Passing Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1191, 26 September 1874, Page 13

Passing Notes.

There was a pretty game muoh in vogue when I was young which I have not seen played for a good many years ; it was called snap-dragon, and is probably well enough known even in these days. It was played in this wise. A large basin was half-filled with raisins, upon which brandy was poured until it just oovered the fruit. This was then lighted, and all hands set to work to pick out the raisins and eat them as best they could. Woe to the unhappy youth who held his hand for an instant to search for a choice morsel, the penalty of an instant's delay, of the slightest attempt to improve on a blind plunge, of the faintest exercise of intelligence, was a severe scorching, perhaps, indeed, a painful soald. The game was not played blindfolded, because blindfolding was quite unnecessary. The terrors of the situation had exactly the same effect. Moreover, the derisive shouts of the unsinged were sufficient to deter any rash youth who once ventured to attempt an exercise of intelligence from ever making a second attempt. I don't know whether this game is much in vogue here — my children are all Good Templars of the strictest type, so it is unknown in my house— but i have heard that a like game is very much in fashion in Wellington during a brief season each year. I believe they call it legislation, to which it bears a crude resemblance. It is a poor game, not equal to snap-dragon.

Mr F. Beissel, the Head Scenter of Dunedin, has produced a highly creditable contribution to the literature of New Zealand. I suppose Mr J. G. S. Grant would call it a barbarous work, but Mr Grant is rather down on Colonial literature, so we will let him pass. It is really charming to find that our whole literature is not devoted to wool, land, and cereals. Here is a discourse on a crop which grows in close proximity to the brain, yet above it, good five feet six on an average, above the level of the earth, an elevated subject. Could not Mr Beissel draw some favourable comparisons between the growth and development of hair in this country and in England or Germany, with a view to aiding immigration? I am sure the comparison would be greatly in our favour. I hope Mr Beissel will forward a copy of his valuable work to Mr Vogel, that he may take it home and say : See what my New Zealanders can do ! The author represents the highest phase of civilization, and in setting forth the attractions of this magnificent country, we snould not forget that it is our duty to attract not merely ploughmen and mechanics, but men to whom the finishing touch of a Boissel is a necessity.

Lawyers, betting men, and others who deal in games of chance, must reverence the Supreme Court of Victoria, which seems constantly to take upon itself the duty of deciding delicate questions of racing and betting law. I always thought that unlawful games were matters of which courts of law took no notice, and that public morals demanded that they should ignore the existence of racing matters. However, it seems to be othe wise. The Supreme Court of the "leading Colony " has been racking its brains over a question of forfeiture of stakes. "The clearest view of the case was taken by His Honour Judge Barry, who gave it as his opinion that the alteration of the date of the race being run, by shifting it forward from the third week in April, as advertised, to the Ist April, after the nominations were made, was clearly a breach of contract. " I suppose by calling a thing a contract anything may be brought before the Court.

I am very fond of novelties in any form, and of course the more novel the form the more novel the novelty. Now, I am against suicide as suicide, because it is foolish. A man who commits suicide, unless for very good cause indeed, shows that he thinks society undervalues him, which is only another way of showing that he undervalues himself ; but if a man is really bent on suicide, and won't be deterred on any account, let him by all means do it in a striking manner, and not adopt vulgar methods. An expressman at Wellington has almost come up to my ideal, having drowned himself by putting his head into a bucket of water and keeping it there until he was dead. This is really new. I once heard of a man who was drowned in a vessel of smaller capacity than a bucket ; but this was an accident ; and lately a young woman has drowned heraelf in a tub, but then, she was able to get almost into it. The hero of the first mentioned adventure was a Sicilian General, over 80 years of age. He got his head into a peculiar position and was suffocated. The man who has had the fortitude to drown himself in a bucket of water has excited my sympathy and sorrow, but he has won my admiration.

I begin to think we have good reason to congratulate ourselves upon living at this end of the world. True, a European war would do us an immense deal of harm ; but, come what may, the fruits of our industry will remain ours, and can neither be swallowed up in Royal taxes nor burned in Bismarckian flames. An international quarrel is like an aching tooth — if it cannot be promptly stopped it is better to have it out afc once. The short wars of 1866 and 1870 did not suffice to let out the bad blood that was pont up during years of armed peace. By the light of later events men begin to think it would have been better had those wars been longer and more exhausting. There is no doubt that Europe is now in as critical a state as it has been for many years, Every newspaper that arrives repeats the same tale in a more startling form than the last, The prospeots of Europe are calculated to made one shudder. It behovea us in these times to look well after our own, and endeavour to steer clear of other nations' quarrels. No man is able to say with certainty that there will nut be hostile ships in our waters before twelve months are out. The thing is ualikely, but not impossible. It is well known Russia has at least 20 ships in the North Pacific.

The death of Major-General Pir Henry Storks deprives the Empire of one of its ablest men. I say the Empire, for Sir Henry belonged essentially to the Empire. He was born in 1811, and served in the Kaffir war, and subsequently, during the Crimean war, commanded the British military establishments on the Turkish shores. After holding various offices he became Lord High Commissioner of the lonian Isles. When they ceased to be part of the Empire, he was made Governor of Malta, whence he was sent, in 1865, to take charge of Jamaica, which was then in a state of terrorism, owing to the rebellion. He oonducted the famous enquiry into the tragic rebellion, the mere mention of which still provokes angry words between Tory and Radical in England, and soon returned home. Since then he has held various high offices. He was held in the highest esteem by various Governments of all parties.

They seem to be going in for townships in the old country ; at least, the amount of land sold appears to increase yearly. The value of the landed estate sold between the Ist January and the 30th June in each year has been, for the last four years, as follows :— lß7l, £1,903,180 ; 1872, £3,775,080 ; 1873, £4,784,857 ; 1874 £4, 873, 313. This probably only represents half the landed estate Bold in the course of the year, as it only covers half the year. Frequent complaints are made in England of the impossibility of getting land, yet it has been stated on good authority that there is at any moment landed estate to the value of £30,000,000 in the English market. Much of this is of course town land — i. c. ? houses in London.

Prussia is the only country, in what is conventionally styled the civilised world, where duelling is authorised by law. In England it has no recognition whatever. In most countries it is a specific offence, but is not severely punished where death does not ensue. In Prussia, regulations have just been issued for the formation of Councils of Honour among the officers. No duel is to be fought without the sanction of this Tribunal, and in every case the President must be present. Officers engaged in duels are not to be subject to criminal proceedings, unless the occasion or issue of the encounter is a violation of the rules of honour — such as a serious unprovoked insult. Duelling is to a certain extent defensible, because there are some wrongs which can be redressed in no other way ; but to make laws regulating and allowing it is to recognise Trial by Ordeal, and is a relapse towards the belief as well as to the usages of barbarous times.

The Rev. Mr O'Keeffe has fallen foul of the Most Rev. Dr Moran, Roman Catholic Bishop of Ossory. The Bishop stated to the Commissioners of National Education that a certain document forwarded to them by Mr O'Keeffe was a forgery. This gentleman brought an action, and, after one abortive trial, recovered £50 on the second. He had no counsel, though a solicitor had conducted

the caso for him until it came into couvfc, when he pleaded his own cause. The following passage occurs in his address :—

There was a time when the word of Caesar might have stood against the world. It is now the word of the ecclesiastical despot in Eccles street. Caesarism is defunct ; Ultraraontanism rule 3 supreme. Gentlemen, I suppose every one of you respects his own religion and would like to see it exalted j but I tell you, if you put unlimited power in the hands of ecclesiastics you establish a tyranny. I never heard of a religion that would not persecute if it were able, and my own just as much as any other, and perhaps more so. lam very far from thinking this any argument against the truth of my religion. On the contrary, I say with the illustrious Bossuet, the author of the Gallioan liberties, that there is no illusion more dangerous than to make toleration a characteristic of the true Church. All I so,y is this, if you love civil and religious liberty, tell ecclesiastics to stay within the sanctuary, and to pray there as much as they like for sinners and worldlings, but tmtnide the church give them all the power you are unable to keep from them and no move.

Bold words for an Irish priest. Mr O'Keeffe seems to be of the litigious stamp. He has fifteen or sixteen more actions pending, and has recovered £15 in one.

Strange things are now and then to be seen in the marriage columns of the London Times. Tho following marriage notices, apparently relating to the same persons, appear in tho order in which I give them in that papev :—

On the llth inst., at Vallo Eerregord, Norway, Hubert Smith, Esq., the author of "Tent Life with English Gipsies in Norway," to Esmeralda, the Heroine of his book.

On the 11th inst., Adrey Vallo Phillissin, Norway, the Rye, Hubert Smith, E3q., romado to Taruo Eemeralda Lock, who pookers covah Lava to saw Romany Palors.

The first is intelligible and very excusable, nay, meritorious, if Hubert Smith, Esq., is young, and Esmeralda is pretty. The second is unintelligible to me, whatever others may make of it. Who will tell me what " Who pookers covah Lava to saw Romany Palora " means 1

Escaping from prison—especially from islands— is getting so extremely stale that we are getting tired of: it. No decent French politician-— I don't mean decent in behaviour, but decently noisy and blatant— ever lives ten years without getting into prison ; and of course each and every one escapes in turn. Napoleon 1., Napoleon 111., Abd-el-Kader— l think ha once escaped — Roohefort, Grousset, and Co., Monte Christo, and, lastly, Bazaine. The earlier ones sometimes had to undergo hardships. But rich ones like the Bonapartes and Bazaiue go away in yachts, steamers, or other comfortable vehicles. The convenient vessel is always there to carry the fugitive to a safe Newcastle. I see Marshal Bazaine's steamer is represented as having landed him at Geneva ; but this is rather too warm, even supposing Spiritualism was called in aid. There was a lady in the case, a hoodwinked sentry, a bloody rope — very proper properties for such an occasion ; but still these escapes are beginning to get flat.