Items.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 4953, 21 April 1891, Page 4

Items.

In IHBO the State of Nebraska raised ■ircli it imnicTiw crop of jrrun that the market wan completely glutted. Indian c»tn wus sold at fxi a liinhd, and during the winter it was found chcaj>er to burn grain thin c>nl a* fuel. Fanners liad to j«.»rt with everything in order to obtain money for immediate use. They nre now in greater distress than a year ago. because tin* grain crop of ISW was almost a failure. anil in order to keep their pigs and cattle alive many farmers had to purctiw e»>m t»» feed them. Those who were able to. save from last year's abundance {wive weathered the stress easily enough. but the majority of the farmers in the western counties have had to appeal t" their more fortunate neighbors t»» wwcit them with food. fuel and clothing. " Presented to ttic Prince Imperial by the ladies <>f Chwelhnrst. March -tith. IS7I. ' Tliii* is the inscription on a large | stiver cup ts|*wcil for sale—as an unrei deemed pledge, we sttpjwwte—in a Mel- | bourne pawnbroker '» shop. On the date in question hi*. Imperial Highness was just 2» yearn old, a ttohing and gallant I young fellow. Whether he ever showed the cup t»» hi.* mother, the ex-Empress Krtgenie. is open t" doubt : otherwise she might have wk«l the why and wherefore and kept an eye npofi it. In that case. it would never have re-ached Australia. The Prince ultimately bestowed the cup Ufiou a very charwina actress. She afterwards eatne" to married. and died. Later a sate of her effect* was held, and »ru«ftpt them the co|» was disported of. The purchaser must have fallen upon evil days. and sought the aid of his " uncle." otherwise- at thU moment it would not be on view. The boss wit* riding rostnd the wck paddock. and same u|>»>n the carpenter mending » gate. CliippV movement* were *o~sto.w and so stiff, and he seemed to. suffer such agony each time he bent hi* back. that the !>•>** asked what wis the matter. "" Lnn«bagv>." was the replv. •• (, B e if I «-r»utd get at it I could cure it eiu.ity enough. I w» assistant to one of thewe professional rubbers and punchers in the »M country." "Oh, masaage." *" ?»«■. "if. H»t O'M :vsi>i?f. Ur Collins, of Xewea-»tte-'" A hitch had occurred at dinner, and the hostess went oat to see what ww wrong. She found the eiwk intoxicated and in tear*, sitting on the mutton. hat on earth U the.matter. .lane f "It's all right. mum ; which, as it «as.». .middle of mutton. I put some horse-radish under it. ;ir\d iirti) going £'>r a ride T but the blessed thing won't gee." ** t'tvt gping over t«» your place ; got a letter of introduction' don t you know, sawl the tourist to the hospitable and genial manager of a northern station, wlrntrt he met at the township. But he j was somewhat taken aback when the tatter responded with his usual formula. •' »;LvfE f.p» see you. old man ; conic over ! fur dinner, and I shall hurry' 0(1 and tell tfieru to kill another sheep." decided sensation has lieeu caused in Jerusalem by the introduction of tlie electric tight into a new and flourishing ttowr roitt lately started tfiere. The proprietors. who are fJetmans, are to lie congratulated on tilts new development. The building in which the light lias been introduced is near the supjmaed site of Calvary, and etose t<> the Damascus (Jate. It need hardly be said that the Ardw and Jews are mweh puwtled t» accmint- for a tight in a tamp m which there is no oil. and up to* the present time, while gazing with wonder, have been keeping at a respectful distance. The highest rate of speed for which Mr Ptfriutn fia* granted a short-hand certificate is now words |>er minutes, the reirfpient being Mr Kniest Wilson (of Messrs Thomas Allen Rcetl and Co.) who wrote at a recent examination of the L«>ndo<» Phonetic S.W. Assoepitton. A facsimile of a |»»ge of Mr Wilton's untcb<K>k w;t.-i siven in the Phonetic Journal last week, and the shorthand, which was written in ink, draws forth fnmi the official organ of the system the remark that ""wtcT wonder more at the likeness than at. the unltkenessof the stenographic stiaracter* t« the phonographic alpliabit," »> terrific was the pace. ""Tliis to»»ks nice, indeed."' remarked Mr Ftojoy t« his better half, as lie uncovered the break fash dish. " W hat is it \" *" This ts the new cook's Tripe smothered in cnnnlwv of bread." " Well. I sho«td say so," art he nwdc an unsuceessfnl attempt to cut it. "* It's mighty toagh." ""I don't see. The cook tuw a diptonw. She ought to l»c a good one." "Oh. that aconsnts for it. She's fried the diploma." An Kschange Company's telegram from St. Petersb>!>urg says:—Tlie "black death " has reached Tolwdsk, in Siberia. The whole of Asiatic Russia from Samarkand. in the South, to the mouth of tho titter Obi. in thr extreme north, is suffering under the same awful scourge, especially tn the town of Ohdorsk. situated ont the bay of the same name that borders the Arctic Sea, the "* death " w making ravages antong the inhabitants, chiefly S»m»yedes. Thousands nre dying, and a» there is only one doctor in the whole district there » no ho|>e of checking the fast-spreading disease. The following » given on the authority of a Mellwarne "Ssxicty "journal through owr Jlellwtrrne or>rrcsj»ndc_nt questions its tmtb:—Lord Ho|»ctoun. in bis tourist s«it. ami unaccompanied by a fall Iwnd, hardly loob 'likc a Governor. He had a cartote* experience at the Lance Held Show the other day. A crowd of |»coplc were ptKSsjng rouwi the blood stock enclosure, and there. tr»», came hj» Excellency in a straw hat and an ansliavcn chin. It was certainly onfottaMte that the local policeman should have bustled up just then, fall of the Police Offences Act Amendment Act. and brief authority, and still mete so that be should have commenced j

operations with the representative of Her Most Gracious Majesty. "Now, then, you," says Dogberry, laying one brawny hand on the aristocratic shoulder, "Move lxick there, or 111 soon settle your hash. I've spoknn to yon before." "But I'm the Governor." "The Governor—why rious spieler. Go on back, now." The local constable is now in temporary distress of mind. A mechanical genius has invented an instrument which he calls the eophone. by which ho claims that all sounds can be heard and located on the darkest night and in the thickest weather. Lady of the House (to poor beggar): "Poor man, you must have had many trials ¥' Beggar (proudly) : " Yes, muui, but no convictions ; never been sentenced yet. mum." France last year supplied England with no less than 566,524cwt of butter. So far did old Bismarck carry his political animosities in the old days that even lie and Marshal von Moltke were but on the coldest speaking terms. Neither has ever dined at the other's house. Last Christinas Eve. Mr Smith went u|»tairs to see if the children had hung up their .stockings for Santa Claus, and found that little Fred had pinned his up in a prominent place, with a slip of paper attached, containing the suggestive sentence, "The Lord loveth a cheerful giver!" A superstitious man, who found a spider on his paper, wants to know if it is considered a bad omen. Nothing of the kind. The spider was merely looking over the columns of the paper to see what merchant was not advertising, so that it could spin its web across his door and be free from disturbance.