NEWS OF THE DAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5619, 14 November 1889, Page 3

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Afc the present rate of progress tin whole of the excavations for the Munches ter Ship Canal can be finished in three years. Minnie Palmer, the actress who rccentlj visited the colonies with the London Gaiety Company, earns Ll5O per week at Her Majesty's, London, at Christinas time. At a sale of hind at Warrnnmbool (V. ), an allotment was sold for L 4625, or at the rate of L 56 per foot. Some grazing land on the fringe of the town sold to Llll per acre. A. S. Leslie and Co., soft goods merchants of Brisbane, have filed a petition for liquidation. The liabilities are stated at L 200.000. The Shah's purchases made while in Paris filled GOO large packing cases. While he was in Vienna his Grand Vizier had to draw, in one cheque, 06,000 florins for payments to shopkeepers. Up to the passing of the French Divorce Law in 1884 the annual average of judicial separations had been between 2500 and 3000. In 1887 the number of divorces had risen to 5797. Some sharks are apparently not particular what they have for their meals. One large monster was captured off Sumner, near Christchurch, a few days ago, and in it was found a pair of boys' trousers. The three Irish delegates are quite young men. Mr Dillon is 38 years of age ; Mr Deasy is 33 ; and Sir Thomas Esmonde is 27. The latter owns estates to the extent of 8057 acres, and is in receipt of an income of L45tJ3. Mr Dillon is a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. Tliu latest "fad" among American young women is to accompany themselves at the piano with an imitation of the cornet, produced by a buzzing of the lips. The accomplishment is, it is said, difficult to acquire, but the result is worth the trouble. A quick lively tune is most suitable for the experiment. A Sydney inventor has patented a principle of parcel post, and it is said passenger communication also, whereby the distance between Sydney and Melbourne can be traversed at the rate of 300 miles an hour. When will his idea be realised ? The great delay in obtaining a jury in Chicago to try the Cronin murder case was caused by the prisoners' counsel challenging all Germans and foreign-born citizens, while the prosecution challenges all Irishmen. It is notable that when the Chicago anarchists were tried, over two years ago, 935 talesmen were examined before a jury was obtained. Large shipments of gold are being made from New Zealand to the Argentine Republic. The last mail steamer was the bearer of LIOO,OOO shipped by the Bank of Australasia, and L 20.000 shipped by the New Oriental Bank. The Bank of New Zealand also sent a box of gold by the Zealandia. Some interesting statistics compiled by the Telegraph Department show that last year's business done by the New ZealandAustralian cable comprised 20, 130 private telegrams, and 850 press messages, the respective values being — Private telegrams, L 36,797 ; press messages, L 989. The Illinois State Attorney, who is prosecuting in the Cronin case, says that he has 174 witnesses, making a case simply invulnerable in its circumstantial character ; and that the main defence will be an alibi for Coughlin, Burke, and Patrick O'Sullivan, and insufficient evidence for the others. An August 27 there was an attempt to assassinate an important witness against Burke named Klahre. Klahre was severely beaten by several young Irishmen. Rather a curious case of blood-poisoning is reported from Waimate, where a farmer suffered considerably through a gorse prickle entering his finger. His case was similar to that of another farmer who died there recently. The local, paper, in relating the affair, says that after the prickle entered the finger, the latter became very painful, the whole arm swelling to an enormous .size. The other arm then became affected in a similar manner, and the poison apparently went through the body. The Rotorua township purchase will take some time to complete. The signatures of a good many owners have yet to be obtained. Upwards of 500 persons were interested in the Pukeroa Block of 3000 acres. The signatures of 375 have been obtained. Only a part of the payment for each share is made, and security is taken for the money so paid. The sum paid to those who have signed is L 8250. The purchase is described as a most advantageous one. Many natives had, by their conduct, made them a nuisance t j tourists and visitors. Everything possible will be done to promote tourist traffic and desirable settlement. Charles Johansen, carrier, of Eketahuna, Wairarapa, was driving a team and dray along the EketahunaAlfredton road. When he reached the steep cutting the horses refused to face the mud in the centre of the road and swerved oft', upsetting overthe steep incline, which is 60ft deep. Johansen jumped off as the conveyance went over, and the dray bounced clean over him, and was smashed. One horse was badly cut. Among the many things Algeria is doing to make herself attractive to tourists is the exhuming of some of her ancient cities. The marvels of Pompeii are said to be nearly equalled by the city that has just been exhumed at Timga, with its streets, shops, forum, triumphal arches and flagstones worn by cart-wheels. At Cherchell, on the coast, west, of the city of Algiers, the luxurious baths of the ancient city of C;esarea have recently been brought to light. A good story is told of Mr Vincent Pyke, the joker of the House, in the shape of a notice which he posted in the tea and coffee room of the House. We may explain that in this room only tea and coffee are charged for, at the rate of CJcl per cup, but hon. members can help themselves to ai much bread and butter and other solids ■without charge. Evidently Mr Pyke thought that some of them availed themselves of this privilege to too great an extent, and he, accordingly, posted up the following : — " Notice : Frequenters of this room are invited not to consume 2s 6d ■worth of food for tid. By order." The Taranaki Herald writes :— " The public will be glad to learn that the Government have refunded to Judge Rawson the whole of his disbursements and costs in connection with the Royal Commission held afc New Plymouth in March last. The report of the commissioners so thoroughly exonerated Mr Rawson from all the charges brought against him, that as the law was so defective as not to enable the costs to be recovered from the complainant, no other course was open to the Government, but to pay them out of the colonial chest. The amount paid was L 345 19s 9d., and the payment to Mr Rawson was made by the Government voluntarily without any request from Mr Rawson." From all accounts the Wnitomo Caves, Auckland, excel those of New South Wales. Grand as is the rocky vastness of the Blue Mountains, the Australians have no scenery equal to be found in New Zealand, their forests of gums will not compare with the beautiful vegetation of this colony ; their waterfalls do not come up to the lakes of this country of natural wonders. What would Mr Da\ id Ch ristie Murray have said if he had come to New Zealand, for this is what he says of the Blue Mountains:— 4 1 shall go back to those strange and beautiful scenes many and many a time in fancy. If it were not so hard a world, if every hour of life must not needs wear out its 60 minutes, if one could but live idly and feed on beauty and happy thoughts, I would go back in fact and stay there. '