is a son of Pilgrim. When but a I few weeks old he vaas sold for 150dol, and 'y he was resold by his second owner within a t few months for 1500. He had already jJ| begun a remarkable career of success, and v shortly afterwards he passed through one or two more hands and was purchased by his late owner, S. W. Smith, of Leeds, for ! 4000 dollars*