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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 6898, 9 February 1894, Page 3

Mr French, the Victorian Government entomologist, states that there is no reason for stockowners being alarmed about the bot fly. Salad oil rubbed on the affected parts is, he alleges, a certain cure.

The Queen's Bench has been considering a composer's troubles against certain builders who made a regular scaffold and brought ricks, mortar and the general row of builders against the composers study, and by their alterations assisted to flood his study and damage the score of two operas, one named " A.D. 3000," the idea of which was to represent on the stage by means of music what the world would be like then. The defendant gained the day.

A law exists m Denmark, providing that all drunken persons shall be taken to their homes m carriages at the expense of the publican who sold them the last glass. They have a curious but effective method of dealing with inebriates m the Argentine Republic. Instead of fining an offender they sentence a drunkard to sweep the streets for eight days. A similar punishment exists at St. Petersburg, where well-dressed men may be seen acting as scavengers.

The old question of Hamlet's sanity or madness is raised once more m a curious work by a French doctor, M. JLevis Charnel, whose view, if we mistake not, is a novel one. Dr. Charnel's book is entitled " The Simulation of Madness by the Insane," and he is of opinion thsjfc Shakespeare intended to represent Harfiet as a man with a diseased brain, wffo adds to what may be called his unconscious eccentricities, others of which he is well aware, and which are designed to give the impression that he is mad. Cases of this kind have been observed, says the writer, m our modern asylums and prisons, so that it is sometimes impossible to say whether a man is wholly shamming or not. In former times, Dr. Charnel declares, the men who saw most clearly the characteristics of madness were not the doctors, but two authors of genius, Shakespeare and the author of " Don Quixote."

While a cage of monkeys, which was being transferred from the Penguin to the Pukaki at Wellington last Saturday m the course of transhipping Fillis' Circus, was allowed to remain m one of the wharf sheds, a bear, also connected with the circus, playfully prized open the bars and let the monkeys loose. They availed themselves of their liberty to indulge m a gambol among the net-work of ropes and beams m the roof of the shed, and for several hours wharf officials and circus attendants vainly chased them, to the intense entertainment of a large assemblage of spectators. Ultimately all of the monkeys were secured, bub not before there was much profanity used, much perspiration lost, much clothing destroyed, and the cuticle of various sedate officials was bruised and abraded m divers and sundry places. And a hot wind blew all the time.

One of the best known and oldest-estab-lished mercantile houses m Wellington has just completed a drastic scheme of retrenchment whereby its accountant, confidential clerk, head salesman, and chief traveller, have all received notice of retirement. As nearly all these gentlemen have been many years m the firm's service it seems exceptionally hard on them. The accountant has, for instance, been nearly thirty years m the firm's employment, whilst the others are servants of many years standing. Shrinking of trade and partnership rearrangements are the causes of the retrenchments. It is but fair to add that the firm m question has behaved m the most liberal manner to its retrenched employe's, and has endeavoured to make the task of a fresh start m life as easy as possible to those whom circumstances have unfortunately compelled them to part with. — Wairarapa Times.

The official joker of the House of Commons had one of his heaviest falls recently. At an earJy stage of the debate m the House of Commons on an amendment to the Parish Councils Bill, by Sir Francis Powell, Sir William Harcourt intervened m hia airy way to bring the discussion to an end. There is nothing to quarrel about, he Baid. If a testator wants to remove all doubt as to the destination of his charity he need only write m his will " This is ecclesiastical," just as a schoolboy, when he has drawn a lion, writes above it, "This is a lion." Half an hour later Mr Pierpoint, who happens to be a lawyer, though he has never signed himself "Historicub," was asked whether the House was expected to take this as a statement of the legal principle that would rule the case. " I expounded no legal principle," said Sir William, jumping up m the greatest alarm ; " I only made a little joke." " Perhaps for the future," came the ready retort, " when the right honorable gentleman has occasion to make a similar speech, he, too, will take the precaution of writing up ' This is a