MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1423, 8 June 1899, Page 17

MISCELLANEOUS.

Eight bankruptcies occurred in Wellington last month, the same number ns in May, 1898. it is believed that Air _ Hanlon, of Dunedin, wili, owing to Mr Jellicoe's suspension, defend Joseph Myers in the Supreme Court, Mr James Hunter, the recently-ap-pointed general manager of the “New Zealand Times ” Company, arrived in Wellington from Dunedin last week, and has assumed the duties of his new office. About twenty-five residents of Nelson assembled at the Troeadero last night for the purpose of forming a Nelson Society. A Provisional Committee was appointed to draw up rules, and report to a future meeting, of which due notice will be given.

It is proposed to establish a marine fishing station in cne of the bays at Blueskin. near Port Chalmers. Otago, and probably within the next year or two efforts will bo made to intro/mm herring, cod. haddock and turbot from the O.d Couutrv.

The current number of the “Gazette” contains a copy of the amended regulations for the entry of engineer students and students in naval construction into the Imperial Navy. Three c: studentships” are given annually to colonial youths, and the names of the candidates for the competitive entrance examination must be lodged with the Admiralty by February Ist each year. On Wednesday afternoon, about 2.30, while the Charles and Arthur was discharging coal into the trucks at the railway wharf, Mr W. 11. Scoones, the foreman of the Westport Company’s coal hulks, met with a rather painful accident. He was knocked off a plank, and in falling came in contact with the combings of the hatch, which injured him severe'”. j-e will be confined to his bed for some considerable time. When the s.s. Elingamite was passing Willie Island, in the Bay of Plenty, early on Wednesday morning, unusual volcanic activity was noticed there. A further section of the Seaward Bush Railway in Otago from the present terminus to Waimahaka. a distance of seven miles, is to be opened for traffic on the 9th hist. Probably the Premier and the Minister of Public Works will be present at the opening. A somewhat peculiar statement was made bv a medical ’witness in a case before the Christchurch Supreme Court on Monday last—that epidemic influenza is an agent which develops kleptomania, and that this disease is a/so accountable for mental perversion. The theory of the witness was that the accused, who was charged with stealing a bicycle, had dene so under wlnit lie termed “ mental perversion.’' caused by epidemic influenza. The jury found the accused guilty. His Honor sentenced him to three months’ imprisonment. At the New Plymouth Police Court on Monday. Charles Richardson, a person described as a “pugilist,” not unknown in Well ington, was charged with assaulting one Charles Sifflet. Complainant’s counsel said only one blow was struck, resulting in a broken nose and a pair of black eyes, but it was about as good a practical demonstration of combined force and science as any prize fighter would wish to give. Richardson said that after lie had boon abused by complainant, and struck twice by him, be put b's hand out and Sifflet ran against it. The Magistrate thought the story told by informant untrue and dismissed the ease. A remark attributed in the press to Mr Haselden, S.M., during the bearing of a recent case that : “ Expressmen would not work unless they could make throe or four shillings an hour.'' was *?lt at the time by the Carriers’ Union to have been quite uncalled for, and. in addition. not in accordance with fact. The executive of the union accordingly wrote to the Magistrate drawing Ids attention to the matter. Mr Haselden. in replying. said that, under the circumstances, lie would break the rule which restricted the Bench from discussing such a question. but, as a matter of fact, the words were not used by him in the manner they had been held to indicate. He had simply made a comment upon a statement of a judgment debtor that he could nor earn more than three or four shillings a day. but was not made as a complaint agn in s t ex p r ess in cn.

Representatives of ihe Shipmasters’ Association. Captains Kennedy, Wheeler and Cook, waited on the Minister of Marine yesterday and suggested that the Government should place on the rocks below Bencarrow Head a Norwegian oil lamp, similar to the one recently placed on exhibition by Captain Marlin at Ids house in Kanvarra. Inter alia, the deputation pointed out that tlio fog-signal-ling system at the Heads was not a success. as the noise made by the explosion of tlio gun cotton could not be heard at any great distance in heavy weather. The Hon Hall-Jones, in reply, said he had been convinced of the simplicity and usefulness of theNonvegian light, and promised to obtain one for use in the Wellington Harbour. He declined to promise to have a light placed a„t the Heads, however, until the effect of the new light to be erected at Soames Island was seen, lie thought a Norwegian light might with advantage be place at Port Underwood, and promised to see if a cheaper and more effective apparatus for fog-signalling could be obtained for use at the Heads and in other parts of the colony.

Mr A. Saunders, formerly M.H.R. for Sciwyn. who contemplates taking a trip to the Old Country, has resigned from the North Canterbury Education Board. On Wednesday last he was presented by his fellow-members with an illuminated address, bound in morocco. Many complimentary references were made to the excellent services rendered by Mr Saunders on the Board, of which he had been a member for twenty rears.

Arrangements arc being made for tiro production at the Opera House on Wednesday and Tutus Jay next or ine first act of the Maori vrar drama (recently performed at Petone with much success) by a local gentleman in conjunction with Air Albert Lucas in dramatic recitals. The production will be under the persona! supervision of Mr Lucas, who staged a few weeks ago. Mr Lucas’s recitals will include a number of new items. The company will be further strengthened by a number of lady and gentlemen vocalists notably Messrs E. H. Mozar, F. S. Rope and Misses Kathleen Hickling. Beatrice A art ha and Emily Briasco. Thirty, natives will take part in the drama. A Now York Dalziel message to the •Westminster Gazette” provides an interesting announcement that the pugilist Sullivan has been converted by " Mr Moody, the well-known Evangelist, and R °r /'Mcmh Mr Moody's cervices ru-g-marly. . lie has abandoned ids drinking habits, and foresworn the use of oaths. It appears that ho and Mr Moody have been living in the same hotel, and that tide Evangelist, alter talking to the pugilist nightly upon his spiritual condition, induced him to attend a, service, when further good impressions wc-re made. Mr Moody soys Sullivans conversion is one of the most genuine compliments be ever received. Wheelmen everywhere will he interested in a Bill wliica has been bitrouuced onto the Legislature of the province of Ontario. C’anadh, providing for tlio issue of licenses to cyclists by county boards. The roes thus obtained arc to be expended in the construction iff rvcm paths along the roads, for the--exclusive uso or Wheelmen. The press of Toronto ana other Ontario cities objects -to the measure ou principle. Roads should he bunt and maintained to racer the needs of the population in general, not tiro convenience of a particular class. Besides, it is urged that there :s really no more justification for taxing evokes in this connection than for taxing 'v.aggon.s or slices. A waggon tax was tried in Ontario some years ago, but abandoned. Tlio hideous crime of poisoning by pest, has taken a new form in America.' Tlio otuer, oay (says the “Wes unins ter Gazette”) was reported the case of a lady who was killed by a poisoned bookmark ; to-day (April 13) Dalziel reports Gem Omaha that Miss Cora Tanner, a popular actress, received a handsome bouquet of flowers and a box or bonbons yesterday. She smelt the bovvers and ate some of the sweets, and soon became unconscious, and is now dying. The gifts were found on examination to be impregnated with prussic acid/' It ih notable how often vast wealth seems to bo vested in childless peon!?. Lord Hertford, dying a bachelor. left his enormous fortune to Sir Richard Wallace. Sir Richard, who was childless bequeathed it to his widow, and from her it passed—save, the bequest to the nation—to a t-o.tal stranger in blood. Again, Baron Ferdinand de RothscniM left no issue, and now Baroness Hirseh, who has only survived her husband a year, dies childless, leaving manv millions. At an entertainment at Oadby. near Leicester, on April 8, one of the scenes represented a light between British and Chinese. The former carried muzzleloauing guns, and one of these, unknown, to tlio performers, proved to bo loaded with small shot. The result was that seven persons were injured, and two—- . Edward Clarke, aged eighteen, and Edward Bates, agod eleven—are in the Leicester Infirmary. Tire latter, “whose jaw was shot oft, was not expected’ to recover. A curious accident occurred at Nice on Sunday, 2nd April. Two men wore riding along the Promenade des Anglais, one on a petroleum bicycle, the other oil an ordinary machine. Suddenly there was, a flame and a loud report, and the ride; of the petroleum bicycle fell to the ground writhing with pain, while his comrade was knocked down. An examination showed that the petroleum reservou had caught fire and exploded, severely burning the rider on the hands, face and

chc-st. The unfortunate man died aide; J terrible suffering. The other cycle was shattered to pieces. Tho Mataura “Ensign” understands that Mr S. Fletcher intends to ship Homo considerable quantities of frozen veal by nay of experiment, and should that article command a price fairly proportionate to the values ruling for Home-grown veal, further shipments will follow as a matter of course. The Southland Frozen Meat Company is just now feeling, as it were, the pulse of the British breakfast table with sliipments of frozen lambs’ fry. These delicacies are got up in a manner that should tempt the most fastidious, being packed in small crates fitted with removable trays, on which are placed carefully washed and dried lambs’ fry, wrapped in waterproof butter paper! Considerable quantities of these delicacies have been shipped, but as the account sales are not -yet to hand, the company is not in a position to know whether or not the industry will prove a lucrative one.