GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9491, 21 April 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

GENERAL NEWS.

"• SKSfIATIONAL STORY FROM MOSCOW A sensational story has beer, current !„ military circles ab Moscow for some tim. pasb. A squadron of Russian dragoons was lately passing along the Rusuo-German frontier line when they suddenly observed a body of Prussian Uhlans on the other side firing at a frontier post, which they wlr« using as a target. 6wing to the fact th£ the post bore the Russian Imperial arms namely, the two-headed eagl e -th com. mander of the Russian squadron sent word to the officers in command of the Uhlan, requestiug him to stop the practice da daring that ib constituted both a violation of the frontier and an insult to Russia The Prussians, however, continued firin and the Russians, then losing patience fell* upon them. A skirmish followed, in which several men were killed on both side" and finally the Uhlans fell back, the Russians pursuing them for some distance "into Prussian, territory. The officers who are responsible for the story positively decline to specify the dragoon regiment alleged to have been concerned in the affair nor the point on the frontier where the incident occurred, declaring that they are unwiliino | to create an international misunderstanding or to cause annoyance to their comrades. ° A REMINISCENCE OF THE SIEGE 01? PARIS. Everybody conversant with the history of the siege of Paris by the Germans will remember that the inhabitants of the beleaguered city were fed for a time on the flesh of African and Asiatic beasts and birds of prey from the Zoological Gardens. There has lately been discovered a packet of letters which throw an interesting liu-hb on this matter. These documents have been deposited in the Carnavalet Museum. They were addressed by M. Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, Director of the Jardin d'Acclimatation in the Bois de Boulogne, to M. Deboos a butcher on the Boulevard Haussmann, and refer to the prices which were asked for the animals required for the nourishment of starving Parisians. Zebras, buffaloes reindeer, antelopes, wild boars, a kangaroo' a cassowary, and a black swan were killed during the month of October, IS7O, together with several rare ducks, pheasants, and geese. The cassowary was sold for £8 and the kangaroo for half that sum. In November an antelope fetched £40, and prices began to ascend rapidly all round. Thus a bear cost the butcher, Deboos, £20, and £88 was given for a wild boar. During the Christmas period two camels from the Garden were sold at £200. On December 29 M. Deboc9 took over the two elephants which were the veritable pieces de resistance of his food supply. They cost him 27,000f, or £1080. He soon sawed up their colossal carcases, and sold the pieces at a profit. SAD AFFAIR AT HACKNEY. A tragic occurrence happened on Hackney Marshes about midday on Sunday, March 4. Ib appears that a young man named Fisher and some companions were out bird-shoot-ing on the Marshes. When near a place known as "Steven's Shoot," near the White House, the gun carried by a man named Hughes suddenly went off, with the result that the top of Fisher's head was completely shattered. Death was instantaneous. The ambulance was procured, and the body was conveyed to Hackney Mortuary, where ib was identified as thab of Christopher Fisher, aged '23, late of Prince Edward Road, Hackney Wick. ISo ill-feeling existed between the men, who were both employed at Ingram's indiarubber factory, Hackney Wick, and ib is stated thab they were more like brother? together than ordinary friends. AN IRISH JUDGE'S PROTEST. At the conclusion of the Clare Assizes, Mr. Justice O'Brien, in discharging the grand jury, and addressing the foreman, Captain Charles George O'Callaghan, expressed the hope thab if any crime was committed in Clare by next assizes, some other judge would come bo try ib, because, while 117 cases had been reported to the police since the last assizes, the neb resulb of bhe presenb assizes in Ennis was that of all the persons charged five had been tried, and one, tried on a charge of wounding, was found guilty of common assault, and in every other case the jury had disagreed. He must say, and he desired ib to be understood as his opinion expressed in court now as on former occasions, thab ib was not possible to try any criminal cases in County Clare without their resulting in open contempt of the law. He then discharged the grand jury. THE RESULT OF A PRACTICAL JOKE. At Mosael Bay, Cape Colony, a young lady named Pienaar recently wenb bo visit her brother, a farmer, and by way of a practical joke dressed herself in a man's clothes, thinking to frighten him. In the dusk she advanced upon him with outstretched arms, and as the figure he dimly saw gave no answer to his challenge be raised his gun and fired. His sister fell shot through the arm, and has since been under medical treatment for a wound that might easily have been fatal. THE MATABELE AND THE MAXIM. An officer who took part in the Matabele Campaign wrote to Mr. H. S. Maxim concerning the use of his gun in the Matabele campaign. Dated Buluwayo, January 6, the letter is as follows:—" During the late Matabele campaign I was artillery officer in charge of all the British South Africa Company's guns, including seven Maxims. Next mail I will send you a more detailed report of the working of these machineguns in action. Various possible improvements for carriage and tripod mounting suggested themselves to me, both in this i war and during my nearly four years' residence in this part of Africa. I will I merely state now that it is a universally ad--1 mitted fact that to the Maxim guns is due in a great measure the success hitherto of the British South Africa Company's forces. Every Matabele wo spoke to had the same story, namely, they did nob mind our rifle fire as they themselves had Martinis, bub what beat them off and prevented them closing in on our laager and rating us up was the zi-go-go-gothe name they gave to the Maxim gun. If one bullet missed they were bound to be hit by the next if they stayed, and if they ran away the bullets would follow them up and kill them when the gun itself was out of sighc. They would fight us if we left our Maxims at home. The guns all worked admirably throughout, although very inferior ammunition was sometimes used. The unusual knocking about they often had to undergo fully tested their capabilities for use in a wild and savage country. I never once had a gun out of action." TUMULT IN A FRENCH COLLEGE. There was a scene of great uproar among the students who assembled at the Sorbonne the other day to attend tho lecture of i . Brunetiere, who was recently elected to tB French Academy. The students evidently resented the lecturer's opposition to to candidature of M. Zola for the Aca e y. Shouts of "Vive Zola" were raised, and m. Brunetiere had to give up all idea of speaking. The tumult having once begun, however, went from bad to worse, and even ally the police had to be called in ° the lecture hall, in which considerable damage was done. SPANISH HOPES OK GIBRALTAR. The Globo states thab there is about to be formed in Madrid an association unc er title of "Gibraltar," whoso roeimbera .J", comprise personages distinguished fo patriotism, integrity, and learningprincipal object will be to obtain i cession of Gibraltar to Spain, an have numerous branches in the p rj The journal says "We can only a PP'® this idea, as everything that ten^ 3 „ ° , d tralise the territorial dominion of ft over a corner of our peninsula mus the approbation of all Spaniards. Let « remember, however, thab Gibra anc { to be recovered by speech-ma , ana while the island of Tarifa, the Panto era Carnero, Isla Verde, and Sierra > remain unprovided with £" n8 fch r9 w h o will only laugh at us, as well as others wno knbw the true solution of the problem. DEATH 'OF TWO PARISIAN PETS. Two oaale ourang-oubangs, of which Jan has been jxceeding proud, have recen y died in captivity at the Jardin, d tion in 'ike most of their kind, y . cumbed to pneumcma. Their ° 01 '? gTb is described as the most agonising - possible bo listen to, on i\ cc^ fc d ° t0 the presence of bags' which de*cen^ give extremity of the che3fe » liar intensity. their utterances a most pecuha One of bhe ourangs was very old. Its *£-» has been purchased by the Museum ral History for 1700f.