NEWS ITEMS.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12508, 8 April 1909, Page 1

NEWS ITEMS.

Memories (says a London paper) of the Irish rebellion of 1798 were reg taiiied to the last .by Mrs Joanna g Leonard, who has died at Limerick, a aged 118. Mrs Leonard had one son - aged 96 and another 80. c .--.'■■ - The .Philippine Islands' authorities - have arranged with the New.South g Wales Government (says the Sydney - Stock Journal) for a shipment of live & rabbits for experimental purposes s The order is for -2000 or 3000, and naturally no difficulty is being experienoed in supplying tho order. A gift for the relief of twenty thousand unemployed in Liverpool has been made by Sir Peter Carlaw Walker, of the firm of Walker and Sons, brewers, He has placed a sum not to exceed £2(30.000 at the disposal of the Food and Betterment Association, which has been working among the poor of the j city for twelve years, for the purpose of supplying meals and . clothing to the poor. Dr Thompson, the late Master of Trinity, once received a request from the principal of one of the ladies' colleges at Cambridge for the loan of tho Trinity Fellows' gardens for a garden party, to which members of the University would be invited. Dr Thomp- ! son replied, 'Madam, our gardens are intended for horticulture, not for husbandry.' The Danish Government has pro- | posed an extensive scheme of national ■■_ defence. For land and sea fortificai tions, the construction of 20 torpedo jboats and six submarines, improvements in the system of mines, etc.. the sum of 42.200,000kr. (£2,344,414) is demanded immediately, whiJo an increase in the military budgets of about 3.327,000kr. (£148,833) is also proposed. Professor Eugene Borniell,.the noted German sculptor, has patented an invention for building houses which I con withstand earthquake shocks. Professor. Bormell maintains that it ifi quite possible to build cities where the severest possible earthquake shock would cause no loss of life at all; or only a small loss of life in comparison with ".that incurred in the recent terrible disasters at San Francisco and Messina. The French domestic -servant is not treated 'as a menial; she is esteemed a woithy member of the household, one of "the family, in fact; and her opinion is sought and deference paid to her suggestions in a way that is almost unknown elsewhere. She is scrupulously honest; she would never rob her mistress of a sou', but she and Madame know that certain, perquisites are hers, and no questions are raised anent these. When Lord Carrington was Governor cf New South Waies he was spoken of as the wisest Governor that tho colony had ever had, and many are the stories told of his kindness and geniality by those who came in contact with him. On one occasion lie had an exciting experience. While he was visiting a remote little town called Bourke, the place was threatened with destruction by floods. By working .-incessantly, the inhabitants were able to build up high embankments which prevented the water from encroaching on their homos, and none worked harder in building these embankments/ than Lord Carrington himself, who, arrayed in his shirt-sleeves . took his placo among the townsmen, and worked like a r uigger to stave off the rising water. A debate which followed a recent lecture in England t,was. chiefly interesting for a good story (says the London Mail"). A girl in a County Council school was asked to state tho best way of preparing a hypothetical husband's supper. "A-working man didn't ought to have- supper,'- sho wrote. "If ho did he should'make his supper off his wife's ■remains:" An Aucklander (stars the- "Observer") when he crossed the lakes of Killarriey heard all about the lake that is bottomless. "Go on!" hesaid, when an Irish gossoon told him the yarn, and he laughed his best laugh. "But; its.gospel true, yer Anner,""psrsistod the lioatman. "I'll prove it to jen. Wancc upon a toimo, two brothers fell into this lako. One wuz saved, and the other, bedad, couldn't bo found at all, at all. They dived, and grabbed, and grapled for his body, bub with divil a happorth of luck. Then, somebody who had a notion there wuz no bottom to tho lake, said: "Try at tho other end of tho wurrild. P'raps he's there!" So they tallygraft to New . Zayland, and, sure enough, tho missin' brother was there. He had gone right through the lako. D'ye moiiid me, now?" -.•■'.