Miscellaneous.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 838, 23 March 1888, Page 32

Miscellaneous.

The last time that Daniel Webster visited the State of Maine there was gieat excitement on the subject of temperance. As soon 'as Webster got into hi 3 room at the hotel he ordered a bottle of brandy. The landlord went up to jhim to explain that the Maine law was just then so strictly enforced that ho dared not bring a bottle of brandy into the house. “The fact is, Mr Webster,” he said, “if I should bring a bottle of brandy into the hotel, there would be a search warrant out for me in no time, and the constable wouldn’t hesitate to come right into your room to serve the warrant 1 ” To this the “god-like Daniel” responded in his most impressive manner—*4 Sir, you bring the brandy here, and 111 soon put it where no search warrant can find it.”

The regatta on Saturday had a peculiar efleet on some of the spectators, and several little differences of opinion as to the merits of the competitors and other matters, whose connection with tho regatta were extremely remote, were settled in a very forcible manner. In one instance apart and diminutive member of one of tho local clubs addressed a few remarks of a not over-com-plimentary nature to a member of a rival local club. The result was that the latter, who was a gentleman of considerable size and muscular power, seized the small one and endeavored by a series of vigorous jerks to shake some of the impudence out of him. The affair caused seme amusement at the time.

Ou Saturday last Mr Lee, the Inspector of Schools, addressed a very large meeting of teachers at the Athenieum, recounting what lie had seen in English schools during his recent holiday. He had seen very little in the Home schools that we had not in operation in our colonial schools, and he thought our best schools in no whit inferior to the best English schools. Mr Lee also gave a very interesting account of schools visited in Bombay and Poonah. Mr Mowbray proposed, and Mr Horne seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr Lee, which was carried by acclamation. At the close of the meeting the Chairman, Mr Macmorran, announced that at the next meeting of the Institute, in June, a discussion would take place on training colleges and the training of teachers, Mr Hardy and himself to lead the discussion. During the meeting Mr Lee exhibited a curious relic, certified to be a piece of that apple tree the falling of an apple from which suggested to Newton the law of gravitation. The challenge return match between the Civil Service and the rest of the Wellington Bowling Club was played on Saturday afternoon, and resulted in a win for the Government by six points. The following are the scores :—Fergus (skip), Cooper, Elliott, Edwin against Seoullar (skip), Flyger, Sample, Leatham; Crombie (skip), G._ P, Wilson, Fisher, Blackett against Gale (skip), McGlashan, Campbell, Kerr; Blair (skip), Lindsay, Gray, Barron against J. C. McKerrow, Lambert, Barraud, K. Wilson. Totals —Civil Service, 54 ; Club, 48. No. 4 rink was occupied by Messrs Duthie (skip), Sloan, Exley, and Hutchens, who played Messrs Dransfield (skip),Gasquoin, Reid, and Pharazyn, the latter winning by 21 to 15. Another of the sets of pairs for the prize bowls will be played off next week between those victorious in the last set. The result of the Sculling Race at the Regatta on Saturday last was an exceedingly unpopular one from a Wellington point of view. Before the race it was considered that one -or other of the local men (McKay and Copeland) must win, in view of their recent form. Unfortunately, however, they fouled, and Foster and Braithwaite were left to finish as they liked, which they could hardly have done otherwise, seeing that they were decidedly out of the hunt when the foul occurred. The umpire’s decision is also questioned. It appears that when McKay’s protest was received the umpire disqualified Copeland, and ordered the race to be rowed over again. When, however, McKay (who was not aware of the umpire’s ruling) withdrew the protest subsequently, the umpire revoked his former decision, presumably as far as rowing the race over again was concerned, but not so far as it had reference to the disqualification of Copeland. The contention of those who take exception to the umpire’s action is that that officer had no right to annul his decision, which, once given, should be final; and that having ordered the race to be rowed again, that must be done, altogether independent of McKay's or any other competitor or competitors’ action. This contention is based on rule XIII of “ The laws of boat racing,” which gives the umpire power (a) to place the boats as they came in ; (b), to order the men to row again ; or (c) to re-start the qualified boats from the Diace where the foul was committed. It is claimed that he decided as provided in section (b), and could not alter his decision.

Doubts having been cast upon the genuineness of the operations of Mr T. A. Kennedy, a mesmerist exhibiting in Melbourne, a private exhibition was given by him, _ at which a large number of the medical profession were present. Five young men who had before been under Mr Kennedy s control were sent into the mesmeric sleep, and various experiments were performed upon them. A needle and thread were drawn through various parts of their bodies, including the tongue and ear. _ One of them 'rro.a made perfectly rigid) and in that state - ■ --a all the efforts of the doctors to compel resisted. muscles ; and a quantity him to relax - administered to the of nanseous stuff was , -—nxed greedily subjects, which they cons..- were under the impression that they . eating sweetmeats. The subjects displayed none of the ordinary after effects, and this was a feature of the phenomenon which went far to convince the doctors of its truth. After an experiment in which pne of the subjects hod been made to eat part of a tallow candle and about 25gr of cayenne pepper, Dr Neild briefly addressed the company. He said that he had always been very sceptical about such exhibitions. At the same time he was very wiahfnl to ascertain the truth, and ha must say that in the subject operated upon the ordinary effects of cayenne pepper were not in the least observable. A large dose of cod liver oil and

quinine was given to another of the subjects as brandy ; and Mr Kennedy assured the co'mpany that the potation, which, under ordinary circumstances, would seriously disturb the constitution of any man, would have no effect whatever. Several of the medical gentlemen present, while expressing the conviction that the phenomena were genuine, stated that they would like to see Mr Kennedy operate on some perfect stranger to him. It was arranged that on a future occasion Mr Kennedy should give a performance to a select audience of medical gentlemen, when the subject will be further investigated.