The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 9280, 5 January 1892, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY.

TUESDAY JANUARY 6, 1892.

About a couplo of months ago an extraordinary telegram reached us from Australia, and read as follows" : — a The Bishop of Adelaide, whilst visiting Coffin Bay, on tho wost sido of Eyre Peninsula, uiecovoroa a dead sea sorpont 60 fept in length. It had a round body like a snake, and a tail like a whalo." The message camo from Adelaide, and we expected to have heard more about this dead monster, but tho Press Association allowed the matter todrop withoutaffordingus any explanation aa to tho extraordinary find. When tho Australian papors reachod us wo searched and Bearched for particulars, but, with tho exception of a remark mado by a facetious writer in tho columns of a Sydney weekly paper " that ho did not nee any reason why a bishop should not find a whale" we could find no reference to this 'matter. By tho English mail to hand, howover, the affair is explained. It appears that a now telegraphic agency, called " Dalziol," has been recently started, in opposition to the old established firm of Renter. Tiie London Times extended its patrorago to Dalziol, and tho new agency was making headway against Renter until this unfortunate canard about tho Bishop and serpent was cabled to London ; and now Dalziel is looked upon as an unreliable authority at Home. .This message appeared in The Times aa announcing the death of tho Bishop of Adclaido, whereupon the friends of tho Prelate cabled to Australia to find the d'.alh waß not true. The Tines then called upon Dalziel's for an explanation, and got it. It appears that a citblo somewhat to this offect arrived in London : — '• Bishop Adelaide found dead sea serpent, &c." Tho question now was what this meant. To an outsider it would Bcem as if a man named Bishop, of Adelaide, had discovered a dead sea sorpont. Another fino, largo, and over ripe gooseberry. But this was not good enough for Dalziel. Could it mean that the Bishop of Adelaide had discovered a daad Bca serpent ? ffhat were plainly beneath the dignity of the Bench. No, it must mean something else. Then a happy idea struck thorn. Why not cut off a word or two and see how it ! roade. They then got two facts— either tho Bishop of Adelaide had discovered th»

•Dead Sea, or the Bishop had been found j L> dead ;so tney had to stop at the. « dead" 'pr.the ' f sea." . The serpent would prove a ' ; little .too^foolish for The Times. And o£ two sensational statements Dalziel choose the best. Hence the ' startling news that-^ appeared in The ; Times, The Australian papers, as we have stated, r wero very quiet over the matter. Some ' of the smaller dailies were hoaxed by the announcement ; but the whole affair looks as if it had been a trap set by one of the telegraphic agencies to get their opponents '.messages received with distrust. The Bishop's "dead sea serpent," therefore, turns out to be " very like a whale."

Tho direct cargD steamer Matatua was observed to be making Bouth at noon to-day (Tuesday). The b.s Mangana landed passengers and mails at tho Lroakwatef this (Tuesday), morning, and then proceeded to Wellington. Stanley, tho explorer, who is on a locturing tour, was on board tho steamef, boing on his way to Wellington. . ; •In the Police Court this (Tuesday) -morning, an inebriate was fines sb, and costs 2s, and a prohibition order issued against him. ' ; - The Resident Magistrate' gave judgmentfor .plaintiff in the following cases this (Tuesday) morning :— A. Standish vR. H. Suistei ; claim, £2 19s 2d, and costs 6s. F. P. Corkill v John Loyeridge ; claim, £2 9s 6d, and costs 6s ; to be paid by instalments of 5s a week. Same v James Hamblyn ; claim, £6, and costs 10s. A large quantity of butter was taken byspecial train on Monday, to catch a direct steamer at Wellington. Tho total quantity amounted to close on 50 tons. The principal butter merchants wore the shippers.' On resuming work aftar tho Christmas holidays, says the Auckland Herald, the manager of Sharland's vinegar factory found that ono of- his " big children," a 400 gallon vat in which vinegar is stored 'to mature, had burst. Tho accident ocourred through one of tho hoops giving way. ; " Owing, however, to the excellent system of 'drainage in the flat where it stood, bo necessary for cleanliness in vinegar factories, the liquid in escaping drained off without damage to anything else. Mr Joseph Newman, an old Auckland settler, and for a short time a* member for .Franklyn, in the House of Representatives,' died on Monday. Last. Soptombor he received a blow on tho head from a falling sign boprd, and has been ailing ever since. He was soventy-sevon years of age. In the Supreme Court in Chambers, this (Tuesday) morning, on the application of Mr Ciovett, probate of tho will of the late' Eli Bloxham, of Midhirst, was granted to Job Samuel Blosham, tho cxeeutor'naiued ia the will. A correspondent, writing to tho Poverty Bay Herald respecting the Wellington election, 6ayp: — Mr Bell's prospects in tho coming election continue very good. He is receiving large promiecs^ and voluntary offers of support from geniiino working mon, among whom the present Government are very unpopular on the score both of policy and administration. Mr 801 l will no doubt havo a hard fight against the strenuous Ministerial influence that is being exercised, but he is looked on as safe to win. It was rumoured in Wellington on Tuesday last, says the Times, that eleven new raombors had been called to the Legislative Council, including Mr J. A. Tole, Auckland ; Mr W. C. Smith, Hawko's Bay; Mr W. C. Walker, Ashburton ; Mr John Macgrogor and Dr Fitehett, Otago ; and Mr H. Feldwick, Invercargill. It states, howover, that tho appointments are not to bo definitely settled until January 14th. Mr A. Guinness, Groytnouth, and Mr Jellicoe, Wellington, will probably also be called to the Council. " When the " unemployed " were returning to Wellington by the mail train the other day, one of them flourished a cheque and said : " We got this out of tho blooming squatters, and when it is done wo will get more." Of course ho was drank. A Post-office is now open at Toko. Mails close at Now Plymouth on Saturdays at 6 a.m., and arrive same day at 7 p.m. The falling off in the frozen meat tariff has to some extent ' affected the railway revenue ; bqt the returns still keep np to those of last year, and the Railway Commissioners are sanguine that their estimate will be realised. The working, members . sf the' Free Labour Association at Napier number over 2000. Its registry offico is being " freely used, over 100 men having got situations through it during tho last few weeks freo of cost to them. Many grants hare been roade to members of the association injured while at work. An accident that was fortunately unattended with any serious results occurred on the South Road near Warca on Monday ovening. Mr M. Jones was driving his passenger coach to town from the Punga- 1 rehu races, when in a cutting on tho road Mr Read, the metallioian, and Mr W. B, Russell drove up from behind in a sulky, and went on the left side to pass tho coach. The near fore wheel of tho coach caught tho sulky, which waa thrown against the bank of the cutting and capsized. Mr Road, who waß driving, was thrown heavily on his right side, and sustained an injury to his right arm ; Mr Russell escaped uninjured. After a time tho sulky was righted, and another start was made, but tho axle gave way, having been cracked by tho collision, • and Messrs Russell and Road camo on by. coach to town. Dr. Christie saw Mr Read's arm on the latter's arrival in town, and found that it was considerably bruised near tho shoulder. The practice of runuing across the racecourse straight when horses are doing their preliminary gallops wa3 indulged in by somo persons at Pungarehu on Monday, despite tho vigilance of the mounted police and the clork of the course. One boy got knocked over, by the horse Te Poka, but escaped uninjured, and anothor boy and a man wero lucky enough to avoid a similar experience by a hairsbreadth almost. In our roport of tho Opunake Hurdles it was Btated that "Rambler fell." This was a inistako as it should havo read that Rambler " almost " fell, but waa kept on his legs by hie rider, W. Uiggiuson. Tho Yale (United States) authorities are a good deal, perplexed at a new departure of their mathematical professor, who has lately takon it into his head to apply mathematics 1o a calculation founded on Biblical truths, -by which he fixes the date of tho Millennium for the year 1899. He has also made some curious calculations whereby he has been able to fix tho exact date whereon tho sun stood still at Joshua's command. Tho advertisement columns of tho Now York daily papers havo accustomed us to the dark Bayingß of those expounders of prophecy, and we do not rcind them much, but when a University professor, and a very sound man in his own line, take? to this sort of thing, one may well conceive that tho position is an oxtromely embarrassing one for the governing body.|