Untitled

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7894, 10 April 1897, Page 4

■ '';. ' The group of men composing the native ?f. contingent (writes a Wellington corre- ■>■•'.' ' spondent) are the subject of anything but '■'• ' ' favorable criticism, but; the main objection ' is that of expense. It is said that they •' ' .faavu been chosen out of one particular .V ]. locality (Wairarapa), and that the Maori r who has command is related to all of V them, or that they are in some way iuter- •'.■.'■ Connected with him. On this ground it -,\ *. is affirmed that they cannot be designated ,• -~ ■** representative of the native people of ?:'; the colony." Then it is said the majority ' : of them are half-castes, and this circum- «;■■'; stance takes them out of the category j' of ." aboriginal natives." It is further J- • alleged that they require to be paid five W : shillings a day during their absence. It ;;'.-. is generally regretted that a different class |.'" .of -natives had not been chosen, men of i : better education', more successful scholars, v.v or- men of distinguished services like ;[;.'< -.Kemp. There it a goodly number of /genuine rangatiras to be had, Maori j.v- 'inasterß of act, Maori barristers, Maori |'J ' clergymen, Maori warriors like Kemp, )p?-- man of fine physique who would require = - nothing except their passages to England , . and could live on their own menus while ; '»:, ; ihere. . V. ..;, l'he Board of Trade have issued a :- caution to masters and oflicers of ships ;.; drawing attention to a case decided *-■:. recently at the Police Court, Bristol, '•■■> where the master of a steamer was con- --!.' Vioted of having failed to stand by aud ;,,. '-offer assistance to a trow with which his ,-• . 'steamer had been in collision, and for k'J - moh offence was sentenced to pay a fine [::, ' of L 25, including costs. The Board point f ' out that failure without reasonable cause , ' to stand by and give name after collision, '• or to render such assistance to the colliding f< : Tassel as may be practicable or necessary, -:■;.,- J8 a misdemeanor under section 422 of i'- t 'the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, aud ; )if: punishable on summary conviction by a (f ;>/ fine not ezceedinc; LIOO, or by imprison- |?'^-; menu for any period not exceeding six %.; months. —Shipping World. ;>';:;,., Dr Wansen has asked permission to :■;■'' ■ jasme the Siberian Peninsula, discovered b;. ' "" ' by him, after King Oscar of Sweden. The |-V : ' King and the Russian authorities have %■ : given their consent. f{i ■'■'■ '■. A' disable execution took place at Santon, ?' : '•. Algeria, in February^ the condemned men jjr£'K]6eing'two privates of the Foreign Legion, Ip'i'wfjo ran amuck on the last national fete. llv^y'i , "and killed and wounded several %■'!{£ OktiVes, besides brutally assaulting :i nuiiiof their comrades, who endeavored to '^f-:--- Jrestraia them. They mot their fato with *ox. i^reat coolness. Smoking cigarettes they $0. approached the place of execution, and fe ■ '-then, linking arms, knell down and calmly W awaited the fire. Death was instantnneous, Wf both bodies being riddled with bullets. |^' The whole of the troops of the garrison fej'i^ idbsequently marched past the corpses. »>^v/"An inquest was held at Crowe on the if<*y»oo!j of Christopher Minshall, two years ||ii* ! oJ4» J J BOO °f a butcher. The child was |S/jn,;gooo! health, and had an orange. It |pf ; awallowe<i the peel and pips. The medical waa that these indigestible subfe'lfltanoes produced irritation of the stomach |fe«nd bowels, and brought on convulsions. p|';;, 'The Gaulois, a Paris newspaper, an-K-''^iif!'«JtJic«a the, forthcoming publication of a §S%l>«Vk entitled " War and the Navy," in jj&wJj'jori the author, a naval officer, enPfdg^yorß. to show the inadequacy of the l^*iqcai defences in Great Britain. In case ||$t&;war, he deolares, if the Powers opposg^ijjjg Great Britain oould capture only half

the trading vessels by which she is provisioned, and at the same time could prevent half the foreign vessels from entering British ports, such a blockade would entail upon Great Britaiu a loss of twelve to fifteen milliards of francs, and would be the means of reducing her by bringing about a famine.— Keuter. Quinine merchants have given up all hope of an " influenza boom " this winter, says an English paper, and the price of the drug, wnioh is supposed to be the best antidote to the most depressing malady, has greatly fallen. A good story is told of the last ball at Lhe Paris Opei'a. A gentleman who had given more attention to tho refreshment bars thin to the dancing hall Tell into a pleasant sleep. A waiter, in passing, let a pile of saucers fall. "Oh, damn Wagner !" said the weary one. A bicycle cannot be described us a necessaiy of life, and Mr Commissioner Kerr is of the same opinion. It follows that if an " infant " purchases a bicycle he cannot be compelled by law to pay for it— apparently, he cannot even be made to return the article. A cycling orchestra is a distinct novelty — American, of course. Its headquarter? are at Sioux city. There are eighteen hrst and second violins who ride on nine tandems ; the four 'cello and four basses require rnotur cars, because of tho bulkiness of their instruments ; the flautists ride on bicycles, and tho trumpets and trombones on triplets. Hob : " Dick, do you believe in putting a tax on bachelors'/" Dick: "Rather! Ljive it to 'em ; nail 'em to the mast ! They've no business to be having so much easier a time than us poor married wretches." , The international football match between Ireland and Scotland under Rugby rules, decided at Powderhall Grounds, Edinburgh, terminated in a victory for Scotland by two goals (one from a penalty kick) to a try. Sir Theodore Martin writes to the Times : The claim of Mr liruger to be indemnified for "moral and intellectual injuries)" reminds me of the item in the professional account of aii Edinburgh W.S , which came under my notice in thfi days o£ my legal apprenticeship in that city. At the end of a woll charged bill of costs against his client was added an item, not a small one, " To great personal anxiety and fatigue in the management of your art'airs." Whether the bill, as finally paid, included the peculiar item I cannot say. But probably it was dealt with — his client being a long-headed Scotsman— as the claim of Mr Kruger is likely to be dealt with by the English Government. Of the pioneers of the Masterton district but few more remain, says the Star. Amongst the survivors are Mr A. \V. Kenall, aged 84, Mr Robert Wyeth, aged 83, Mr Luke Evans, aged 85, Mr Henry Jones, aged 85, Mr Heury Bentley, aged 78, and Mr William Adams, aged 73. The number ot rabbits in the North Wairarapa is steadily decreasing. Toxa poison haa been used most effectively during the past season, and if it is followed up by systematic winter poisoning much good will be dove. A remarkable satire on the now notorious Bradley-Martin ball is being presented at Hammerstein's Olympic Theatre, New York. It is said to bo the most daring production ever staged in America. It consists of a two-act burlesque, and the genuine names of the characters represented will bu used. The star of the piece will be Miss Amy Johnson. A gruesome phenomenon is drawing numbers of people to the Rue Cujas, Paris. A young man of 28 is being exhibited there who has all the outward aspects of a mummy. There is no appearance of flesh upon his bones, and the eyes resemble those of au owl. " Jj'homme momie " is well educated, and is able to lift heavy weights. His brother and sister are well foimed, and his parents can give no explanation of the condition of their son. Dredging in Brest roads has led to the discovery off Grande Reviure, half a milo from the coast and at a depth of 40it, of a frigate 150 ft long, pierced by numerous cannon balls. Tlie vessel is believed to have been sunk by the English nearly 300 years ago. The Jerusalem correspondent of the Jewish Chronicle mentions that a steamer has at last been put upon the Jordan, which makes tho journey from Jericho to Tiberias, i.e., from the Dead Sea, along the Jordan, to the Sea of Galilee in five hours. Recently four Jewish families have settled in Jericho, having rented for five years from the Sultan a large area of fruitful land for cultivation and to be irrigated from the Jordan. The French census of 189G shows that the population has increased in five years by 175,027, making the total population 38,518,219. In the five years 188u'-18!U the increase was only 124,289. So that in ten years the increase has been 290,316. In the past ten years the population of the United Kingdom lias increased 3,118,565, in spite of the largo emigration' constantly going on from British and Irish ports. The Morning Post Paris correspondent states that Baroness Hirsch, who only obtained possession of her late husband's fortune two months ago, is making a very benevolent use of her great wealth. After the 2,000,000 francs given to the Pasteur Institute, she has just given 2,000,000 francs more to the pension fund of the Oriental railways, in which Baron Hirsch commenced his fortune. Moreover, Baroness Hirsch is giving 1,000,000 francs (L.40,000) to found a hospital in London ; while several Parisian charities have also received large sums. It is calculated that in two months Baroness Hirsch has distributed in France, England, and Austria somo L 480.000. That fine old crusted " chestnut," the story of Mr Seddon's first visit to Government House, Wellington, was resurrected by the Westminster Gazette (says a London correspondent), which not merely magnified it cruelly, but planted the yarn on to Lord Glasgow, instead of Lord Onslow. Thus we are told that soon after Lord Glasgow's arrival in New Zealand the magnates of the colony were bidden to a big function at Government House. An aide decamp was despatched with a verbal invitation to a newly-appointed Minister, who owed his position rather to his natural abilities than to uny adventitious advantage in the way of birth and training. It is said that Lady Glasgow was rather astonished at the answer brought back by the grinning aide : " Much obliged, but me and my missus don't meal out." The real story as told by Lord Onslow's aide-de-camp is much better than this. ,It relates that the Viceroy, travelling up country, was hospitably entertaiued by bluff Dick Seddon, for whom His Excellency concoived a sincere liking and admiration. W lion leaving ho prensed his host cordially to bo suro to come and stay at the Government House

when he was next in Wellington. In due conrse Mr Seddon turned up and was • warmly greeted. At dinner-time, how- | ever, he had disappeared, and after waiting half an hour, tho party sat down ! without him. Next day at breakfast and j lunch he was also non est. After this, the A.D.C sought the Minister out. " His Excellency was much disappointed, 1 Mr Seddon, at not seeing you at dinner last night or lunch today." " Was I expected ?" exclaimed honest Dick, j aghast. " The Governor asked mo to put up at Government House, but I didn't know that meant grub, too." I have always rather hoppd this tale was true and j not, ben Irovcito. It evidences a. simplicity and lack of self consciousness such as are seldom fouud except in really strong men Many shopkeepers and merchants in London are expending larjjt: sums of money in preparations for the Diamond. Jubilee of Her Majesty. Tho advanced age of the Queen naturally gvies them some anxiety as to the prolongation of her life. Should any disaster occur, it would involve them in groat pecuniary loss, and many firms have accordingly insured their stock by taking out policies at five per cent, on the Queen's life. This they are, of course, entitled to do, if they can show a honajide and material interest in the prolongation of Her Majesty's reign. The Paris Exhibition of 1900 is 31 ill in search of a striking novelty. Somi> 250 seliemi's have been submitted, but not one of them (according to the Daily Chronicle) displays any marked originality. Even the idea of building three uew Kiffel Towers in proximity to the old one, connecting their summits by a platform, and raising upon this a fifth structure 600 ft. high, impresses th mind with nothing but c weary 3ense fo bulk. Of Polar expeditions there is no end. The latest idea is to smash one's way to tho Pole. The scheme promises Ui cil'iird plenty of excitement for those tuking part in it. The originator is one of the well-known Baden-l'ou'ell family, and ho has evolved a steamship armored with otcei plates and fitted with a combined ram and ciicular saw, . with whicli it is expected to break a way through the leagues of thick-ribhed ice to the Pole. The screw saw projects for several feet above the water level, the shaft being a massive pointed bar of steel, which will be used as a rum. One thing which stiikos us (Christchurch Press) is that if the apparent wishes of tho Women's Convention arc to be met absolutely and entirely, not. only the laws, but the whole field of romantic lileruturc ought to be re modelled. When Milton pictures Adam hanging over Eve enamoured und makes him say : " My la test fouud, Heaven's last best gift, my ever new delight," it is clear that he was upholding the unholy doctrine of possession which to the modern woman is a thing accursed. So when Shakespeare put these words into the mouth of the gentle Juliet : " Romeo, doff thy uame ; and for thy name, whicli ia no purt of thee, tahi; all myself — ; ' he could have h:id no fear of the New Zealand Women's Convention before his eyes. When the new woman gets into Parliament, we presume, it will be made pemil for a husband — if there are husbands in those halcyon days- — to buy " my wife." As to those misguided wretches of novelists who make fond spouses address their amiable and attractive little helpmeets as " my very own," they will no doubt be hanged, drawu, and quartered without benefit of clergy. The London Daily Telegraph has been noticing the wide sway of the Rugby Union, whose rnles govern fool ball clubs as far apart as Hong Kong, New Zealand, and South Africa. In this connection the Globe observes that we might boast that the Empire on which the sun n r ver .sots and on which the strains of ** Go'l v>ave the Quoen " never die away, io also the Kmpiro fiver which the football never ceases bouncing ; and as thi* image is less hackneyed thiin the others, wb recommend it to our Minor Poets. " The race that kirks tho football round the world " would make a good toast at athletic gatherings.