ITEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XV, Issue 4855, 23 December 1890, Page 3

ITEMS.

There is a certain amount of placid happiness in being a deserted Infant in Britain, and living on the generous soul of the Brit'ah matron. For Instance, a workhonse matron at Weatbury-on-Ssvern has lately been " reprimanded " for throwing 14 buckets of cold water over a little girl, and then hitting her with the bucket.—Bulletin. Tho famous Lebel repeating rifle, which is not only the arm of France, hnt also to a large extent of Russia, is 1 825 metres long, Including the sword bayonet, and weighs with tho bayonet and eight cartridges 4*815 kilograms. Without the bayonet lta length Is 1307 metres, and its weight ia 4 180 kilograms. The barrel ia of tempered steel, bronzed oq the outside, and is 0 80 metre In length with a calibre of eight millimetres. The reservoir holds eight cartridges end to end, and in the operation of firing a fre-sh cartridge ia automatically removed from the reservoir and inserted In the breech. The eight shots can cither be fired in quick succession, or singly, as in an ordinary rifle. Br Talmage, the well-known preaoher, has got In his tabernacle at Brooklyn, New York, a very fine, but rather peculiar organ. It Co3t his congregation L6OOO, and among its novel effects are Chinese gong, a chime of bells, and three drama. The guinea was first coined In the reign of Charles 11., its predecessor being the laurel, a coin that waa current in the reign of James I. People who boast that they never did any barm are generally those who haven't done much good. In the Paris morguo recently lay the body of a man who the previous night dined aumptuonsly on the tenv.ssc of a cafe* on the Boulevarde Magenta. After conanmlng aa many dlahea aa the carte contained, and drinking a bottle of auperlor wine, he called for the bill. The waiter brought it. Instead of taking money out of his pocket to pay it, he pulled out a revolver, aud quietly putting the muzzle to hla head, blew out hia brains, to the consternation of hia fellowdiners and the pedestrians in the street. The body waa taken to the morgue. ■ There waa not a sou in the pockets. 1 CADBURY'3 COCOA. The Medical Annual advises Practitioners to remember that when recommending Cocoa as a food and beverage for Invalids, the name Cadbury on any packet of Cocoa is a guarantee of purity For continuation or newt see fourth pace