News Items.

Colonist, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5793, 3 May 1890, Page 4

News Items.

Mbs Gunninghame Graham, wife of the member for North- West Lanarkshire, delivered the other evening a lecture in the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, on the subject of "Forgotten Coiners of Spain." Though educated in England, Mrs Graham is a lady of Spanish descent, born in Sontii America. Her life has been largely one ot travel and adventure. She is said to have undertaken, before the railway opened up that region, the hazardous journey from San Antonio de Bejar, in Texas, to the city of Mexioo, a dislaaoe of 1200 miles by prairie and mountain roada. The writer of a published sketch of her career tells us that she is devoted to Spain, where she haa many friends. and that when she gets tired of England she takes long rides through its wildest and remotest districts, accompanied by a woman sevant, a soldier, and a Colt's revolver— the latter in case of danger. , She is, moreover, a good shot, and a capital billiard player. Mrs Cunnioghame Graham, dislikes London and English society, her preference, we are told, being for " an al fresco life."

A atKDrcAii contemporary is justified in its observation that the position of medicine-man to a tribe of American Indians, though an office of considerable honour and some emolument, is not free from serious responsibility. The Surnomish Indians, of Washington territory, having for sonse time suffered from an epidemic, solemnly tried their medicine-man, Big Bob Sattoo, ' for that he being responsible, j byvirtne of bis office, for the health of the tribe, had permitted, or had not preyeiitea, the epidemic' He was condemned. to; death, and the sentence was- carried^ out by four Indians selected ibr '•the purpose. We trust the increase of the influenza scare in London, will not induce an insatiable demand for the gore of metropolitan medicos, but; there is no gainsaying the "fact that ? if the responsibility of doctors in civilised' communities were made as strict as that which the Indian medicint-man has to bear, a most effectuakenre would have been found for th& evil of ; over-crowding in the medical profession.

On. his first appearance in Australia Toole made_,the;inevitable . speech. A conter^prjfsays :-r-" There was a call forMr^Tople and the principals at the endrtof.each act of '■■' Ghawles,' and ajso at the second There, was, also a special.aii^. ■ vegs enthusiastic call -for Mr -Tpple.. between; the comic drama andvthe farcei; ancl seeing that a speech was expjected^rromhim^ apojogis|d;for not making one, on the ground i^at - before, the evening" was over-iewas afraid the audience would grow tired^his vpi(%fwhic^veliic!ited an emphatic- 2 ' N^,'^E^merl^g; ttie reas6ns whiclj him from speaking reminded him of a little story of two^Scotchmen forgathering, when one asked the other to take a glass of whisky; an invitation which the latter declined^ecause that spirit' was not gootf'foijp h'im,'- and .he.had given up drinking j it," besides he had had foar^glassea alfeady." »" ' ' •' n > ' r T^'^iß^ I Bfooynafc \

tha t Archdeaoon Julias* late of JBailatat, is a good speaker, a bid art pugilist^ -yand an enthusiastic amateur photographer. He is also a lover of the stage, and used \to work : the limelight effects for the; Ballarat Dramatio Club. V }

A L/iKtfE sugar .refinery on the corner of Beeche .and' Taylor streets,! j Chicago, was shattered on March 29, by ; the explosion of a boiler. The flames caused • by this reached the: starch department, where a second explosion .'followed. . Five workmen were killed by this accident and twenty five injured. "* A photographeb, named Versez, residing in Vienna, „ has succeeded iv photographing natural colours. TwENTY-f ix casea of Australian potatoes sent to London in the steamer Parramalta suffered from heating, and only secured an offer of one shilling per case. It is estimated that 25,000 people — the largest attendance ever seen at Bandwick — witnessed the decision of the last Sydney Cup. The Cook town Harbour is silting up it is said, and the channel, by reason of the late floods, is diverted. There is a strong feeling that a dredge should be set to work there.

The « New York Sportsman ' hears that Mr Baldwin, the Santa-Anita millionaire, is negotiating for the purchase of Bravo, the winner of the last Melbourne Cup. A desperate encounter took place on board the German steamer Ohofoo, on April 7, between the ship's orew and 250 Coolies. The latter attempted to burn the steamer and murder the officers. Thirteen Coolies were killed before the mutiny was suppressed. A DUBL with pistols was fought at Lille on Feb. 2 between the Marquis de Nores and Deputy Dreyfus. The latter was shot in the biceps of the right arm, but the ball was immediately extracted, and tne deputy's condition is* satisfactory. The motive of the encounter was the publication by M. Dreyfus of ah article in the journal ILa Nation ' attacking Boman Catholic noblemen for contracting marriages with Jewesses.

The movement oommenced by the Archbishop of Melbourne for raising a fund for the completion ot St. Patrick's Cathedral is gaining strength- A numof gentlemen met at the Archbishop's residence on April 2, when subscriptions to the amount of nearly £15,000 were announced.

The only persons ot European extraction out of thirty affected with leprcsy in Australasia are two Natives of New South Wales, whose parents were both of Briiish descent. In both casep, however, there had been contact with Chinese.

The total number of lepers under official cognisance in the various colonies at the close of 1889 was 30. New South Wales has 12, Victoria 4. South Australia 2, Queens-land 6, Western Australia 1, Fiji 2, New Hebrides 2, and Solomon Islands 1.

A hole which was accidentally burned throngh the roof of a caisson of the huge North Biver (Hudson) tunnel, on April 3, caused its flooding, and the engines are unable to expel the Water. The accident reached the magnitude of a disaster. It is feared that a new start will have to be made from the New York end, in which case years of work may be considered lost. The tunnel is now two thousand feet long from the New Jersey end, but only one hundred and fifty feet from the New York end ; yet this represents the work of years. Great engineering difficulties have been encountered.

Hebe is a queer story from Auckland. Mr Samuel Locke, ex-M.H.8., who died suddenly the other day had imbibed a faith in astrology, and he some time ago sent home for an Astrological Almanac for 1836, the year of his birth, in order that from it be might calculate his horoscope. He did so, and he told his friends that he believed if he could get over this month he would escape a great danger which threatened him. He was afraid (c go anywhere in case he should meet with an accident. He felt a strong conviction that some accident would happen to him. The prediction of astrology was true. Had it any effect in bringing about its own accomplishment ? A new axe is being made in tbe States, which combines the advantages of the old English tbin-bladed hatchet, and of the thick-bladed American axe ; or should we say it avoids tbe most obvious disadvantage in both of them. The hatchet is a good cutter, bnt a poor splitter, and the latter reduces its catting powers, as it does not force eff chips. The American axe has replaced the English because it does force off the chips, leaving a face free for the next cutting blow. But it is a ' sticker ; ' everyone knows how firm a grip soft wood can take on its wedge-like blade. The new axe has a thin cutting blade, with a narrow wedge up the middle of each side, to burst off the chips. The makers say practical lumbermen are. going in for it as a free and easier tool than the old one. It cuts as well and does not stick.

There are, it is said, many persons in Australia with incomes ranging from £200 to £500 who are desirous of ending their days in some country possessing a good climate and where money will go a long way. Here is surely a good chance for New Zea'and. We ought immediately to set forth the attractions of our giorious country to these people. A few hundreds or thousands of such settlers would help us wonderfully,

Euro- Milan, who has rented an apartment in Paris, ought to be a happy man because of his allowance of £1000 a month from the Servian government, paid without any deductions, and further because the Emperor of Austria, to prevent him from making embarrassing revelations, has raised his screw still higher by giving him an additional £460. Tbe report ' was circulated that tbe Serbian 'monarch; meant to write his reminiscences in the hope of adding to his inadequate Income, and the bint was 'taken..

Advices received at Queenstown, from Yokohama, contain details of a fearfal cyclone which swept along the Japanese coast from January 24 to January 26, causing the loss of 900 fishing vessels and the drowning of upwards of- 2000 fishermen. The qyclorie, first upon ai-part of- the coast where- more than 1000- fishing

I boats were engaged in : fishing. Close upon 600 foundered, and 1800 of the fishermen aboard them were .drowned. Most of the -bodies drifted upon the beach, and were taken care of by relatives. ■ The scenes . were neartrendirig, The same day 11 boats were wrecked in the sea off. Tobishima during a storm, and 60 fishermen were drowned. On January 25, 28 fishermen were drowned on the coast off Maschawo. News has also been received of the disastrous storm which swept over tjie coast of Tourkommachosie Kadsusam during the night of January 26. Over 800 fishing boats that were out never returned. The funeral ceremonies for about 600 fishermen supposed to have been drowned were observed. Whole villages were in mourning, and the Government authorities gave help in burying the dead.