OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8867, 26 July 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

NEWS, GOSSIP, AND ADS. The Duke of Devonshire has spent £320,000 on railways in the south of Ireland. Tho -whole world's produco of fait per annum is 7,300,000 tons. Of this quantity 5,280,000 tons are produced in Europe, and of the latter total Great Britain turns out 2,235,000 tons. A statute has been proposed at Oxford admitting women to the examinations in law and in mu6io. Theology, medicine, and Oriental languages will thon be the only schools confined to men. In the year 1319 sugar is said to have been 'sold at Is 9£d a pound, and was considered a veiy luxurious article till the eighteenth century. " New Tipperary " is not progressing. Few stalls in thu mart are occupied, and everybody admits that it is doomed. The butter market is held in the centre, but the farmers are most reluctant to dispose of their butter before the eyes of traders to whom they owe money. The infant daughtor of the Duchess of Portland was the recipient of three necklaces on her christening day—the first in diamonds and seed pearls from the Queen, the second of coral sent over from Italy from Lady Ottolite Bentinck, and the third in coral and pearl from Lady Granby. Mistress to servant:] " You must start on the washing this afternoon, Bridget." Servant: " Sure, mam, it's too late. It's 3o'clock now. an' the yoniuri (union) is ajittatiu' for aight hours a day, an' seven's gone now. If I started on tho close now, I shouldn't 'ava dun be midnight.;' M.: " Ob, yes, you would, for herejs the carrier with one of Angell's patent washing machines. With it, you can wash all the clothes in less than an hour." S.: Lor bless you, mam, but it's loike a barrel-organ. What extraordinary invinshnns they do bring out, to be sure i An extraordinary affair occurred at Windorah (says the Age). It appears that a gin gave birth to a half-caste, and buried the child in a neighbouring yard. The fact that a child had been born, and apparently destroyed, leaked out, and Constable Griffen at once took the matter up and discovered the spot where the child had been buried. The wonderful part of tha story remains to be told. The child was discovered alive and strong, although it had been covered with several inches of earth for about six hours. The soil is sandy and porous, and respiration waa, therefore, possible. The gin was arrested, and will be brought up at tho Police Court in a few days. It is not often in these latter days that we hear of a family in which there are firo generations in the land of tho living ; but 6uch wa3 the case in the family of Mr W. Eld, of Towusville, up to within two or three months ago. The record was broken by the death of Mr William Taberer, grandfather of Mrs Eld, who hcrsalf is a grandmother. The patriarch of the family died at a village not far from Rugby, Warwickshire, at the age of 98 years and 7 months. Tho old gentleman's age is the more remarkable jfrom the fact .that for upwards of 60 years ho followed the profession of a journalist, writing to no less than five papers. To tho last he was able to take his glass of ale, but hu lived his long life without enjoying the luxury of tobacco. Captain Lovett, of the brig Rio Loge, asserts that the seaman, Charles Seymour, who met with the acoident on Rattray street wharf on Thursday, was not on his ship's articles, having been paid off previously. He also states that he was not on board the Rio Loge on Thursday, but was roaming about the wharf, and perhaps slipped off and injured his leg. If a shaft were cut through tho earth to connect England and this colony, how much comparatively level road would there be? Also, would the switchback be a suitable means of transit? Mr Cotterill, of the Little Dust Pan, George street, is considering the scheme, being anxious to afford facilities to his customers at Home to avail themselves of his great sale of crookery, glass, and ironmongery. Trams pass the door. ■ On Wednesday evening, at the Shamrock Hotel, Mr C. Beck was made the recipient of a splendid bat from Mr W. Hendley in fecognition of his batting in the match against New South Wales last season. Mr Hendlay, in a few well ohosen remarks, made the presentation, Mr Beck suitably responding. The bat, which was specially selected by Mr Hendley from Messrs Boyle and Scott's when in Melbourne, bore the following inscription:—"Presented by W. Hondley to Clem. Beck for Bcora in match Otago—New South Wales, season 1889-90." A branch office of that useful organisation known as the New Zealand Gas Consumers Proteotiva Association has been opened in this city. The association numbers some thousands of gas consumers in tho Northern cities, including the Government, and a great amount of useful work, eausicg a saving in gas bills has been effected. Defective fittings, faulty meters, and careless reading of meters are provided against. No doubt liberal support will be accorded by gas consumers in this city to the association. Two of the three Misses Palliser, who recently caused some sensation in the House of Commons, where they were taken with a view of influencing votes in favour of a grant to their father, the late Sir W. Palliser, were guilty of a j curious escapade last summer, which gave great I annoyance to their worthy guardian, Captain Palliser, R.N., who has done so much for their cause. Mr Pears, the well-known soap maker, proposed to start a beauty show on the Continental model. The Misses Palliser, "for a lark," sent their photographs, and were awarded first and second prizes, which amouuted to a handsome sum, but involved the obligation of appearing publicly as the prize winners, and of allowing their photographs to be reproduced by Messrs Pears' firm. On learning what had happened, Captain Palliser threatened to put all the machinery of the Court of Chancery into force against both his nieces and the soap manufacturer?, and the unhappy girls were deprived of their little windfall of pocket money. —The first trial of inoculation for smallpox in England was made on a capital convict— on a criminal condemned to death. —A medical man in London has just recorded tho cases of threo children, aged 10, 11, and 12 years respectively, each of whom died o£ meniDgitis, of which the exciting cause was clearly overwork, at sohool,