HERE AND THERE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1510, 7 February 1901, Page 13

HERE AND THERE.

In; tlx© production of common watch glasses the glass is blown into a sphere about a metre in diameter, sufficient material being taken to give the desired thickness, as the case may be. Discs are then cut out from the sphere with the aid of a pair of compasses having a diamond at the extremity of on© leg. There is a knack in detaching the disc after it has been cut. A good workman will, it is said, cut 6000 glasses in a day.

*{■ « * . Mr Serjeant Willems once defeudcM a breach of promise epse for a singularly ugly little man, which he told the defendant, afaer reading his brief, must bo “bounced” through. And tlm Serjeant did bounce it through in a ti'U.y remarkable manner. ‘Gentlemen of t g jury,” he said, at the close of a most eloquent speech, “you have heard the evidence for the plaintiff; and, gentleman of the jury, you have seen and aunsired that most bewitching plaintiff -•‘•rself. Gentlemen, do you believe thac this enchanting, this fascinating, tins captivating, this accomplished lady would for one. moment favour the advances or listen with anything save scorn and indignation to the amorous protestations of the wretched and repulsive homunculus, the deformed and degraded defendant?” His client locked up from the well of the Court and piteously murmured : “Mr Serjeant WiL* kins! Oh, Mr Serjeant Wilkins!” “Silence, Sir!” replied the serjeant, in a wrathful undertone. “Gentlemen,” lie continued, bringing his fist down heavily oil the desk before him, “do you think that this lovely lady, this fair and smiling creature, would ever have permitted an offer of marriage to be made to her by this miserable atom of humanity, this stunted creature, who would have to stand on a sheet of notepaper to look over twopence?” The jury at once gave a verdict for the defendant.

An amusing incident (writes a correspondent of London “Free Lance”), for the truth, of which I can vouch, occurred recently, when the sorting of Ministers was going on. A Scottish gentleman of the Independent Free Kirk arrived in London, and, establishing himself at an East End Hotel, recorded himself in the visitors' book as “A. Balfour, Minister.” To his great surprise he was treated as one of the'elect of the earth. The landlord bowed to his toes, the landlady smirked, and the serving maids—there were no .waiters —grinned -with delight whenever he was in view. The canny Scott never realised the situation till he gob his bill. “Ma certie, mon!” he exclaimed, when he had perused the document, “ye’d far. cy I was Lord Salisbury.” “Well, sir,” responded the landlord, “V/e all know you’re next door to him!” And the delighted North Britain not only said never a word, but gave good “hansel” to the waiting-folk.

11l regard to the British, rights to the valuable property in-Brussels purchased last year by the Transvaal Charge d’Affaires on behalf of the then existing republic, Dr B. Oppenheim, in a letter published recently, makes it clear how the matter stands. The point, he says,is one of the so-called "Succession of States.” When'. a State loses its personality, either because it voluntarily merges into another State or because it is conquered in war and annexed, such a Succession of States” takes place. And, according to' a customary rule of international law, the fiscal property and funds of the extinct state devolve on its successor, as also do its debts. Thero can, consequently, be no doubt that tho property of the former South African Republic in Belgium must be transferred to England as its successor.

Whatever may become of the projected German Zollverein, British ship-own-ers may well feel misgivings at the ever-increasing rivalry of Germany in tho ocan-carrying trade. A few years ago (says the "Globe”) it would have appeared' incredible that German companies would shortly own the fastest steamers on the Atlantic, or that they would buy up and transfer bodily to their flag two important British lines trading in the Far East. But these, apparently, are only the beginnings of that commercial conquest of the sea which the Kaiser's ambition aspires to accomplish. The Australian market, is now marked down for invasion by German goods carried in German bottoms; the great steamer belonging to the North German Lloyd Company, which lately sailed from Southampton, is understood to be the pioneer of a large fleet now being built for the same line. This is not a case of any lack of enterprise or energy on our part. England can still produce the finest and fastest steamers in the world, and can sail them, too, quite as cheaply as any other nation. But Geerman shipowners being safeguarded against loss by heavy State subsidies, have the same financial advantage over British owners that Board schools have over .voluntary schools. Consequently, there is little monetary limit to speed or to the reduction of freight rates, whereas our -shipowners would soon find themselves insolvent if they similarly dispensed* with the government condition of carrying on business at a reasonable profit. Whether the German taxpayer will

find the subsidy system remunerative in the long run remains to be seen; at present, it unquestionably threatens one of our most important and valuable industries with serious and increasing loss of business. * * * it *

People are still mad about new cures, and ten to one when you see two young men talking earnestly together or two pretty women whispering in a corner they are not, as you might suppose, exchanging confidences or talking scandal, but simply giving each ether the addresses of a new doctor, perhaps, or fashionable dentist, or discussing the very latest “cure.” —“The Onlooker.”

A girl residing in a Lake Michigan town has recovered five hundred dollars damage from, a steamboat company for naming a boat after her without asking her permission. She took offence at a paragraph stating that- “Mittie Marshall, having been thoroughly scrubbed, painted, v©fitted with new boilers, will hereafter serve as mail-carrier, and poke her pretty nose into the lake business for all she’s worth. —“Milvvaukie Sentinel.”

No sensible Englishman should take offence, or even feel any afinoyance, at General Mereier’s proposal for a French invasion of this country. It is the right and the duty of French statesmen, and it is the right and duty of our own, to consider and discuss measures for the national security without regard to foreign susceptibilities. We do not in the least complain that the project should be considered, for the more it is considered, the more will Frenchmen who know the facts be disposed to treat it as impracticable. An .attempt to invade England within any time to which statesmen need look forward would be, for France, an act of national suicide. —“Globe.”

Sir William Harcourt (at the r©-as-sembling of Parliament) had more than one pleasant word for the situation. “I never remember,” he said of the Ministerialists, “seeing so large an army in so indefensible a position.” The Budget was happily hit off. “Oh, I suppose it will be half -ar-crowii iqn^.beer- and five shillings on. beer with arenio in it.”— ‘‘‘Manchester Guardian/’

There is so much more publicity in life than there was in my young days. Hyde Park corner was then the fashionable resort rather than Bond street or Piccadilly, and when a lady walked outalone she was invariably accompanied by a gorgeous footman. In my mind's eye I see now Elizabeth Duchess of Wellington walking near the Achilles statue with a footman, with powdered hair and a gold baud round his hat, behind her; just, as nowadays one so often sees the Dowager Lady Airiie followed by a small page in attendance on her dog.—“ The Onlooker.”

A Johannesburger writes: “We see some funny things among the Dutch " here!, especially when they turn up at the relief office. One young woman, applying far bread, wore a gorgeous pink satin evening dress, cut very low, and it it is the commonest thing to see old Vrouwsi’ wearing magnificent opera cloaks —all looted from Pit t char cl street stores.” —"Times of Natal.”

A sad wedding, says a Russian Paper, has taken place, at Witebok. The bridegroom is a clockmaker named Qbschenski, who, immediately previous to his marriage was sentenced to ten years in the Siberian mines for coining false money. The bride, the daughter of the local priest, was besought by her father to give up the idea of marriage, but she would not desert the man of her choice in his misfortune. Consequently, the wedding was performed in the prison chapel, the bridegroom being in chains and handcuffs, while the bride was dressed in mourning. After the ceremony the newly married man went back to his cell. His wife will follow him to Siberia.—'‘Gazette,” ’Witebok, Russia.

Escapes among the Boer prisoners at Ceylon have been pretty frequent, and at last the Government have been forced to offer rewards for re-arrest, with the result that two Frenchman who got away last month were caught by the natives and taken hack to prison, and a British officer on a sketching expedition was regarded as a Boer. After a despelrate fight he was overpowered bv a* mob of Sinhalese and taken off to the guard room, where, of course, he was relcognised and released. —“Pinang Gazette.” # * * *

During dinner in hall the other night, says the ‘'Pall Mall Gazette,” a member of the Senior Bar mess a,t the Inner Temple hiscovered that it was the last night this century that the society would dine in the hall. The Senior Bar mess despatched its compliments to the Bench and suggested that in honour of the occasion some champagne might be sent down to their table. The Senior Bencher was equal to the .occasion. He ordered the wine to be sent, with a message that the occasion was not to he made a precedent.

Attempts were made to get the "pompom” gun into the British service, but it was objected to on the ground that the projectile was unnecessarily large to kill a man and not large enough to

be considered a-piece of artillery. It was stated that an entire battery of these guns could be quickly put out of action by a single piece of field artillery, and that there was no place for them in either service. Had it been stated previous to the South African war that a British field battery of artillery could be put out of action by a single one-pound:er in the hands of half a dozen farmers, the statement would have been regarded as ridiculous. —Captain E. L. Zalinski, in “Cassier’s Magazine.” -K- * * *

illiam 11. lias been unable to find in Europe the alliance which he needed to defy England. His people doled cut or made him wait for the credits necessary to build a fleet. The inevitable and logical consequence of these two facts was to urge the Emperor towards England, hence the Anglo-German understanding. —“Temps,” Paris. * * ' * * *

University degrees have been as plentiful in America, as potatoes are in Ireland ever since that go-ahead country took to educating itself on the most approved models. A University education may not be within the reach of all men 'born under the Star-spangled banner, but a University degree surely is, if the anxious citizen can spare a few dollars. Now, there is in the city of Galesville a University known wherever the name of Galesville is known, and the Principal of that University is distinguished from his fellows by the name of James Jones. Conscious of the value, ■moral, intellectual, and pecuniary, of a Galesville degree, he addressed a letter to the Rev J. V. Stephens, of Radnor, Ohio, stating that after the end of this year the power of granting degrees in return for cash down, will be taken away, and urging his reverend brother to pay 'his 75 dollars and get his M.A., Ph.D. while yet there is time. And yet they say that Americans do not sufficiently value the blessings of a sound education. It is a gross libel.—“ Pall Mall Gazette.”

A solicitor’s office boy recently found in the London Law Courts a purse containing £l2B 6s Bd, in notes, cheques, and gold. Taking the purse to the address of the owner found inside —an office in Loncoln’s Inn .Fields —the boy for bis honesty was rewarded with twopence!

In an Ipswich church a bride and her friends waited) the other day for the bridegroom. The . clergyman’s patience was nearly exhausted when the bridegroom! sent a cyclist to say he was too busy to come. The service was postponed till the next day, when everybody turned up except the bride. She was found sitting at home in commonplace attire. After much persuasion she don_ ned’ her wedding garments and repaired to the church ithree-uqarters of an hour late,and was happily married. *- •* * •sc-

General Bulier. speaking at Durban recently told this story: In 1881, when coming out of O’Neill’s Farm, in the vicinity of Newcastle, he met Mr Kruger, who said, "General, we don’t like this peace.” He (General Duller) replied, "I also don’t like it, because you have got nothing to stand upon. (Cheers.) You trunk you have beaten us, hut we know we can beat you.” Mr Kruger rejoined, "Well, General, I have seen that when dogs fight and are separated! they are never right until they have fought it out.” "We have fought it out,’ General Bulier continued, "and we have come out on top. We shall be good friends afterwards, because the top dog never takes advantage of liis position”

Morphia, which, it is said, was introduced into China by an English doctor as a cure or remedy to the opium evil, promises to become as popular and as abused a drug as opium, and is rapidly finding its way among the poorest classes. In 1894 48,324 ounces of morphia were imported into China through Hong Kong and the other free treaty ports. In 1898 the amount had risen to 92,159 ounces. The Commissioner of Customs, writing January, 1900 said : —"The use, of morphine is daily increasing, as are the shops in which it is sold both inside and outside the town. Notices are issued that its use cures the opium-taker. The use of morphia is far more dangerous and harmful than opium, as it contains the most pernicious alkaloids of opium. It is easier to take, it is cheaper; the price per ounce is hut three piastres.” & afe #

The "Echo de Paris” publishes a letter from a French officer, who fought with the Boers, urotesting against the aspersions passed on the British soldiers by the Continental Press. The British soldier may know nothing aibout the art of war, he says, but he is the personification of personal bravery. Tommy Atkins goes into battle as if he were going on to parade, steady, self-possessed, and marching with an amazing regularity, though shot and shell may he falling all around him. The British officer, as a military leader, is of no account, but as a brave, courteous, generous man, he stands conspicuous. The British soldier, either officer, or private, is a typical man of his race, and has never done any act to merit the abuse that is heaped upon him by some Oontinetal critics.

Some time ago an amusing collection of stories of seafaring life appeared in one of the magazines under the title "Sea Sauce.” One of them told of an

incident that occurred in Malta harbour on a hot, sultry day. A four-foot-eight midshipman had come to join his first: ship. Having duly reported himself ■ to the captain—an officer of some six feet two inches—the latter, literally look_ - ing down upon the boy, said, “Well, youngster, so you’ve com© to join?”: “Yes, if you please, sir/’ meekly replied - the midshipman. “What is it? Same old yarn—send the fool of the family to sea?” “No, sir” ingeniously replied, the; yoUth; “Oh, no, sir, things have altered) since your time sir.” “Go away,” roared: the captain, and the middy flew fordear life down below!

The present year will witness some; important developments on the part of the English, American, and Continentallines sailing to the United States aud : (Canada, when a number of new liners l will be placed on the servise. The White Star Line are having built a steamer of larger dimensions than the Oceanic, the work being in hand, and. there are rumours that the Cunard Line are going in. for a new ocean leviathan. The Dominion Line in!tend placing on the Boston service another new steamer of the size of their last new boat—the Commonwealth. The Red Star Line, sailing between Antwerp and New York and Antwerp and Philadelphia, have had a new steamer built called the Vaderland, which is 560 ft long, 60ft beam, and of 12,000 tonnage. The company have also another new steamer of the same size being built, called the Zeeland, and this will be followed by two more new steamers. The American Line service from Livexpool to Philadelphia will also in the near future witness some important developments, as it is intended to pub larger and more powerful steamers on in order to deal with the increasing passenger and cargo tariff.

It is possible to read by the light of the humble earthworm. Cue of the most brilliant displays of animal phosphorescence I have observed (writes a correspondent of “Tho Sun”) came from such a source. Its discovery was accidental. In passing through an orange grove one rainy night in Southern California, I kicked aside a large of earth,’ whe.i to all intents and purposes ' a mass of white molten 'metal went flying in every direction, affording an unusual display. The cause of the light was a single, possibly two, earthworms, not over two inches in length l . The luminous matter was exuding from them, and had permeated tfie surrounding soil, rendering it phosphorescent. The light-emitting mucus came off into my hands, and the light lasted several seconds, gradually fading away.