MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1139, 5 October 1880, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

At the Sydney banquet in his honor, Sir Hercules Robinson referred, tb the progress of the Colonies, saying that he was convinced that, in seventy or eighty years, tlie population of the Australian group would not be less than 30,000,000 of people, and that with this increase of numbers many difficult social and political problems would arise, the solution of which would rest with, themselves. Chief among these problems would be the relations which these Colonies would Dear to each other in the future, and the close political association with the mother country, which would permit many millions of self-goverq|qg A n fA°Australians. to advance in natural life, while, at tl^e sjame time they might ret main an integral part of that Empire which it was now their pride and privilege to form a part. Dnring the hearing of a case, Maginnity v. M'Lachlan, in the Masterton R. M. Court recently, a witness for the defence was objected to by the plaintiff, who said he <4 did not think it was right for a man who had filed his schedulefourorfivetimestobe a witness." The witness indignantly said he " did not come there to be insulted." His Worship replied the witness should not " take it as an insult, fo.r if a man oould not he a witness beoause he had filed his schedule, there would be few witnesses in the colony." A daring robbery has been committed at Government House, Melbourne. Lord Normauby had a dinner p^rty, and the ladies, before coming to the dinner room, left several pieces of jewellery on a dressing-table. During dinner a thief obtained access to the bedrooms and took all the jewellery within reach, and decamped. The chief losers are Mr^. Fiulay, Mrs, St. John, and Miss Robinson, whose stolen jewellery was valued at £150. The polioe are now investigating the matter, but no clue has been found to the thief. A South Island Minister told the trustees of his church that he must have his money, as his family was suffering. "Money!" said one of tho trustees, j "j'on preach for money! I thought you preached for the good of souls. " The ministir replied, " I can't eat souls, *,\\d if I could, it would take a thousand such < as yours to make a meal."" <

A thrilling scene recently occurred at I Birmingham. A Mrs. Olivia Thompsonj j residing at Smallhealth, Birmingham, went to see her son oft" by train at the Smallhealth station of the Great Western Railway. After wishing him good-bye on the departure platform, she was in the act of crossing to the other side of the station when she saw the train from Birmingham within a few yards of her. In her terrified efforts tb get out of the way she stumbled and fell into the fourfoot way, while the son fainted away in the arms of a spectator. The enginedriver shut off steam and brought the train to a standstill as soon as possible, but not until four carriages had passed over the place where the woman lay. The spectators were much relieved to hear her call out from beneath the train, "All right, John ; I'm all right," and she was soon after got between the wheels without having sustained any injury. A Waimate tradesman having sought the protection of the Bankruptcy Court the other day, had his windows artistically covered with whitewash. Subsequently, to make the improvement still more suggestive, a judgment summons and another legal document were attached to the glass, with the inscription beneath " Too late ! Too late ! You cannot enter now." The Post understands that the Auckland Harbour Board have raised objections to the San Francisco mail steamers arriving and discharging on Sunday, the day on which they are due at Auckland under the accelerated timetable. We believe the Attorney-General has been requested to make some satisfactory arrangement if possible, failing which it is not improbable that, the port of arrival and departure may be changed to Russell, and the mail steamers discontinue visiting Auckland. 1 Such an alteration would materially shorten the time to Sydney, and afford good facilities for coaling. A new industry has lately come into existence on the West Coast mountains. On the banks of Lake Lyndon, between Christchurch and Hokitika, may be seen an ice house, full to the roof with large blocks of ice obtained from the Lake adjoiuing. It is the inteution of the enterprising dealers to dispose of their winter gathering during the summer months in the City of the Plains, or wherever the public most desire to cool their sparkling or still Moselle, their creams or jellies, or their burning coppers. During the month ended Oct. 1 no fewer than 25 insolvencies have occurred in the Provincial District of Wellington, twelve of which relate to the city and the remainder to the country districts. The previous month there were only 16 declarations of insolvency in the Provincial District. The total number of declarations of insolvency for the nine months ended to-day is 181, there being 21 deeds of arrangement during the same period. For the corresponding period of last year there were 153 declarations of insolvency tiled aud 78^ deeds of arrangement. When a pair of lovers are sitting alone in the parlor conversing about love and other sentimental things, the sudddenness with which the young man changes the subject to domestic economy when the lady's paternal parent enters the room almost make the young man's collar button fly off.