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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6896, 7 February 1894, Page 3

A strange case of catalepsy occurred recently at Burton-on-Trent. A gentleman named Wileman fell into a trance, and remained m that comlition for three days. Thinking that he was dead, his relatives had the body placed m a coffin for interment, but just as the funeral was starting Mr Wileman recovered, aud, being taken out of the coffin, revived. Grant Allen writes m the Westminster Review : — Life is one turmoil of excitement and bustle. Financially, 'tis a series of dissolving views ; personally, 'tis a rush ; socially, 'tis a mosaic of deftly-fitted engagements. Drop out one piece and you can never replace it. You are full next week from Monday to Saturday — business all day, what calls itself pleasure (save the mark !) all evening. Voor old leisure is dead. We hurry and scurry and flurry eternally. One whirl of work from morning till night. Then dress and dive. One whirl of excitement from night till morning. A snap of troubled sleep, and agaiu da capo. Not an hour, not a minute, we can call our own. A wire from a patient ill abed m Warwickshire ! A wire from a client hard hit m Liberators ! Endless editors asking for your copy ! more copy ! Alter to suit your own particular trade, and 'tis the life of all of us. There is a good story " going round" with regard to the Foreign Office. A formerly well known cricketer, who (says the St. Jame's Gazette) we may call Mv A. H. Smith, was lately travelling m Spain with his wife, and was at Barcelona about the time of the recent explosions. Not hearing from him, his relations, who were becoming anxious, induced the Foreign Office to telegraph to " the authorities " at Barcelona to make enquiries. The first telegram was somewhat m this form:— "Arthur Smith, British subject ; m Barcelona during recent outrages. Kindly make enquiries and wire result ß." To this came the answer after an interval, " The man Smith is m Barcelona. He is being watched." And again, a little later, came a further telegraphic report from Barcelona, " The man Smith attempted to leave Barcelona last night — is now m custody." Shortly after Mr Smith himself wired to the Foreign Office, " Owing to your confounded telegram, have spent 24 hours m Spanish gaol. What do you mean ?" It is believed that •' the man Smith," who is an artist, was not' altogether grateful for the anxiety of his relations on his behalf. The great harm that is done to Colonial produce by inferior shipments is continually dinned into the cars of speculators and shippers. An instance bearing on this is related by a writer m an Australian contemporary, who attended a sale of fruit m London. He says : — " Convent Garden dealers must have the best, or the apples may as well stay on the trees. At a sale of Tasmania apples the truth of the foregoing verdict was amply justified. The seller's assistant exposed the top of the first case submitted. The fruit looked large and m splendid order. " Bottom ! bottom !" shouted the crowd of costers and other buyers. And when, m obedience to this command, the bottom slabs were knocked off, and a small, inferior, shrivelled lot appeared, a general groan of disgust went up." It is needless to say that all Tasmanian fruit suffered m price, and it ought to be remembered that butter and cheese of inferior quality has an equally prejudicial effect. A Sydney paper says : — " The other day, at Auckland, a serious old teetotal lady applied for a prohibition order against herself. Being asked if she was an incurable drinker, Bhe indignantly replied that she had never tasted liquor m any form, and only wanted the order issued " on principle " and as a good example to others. The order was issued according^', and when she found that her name would be duly posted up m all the hotels with the dipsomaniacs and the bscene language men, she departed tisfied."