Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12239, 7 April 1903, Page 5

'';'.. King Edward has been everywhere re- '"' : ceived in Portual with great enthusiasm, and in his speeces has emphasised the im- ; portance of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance as.a potent factr in the interests of peace and civilisation. A Russian newspaper de- ' clares that Britin wishes to goad Russia into war in the Balkans, in order to tie her lands, and so prmit of Britain achieving her ends in the?ar East. At a memorial service held in bfia in connection with the loss of 24 men. were cut tc pieces by Basin Bazouks lad other troops in Macedonia, the pries) eulogised the fallen men, who were unde ; two Bulgarian officers, while speakers otside commended their ex- . ample to the Mcedonians. The Mullah, in Somaliland, S reported to be 70 miles north-west of Gaadi, with 12,000 men. Serious rioting ha; occurred in Madrid, the rioters consisth? of students and workmen. The police wee stoned, and retaliated by firing on the nob, many being killed and wounded. TJe revolutionists, in San Domingo, who -vere threatening the capital, have, it is reputed, been defeated by General Vasques. A French steamer,' loaded with explosive, is reported to have foundered in the Gdf of Lion, her cargo having exploded. the had 35 of a crew and six ypassengers. Mr. Chamberlain contradicts the story tha> a dissolution is to take place in the autumi, and that it is proposed to create a Legislative Council in Ireland. Seventy-four mineowners in Wales have formed' a Boird of Conciliation to periodically regulate wages. There has been an epidemic of measles at 'Fiji, both amongst Europeans and natives. Up to the Ist imst. some 300 cases were reported, but there had been no fatalities. The public schools throughout the group have been closed in consequence of the epidemic. Early in 1875 Fiji was visited by a similar outbreak, when it was estimated that about 40,0C0 natives succumbed. The wife of a carter named Stacey, resident at Dublin-street, Ponsonby, drank some carbolic acid on Saturday last in mistake for medicine. She had been suffering from a severe headache, and was seen by her daughters to enter her bedroom. Here she was found shortly afterwards lying on the bed in great pain. She remarked that she believed that she had taken, the wrong medicine, and the state of her mouth indicated that she had swallowed carbolic acid. Dr. Bedford was at once summoned, and administered the usual remedies. Mrs. Stacey I had then become unconscious, and remained ; so till Sunday morning. She is now making ! a good recovery. j

The ancient April fool " cat jest'' was successfully played off upon a Christchurch merchant through the medium of the daily newspaper last Wednesday. In response to an advertisement running as follows: — "Wanted, a dozen cats," an individuals, accompanied by a mysterious sack, visited the address named at an early hour, and inquired what terms the merchant was prepared to give for a choice assortment of cats. In reply to an angry inquiry, the visitor directed his questioner's attention to the advertisement, and it is said that he left immediately afterwards, still in possession of his consignment of felines. Subsequently telephone messages surged up, either giving or inquiring quotations for parcels of cats, until, in despair, the telephone was at length placed out of communication.

During her passage from Gisborne to Auckland on Sunday, the s.s. Waikare, when about 17 miles from Gisborne, struck a submerged object. The steamer left Gisborne early on Sunday morning, with fine clear weather, but it shortly afterwards came on thick and foggy, necessitating the steamer's engines being put at reduced speed. Shortly after six a.m. the vessel was felt to bump slightly. There was no shock, the officer on duty "uescribing the bump as if the vessel has struck some soft object. The steamer was at once stopped and soundings taken, the depth of water being found to be 24 fathoms in the vicinity. The Waikare was about four miles oft the land at the time, the usual course being followed. Upon arrival at Auckland the Waikare was surveyed by Mr. McGregor, Government inspecting engineer, and it was found that the steamer had suffered no damage, and she proceeded on her voyage to Sydney last night.

A number of dairy farmers in the Manawatu district (says the Times) have recently discovered a fact about dehorning which has proved a very expensive'lesson. The operation was performed when the milk yield was on the down grade, with the result that there was a sudden decline, which was never regained, in, the supply. The direct loss in each case was heavy. Dehorning, it is said, should only be performed when a cow is in her most vigorous condition and at the start of the milking season, when the yield is vndergoing a natural daily increase.