GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8264, 24 May 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

INDIAN CIVIL SERVANTS AND THE RUPEE. A number of gentlemen interested in the Indian Uncovenanted and Civil Engineers' Associations dined together on March 14 at the Hotel Metropole, under the presidency of Sir. R. Lethbridge, M.P., who, iu the course of the evening, read a letter from Sir John Gorst stating that the grievances of those represented at the dinner including their claim for the full value of the rupee, should be inquired into by a Select Committee, and that a Government motion to this effect would be made at the earliest opportunity during the present session. THE POPE'S IDEAL. We are told by the Rome correspondent of the Standard that Leo's prosent ideal is that of general disarmament, to be brought about by the moral pressure of the Church together with the widest possible dissemination of the fact that the continuance of the present armaments must bring ruin not to one or two Powers, but to all alike. But side by side with this the correspondent notes the opinion held by many of those in the Vatican whose business lies chiefly in dealing with the outside world. A hio-h official personage in the Vatican recently observed that a European war, which would be short though terrible and exhaustive would be the best solution of the present tangled state of things, and infinitely preferable to that social war which will otherwise burst upon Europe unprepared, but which might be met by needful study and preparation were time given for the purpose. FISH PORTER'S DARING FEAT. An extraordinary feat was performed by a man named Fuller, a porter at Billingsgate Market, lately. He made a bet that he would jump from London Bridge tied in a sack, his only stipulation being that he should have a knife—which he was not to open until he touched the water — with which to rip open the sack. He and a few of his friends accordingly proceeded to London Bridge at three o'clock. He was tied in a sack, and then he immediately jumped into the water. He succeeded in opening the sack, and it was not long before he appeared on the surface of the water. He was then picked up by some men who were waiting for him in a boat and conveyed safely to shore. NINETY MILES AN HOPE.

Trials of the latest express compound locomotive of the North-eastern Railway on the 125 miles between Newcastle and Edinburgh show remarkably high speeds. A train of 32 carriages, having a total weight of 270 tons, was ran between Newcastle and Berwick, a distance of 67 miles, in 78 minutes. In another trial, with a special train of 18 carriages, the unparalleled speed of about 90 miles an hour was obtained. The highest speed, as measured by stopwatch, was just over 1 § miles a minute. A HEBREW SCHOLAR. The death of Dr. Franz Delitzsch, at Leipzig, removes from the world one of the most learned Hebrew scholars of modern times. Dr. Delitzsch was 77 years old, and had been a professer for forty years—first at Erlangen, and afterwards at Leipzig. His greatest work, perhaps, was that on the " Psalms" ; but his "Genesis," "Proverbs," and " Isaiah" were all monuments of learned and masterly exposition. Delitzsch was the greatest champion of orthodoxy and of the older conservative criticism in any of the German Universities ; but before his death he modified his views on the Pentateuch, accepting some of the views of the modern and more radical critics. THE LONDON SOCIETY OF COMPOSITORS. The members of the London Society of Compositors have lately been voting on the questions of an advance in wages, a lessening of the hours of labour, and the abolition, as far as possible, of overtime. Although nob definitely stated, it is believed that the "'stab" hands will demand an advance to 40s per week, the present wages being 365. They will ask that the hours be reduced to 48 per week, and that the payment of overtime be raised, in order to induce employers to engage more hands. The demands will not, it is expected, be made until the autumn. The result of the voting has noli yet been made known, but it is believed a large majority will be foued to be in favour of the demands being pressed. SERIOUS RESULTS OF A PRACTICAL JOKE. A serious fracas took place lately in the streets of Kecskemet, in Hungary. Count Czaky, a lieutenant in the army, played a practical joke upon a merchat named Beer, who retaliated by using insulting language and refused to withdraw his remarks. The Count consequently gave Herr Beer a cut with a dog whip, but the latter snatched the whip from his assailant and began to thrash him. Thereupon the Count drew his sword and wounded his adversary. The quarrel caused a considerable crowd to collect, and when Count Czaky used his sword the people became indignant and tried to lynch him, and in the melee he was struck to the ground and seriously wounded by a blow from a crowbar. HEAVY SENTENCE ON BABY FARMERS. At Liverpool assizes, William Pearson, Elizabeth Pearson, and Sarah Bray were charged with causing the deaths of two children, May and Rosina Oldfield, b> systematic neglect. The children were the illegitimate daughters of a widow of means named Oldfield, residing at Birkdale, and had been entrusted to the prisoners to nurse. They had, it was alleged, been treated with such systematic neglect as to cause their death. Oldfield recently married again. The Pearsons were found "Guilty," and Mr. Justice Mathew sentenced them—William Pearson to penal servitude for seven years, and his wife for five years. THE GOOSE QUILL V. THE STEEL PEN. In the English Patent Office, where of all places in the world some knowledge of I inventions should exist, the steel pen is unknown. The old goose quill is the most recent writing implement in existence, so far as can be gathered by a visit to the official library, and as many a quill is as useful for legible writing as the end of a burub match, some of the notes taken there much resemble the track of a snail. THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A JUDGE. Before Baron Pollock, at Nottingham assizes, Wilhelm Edward Arnemann, aged 44, a dentist holding a Berlin diploma, was tried for attempting to murder Samuel Boteler Bcistowe, Q.C., Judge of the Nottingham County Court, in November last. Arnemann had been nonsuited in several County Court actions on the ground of the insufficiency of his diploma, and upon the last occasion, after the County Court rose, he awaited the departure of Judge Bristowe from the railway station. Just as the Judge was entering the compartment Arnemann stepped quickly up, pointed a revolver close to the Judge's back, and fired. The Judge was seriously wounded, and for many weeks remained in a critical condition. He was unable, indeed, to appear on Saturday. Arnemann, who defended himself, said ho was smarting under a sense of injustice, and was temporarily insane. The Judge passed a sentence of twenty years' penal servitude. THE KANGAROO IN ENGLAND. A discussion is going on in the columns of a contemporary about the acclimatisation of the kangaroo. One correspondent says the animal was, so far back as 1852, to all intents and purposes, acclimatised at Beeston Hill, Cheshire, the property of the then Captain Tollemache, of Peckferton Old Castle. The hill, a conical one, 1000 feet high, surmounted by the ruins of the old castle, has, at about one-third of its height, been girt round with a lofty stone wall, and above this wall the kangaroos have the entire range of the hill, and being beyond the reach of children, they have become as docile as sheep. A second correspondent says :—" Kangaroos were kept, and perhaps still are, by a gentleman at Sidmouth. One escaped when a slight fall of snow was on the ground. The footprints being so peculiar and far apart, gave rise to a scare that the Devil was loose."

DECIMAL SYSTEM IN OUR SCHOOLS. The action of the London of Commerce in so readily accepting a motion in favour of the introduction of the decimal system of coinage and weights of measures in our elementary schools will, of course, give an additional importance to the agitation. It will, however, be brought with greater emphasis before the Education Department in the course of a few weeks. The teachers themselves are, the Manchester Courier London correspondent hears, likely to take action upon the matter. In fact, at the National Union Conference a resolution will be submitted declaring that the system is absolutely necessary, both in the interests of education and commerce. This resolution will have the support of delegates from many of the more active commercial districts.