[Compiled expressly for the Witness.]

Otago Witness, Issue 1486, 8 May 1880, Page 7

[Compiled expressly for the Witness.]

It is stated that the population of the Australian Northern Territory, white and yellow alike, is fast decreasing. Over 100 Chineae die there annually of fever. It is found that California jb well adapted to raising poppies for opium, as well as tea, figs, oranges, lemons, bananas, oiives, dates, and eVen the cinchona tree, the source of quinine. , . , The debt of California in four years has been reduced 356,204: dols., and is now leaa than 3 500.000 dols, while there ia 1,498,450 dols. in the Treasury. On 31st March last the amount of outstanding debentures and funded stock of New South Wales was £14,917,419 193 2d, on whioh was payable an annual total interest of £687,481 15a Bo\ Mr James Holloway, "a well-known London actor, hasj just died^ at the age of 60. Kate Holland, the graceful equestrienne who formed a member of Chiarini's cirous company on ins last visit to Australia, was Mr Holloway'a daughter. Mr Gorman, the new United States senator from Maryland, has before held a position in that body — that of a page. It is the only instance in the history of the United States Senate where the very humblest of its subordinates has risen to be a member. Archdeacon Innes, of Hamilton, Victoria, who lately died of diphtheria, was respected by all denominations, and was a man who practised what he preached. Over 500 Chinese landed in one day, in March, in Sydney. Now that California is virtually dosed to the Celestials, it is stated that a Urge immigration will take place to the Australian Colon ea.

Mr White, of Rmdbi&a, South Australia, is about to proceed on a two years' cruise to New Guinea, in the cause of natural history. On the west coast of Ceylon, a few miles north of Colombo, there is a consolidated beach whioh has many remarkable features, it being also in process of formation at the present time for a distance of five miles. It contains all gradations of hardness, and every known shell of that coast and clime is found there.

Four of the members of the Victorian Parliament returned in the Berry interest, are to be petitioned against on the grounds that they are insolvent. The Sheik ul Islam has called on the Constantinople authorities to prevent the wearing of Paris boots, low dresses, and transparent veils by Mussulman women. He also complains of cafes being frequented by men in the hours of religious service, To add realistic effect to " Uuole Tom's Oabin," at Logansport, Indiana, a live bloodhound was introduced, and the brute heightened the realism by breaking his chain, and biting an aotress seriously. It is probable that before long steam-pipes will be laid in the streets of New York city below Canal sbreet; and the assurance is given by the Spinola Company that publio and other buildings oan be heated at much less expense than at present, by the new apparatus. A quantity of coins— some of great rarity —have bean picked upon the south-west coast of England, among them beiug a gold piece of- the reign of William B-ufus, in a good state of preservation. Mr R. Clark, the new Victorian Minister of Mines, was not very long since a digger. He is a staunch advocate of temperance principles. He ia a great favourite with the miners, and looks after their interests well. He is 40 years old, is fearless and determined, and is fairly educated, bat not a brilliant speaker. Mr D. W. Stevenson, A.R.S.A., Edinburgh, has just completed a statue of John Knox, which is intended to occupy a niche in front of the Institute- recently «recfced in Haddington as a memorial of the Reformer.

M. Dronier has patented in Germany a proceea for rendering bronze as malleable as copper. About 1 per cent, of meroury is added to the tin ia a warm state, aad this is then mixed with the melted copper. English manufacturers, it is said, have succeeded in producing a new cloth from tbe hair of the vicuna or South American Ham*. The cloth is nailed camelina vicuna.

A large deputation ot the unemployed have waited on the Victorian Premier, who, whila intimating that suodry amall works would shortly be commenced, said that the Government could not possibly find work for everybody. During the last year 637 lives were rescued by the boats of the National Lifeboat Institution, and twenty one vessels saved from destruction.

The quadruplex system of telegraphy— the simultaneous sending of four messages on one wire — has been successfully inaugurated on the Melbourne* Sydney line. The Egyptian or rice-corn is being cultivated in western Kansas to advantage, and is considered a valuable cereal acquisition, as it will yield in any kind of weather. The product the past year averaged about forty-five bushels to the acre. The seed was obtained from the display made by the Egyptian government at the Centennial Exhibition. An interesting game of chess has been played between Littlehampton and Brighton, six on each side, the moves being transmitted by telephone, and most distinctly heard at each end, a distance of 25 miles. A resolution has been oarried at a public meeting at Sydney to the effect that no antiChinese bill|will be acceptable to the working men of N.S.W. which does not embody an annual tax on Mongolians of £10 par head.

Miss Helen J. Gladstone, the youngest daughter oE the late Sir John Gladstone, Bart, sister of the Right Hon. W. X Gladstone, died at Cologne lately, afc the age of 65. Miss Gladstone, who was a Roman Catholic, belonged to one of the religious houses at Cologne. An energetic agitation has beencommenced ia Spa with a view to inducing the BeJgium Government to grant a concession for opening public gaming tables in that charming watering plaoe. All of the important railroads iv Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, have recently given orders for paper wheels. The now parlour c«rs of th.p Chicago, Milwaukee, and Sb Paul are to be run oa 42in paper wlieels,

The death claims during the 30 yeara* existence of the A. M. P. Society, amounting to £923,232, were more than covered by the iutprasfc on the funds, which amounted tO£946,226, se that no portion of the premiums paid has been required to mset the claims, The whaling barque Europa has arrived at Boston after a three years' cruise in the Atlantic- ocean, having made the mosb successful voyage fenown for several yeara, taking 4112 barrels of oil and 23,400 pounds of bone. At present rates this catoh is worth about $85,000 t ■„*!. The King of the Belgians has budt at Laken the largest winter garden in Europe. The cupola of iron and glass is sixty metres in diameter and thirty metres in height in the centre. Ifc is supported by 36 columns of white stone.

Six hundred peaaantß, reduced to starvation, have committed serious depredations in various estates in the Province of Verona, Italy, and have aat fire to a wood near Albaredo. London had an extraordinary fog ft few days before Christmas. For nearly an hour it was literally impossible for a pedestrian to see two yards ahead unless he had a lantern. The public schools of Washington instruct 14,118 white pupils and 7925 coloured ones. They have 281 white teachers and 152 coloured teachers. , Dr Crow has calculated the time during whioh the sun has been at work upon the earth's surface, slowly transforming its physical featurea, at not less than 100,000,000 years. The engineering operations o£ tbe Italian Metal Works Company at Oaotellamare, started in 1871, have been a great Bucceaa, and have entirely relieved Italy from all f ears of foreign competition in the matter of iron bridges and railway plant generally. Publio feeling in Panama raas very stroDg against the conduct of the Government ot the United States in regard to the canal scheme of M. de Leaseps. The engineers have reported that the De Lesueps route ia favourable for the necessary excavations.

The total receipts of the telegraphio de« p%rtment in Japan from the earliest date— • 1873 -are stated to be nearly 1,000,000 dollars The total number of messages was over 3,000,000. Nearly 2000 miles of wire were put up in 1878, and over 1400 persona employed The official estimate of the Chinese population in Victoria is 20 633. Melbourne and its suburb* have 2000; Ballarit, 2192; Sandhurst, 1062 ; Oiatlemaine, 1872 ; Ararat, 996; Maryborough, 2031 j Beeohworth, 2455.

M. B3rtillon, the French savant, s*vß that thenunber of suicides in France is "at the rate of 628 per million for widowers, 273 for baohelors, and 248 for married men, and that offences against the person are 50 per cent, and against property 45 per cent, less on the part of married than unmarried men. The King of Portugal, who has alreadytranslated "Hamlet" into Portuguese, has just published a similar version of the "Merchant of Venioe," intended for sale in Portugal and the Brazils. A new French translation of Scott's novels ii announced. They will be produoed by Didot in the mast; luxurious style, and the illustrations are intended to be accurate in all that relates to costum9 and architecture.

The Russian Government are stated to have contracted with Messrs Clark, Stanfield, and Co., of Westminster, for the building of four more pontoons, by which the docking power of the depositing dock at the arsenal o( Nicolaieff will be inoreased to 6000 tons.

The Nioolaieff is the only dock in the world capable of receiving the new Imperial yacht which is now being built for the Cz»r on the Clyde by Messrs Elder and Co., and which has a beam of no less than 150 ft.

The Canada train. ' mileage (19,659,447) shows an increase over the previous year of 218,634 miles, and the number of passengers carried (6,443,924) an increase of 370,601. Lead is found in the United States from New England, New York, and Pensylvania, west and south, through some twenty States.

The Walter A. Woods Harvesting Machine Company was established in 1853, and during that year made 500 harvesting machines. In 1878 it made 25,065 machines,

The United States Consul at Tientsin, China, reports that two English phyßioiana have had remarkable success in their practice in the royal family, leading to an immense practice among the common people. A grand exposition in the milling interest will be held at Cincinnati in June, 1880, upon the occasion of the annual convention of the Millers' National Association.

There were 7,883,472 tons of freight handled on the Canada railways during last yftar, as against 6,856,796 tons during the previous year— an increase of about 15 per cent. . The growth of the production of coffee in Brazil has been very rapid, as maybe judged from the fact that in 1830 the quantity exported did not exceed 392,000 bags. The pilots of the different lines of steamers touching at Para are agreed that the lightship at the mouth of the Amazon is not a lightship at all, and that the hull of the vessel anchored there is visible, before the light at its mast head. The Viceroy at Tientsin has established free dispensary, and ihced one of the English doctors at its head. The whole expense is borne by the Viceroy. The declared value of poultry and game imported in England in 1879 was £310,281, against £277,430 in the corresponding period of the same year. The Swiea exports to the United States in 1879 show an increase of 15,000,000! on those of 1878, the chief items of interest being cotton watches, and embroidery. At the lax , meeting of the Liverpool Eaginetrint! •* vuety a. paper was real touching the probable exhaustion of coal, in which the author advocated the substitution of the tides as a nruducw of motion which would outrival all other sources of mechanical power. General Grant was welcomed to Philadelphia by a procession of 70,000 men and 25,000 horsen. The spectators numbered, it is said, ne>rly a miliioa. . It hss been uscerbained tbat do lees than 401 080 perf nna dipd from fever fn the north-w-fct Provin i <>f ladiA and Qude during ths month of October last,