Odds and Ends.

Otago Witness, Issue 1465, 13 December 1879, Page 6

Odds and Ends.

(Compiled for the Otago Witness.)

The members of the Victorian Legislative Council take exception to " the daily insults which are heaped upon them by the Government and the Assembly, " asserting that there it something. like a conspiracy in existence to destroy their usefulness. The Italian maize crops this year are in several provinces only one-half of that of ordinary years, while in others they all considerably below the average. The crop of wheat ia equal to only one- third of that of 1878. The phenomenon of subterranean waters having a regular ebb and flow has been observed in coal mineß in Germany. The scientific academies of Vienna and Berlin are studying It, and look for valuable additions to our knowledge of the earth's interior. The South Australian Register Bays that Port Darwin is the key to the colonies ; its geographical position, its magnificent harbour, and all its natural advantages, muatmakeitso. The oblef article in the volume of essays lately published by Mr John Fiake, late of Harvard University bears the title of "Darwinism Verified" and forms a masterly exposition and defence of the theory. The French Northern Railway Company have had the enterprise to start a telephone on several of their lines. The result of their experiments is that for short distances it answers well, but for long diitances, Buch ai 150 miles, it does not speak at all. At Bruges on August 25th, Conttancia Priem, aged 100 years 4 montht, and 23 days, was burled. The deoeased followed the oalling of beggar from her 20th to her 100 th birthday when the town granted her a small pension. She retained her faculties till the fait. Eleven new metals have been discovered within the laat two years which have received the following names : Davium, moaandrium, phillipium, ytterbium, deeipium, neptunium, lavsesium, norwegium, uralium, scandium, and thaumaaitio. M. Jules Verne's new work "The Exploration of the World" is intended to comprehend not only all the explorations made in past ages, but also the new discoveries which have of late years so greatly interested tho scientific world. The amount of private losses ascertained to have taken place through the catastrophe at Szegdin laat Maroh is set down at about £500,000. The. total will probably amount to about £600,000. In the absence of rain for the past two years ia British Guiana the borer (so called from the habit of the young hatched on the sngar canes of boring their way from top to bottom of the cane) has so multiplied that one-third of the loss of this year's yield ia attributed to its ravages. The Porte has paid three German sailors, who had been unlawfully imprisoned at Sulina, 3000fr by way of indemnity. , It is stated that ooal oil has curative pro* perties to a remarkable degree, and is a valuable antidote in oases of bite from venomous reptiles. By means of a reoent invention it is said to be possible te send as many as eight messages simultaneously along the same wire. A portion of the invention is an apparatus which simultaneously writes down all the messages as they arrive at ' the station to which they are addressed. ' A new mode of collecting honey is being' tried in Germany. A small apparatus with, wires gives the bees an electric shook, and they fall to the bottom of th« hive, remaining motionless for several hours. The Queen has conferred the Albert Medal upon Henry Daviea, collier, Abercarn, John Harria, mason, and six miners, for their bravery in endeavouring to explore the' workings to see if any of their comrades had survived tho. terrible explosion in the Abercarn Colliery in September, 1878, A newly formed society, entitled the London Street Accident and Dangerous Driving Prevention Society, has held its first meeting in London. The Official Messengers states that in the month of August the number of conflagrations in fiussia reached the high figure of 2987,' doing damage to the amount of 20,856,000 roubles. Another naval disaster is reported from . Germany. The corvette] Freya had just left Batavia, in the East Indies, to.return home, when her boiler burst through not being properly supplied with water. Four poor fellows were scalded to death, and several more or less injured. A number of agriculturists assembled at Bedford on September 17, to witness a trial of a new sheaf-binding reaper, recently patented by Messrs Howard. The crop was wheat, not heavy, but a good deal draggled, which the maohines — two in number — out, tied, and delivered in well-bound sheaves with the greatest regularity. Oarlyle, according to the London correspondent of the Dundee Advertiser, is not long for this world. "He may," says the letter- writer, "linger on for days or even weeks, but he- is not likely ever more to be seen outside of his house." The recently discovered system of subirrigation consists of pipes laid in trenches, about a foot beneath the' surface of the ground, out of the way of the plough and at various distances apart, according to the crop' to be irrigated. The pipe is made of sand, lime, cement and water, and hardens in 24 hours so as to carry water. A reaction is going on in the United States In favour of iron rails, partly arising from the fact that though the life of a ateel rail ia ' longer than that of an iron one, the latter can < be converted when worn out, and thua commences a new life. Fifteen men have been killed and a large number injured by an explosion in a coalmine at Bonchamp, in the Haute Saone, France. The juice of the common carrot may be converted into peotin, the baße of all fruit jellies, and flavored with any vegetaM j lly prepared by the combination of >c: •« and alcohols, and put upon the market as t uu fn it jelly of every kind, although perfectly innocent of being evolved from any fruit. It is stated that the Darien canal will extend for half a century to come the existence and utility of sailing ships, and will in no way endanger the merits and business, pf tbe , Suez canal, I

A meeting was reoe ntly held at Aoata'to . consider the scheme of a tunnel under Mount Blanc, and the Dukeof Aoata.was nominated honorary president^ of the committee* _ The Japanese Government has in its service 80 Englishmen j 31 Amerioans, 30 French* men, 18 Germans,; seven Dutchmen, four Italians,, three Swiss, three Chinese, two Auatrians, two Portuguese; and one Russian, making 181 foreigners. Speaking of Darwin's theories, Mr Fiak remarks that in the present day theiaotivity •and celerity of thought are greater,* and/the influence of accepted beliefs is weaker than, in l times past. \ ' •'■ " { 1 Mr S. J. Hobbs; recently returned to Holyoke, Massachusetts, from 'Colorado, after' travelling, 1800 miles on an Indian pony, the entire trip requiring over a month. Oxygen, hydrogen, etc., are supposed to be . elementary bodies, yet a French ohemist.has demonstrated hydrogen to be a compound, and one of its components so light and of such force as to carry up into the air metallic balls filled with it. 1 It is proposed to erect in Paris a' statute of ' Farmentier, who introduced the potato into France. , , The new 80 ton gun at Woolwich has been found competent to pierce a vessel ( coated with 32in. of iron. • No ironolad carries. any-, thing like such mail as . this,:, nor is it probable that such ponderous-armour^ can be successfully floated. — There are at present in Germany 340,000 , workmen out of .employment, and, 14,000 employes without places? v The 1 average' reduction of salaries during the. last year wife 20 per cent., 1 and move than 30,000 taxpayer! were prosecuted for non-payment of taxes. The testimony of palaeontology is full, and demonstrative as far ag it can go— to the fact that the horse is connected with; a fivetoed animal by a regular, orderly' series of intermediate forms. MrParhellhas consented to beoome treasurer to a native subscription for the erection of a statue to Robert Emmet,; the Irish' patriot, who was; executed for high treason in 1803.- - „ > ' , An Inland Revenue return shows that in the year 1878, 39,205,606 gallons of proof spirits were distilled in the United Kingdom, viz., 9,835,476 gallons in England, 17,607,046 in Scotland,. and 11, 743,084 in ( lreland;. Duty was paid on 30,198,348 gallons, amounting to £15,099,168. , ; - "" _ • --. As showing that the Home Rule movement in Ireland ia participated in. by Catholics and Protestants alike^the; New Zealand Tablet instances Mr Parnell, Who "belongs to ' an old Protestant family, and adheres -firmly to their creed." ,/', '..;".;' ' An extraordinary , find has been made, in^ Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, .where, on the , tide receding,, a huge bbjeo.t was seen to, have been left on the Veaolu Jt was, first thought to be a whale, but closer inspection proved it to bo a good-sized elephant; The United States of America consume annually 'ten millions of- vats of beer, whichare produced by [ 2830 breweries.' 1 Of tht latter New York has 405 (furnishing more , than one-third of the total produce) j Pennsylvania, o83 ; Wisconsin, 248 j California 213 } and Ohio, 207.' •"•.'' V !. At Bunzlau, in Silesia, .the .wife, of » .farmer has been confined on. three suocesaive Sedan anniversaries, giving birth -- In 1877 to a girl, last year to twins, and this 'year to '•a girl. . •_:..'.... 1 On, September 19th, the Jewish New Year, -the, floor, of the synagogue, in the village of Szoinpk, near Munkaoa, gave way, in oonae- < quence, of the overcrowding; The women fell into a bath underneath. ■ Eighteen of them and one lad; were' killed, and eight, women seriously injured. ' -' '■'•■'- ■■ ' The lighting of railway carriage* by the gas ihade from shale, oil is "making steady progress, and, unless" something better is discovered, all , the English' lines' will before !long adopt Pintsch's process; , , The gas ii forced into strong iron, cylinder*. beneath the . carriages r „ /,u , Mr Henry A Severn^ states the Academy, has produced a > mariner's, compass . which causes an electric bell to be rung whenever j the vessel is off her course. .' ' ' |! ' Active opposition to the employment of {Chinese in railroad building prevails in Brit;ishColumbia.,,' ,' ' s ''_',' The amount of publio land taken by actual ; settlers in America during the,,; late fiscal year was nearly 1,500,000 aereß. \ \ The new Electoral Bill provides .that every man 21 years of age and upwards, who has resided for one year in the Colony, and in the electoral district for which he claims to vote during .the six months immediately preoedißg the registration of his vote, will be entitled to be registered as an elector. The retrogression of glaciers ia believed to have been going on in Switzerland, the last 25 years. At the Internationa Alpine Congress at Geneva, Professor B'^ve expressed his opinion that the period of retro* gresaion will by-and-by come to an end, and will be followed by a period of advance. In speaking of the legalising of the use of the totalisator on South Australian racecourses, the Dally Times advooates its legalisation in New Zealand, Baying that backers of horses would be saved from the necessity of having dealings with a' decidedly objectionable class of men, and the Club would realise a yearly profit sufficient to enable them to offer a liberal stake for another big race during the year. ' In South Australia recently, the President and Secretary of the Agricultural Sooiety waited upon the Crown Lands Oommissisner and urged that £200 be placed at the disposal of the Society, to be offered as prizes for modern utensils used in the manufacture of cheese and butter. Apple trees are at the present time much more numerously planted in England than ever before, and of late years there haß been a considerable inoreaae in the demand for young trees. Commander Lull, of, the United States Navy, recently read a paper before the American Science Association, in which he gives bis preference to the Nicaragua route for an Atlantio Pacific oanal, and expresses his opinion that even in the Panama scheme looks would be found to be indiapenalble. St. Enoch's station, Glasgow, has been illuminated, by the electric light The directors express the opinion that they will be able to successfully use it instead of gaa. The cost of the eleotrio light will be about one- third the actual cost of gas, witk ' about five time.* as jxmoh light,