OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9194, 14 August 1891, Page 4

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

NEWS, GOSSIP, AND ADS.

A petition is being extensively signed in Auckland in favour of the Auckland Electric Lighting Bill. ■

Four boys broke into the Primitive Methodist Church, at Invercargill, on Wednesday night and attempted to open the safe. They were disturbed and caught. " . ■

Russia has added another item to the loog list of acts of intolerance against the Jews by forbidding them to observe the Jewish Sabbath by closing their stores or places of business, and compelling them instead to close on Sunday and other days observed by the Greek Church.

A settler up1 Masterton way was convicted of having rabbits upon his property and fined 20?. He immediately resigned all his public appointments and withdrew within himself.: If a friend met him in the street and said," How d'ye do ?" he replied, as he passed on," Don't speak to me, please ; I'm a convicted criminal." It has been discovered that there were some defects in the declaring of Thursday a legal halfholiday in Oamaru, and some of thoso who were convicted of breaches of the act are inquiring if they cannot demand restitution. If is satisfactory to learn that though therp was some growling in this colony at the Whitney ammunition, tb.it manufactured by Captain Whitney in Victoria is declared muoh superior to the English article. The Argus, of a recent date, after referring to the complaints against the English article says:—" On the other band, it is satisfactory to learn that the cartridges supplied by the Colonial Ammunition Company at Footscray are being found entirely satisfactory. A further trial of the ammunition was held on the Williamstown range recently by a number of shots picked by-the Defence department, and some very fine shooting was done, the concentration in the case of the local ammunition being by comparison with that of English manufacture very satisfactory. On the first trial of the ammunition at 800jds, Captain Eales being on the firing mound, 43 out of a possible 50 were scored, with one miss, which the shooter declared was entirely his own fault." Bather a good story is told ot the manner in which a farmer in Natal caosed a thief to^confeßS to stealing his tobacco leaf. Snspecting a certain native he requested the headman of the • kraal to muster his men. This was done, and on beiDg placed in line the suspected man wag : placed due north. He then handed the headman a small pocket compass and explain that the needle (or finger as the native called it) would always point towards the thief. He placed the compass upon the palm of the headman's hand and told him him to turn it which way he thought fit. After repeated twistings and turnings the headman went up to the suspected man and told him that he must be the thief, as no matter which way the box was turned the finger always pointed at him, and so he had better own up. This the native did, and pointed out where he had hid the tobaoco leaves. The 'cute farmer's sable neighbours now give him a wide berth.

■&. Goabastks os I'osvrsr.—" The name Csdbiury on »ny ptckat of Oosoa Is a guarantee o? onrifcv "—Medio»] Anti»»l.