At a London Wool Sale.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6543, 9 December 1892, Page 4

At a London Wool Sale.

Therv: arc wool sales in the London W oo] Exchange five tiine3 a year— in January, lasting into February ; in April, and so on ; and, from the vigour displayed in the bidding, we can well imagine that the buyers are glad of a little rest. The broker, professionally impassive in the light that streams down on him from the dome, quietly mentions the number of the lot. Instantly up jumps a dozen heated men from what look like seats in a lecture theatre. "Nine!" "Nine!"' "Nine!" they all shout together, some leaning forward and gesticulating, some with their hands firm down on the. white catalogues which look like judicial papers. " Nine ! " " Nine ! " " Nine !" they go again in a sort of crackling lire. The broker looks at them blandly. " Half !" says one. Before the word is fully uttered " Half !" " Half !" " Half !" go the rest, combining in one last effort " Half !" One man in the semi-circle of seats puts his hands to his mouth as if he were hailing the maiutop in a hurricane. Lcnul over all, his " Half 1 ' dominates. Thebroker lifts his finger to him. He is the lucky man. The lot is his. Another lot. But there is no jumping from the seats. "Shall we say twelve?' 5 asks the broker, insinuatingly. Silenoe. " Eleven and a half !" asks the broker with indifference. Not a sound. "Eleven? Ten and a half ? Ten ? Nine and a half ?" There is a scuflling of feet and a roar. " Nine and a half !" " Nine half !" " Half !" "Half!" "Half!" And a thin man comus in last of all with a sharp dry " Haf !" " Any advance !" asks the broker, with a yawn. One man makes a grimace, and the rest look at each other for a moment and then burst out into full song with "Ten!" "Ten!" "Ten!" "Ten!" "Any advance?" asks the broker. "Haf !" says the thin man most unexpectedly. There is a knock from the broker, and the lot makes room for the next. "Is that per bale ?" we ask of our companion in the gallery. " No, no ; pence per pound." — Leisure Hour.

The following particulars regarding Lord Kosebery's farm at Dalmeny, which lies in close proximity to the Forth Bridge, are at the present time of especial interest. On the home farm, which extends to about 1400 acres, excellent cottages, to which substantial gardens are attached, have been provided for the married ploughmen, and a comfortable bothy has been erected for the unmarried men. It comprises a large dining-room, fitted up with cooking stove and hot and cold water, and for every occupant a separate bedroom is provided. Lavatory accommodation of the most approved description is also furnished, and a woman servant is deputed to keep the place tidy and have the kettle boiling for the men when they return from the " yoke." Lord Rosebery provides his ploughmen with the daily and all the leading agricultural papers. The wages for good and efficient men on the Dalmeny farm are £1 per week. When a ploughman or other labourer has spent the best part of his life in service at Dalmeny, and becomes unfit for the hard and steady work of driving a pair of horses, an easier kind of work is found for him, and he is kept on at a fair wage, nominally as a jobber, but practically as a pensioner. Even the widows of old and faithful servants are most kindly treated, and some comfortable billet is always found for anyone who has a just claim on his lordship's consideration.

Considerable sensation has been caused in the town of Nice by the suicide of Miss Jane Armstrong, an American heiress, after losing her fortune of a quarter of a million dollars at the Monaco gaming tables. Arriving from New York early in August she arranged to rent a villa for several weeks in the village of Ventimiglia, in the Corniche district. At first she visited the casino partly from curiosity, but on the 3rd September she commenced to play, and during the day won 200,000 f. Returning to the casino on the following days, she continued staking heavy sums, but her good fortune deserted her, and at the end of the three days she had lost 200,000d01. of her own money in addition to her first days winnings. Her luck again changed, and she recovered all she • lost, and then left the casino, declaring that she would never play again. On Monday morning however, she ro-appeared, and again wagered heavy sums, with the result that at an early hour in the evening she had lost 2.3,000 dollars left to her by her parents, in addition to the substantial sum won up to the time of her declared resolution. lieturning to her residence she retired to her room, and next morning was found dead, shot through the heart with a revolver, which was lying beside her. The deceased, who was very prepossessing, was only 20 years^of age.

The sequel is announced to a strange experiment lately tried at Perpignan, in the south of France. Two or three years ago that little town elected a Socialist Town Council, who were pledged to create public workshops and to make all sorts of other innovations for the amelioration of the condition of the poor. Unfortunately, the council behaved with more zeal than prudence, and they got the finances of the municipality into a very bad state. They have given place to a council of more moderate views, leaving to their Individualistic successors the task ».f paying the piper for the tunes they had called for. The result is that the new council have had to raise a loan of 330,000 francs to meet the deficit that had been created.

A Quaker wedding is reported in the Sydney Daily Telegraph as having taken phice recently at the meeting house, Devonshire street, which wa3 only the second that has taken place there during the last seven years. The ceremony differs considerably from that usually practised by other Churches, and its decidedly quaint in character. There being no officiating minister, the contracting parties take it upon themselves to marry each other, the formula being, " Friends, I take my friend so-and-so to be my wife (or husband, as the case might be.), promising by Divine assistance to be unto her or him a loving and faithful husband or wife until death separate us." The register is next signed, and the rest of the service is of a devotional character. Mr Graham P. Moore, Victorian born and educated at Ballarat and (Jeelong, is now occupying a position in the London Royal Ccllege of Music as a professor of the pianoforte. Mi 1 Moore has tried his hand with considerable distinction in composition, and several of his efforts have attracted the favorable attention of such piauistes as Paderewski and Stavenhagen. Bowlers, call round to Hennessy's and inspect Hawkins' Patent Bordeaux Calf and Canvas Ventilated Bowling Shoes ; cool and comfortable to wear. Hennessy's for Boots. — Advt. LADIES LADIES LADIES ! For Afternoon Tea, use An,sKHROOK's delicious ROYAL DrcSSEKT AND OKSLOW BISCUITS.