NEWS AND NOTES.

Southern Cross, Volume 17, Issue 26, 9 October 1909, Page 7

NEWS AND NOTES.

LEEK V. DAFFODIL. Gallant little Wales, it appears, is making strenuous efforts to substitute the daffodil for the odoriferous leek as its national emblem. WOODEN LEGGED GANDER. i Having had one of its legs broken, by being run over, a gander belonging to Mr S. Barton, Brampton, has been supplied with a wooden leg, and follows the rest of the geese about the farm with ea'se. PIG SHEDS ITS SKIN. A pig belonging to Mr Gillham. of Woodmancote, Sussex, recently shed the whole of its skin, weighing fiftyfour pounds. A new skin has grown; and the pie' now weighs fifty stone. A veterinary surgeon states that he has never before heard of such a case. GUN ORDERS FOR COVENTRY. The Coventry Ordnance Company have received orders from the British and other Governments for about ,£1,000,000 worth of guns and gunmountings. This means plenty of work at the company's extensive mills. at Coventry during the winter and the whole of next year. About 1,599 extra men are to be engaged. BATTLE AMONG BEES. An apiculturist at Tiverton placed from 40Tb to 501 b of honey from his hives in a summer-house until he had time to store it. Four days later he found all the honey gone and thousands of dead bees lying in the sum-mer-house desperate fighting having evidently taken place for the booty.

PARISE CLERK'S RECORD

Edward Gaze, who lately completed 50 years' service as parish clerk of East Ruston, has assisted at 325 baptisms, 197 weddings, and 550 burials. During the 50 years he has only slept out of his house one night and the extent of his travels has been two visits to Yarmouth and one to Norwich. PROFIT FROM RABBIT PEST. In the district of Frankbridge (Wales) rabbits are literally swarming the country, and causing much destruction. From the farmer's point of view they have become a veritable pest, and to check the ravages a movement is on foot to trap them, and to make the pest a source of profit to the farmers by selling them in the Welsh markets. Already the rabbits supplied from the district are known as "Franksbridge rabbits." KILLED BY A FOWL, John Thomas Jones, aged 50, died in the Royal Victoria Hospital, at Bournemouth, from injuries inflicted by a fowl, which flew at him while he was feeding it. The accident happened on July 26, but it was not till Aug. 3rd that Jones found it necessary to consult a doctor. He was at once removed to the hospital, and although a portion of the fowl's spur which had penetrated his thigh, was extracted, he became worse, and died in great agony. GOLD MINE STOPPED. The Clogau gold mine, situated five miles from Barmouth (Wales) which has been carried on for years, has stopped. About 200 men have been thrown out of work. Several thousand pounds of gold have been raised from time to time, but the output recently has been very small, and this is the cause of the stoppage, which will affect the district considerably. SOUTH DEVON CATTLE FOR SOUTH AFRICA. An interesting experiment in the introdiiction of South Devon cattle

to South Africa is being made by Mr R. Marshall, a Natal breeder, who five years ago purchased from a Plympton farmer a few fine specimens of "this sturdy and useful breed. The results attained have been most satisfactory, and Mr Marshall is now making further purchases. The South Devons have adapted themselves . so well to the country that agriculturists in the colony have been most favourably impressed with their possibilities. ENGLISH POULTRY FOR .JAPAN. The Japanese Government last autumn sent special envoys to England to purchase purebred poultry for ex. perimental purposes., and a number of birds submitted to them by Captain Allen, pf Sawbridgeworth, Herts, were shipped to Japan during the year. The experimental shipment has been so successful that the Government has decided to continue the experiments with English-bred birds, and a further selection of choice minorcas and andalusians has just been shipped by Captain Allen to the order of the Japanese Government . V KILLED BY A DOG. Walter Bull, of Norton St. Philip, died in the Royal United Hospital, at Bath, alter lingering a week with terrible injuries to his head caused by the explosion of a, gun. He went out to shoot moles, accompanied by his favourite spaniel Prince. Later lie staggered into the roadway from the cowshed, where the accident happened, terribly injured. On a slate he subsequently wrote : "I was waiting for a mole to heave and went to sleep, and I know no more." The general opinion is that the dog while playing may have touched the trigger. The dog was keeping watch over the injured man when the doctors were called, and it was with difficulty that they could approach him. FENIAN OUTRAGES RECALLED. A recent cable message stated that Mr -John Dillon, M.IP.. and thousands of Manchester Irishmen welcomed Patrick Lennon on his release from prison. Pie was convicted in February, 18G8, and sentenced to death —afterwards commuted to imprisonment—for his share in the Fenian outrages. In Haydn's Dictionary of Dates he is described as a Fenian leader. There were a number of Fenian outrages in 1861 but with which of them Lennon was connected with is not clear. Early in that year at Manchester a prison van containing Kelly and Deasy, who had been remanded on a certain charge, was waylaid by a party of 30 men, who demanded the keys to release the prisoners, but Sergt. Brett refuseh to give them up, saying he would stick to his post to the last. A shot was then fired a't the lock and Brett was killed. Later in the year came the blowing up of the Clarkewell house of detention, London, to secure the release of several Fenians. Six persons were killed outright, five died from the effects of the explosion, and the deaths of five others were indirectly due to it. Fortj T mothers were prematurely confined ; one went mad ; and other serious consequences also followed. The damage to persons and property was estimated at £20,000.