THE Otago Daily Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1874.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4011, 24 December 1874, Page 2

THE Otago Daily Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1874.

Journalists should confine themselves to their proper functions. They ought not to soar into the regions of prophecy; Man is not infallible; neither does he become so when he takes to journalism^ Nevertheless, some of our contemporaries seem to think that the future can be unlocked with a goose .quill; . / When dealing with the past, a writer is dealing'with facts. ■ If he; conducts hjniself, properly, he will tnake SO me impression. The number of his readers will be proportioned to his knowledge, his humour, his style, and a hundred qualities that he may possess. These will have the groundwork of fact to rest on. Thus they will flourish for the amusement and instruction of man-: kind^ £ ;/I| the ■ pn the,. contrary,

predicts that something will be a fact, and builds tip his ornaments of style, his graces of rhetoric, and his profound remarks upon this foundation, he is on dangerous ground. If the fact is not in accordance with his. prediction^lhe qualities he has displayed- will just" as much amuse and instruct mankind— ,with this difference,-that™ they will'be at his expense. The world will laugh at him, not with him. In a"word, the writer will be covered with ridicule.. If he should have made any of his friends the objects of his.prophecy, he: will be disappointed that so far frbin conferring upon them any favour, -he has only caused them to appear 'as ridiculous as himself. An intelligent opinion about the future is essential to every journalist,, just as it is necessary for men in all walks of life. He has the materials for forming this opinion in the shape of (he knowledge he has acquired, the inferences he has drawn from men's characters and measures, and the inferences it is in the powerjof his intellect still todraw. The result of all these things working together will be* a decent opinion asto what is going to happen. And this opinion will be given with caution and that amount of diffidence which it becomes men to use when I speaking of the uncertainties of the future. When men abandon this style of dealing with things that are to be; when they endow their feeble geniuses with the infallibility of axioms, then they run the risk of making themselves supremely ridiculous! -l '■'■• \ Several of the papers of this Colony have fallen into this position by prophesying good things for Sir Donald Maclean. They said that their friend was to be the Governor of Fiji; they would hear no denial ; they congratulated Sir DonaLb and they were good enough to give hiin their advice. It turns out that thete was not an atom of foundation for the^e surmises. Somebody else is appointed to the post, and everybody is laughing at the papers in question, which is quite right; and at Sir Donald, which is rather hard. The Hawkes Bay Herald was the principal offender. It declared that Sir Donald was sure to ge.t the Governorship. Nor content with the simple and "prophetic" statement, it had the temerity to give 'some reasons. The Colonial Office had written that there must he a Governor of Fiji. The Colonial Office had stated that the Governor must have certain qualifications. He must have experience of coloured races, he must be a good administrator, honesty and consistency must be his special virtues, and fluency of speech must not be a stranger to his tongue. To secure these advantages the Colonial Office, though feconomically inclined, was ready to give a handsome salary. This is quite enough for the Hawkos Bay intellect. Its representative, the journalist of the Heiald, remarked first, that the qualifications named would very much narrow the number of eligible candidates. After pondering, he goes on to say "very much indeed." A further pause, and he discovers thit the list of qualifications is the description of only one man in the world. Of course, how dull the world was not to see it. No one knows any Native race properly except Sir Donald, and no one is such an administrator. The other qualities fit him exactly, and as for the salary — who could adorn a handsome allowance so well as Sir Donald 1 Of course Sir Donald will be the ruler of Fiji. Having estab- - liSlied-OLia-point to Jlia snilofa/.^.™, iW writer gives his friend some advice. He discusses the pros and cons with him inafriendly way. Theclimate, he thinks,wili be rather severe for Sir Donald ; he is no longer young, he ventures to remind him. Besides the evils of the climate there are others he points out. At present Sir Donald is in an unfettered position. He can do as he likes with all things Maori, and ik practically irresponsible monarch of everything Maori that he surveys. This is pretty well for aMinister of the Grown! If he goes to Fiji, his friend points out thet this state of bliss must end. Liberty will fdve place to red tape, and Sir Donald is advised to weigh its trammels well in his mind before he accepts the offer about to be made hini Again, it is urged, that; Sir,,.Donald's reputation is at its 'highest," and Sir Donald is 'warned that, like Sir George Grey, he may lose it at one fell ; swoop. ■~ On the wliole, the Herald thinks, it will be advisable for Sir Donald to stay? where he is. Other papers followed in this,strain; -One, the Telegraph, was sarcastic at the expense of the Native Department. There would be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when Sir Donai.d was taken away, because5 no other man' would be able to keep it sealed; against a prying Parliament. Altogether, the: appointment of Sir Donald to the Fijian Viceroyalty was everywhere ' pretty- well taken for granted. Now we' learn that | Sir Arthur Gordon is the new Governor, the prophets look intensely foolish^ and Sir Donald cannot have a great liking for the t situation, in which his friends have placed liimv' If our public writers were to abandon prophecythey would come in for less ridicule; thaii they do. Their . Mends,' too,; would b4 better served by their silence, and thh reading public would not waste its time with their oracular speculations. ' \ To stir up the ever-smouldering embers of,theologicalfires, and arouse the spirit of bitterness and wrath, is always amus^ ing to a certain class of people. Mr Robert Stout's letter in another col-J umn is hardly worthy of the man that wrote ife. Liberty, like poverty, is said to make us acquainted with strange bed-J fellows, 'and«we -never-understood the meaning of the proverb better than when we saw Mr Stout, in pursuance of the idea of allowing every'man to read what jis right'in his own eyesj Compelled td; champion the "Devil," arid: stand up for James Smith's secondhand deliverances; as "elevating." Except on the fiat ex-! perimentum • principle,' We ' bannot but think that the champions of license have chosen their battle ground but ill. They are .not contented, moreover,,with one " devil," but Mr Stout, at least, is doing his best to introduce the seven other fiends of theological fury into Athenaeum matters. If they have no real existence,; they are quickly given a supposititious! plaW.by him; We should^be'the first to; object to any action on the part of the! Athenaeum Cpmmitteei which seemed to.; savour of theological partisanship upon1 either side. Tt ia asking rather too much; to raise the cry of persecution on such; very slight grounds, and play the martyr; under puch. a'very slight Scourging as; these two apostles of license have endured. As a matter, of. fact, the, minutes of the Athenaeum Committee present any impair- > tial observer with a very different notion. ) For many months past it has been the;' custom of one gentleman to amuse him-

self by testing, the patience of the Committee, by presenting for its acceptance the ragtag and bobtail of literature, which he has picked up heaven knows where, and which he presents to the Athenaeum gratuitously, sometimes without having read it himself. That victim of ideal liberalism, Mr Eobert Stout, thereupon supports the motion for its acceptance ; and—the patience of,'the Committee being exhausted—assumes "the role of martyr when at length the rubbish is rejected. The Athenaeum Index is a- charming title —so suggestive, so full of insinuation. Probably we shall soon be assailed with all the jargon with which pssudo martyrs bewail their persecution by orthodoxy. The little game is, no doubt, productive of amusement to those who roll the balls, but we object to the sacred names of "liberty of thought" and "freedom" being invoked on behalf of each crotchet that it may please these philosophical experimentalists to air. We are quite prepared to hear allusions to all the geniuses of past centuries which the ecclesiastical power ever persecuted, with tl.e implied inference that three or four members of Committee are trying, to act the part of the Inquisition and put down our modern Gaiiieo. Mr Stout has learned that extremes try cases. So they do in theory ; but he has yet to learn that among practical men this sort of aphorism is not allpowerful. We sincerely trust that the petty little warfare which two members have so long waged against the rest of the Athenasum Committee will be allowed to die out. Otherwise, having cried "wolf" so often and so foolishly, the friends of liberty will find themselves unsupported when a real need arises for a battle. ..The steamer Albion is expected to leave Hokitika at Bp. m. this day., Telegrams for the Australian Colonies or Europe via Java Cable, will be received at this office for transmission up till 5 o'clock p.m. The steamer Tararua is expected to leave Bluff at 11 a.m. this day. Telegrams for the Australian Colonies or Europe via Java Cable, will be received at the 'Dunedin Telegrapb>Gffice for transmission to Bluff up till 10 o'clock a.m. , . We received the following telegram yester^ day fronv our Naseby correspondent:—The official returns for the Mount Ida election are as follows :—Armstrong, 147 ; Ewing, 117; Leary, 108; Dillon, I.— The first applications for land under agricultural leases were made to-day. There were 12 applications f0r,1400 acres of land. The Sailors' Home Committee acquired, by resolution of the City Council last evening, the occupancy of the old Immigration Barracks for a Sailors'Home.; ~ ....'.'■..■ The City Council wasted two hours last evening in what might well be termed.a "iactipus opposition'' discussion. Eventually, when the realbusiness came on, the letters and correspondence were merely mentioned without being read, and were referred to the various Committees. This rushing throughof business "carinot r taken with the previous: waste of time, be called seemly. The Hon. W. H. Fox delivered a lecture on "The Legislative Aspect of the Temperance Question" at the Temperance Hall last evening, when there was a limited auditory. The discourse was listened to with marked attention, and at its conclusion the hon. gentleman was recorded a hearty vote of thanks. A report in extenso appears elsewhere. At the meeting of the Waste Lands Board yesterday, a letter was read from Mr John Mouat, solicitor, in which lie expressed an opinion similar to that given by Mr Stout as to the mode in which the leases of the Board should be executed. His opinion was that the leases, except where the contrary was specially provided, should be signed by all the Commissioners, and not by the Chief Commissioner only. A bazaar will be opened at Blueskin, on Saturday next, in aid of the local Episcopalian Church; We believe great efforts are being .made in order to render the bazaar attractive, and WO have Ho "doubt thooo offorts will be highly successful. In order to afford Dunedinites an opportunity of patronising the bazaar a coach will leave Cobb and Co.'s booking office at 9.30 a.m. on Saturday, and will return from Blueskin at 4 30 the same afternoon, thus allowing visitors to be present at the usual Boxing Night festivities in town if they bo desire. ■■: ■ ..The final.rebearsal of .the Choral Society for the concert,to be given this evening took place last evening. There were present on the platform 92 performing members, made up as follows :—Sopranos, 22 ; contraltos, 10; tenors, 18; bassos, 20 ; orchestra, 22. The practice was very successful, and gave promise of an excellent concert. At the half-yearly meeting of the Loyal Dunedin Lodge, M.U.1.0.0.F., held last evening, the following brothers were elected. for the ensuing sittipg :—Bro. W. Woodland, ;N.G. ,;< Bro. Deacon,."VJ.G. ;/. Bro. Bowie, E. S.; Auditors, Bro. M'Queen, Hamilton, and Basch;;; After discussion, it was resolved to increase the salary of the medical officer, DrCole. Our City Councillors do not appear to be alone in' their infatuation for " levelling." Writing'of the action of the Wellington Corporation in this direction, the Tribune says: —" Of course something of the kind is absolutely ■necessary"iit'"carrying out the' development of the city,' but some consideration' for householders' should be tempered with professional necessities. And to our thinking, a dead level is neither an advantage not a'beauty.". ;■ . \'j ■We notice that Mr E. De Montalk, 8.A., •late of Nelson College, has commenced business in Dunedin as a teacher of foreign languages. In another coldinnJ will ;be found a report of an interview between the Committee of theCbamber of Comiriei'ce and the Hon. the Commissioner 'of Customs with reference to the'vexed-'question of shipping telegrams. A passenger by the ship Auckland on her recent voyage from Greenock to Port Chalmers* -brought' an" action-at-law in the fi.'M;'.- Court 'yesterday ' against Captain Stevens, to recover £50 damages for discomfort and inconvenience experienced by plaintiff and his wife through defendant not supplying them with the proper ;allowance of water.- The Magistrate dismissed the case, the provisions of the Passenger Act having been fulfilled. The Police have ascertained that the name of the man who; fell dead in Martin and Watson's on Monday- was Alex. Syme, a native of Bo'ness, Scotland. • The appointment of Mr Samuel Herbert [ Cox to be Assistant-Geologist for the Colony ;of New Zealand is notified in the Gazette. The appointment is to date from August 24th. A proclamation making and confirming the Bye-Laws, Rules, and Regulations of the Dunedin and Ciutha Railway is published in the New Zealand Gazette of- December 17th. It was mentioned in the City Council last evening, that if the water in the reservoir were not carefully used, there might be a failure of the supply this summer. About fifty ladies of the Congregational: Church presented a purse of sovereigns to Mrs Roseby. at the Dorcas meeting, yesterday afternoon. Mrs Welbonrne, in presenting the gift on behalf of the congregation, < made an appropriate address. The Rev. Dr; Roseby, in replying on behalf of Mrsi Roseby, referred to the three years they had! been connected with tbe Church here, and! trusted that the same kindly feelings which bad been experienced by the congregation in

the past would, in future, be one of their distinctive characteristics. After spending some considerable time enjoying an excellent tea, the ladies separated, well pleased with the afternoon's proceedings. We understand that the Hon. W. Fox is to deliver a lecturefthis Evening, at the Presbyterian Church, Port'. .Chalmers, in, connection; with Good Templarism. The Rev Mr Johnston will preside. At the Port Chalmers Police Court, yesterday, a diminutive man, of wrinkled, bleared appearance, named C. J. Bruce, alias John Johnston, who had figured as plaintiff in a case on the previous day, was fined ss, or in default 24 hours' imprisonment, for having been drunk. An assault— C. Turton v. 3. M'Donald, both seafaring men—resulted in the defendant being fined 20s, or in default seven days' imprisonment. An advertisement elsewhere intimates that a sailors' tea meeting is to be held at Port Chalmers on Christmas day. Admission free. Mr James Fulton, R.M., will preside. A great many tickets have been issued to seamen, but those who have not received them are invited to attend nevertheless. Evidences of the near approach of \ Christmas are apparent at Port Chal- j mers. Street decorations are in an advanced state, some of the shops having already donned full dress attire of green boughs, ferns, flowers, &c. Great store of Christmas cheer has. been provided. The butchers' shops are plethoric with slain beasts of the first quality, dressed in a manner that may be termed artistical. Grocers and fruiterers also make a great display, and it is evident that there will be no lack of the elements of feasting at the Port this season. ' A new penny morning paper is to be started at Napier at the beginning of the coming new year. This eveninga miscellaneous concert, winding up with a ball, will be given in the North Dunedin Drill Shed. . i About 200 persons were present near the Bay View Hotels on the Anderson's Bay lload, yesterday, to witness His Honour the Superintendent performing the ceremony of turning the first sod of the Dunedin, Peninsula, and Ocean Beach Railway. An excellent luncheon was provided by the contractor (Mr D. Proudfoot).' A report of the proceedings appears elsewhere. ;;;;:) , A special .meeting of commercial travellers took place at the Empire, Hotel, last evening, when a resolution, proposed by Mr F. Russell, that a dinner be held <m the 29th inst., was carried unanimously; The following gentlemen were appointed a committee to arrange the preliminaries :—Messrs Stanbrook, Sibbald,- Rice; 'and Russell. It is probable that a: Commercial Travellers Benefit Association will shortly be formed. ' ■ ; The Police Court reporter of the Westport Times has a polite way of doing his work. In a recent issue of the Times the following paragraph appears :—" Mesdames Rice and Daniells had one of their periodical interviews with His Worship on Wednesday, touching their too liberal ■ patronage of vendors of strong liquors. Mrs Daniells rendered further tribute to Her Majesty to the extent of ten shillings. Mrs Rice elected to temporarily retire from an unkind world for forty-eight hours." A sperm whale 45 feet long was washed ashore the other ■ day at Cobden. • It was estimated to be worth £200. "■';■■;;■ A contemporary says that a rather plucky along shore trip has been made from Brighton to Westport by Mr Diaper, a well-known resident on the coast, and an old. nautical man. On Friday afternoon he put off .from Brighton beach in his skiff, the "Royal Mail," a taut little boat of some 21 feet keel, and that night made the Nile river, where he moored for the night. He left again on Saturday morning, and got to the' Buller safely at 2 p.m., after having dragged heavily against head winds and flood tide. In passing Cape Foulwind, Mr Diaper, to his intense surprise, found liis boat literally surrounded by sharks, which kept rubbing alongside, compelling him to use his paddles vigorously to drive them' away. Some of these ugly customers were from twelve to fourteen feet in length, and Mr Diaper says that during his long residence on the coast he has never before seen sharks in such numbers or so near, in shore; , [ We regret to learn (says the Napier Telegraph) that there has been, an enormous mortality amongst the sheep of this Province 'during the past winter and spring seasons. We hear of one station on the coast that was sold after last sheafing with ten-thousand sheep on it—that, number having been delivered—which at this shearing could onlymuster six thousand. " This high rate of mortality, we hear, has been almost,reached on other stations.' Beth throughout this Province and in Poverty Bay districts such severe losses have not before been known. The hoggett flocks have suffered the most from the constant rains of the* winter, and the flush of feed in the spring months.; : Farmers and others in want of hired men (says the Arrow Observer) find considerable difficulty iii getting their requirements supplied, men not to be had "for love or money," as the sayingigoes. Even the Celestial workman turns up. his, nose, at, constant work and good wages,, if the surroundings are not to his liking. One instance which has come under "notice is* worth recordingl A farmer this week engaged a Chinaman to "gtub" some land, the wages fixed being £2 10s a week. John came along next morning, and having surveyed the premises, asked what house he was to live in. As he had a hut of his own within half-a-mile of the farm, he was informed he was expected to enjoy his slumbers there; but this did not by any means suit, and. the proferred work and wages were refused because John thought it'' too muchee walkee'1 from labour to his own hut. The young man who calls himself the Baron Yon Lauden, and who says he is a nephew of Prince Bismarck's, was lately before the Melbourne Police Court on a charge'of obtaining money by means of false pretences. "He was discharged, but warned that if he was not careful he would be arrested , under the Vagrant Act. The "Baron" has a friend in Melbourne who ' goes by the name of " the Count." The Southland Times says :•—" On Saturday His Honour Mr Justice Chapman, while passing sentence on Brennan for the attempted murder of Mary Hall, attributed the girl's survival as being in a great degree due to some peculiarity in her constitution, and, we 'will add, also in an equal degree to the skill and care of the medical men, Drs Grigor and M'Clure, who attended the child. It must have required the most skilful, most accurate attention to watch and time the closing of the large cut at the back of the girl'a head, whereby all pus found a a easy and perfect escape. The cut laid the brain completely open, but its very size, though apparently an irrefutable argument against the patient's recovery, by being an outlet for inflammatory matter, prevented inflammation; aud to this circumstance, and the professional advantage taken of it, the girl's recovery is due more than, perhaps, to any other cause." A facetious writer in the Christchurch Press, in one of his recent contributions, says :—"There's a kind-hearted old gentleman lives—well I forget where—but not in Christchurch anyhow. He lends money. He can't help it, ho says. Ho likes it. He makes a rule never to ask more than forty per cent., and that only to personal friends. tie makes money out of his business as a

rule. He has a loss now and then. I'm going to tell yon of one of them, He was sitting in his office when an old dried-up man about seventy-five.years of age came in and said he had just got £500 left him, and, being a childless orphan, he said he' didn't expect he could last much longer, and had lost interest in things generally. The lender of money said he thought he might give him a hundred a year for his £500, and they closed the bargain. Now most people would have played fair, and died after a couple of years' comfort, but this dear old cripple did otherwise. It is now fifteen years since he bought his annuity, and he still lives. Year after year does this meek, childless old man walk into the office of the money-lender and draw his cheque, and then that moneylender prances round the room, and blesses the man who invented annuities, and throws ledgers about, and makes it lively for his clerk, and the meek old lonely orphan goes away down street, and feels every year more and more that he has not lived in vain." A contemporary has the following paragraph :—Those who talk of assisted immigration should take special cognisance of the following: A gentleman resident in Ballarat has written to the New Zealand Government, requesting to know what terms they would give 5000 emigrants from Victoria. If the reply is favourable, the gentleman in question believes he will be able to muster the number easily. The plans of an ocean-going steam vessel, constructed upon an entirely new principle of naval architucture (says the Argus of the 12th) were exhibited to some gentlemen who take an interest in the subject, by Mr Robert Wilcox, at the Port Phillip Club Hotel, yesterday afternoon. Mr Wilcox claims for his invention that a vessel constructed according to his method will give an increased speed of from 75 to 100 per cent., with reduccd horse-power, as compared with the present description of ocean-going steamers, that it will be safer in all conditions of sea and weather, and, as the oscillation will be greatly reduced, there will be necessarily less sea-sickness, and that it will be free from all vibration from propelling power. To judge by the plans, Mr Wilcox has studied the Bubject very carefully, and seve" ral persons interested in steam vessels who have seen the plans have expressed a very high opinion of the invention. As we suppose it is quite hopeless (says the Post) to expect any direct information from the Government or its organs as to the terms on which the £300.000 worth of debentures was recently disposed ai in. Sydney, we have to avail ourselves of othfer sources of information. From one of them, we learn that Mr Vogel did not succeed in personally negotiating these debentures, that; he tried to do So and failed, but,that after his departure they were floated by a broker in whose hands'they were left. The prifce we have not heard, but it must have been a low one, if, as is stated, they were taken up chiefly for the purpose of remittances to Europe. Mr Vogel will consequently find these bonds staring him in the face when he arrives in London, and the objection entertained by the Stock Exchange to the disposal ot any loan, except in open market, is well known. The credit of New Zealand is sure to suffer by the extraordinary spectacle of its Premier and Treasurer travelling round the world with a carpet bag full of Government securities, to the value of four, millions, to dispose of them -when, where, and how he can. We learn (says the Argus) that the steamer Golden Crown has been purchased by the Sorrento and Queenscliff Steam Navigation Company for the sum of £12,000. At a meeting of shareholders Captain Lilly, so favourably known by the passengers of the Williams, was appointed to the command, and Mr Heaton, formerly of the Panama service, and for many years in the New Zealand trade, was selected as purser. Mr Borthwick has been instructed to thoroughly overhaul and paint the steamer., Next week she will commence running to Queenscliff, Sorrento, Schnapper Point, and Dromana. As illustrating the great want of house accommodation, we may mention, says the Wanganui Evening Herald, that a number of people have turned their fowlhouses, and in some instances even', pigsties, : into habitations, and let them, at rentals'that will plfove far more remunerative than either fowls or porkers. These hovels may do fof summer, but it is to be hoped that ere winter comes: on something better will be found. . '" The following paragraph, from the Ballarat correspondent of the; Argus, shows what has been done in Ballarat in the way of fish acclimatisation :—" Three men, who devoted the greater part of Tuesday to "fishing from a boat at Lake Wendouree, report having basketed about 501b each, and, that among the fish were several over a pound weight. One of the finest fish yet seen in the lake was caught yesterday. It measured nearly. ; lßjun., in length,: was about Gin. deep, and brought the scale, down at 31b.?'. The fish alluded to are English perch. There ' was not si drop'of water in 'Lake^Wenddurep fiveyears.ago. r, i. : "" .-:'.'';''-■? I -: Speaking of the Crown Prmcess~bf-'Geil many,' the London! correspondent''"«Jf the Australasian says :—" She has 'grown ver s tout, and looks older than she .'really isj; but she is so unaffected that her face always pleases, and she has all the intelligence of expression which characterised : the Prince Consort, without his stiffness and reserve. Her children .are all f veryfjUmj; indeed,'the Queen's grandchildren have not much beauty among them, exc4p(i the'jsetond son and the second .daughter of the ; Prince and-.' Princess of Wales.; ; j;Pfin'ce"George Frederick (whosenamesake wonvthe, Derby) and the Princess Maude of Walesatfe beautif ful children,'with glorious blue eyes, and a fair1 shsire' of their sweet mother's gentle'and dignified grace. * ~ * ; The AltaCalifornia says:—"The tradethat is beingdevelopedconstantly between this port (Ran Francisco) and the islands and cities of - the South' Pacific, ■- andiWhieh will5 undoubtedly be still more rapidly %iore' apparent in consequence of a regular and reliable steam line, is of consequence enough to all parties immediately and remotely1 interested to demand a far more thorough and general sur-J vey of the islands arid harbours of the different routes than has ever, yet' been accom-J 'plishedi It is a long' trip,, and inky prove,! , as it has often proved heretofore, a dangers ous and destructive one," After referring to! the number of vessels that have been lost,! the Alta concludes as follows.::-;-" .What; > should be done we do 'ndtr pretend' to sa^J Bnb with a growing commerce' aid rapidly) [ increasing tirade and population at either; , end and along the route, ■it 'is \ evicterit that' in the interests of trade and, humanity,'-the. nations should co-operate in causing one general and thorough survey." ' : ■ ■ , The greatest effort has been made to get a; ' correct likeness of Mrs Tilton. ; One house- ; offered a thousand dollars for a photograph, i There are but two known ones in existence.; One of them Mr Tilton has, and keeps oni his parlour mantel. -When anyone speaks of; •■his wifeJltie'takWit down anii showsii£T'Thej other is held by a distinguished^New^Xorki \ photographer. ,He has resisted'the glitter.: ' ing offer for the picture. >;Hd regards!the disposal-'of j it as a breach of faith that would! hurt^iß / bns^,esß,.7., ; Nj9thiiig'i'that''&as''ap-:| peared gives the slightest idea of this now' famous woman. She is a small, fragile i woman, sdark. coißplexion^Jow in stature, girlish in look, her hair parted in the^etft^ei and falling in ringlets behind—rlookinginore' like Ya gcbool-giri of 18 than' a matronof 40.1

Up to the publication of the letter to JOr Bacon Mrs Tilton moved in her accustomed sphere. Every Sunday afternoon she led the singing at the Christian Association Rooms, besides engaging in general Christina work. Since she loft her husband's hoaee she has lived quite retired. Daring the summer vacation she was greatly annoyed by the curious who crowded on her privacy. She went from place to place, and was even called by another name to escape attention. But all in vain. She came home early from her summer trip to enjoy the quiet seclusion of a friend's house. Writing on the snbject of the annexation of Fiji by Great Britain, the Hawaiian Gazette says:—"As soon as its local government is fully established, Fiji wilL become as safe and desirable a place to setfla in as Australia, New Zealand, or any other part of the British Empire. We rejoice that there is one nation that dares to accept the trust and destiny imposed on it by the Almighty, and when called on by .the native rulers, to cause its flag to be unfurled over* savage territory, that it may aid civilisation, dispel barbarism, and protect Christianity where anarchy alone prevailed before. M& one supposes that her flag will refuse to go ■ beyond the Fijis ;.or that she wili refuse to accept other groups as well. When neighbouring archipelagoes see the peace /and plenty which it brings to all under it, they will be only too eager to seek its protection. This is right, in every case where the native rulers cannot themselves secure a firm government." i . - 1 ! , The San Francisco News Letter continues its vigorous war against quacks. In a late issue it publishes a list of over eighty medical practitioners, and challenges them to produce their diplomas. ' •' The Commercial Advertiser, published aft Honolulu, states that on the 30th September a party of wood-cutters reported that they had found the remains-of a Chinanlan. in the bush back of Paukaa Plantation. The story goes (as we get it from the natives) that a Chinaman named-'Achu some three weeks ago" purchased a .dollar" and ~a half worth of opium and some' bread, "and informed some of his country men.that h£ intended to kill himself and born hisVown. body. (A cremationist.) It appears that he went into the woods .and gathered enough, materials to make his funeral pile, swallowed his opium, lit a fire under his pyre, and vlaid down with the intention of going back to the Celestial Empire with the' next passing ; cloud. But he was doomed to be a victim, of misplaced confidence ; a passing shower ! appears to have extinguished the fire, and | left his carcass to rot on a heap of brush--1 wood. I A new daily paper is shortly to be published (says the London Weekly Dispatch), 1 which will be conducted onanentirely novel principle. In order to be able to speak the truth on every subject fearlessly,-1 it will - accept no advertisements. All books reviewed, will, be purchasedj the dramatic critic will not be a member of any dramatic club, or the bosom friend 'pi any actor, and will always pay for his seat.- The editor of the city department will, be ;a man-whose immense fortune and proved )fo.{egrity wili place him above the temptation of^tfiouJsandV JSjA pound cheques ; and a commissioner for tafcgw^l ing affidavits will reside on the premises, in order to swear the contributors as to the \, truth of their copy before it is accepted, liie journal will have no politics, no theological opinions, and no special commissioner. We wish our young friend every success, but fear that its ideas are too pure to succeed in this land of darkness. The oldest white native of the. Colony of New South Wales died a few weeks ago.. His age was 75. His name,was William Cook, and he was the son of a soldier belonging to a regiment stationed in New South Wales, im the very early days of the Colony. A , notorious vagrant, named Jamea Wheeler, just released from gaol (says the Tribune of the 20th), was,broughtup afcjfaw R.M. Court this morning. This vagrantwamU"*'^ sent up here by the Province of Otago in * some indirect manner. There he had beea ~ repeatedly convicted of petty thefts, and here he goes sneaking.about country houseas, first watching for the husband to leave, and, when he finds there is only a woman in.the house, he demands assistance in such a man- ■* ner as to intimidate-the inmate. He is * young man; strong rand healthy, and peculiarly meek and cunning before His Worship. . , • , ' , ~ ' ' ' • According to a return Which has been prepared, the nationalities:of the non-commis?. sioned officers and men of the British armywere as follows :'— On the IstJanuary, 1873 - English, 674'; Scotch, 85; Irish/ 237; foreigners, 5! per" 1000/ ■' -Th^ religious denominations are given. as—Church of England, including Dissenteiv fiSl,;. Presbyterians, 89; Roman Catholics, 230 per 1000. There were only 60,.per 1000 who conld neither read nor write, .in.comparison witfi. ;95'per 1000 in"186l/and 190 per thousand in. 1851. In 1868 there were, ■ 68. per lO&Vte,turned as of superior . education^ "as distinguished from* those who caa read sod write well, whereas in 1873 there were 32S in the category.' ; >•'■<!.•'••: *~...■ 7 ,■- ---"Lounger,',^ ,in tho Melbourne Herald1, writing of the arrest of "the murderer SuJKvan, says :—" What a grim revenge baa beea taken on this wretch I '~sp spot on eartfc .- offers him a,homo. Norman is willing to give him a crust r<ir ahefter; no man will speak to him, or eat and.drink wish him. Can we' not fancy that there are momenta when he has envied" the fate of those whom J^M he betrayed, and that he has" often longerfta VH end his misery—aye/'and'wouHdbso; fiufc jH for that threatening hand, which, all unseen, is always raised in stern readiness to seise the blood-guilty? Ah! Mr Sullivan, all fli things taken into consideration,,! could pfty you. And I certainly think it would be better for you and society in general if you were locked up until the time comes, you know when you too- shall be called upon, to opea I^| your eyes to the mystery whicn you "have so> often helped others to penetrate* ; And if JflH they send you to gaol, and should permit yon. j^H to enjoy literature of a light and consolatory kind, let me reoommcnd,,to your notice Mrs I^H Crowe's 'Night Side of'Nature ' as a sort of\*,^H reading calculated to bring ease and mentalH^H composure.". ._ . A man has just died inftbe Bicetro Asylum | whose lunacy had a very singular origin. I His name was Justin, and heVhibited'W- I work figures at Montrogue; his'gallery "con- 1 sisting of contemporary celebrities anS great; I criminals. On a pedestal in the centre-was I the figure of a young gijl remarkable i<», her I graceful figure and perfect features, her hair I falling in long curls ovenher naked shoulders. I Justin had. named her Eljza, and. was so | struck by her beauty that he passed hours in. I contemplating her. She seemed to him to I speak, and her blue '.eyesj, with," .'their &ng i eyelashes, seemed^to respond 1 toihis, pass^n. I Under the influence of "this 'illusion" Ee I neglected his business," and for want of a I showman to puff it people Vo longer visited I thegallary. Poverty- succeeded easy circum, I stances; the modern Pygmalion could ippfe I separate himself from EKsa. His.wife isaa I obliged to sleep on a bare mattress; and,~«rhott I she remonstrated he' v il^treated jhe'r. ' Ini- I tated at the unjust harshness, she one day I destroyed the wax figure. Justin was furious I on seeing the fragments,1 and seizing a broom I stick he struck his wife'and,would We I killtd her had not her cries drawn the neigh.-* I bonrs to her assistance. , Justin, who had ■ lost his reason, had to ,be 'secured, and was I an mmate. of Bicetre for five ,years, livuag up ■ to the laat under the charm of Eliza, wfr>s« I iraa§e seemed, always before him. -• " ■

The New Zealand Herald states that the Madras Government is pursuing the same jpolicy that New South Wales and New Zestland initialed some time .back. -It is getting rid of its criminal population bytransporting it to distant countries., It has sanctioned the deportation of fi>e notorious vagrants to Sydney, Melbourne, and 'England. One 1b a .surveyor, formerly employed -in the Bengal Bevenue Survey, who 'has bean twice admitted as a vagrant; another is a labourer, who hasn't been able to get employment either in Calcutta or Bombay. The third is a fireman, who went to India in 1868; the ■fourth, a locksmith, who took horses to Calcutta in 1871; and the fifth is an ironmoulder, "at present'Undergoing two months' "rigorous imprisonment."

The smallest Post office in the world (says •the New Zealand Herald) is kept in a barrel, which swings from the outhanging rock of the mountains overhanging the Strait of Magellan, opposite Terra del Fuego. Every passing ship opens it to place letters in it or take them out. 'Every ship undertake i to forward all letters in it that it is possible for them to transmit. It hangs there by its iron chain, beaten and battered by the winds and storms; but no locked and barred office on land is more secure. It is not in the track of mail robbers.