The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1882.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2407, 9 June 1882, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1882.

Rather a curious point was submitted to' the Timaru Licensing Bench at their quarterly" meeting' last week, namely, whether the holder of a publican's license is compelled to 1 keep his house open for the" sale' of liquor until the latest hour specified m his license. The Bench declined to give an opinion, and left the publicans to do as they please m. the matter, at their own risk. The position is -this. Under the old law, the Provincial Ordinance, the legal hour for closing public-houses was 11 o'clock. Under the Licensing Act 1881, however, the legal hour is fixed at 10 o'clock j but power is given to' the Bench to grant to any holder of a publican's license, . on payment of an additional fee of ten pounds, an. extension of the ordinary legal time until twelve o'clock, "on being satisfied of its being for the benefit and convenience of the public." . In the case before us, all the publicans m the town applied for an' extension of time until 'twelve o'clock; and the Bench, for reasons best known to themselves, granted it to them all' with the single exception of i a licensee against whose house under previous managementcertain complaints had been made. Even to this licensee, they as good as promised the extension next quarter. Thereupon one of the successful applicants, speaking, - we believe, m a representative capacity, asked whether they might close their houses' at 11 ' o'clock, as heretofore, and stated that they had uo desire to keep them open until midnight, and that there was no necessity for their doing so: On this point, as we have said, the Bench declined to express any opinion. , , It is really a, very difficult point, and wo are not surprised at the Bench refusing to commit themselves to any, decision upon . it. We have - looked somewhat carefully into the Act, and have come to the conclusion, though not without much hesitation, that publicans are bound to keep their houses open for the full time specified m their license. On looking merely, at' the. form of the license, and at the clause describing the effect of the license, we find no such obligation expressed. The license does nothing more than •'' authorise the licensee to sell liquor on the premises beticeen the hours of six m the morning and twelve at night." From this >it might fairly- be implied that lie might sell for as long or as short a time as he pleases, provided it is within the hours specified. But by olause'ls4~it is provided that 'the licensed premises shall be closed " from, midnight until o'clock on. ;the following morning," thus .showing plainly that ; they are to be open from six o'clock m the morning until midnight. Moreover, by clause 129 it is provided that any innkeeper refusing to provide accommodation without valid reason, shall be liable to a penalty' not exceeding ten pounds. 'Now it is quite clear, to our mind, that' if a publican is authorised by his license to keep his house open until midnight, anyone has a/ lawful right to be supplied, with accommodation there until the legal hour of closing. It would not be " a valid, reason "for refusing accommodation', that the publican thought eleven o'clock late 'enough, and had closed his house and gone to bed, .Any publican, therefore/who having been, granted an extension of time till midnight, closes his house before that hour, ■will be liable to be fined .ah jr sum not exceeding.' ten pounds, on, the information of any,-body who comes for a drink and' cannot} get one. This is our reading of. the law ; and, we have armed at it only %f ter giving the point', careful consideration, and with the best deaire to throw light on it, for public information., ■ ; . ■=■ ; Whilst on this subject, we think- we ought frankly to express the opinion that the Licensing Bench made a grave . mistake m granting midnight licenses to all the publichouses m :■ Timaru. If it had been contemplated for a moment that any. Bench would take such a step, we are quite . sure :the Legislature would have made the conditions of the discretionary extension much riipre 1 specific. Yet, m fact, they are specific enough, according to any reasonable, interpretation of the words of the Act. The legal hours are fixed 'from six m the morning 'until ten at night, but" the" Bench are empowered m special cases to grant an extension' until midnight "on being satisfied of its being for the benefit : and convenience of the public." Now,' if ere the Timaru Benoh satisfied that it is for the benefit and convenience of the public that all the'publio houses should be kept open until 'midnight? -iWe cannot believe that they were. They:, ought not to have granted the' extension, at all eventß, without conclusive and exhausr tive evidence on that, point,, m. each case. From all that we can gather, however, they took no evidence at all ; certainly not such evidence as would satisfy any ordinarily constituted mind of a ''fact of so much importance^' For our part we cannot understand- how it can be shown that the public benefit by the public bouses being kept open till midnight m 'a town !' like this. A few individuals may like to get a "nightcap/ or to linger/ over, their cups for an hour or' two after 'their proper bed time; — to the infinite disturbance of their home, it they have 6ne-^« $ but the publio, in' any reasonably broad sense of tho terov certainly donot require accommodation' at" publichouses after ten o'clock. On the other hand, the evils of the extension of time may bo very considerable. In the first place, the 'jiabiiuei of the tavern will aapuredjy. bgllgmp tftd. to .drink, mqre_tban/_they .did before, to neglect their homes more, and to render themselves moro'- unfit for "their ;';ne^t . aajr»B f work. 1 ' Many men, " it 'Is well known," ' will ' nanjf over a public-house bar, until tt»

house is closed, whatever hour it may be ; not because they want refreshment, for they, have generally had as much as is good for them quite early m the evening; but aimply because they cannot tear themselves away. To the families of men like this, the ten o'clock rule -would have been a great blessing, because ten o'clock is the usual bedtime m five households out of six ; and, for the self-same reason, the twelve o'clock extension, will.be an unmitigated nuisance j not to say, a. very grievous wrong. ?Then, the extension throws * great increase of. work .on. the police, who are already far too few ..to keep watch and ward ovev the' town effectually. When the public-houses closed at oleven o'clock, the town Bet tied down to 'rest shortly afterwards; the last roysterera found their way home or elsp to- the lock-up by half-past; and by midnight all was peace. Under the ten o'clock rule the same thing would have taken place an^bouv earlier. Now, this desirable stage ia 'the diurnal affairs oft >the community will be.postponed until the middle of; the night or the early hours of the morning, and the time and attention of the police will be proportionately occupied. do not mean to say there will bo much noise or activity of any. sort going on after ten or eleven o'clock here ; because we know, that there never has been and there never will be. We are familiar with the streets of Tiinavu at all hours of the night. No one, probably, ; js' more bo • and we are able to say from actual experience, that by ten o'clock " the public " have gone to roost. They will not alter their habits now. But what does that prove P Why,, it proves that there was no justification for the Licensing Bench granting the extension of .time. . The strongest proof of all, however, and one which renders any further argument on the subject superfluous, is that the publicans . .themselves, having got the extenaiontbf time till midnight, candidly admitted that it was quite unnecessary, and asked to be allowed to shut their houses at eleven o'clock as heretofore. We cannot help thinking the Bench have' incurred a somewhat serious responsibility. . >

Hbld Ovbb. — Our ; Melbourne correspondent's and several' other letters are unavoidably held over till next issue. - ; ' St. John's Lodob. — An emergency, meeting of the members of this Lodge will be hold this evening at half past seven. Oamaktj SrBEPLBCHASES.— These events will be run to-day should the weather be at all favorable. Thb Financial Statement.— Owing to the indisposition 1 of Major Atkinson, the Financial Statement will not be delivered before -Tuesday next. . WAIMATB CoTJHTr COUNCIL. — A special meeting of thia Council is to be held to dny for tho purpose .of striking a rate for the County* ;. •,-... . ; " CoTJKsrito.T-The South ' Canterbury Coursing Club's President's Cup is to be run for today at Pareora. There are ten entries, and the prizes are £26, £15 «nd £12 10s. Licensing Comhittbhb.— The Licensing Committees for the Mount Cook and Temuka districts sit to day at noon, the former m the schoolhousei Fairlie Creek, and the latter m the Courthouse, Temuka. The Australian Okicebtebs. — The match between the Australians and a Yorkshire County Eleven has resulted m a draw. Yes terday the -Australians were to meet a Nottingham County oleven. ' lendbbb.— The BorougU Council invite tenders for the construction of drainage works m Sophia street and on the Town Belt. Particulars can be obtained of the Town Clerk, with whom tenders must be lodged by seven o'clock on Monday, the 1 2th. inst. DIBEdT ROTJTB TO GkEAT BRITAIN. — The Zcalandia, 3400 tons, it appointed to leave Auckland for San Francisco, via Honolulu, on Tuesday, June 20th. Through rates of fares will be granted by her, covering nio»t of tho charges' made on the voyage, and tho agents of the vessel m Ohristchurch, Messrs Wilion, Sawtell and Co., notify that a few cabins are still- vacant,. for which early application is .necessary."'" ' ' ' . . - Execution ot Hinori.— Hiroki, the murdtrer of McLean, was executed at New Plymouth jesterday morning. In our telegraphic columns this morning will be found the confession made by'him 'some days since. In it he freely acknowledges having committed the crime. iAccrniKT to Mb Goodall. — We regret to hear that Mr Goodall, Harbor Works Engineer, met with a nasty accident' on Saturday last. He was attending a meet of the honnds, when his horse shying at something cannoned against another hone, and the shock unseated Mr Goodall, who fell heavily, the result being one or two broken ribs. This accident is the more unfortunate since Mr Goodall'a duties as Engineer ' require* special attention just now. -. Ova Stesbib.— Th» streeU of Timaru aro m a frightful mesa from the continuod rain, covered thickly with a mud liquid enough to splash,, but not liquid enough to flow downhill when it has , a chance. Why are not a few.. of .the principal crossings and the approaches to the railway station kept decently passable.?. Is the Borough Council, like the Harbor Board, short of appliances P Let us have a special rate, if necessary, to. buy a scraper or : tw0, ., -i Why "not get out the hydrants and wash this disgusting mud into tho seaP : . ;i ; A NtfW. DIVINO Dbrss.— A diving apparatus, which appears to possess many ad- j vantages over the ordinary diving'.dresshasbeen inrented by on officer of the English mercantile servloe named. Fleuss. He has- patented his invention, and , therefore the specifications are accessible. The dress retembles considerably the common diving dresi k but there is no air tube. • Nono is required, and the diver is, therefore, perfectly free m bis movements, und relieved from many anxieties as to his safety experienced by the ordinary direr. The London Times states - that the • inventor exhibited his .apparatus at the Royal Aquarium at Westminster, .' in the large transparent tank built for whales and seals, where 'his movements were well seen. "Ha could stay under water for five .hours without air tube or any other commuiication with the; surface. lie is not hampered by the obstruction of , a, long pipe. • In short, he possesses the advantage which distinguishes the animal from tho plant i he moves independently instead ,of being rooted to one. spot." lhe exhibitor showed that he could do anything m , reason while under w,ater, .- Among aeverer teats of the apparatus, the Times records that M, Fleuss walked a quarter of a mile under the sea at ilyde, and went down m. fire, fathom* by. the chain pier at Brighton m rough weather. At the aquarium he remsined'under water over two hours, and he estimates that he could, on ah average, stay ' down for five hours safely. The inventor's brief explanation of tho-prin-ciple of his invention ia as follows' : — In every draught of breath we take iv a certain amount of oxygeb, with four times as much nitrogen. A litUe Df the oxygen becomes .fixed m the form of ctrbonio acid, and the air thus vitiated becomes unfit to breathe. If, however, the place of the mifiing oxygen' is taken by a fr«U. supply, the mixture becomes again fit to breathe. He. takes down a supply of oxygen compressed in' a suitable vessel, the | supply being regulated by a convenient tap. ; A* receptacle of spongy indiarubber is ohtr^ed with caustic soda, and : the breathed air being 1 caused to pass through this by. a proper arrangement of passages In the helmet, the soda, absorbs theycairbonib acid, and the, nitrogen passes through to mingle with tjie oxygen derived from the reservoir. In this Ift/ fv breathable atitioipliere is maintained so long asHhe 'supply 1 of oxygen holds out. The advantages of this diving apparatus m practice are too obvious to require pointing out, while it is • claimed that, no nit pnmps nor tube* being needed, the first'' dost : u'tess thin that'of the common l dr*e». : -. ' •> ■ •->

Tbmpka Sfabbotv Club. — The annual meeting of this Club, called for Tuesday evening last, was adjourned owing to the small attendance, to a date to be fixed by the Secretary. Waimatb Distbict School. — Miss Gordon, who ha* lately b»en appointed third teacher m place of Miss Brown, resigned, commenced her dutios at Waimate School yesterday. School tob Wooixcombr's Gully. — A meeting of those interested m the establishment of a school m Woollcombe's Gully is to be held at the. house of Ml Jabcz Lukey, at half-past seven this evening. Thb Nbw Railway Station. — We understand' that the contractors for building a new railway station at Timaru intend making a start with the work m about a fortnight, and that vessels with the necessary timber ore shortly expected from Wellington. Tna City ot Pkbth. — The purchasers of the City of Perth -have now got all the pumping machinery on board the veisel, and steam was got up m the engine yesterday afternoon. . . . - 1 Thr Weather. — There was no improvement m the itate of the weather up to last eyening, and heavy rain continued to fall ut intcrrals during tho day and the previous night. Delayed Tbaijc. — The Express train from the Pouth was ogam delayed over an hour yesterday afternoon by the landslip near Pukeiriti. : Tbitdka Local Boabd of Hialtii. — A meeting of this body was held on the 6th inst., all the members being present. A letter was received from Mr Voyce, complaining that, Mr Binlej's closet had not been cleaned for a considerable time. It was resolved that the Inspector of Nuisances he asked to inspect and report. The application of Mr G. Hobbs for tliQ office of scavenger was accepted, and the meeting then adjourned. Timabu Intellectual Ijifboveubst Socirtt. — This Society met on Wednesday OTeoing lust. Final arrangements m connection with the approaching " Trial by Jury" wero completed. Some very interesting readings were rendered by members and afterwards criticised. It was notified that tho hew National Song, " Hands all Round," hud been procured for tho use of the Society. For next meeting a debate is announced, the subject being, "Wellington" or Napoleon; who was tho greater General." The candidates for membership were elected, and three proposali for membership received. South Ohabi School Committee.— This Committee held their ordinary monthly meeting on Tuesday last ; present— Messrs It- A. Earlier (Chairman), McLeod, Turpin, Bates, May. and Wadsworth. The minutes of last meeting were confirmed. Vouchers were ' received from the Board for the incidental grant and salaries. Also, twenty applications wore received for the. post of Head Master, from amongst which three names were selected to be forwarded to the Board, m tlie order of preference. It was rcsolre,d, oh the motion of Mr McLeod, seconded by Mr Bates — " That the Board be informed that tho maps granted some. time back hare not bien received." Resolved — "That the Chairman be requetted to bring before the Board, at its next meeting, the following suggestion, viz., that, m tho opinion of this Committee, the Board effect a laving of time and give satisfaction to both applicants and Committees, if m advertising for teachers, they directed that applications be sent m first to the Chairman of the Committee interested, who would pass them on to the Board afier the Committee had selected two or three to be presented m order of preference to the Board for final approval." Tke teacher's report, showing tho average attendance for the last two months to hare been 37.3 and 38.7 reipcctively, was read and approved. M* Wadsworth consented to attend to certain repairs, and Mr May and the Chairman to order 11 cords of firewood and one ton of coal. A satisfactory report was received from the Visitor, and Mr Turpin was appointed for the ensuing month. Messrs May and McLeod were appointed to take delivery of school books, ic. from Mr. Robinson, tho locum ienens, and to inotal the new teacher should lie arrive before the next meeting, which would bo called for the third Saturday m Juno. ■. Gbbaldink Bkaqles. —On Wednesday last the hounds met at the residence of Mr O. W. Ensor, Tcmuka. In the early part of tho day the weather was very unsettled, nith occasional showers, consequently the meet was rattier a small one. : Towards noon, however, the rain cleared off and the sun made his appearance through the clouds, and the day was much pleasanter than was . anticipated. The master throw off about 10,30, and m a very short time the hounds gave tongue, and puss was seen to advantage with the merry little pack m full cry. After a short run over some heavy country, with rather stiff fence*, which, however, were taken m fine style .by the field, puss was run to earth iv a paddock near Mr £mor'i. After a short halt another cast was made, and a hare was soon found which, after a sharp run through Mr Essor's paddocks, crossed into the road leading to Temuka. A slight check occurred hero, but being found she took the road for Temuka, which strange to say she followed for about three miles. Once it wa* thought sbe was lost, but the veteran " Wrestler " turned her up, and away the went at a rattling pace. Doubling several times, she attempted to get away, but it was no go, and as a last resort she ran , into a paddock belonging to Mr McOulloch, where the was lost for a while. In the meantime the . hounds found a , fresh hare, and went away m full cry, and after a smart run pusi was pulled down on Mr McCulloch's land. During a short spell the lost hare was viewed near where the field halted. Running through the paddock, she again took tho Main Road, and headed for Arowhenua ; but after a short bunt, the was run. into on Mr Benbow's land. This made the third kill, winch took place between eleven and one o'clock. An adjournment was then made to Mr Ensor's who Very hospitably entertained, the party to a splendid luncheon, to which ample justice was done. The run was equal to any obtained this season, and those , present wcro amply repaid for their attendance. The nest meet will be at Milford school, on Saturday next, at ten p'clook. Sad Dsatu of ak Old Asroubtov Residbht.— "We (Ashburton Quardian of last ovening) regret to record tho death of Jfr George Compton, builder and contractor, of this town, under particularly painful circumstances. On Uonday last >1 r Compton proceeded to Raknia to visit his brother, licensee of the South Rakaia Hotel, who is just now lying seriously ill. On his return, to Ashburton m the evening Mr Compton appears to have, spent some hours m .town, riding home m a cab at a late hour m company with a friend, Mr William Anderson, saddler, who deposited deceased at or near his own door. Iho night, however, was very dark, and Mr Compton seems, instead of entering his garden 1 to gain admission to kts home, to have wandered down to the river. AW trace of him was lost, and Mrs Compton' was- naturally greatly alarmod at his' unexpected absence. Search parties were organised, and the neighborhood of the deceased's houia as well as the river-bed was thoroughly explored. A large party was out at> daybreak this morning, numboring between thirty and forty persons. In the forenoon deceaied's overcoat was found iv the river, and at twenty minutes to one o'clock Messrs C. Bourk and Rattray, milkmen of Trevorton, discovered the body of deoeased lying tolerably hith upon the river bank, about' two and a half miles past Lancaster s slaughter yards. The body was brought as speedily at possible into town, and conveyed to (lie Masonio Hall m Tancred-street. An inquest will probably be held to-morrow. Deceased was a wellknown and much respected resident, and, had resided in' Ashburton for many years past. He was a member of ths Somerset Matonio Lodge/ lie leaves a wife and large family to mourn his loss. Mr Compton was , m tho prime of life,, and the news of hit untimely decease will be learnt with sorrow by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Nbw Z«AtABD Corn m Ekglawd.—Wo (Dunediu Morning Herald) have been favored by the recipient with the perusal of a letter written from London by a g«ntUman who, not long since, paid this, colony a .visit. The following extract will prove of interest to the agriculturist, and alio to the general reader : it-" London, 28th March, 1883. I hayo arrived here aftar a favorable voyage, and m attending to my business during the last fortnight I. have gained, ttme, information,, which, nay br of interest to you. and iotne of jour | friends. I have brought home with me jiimplei of New Zealand wheat, and lfa&

there is nothing to be compared with it offering from any quarter of the world. lam selling my cargoes at the very top price. I hare been m communication with exports m the seed trade, and, excellent as the quality of New Zealand wheat is, I am satisfied that eTen that may be much improved upon by using a change of seed. lam chipping five or six varieties of hard Russian red wheats to Fort Chalmers, and the experts a>sure me that, from the results obtained m other countries, they confidently expect that these wheats, acclimatised m New Zealand, will produce a sample finer than anything known yet. The superiority of the samples of New Zealand oats, barUy, beans, and peas, over those exhibited from any other part of the world, is even more pronounced than m the case of wheat 5 . and people here listen m amazement when I tell them that there are Cto or cii million acres of land already opened up by roads Bnd railways, and capable of producing such cereals, the owners of which hate ploughed up and laid it down m grass to produce wool." . Thb Sex Fihe Omoß.— By advices receired from the chief office m London, it appears that the Bum insured m tho Sun Fire Office for the year 1831 amounted to £270,055,974. An Attsthaltak Gibi Kills a Chinaman. — A telegram from Mudgee, which np: peara m the Sydney Daily Telegraph of the 27th ult., says : — " A Chinese storekeeper at Meroo was shot d*ad this morning by his wife, an Australian girl, 19 years of nge. The couple were married a fortnight ago, at the Weßleyan Church m Mudeca. The girl had pre-riously complained to the police that her foster parents were compelling her to marry the Chinaman, whom she hated. She also made vague charges of child-murder against her guardians, but, after investigation by the police, they were thought to be feigned, and, therefore, no attention was paid to her complaint. The girl appears to hare very reluctantly married the Chinaman, and, waiting her opportunity, shot him. Her maiden name was Davis. She is now m custody." Sir Julicb Vogbl os thb Thbbmal Sjbikgs. — Sir Julius Yogel haying received a copy of the Government pamphlet respecting the Thermal Springs district, lost no time m deing practical work on behalf of the colony. The London Times of April Bth contains a letter from him, m which he gives a sketch of what was then being begun m the district to make the springs, as he says, "available not only to pleasure-seeking tourists, but to persons m search of health." He adds : — " If but a fraction of the tales are true that are told of the marvellous cures effected by these waters under conditions of difficulty of access and total want of accommodation, then the Government, m opening the district to settlement and providing it with the appliances that exigent ill-health demands, are granting a boon, not to the colonists only, but to mankind m general. The springs have been described m almost every work on New Zealand. They are countless m number and m forms of composition. They leap from the earth at all varieties of temperature, charged with medicinal agents of the highest value. Wben I - remember the accounts to which I have frequently listened of helpless cripples, conveyed to their destination with infinite difficulty m the last stages of weakness and exhaustion, who, after a few weeks' residence m tents or huts by the shores of the lake, have come away halo and hearty men and women, I cannot but think that the action is most beneficent and of world- wide importance which is bringing these remedial agents to the easy use of invalids of all classes." HorhiblE Cbubtty. — The Dubbo Dispatch •ays thnt on instance of the grossest cruelty was related by .Alderman Samuels at the Municipal Council meeting. It seems that a large number of sheep carcases bate been left to rot and poison the neighborhood near Macquarle View by men travelling with stock. The sheep have been skinned, and tho skins of some of them were actually taken off while the animals were alive. It is a great pity tho inhuman wretches are not known. It would be some satisfaction if they were punished, first for their cruelty, and secondly for leaving the carcases. Amti-hbht AorrATioy nt Wat.es. — The farmers m Cardiganshire have begun an agitation for the reduction of rents. A handbill, printed m Welsh, and distributed throughout the County, says : — " Your tenants, groaning under heavy burdens, ask your landlord or his agents to reduce your rents. If a refusal is made, give notice to quit ; and if others take your farms we will proclaim it through the country, and not give the new tenants quietness until they leave the farms." A Dbink Obnsus.— A very striking census has been published by the Western Daily Press,, showing the number of persons who entered all the public-houses m Bristol on a recent Saturday between 7 and 11. The number was 104,000, nnd comprised 54,000 men, 36,000 women, and 13,000 children. A Sunday evening worship census, token by the same journal a few weeks ago, showed that about 60,000 persons were present m the churches and chapels, of that place. These (says the Lancet) are very suggestive facts. They are certainly not creditable ones. Whatever may be eaid for taking a regulated amount of alcohol, it is certain that a publichouse is the worst place m which to take it. There is absolute unanimity amongst medical men m thinking that spirit, beer or wine should not be taken except with food, and that ihe money spent on alcohol put into an empty stomach would be better thrown into the nearest river. There are two other refleo tions that occur to us. One is the appalling number of women and children involved! The other is the amount of substantial food which might have been purchased by the money spent by the 104,000 persons m publichouses. We leave the moral aspects of the drink census to the ministers and : the public of Bristol." Glut or Officbbs, 1882.— According to the Financial 'Reform Almanac, m the general list of the British. Navy there ar» }00 vessels under 500 tons burthen each, and for every one of the remaining 315 there is an admiral, a vice-admiral, or a rear-admiral, with seventy-four to spare for the rest j and for every two of the 626 vessels, including coal depots, chapels, hospitals, reformatories, <tc., an. admiral of one kind or other, with seventysix to spare ; and two captains or commanders for every one of the 626, with 104 over. There is a similar glut of officers with regard to the Army. Of regular troops we have 114, regiments i of militia,yeomanry,and volunteers, 863 1 making a total of 477 regiments, to say nothing of pensioners and reserves. We havo also a sea force more powerful than that of any two other naval Powers, and the advantage of an insular position instead of open frontiers. Yet, notwithstanding all this, there are persons amongst us who believe) or affect to believe, ihat there i) nothing to prevent the landing of a hostile force of 100,000 men upon our shores m a single night, and that there will be no safety for us until every ablebodied man amongst us is trained to arms. SaocxiKa Accidekt'at a School. — m accident, resulting m the death of four children, and injury, it U believed, of twenty others, occurred, on the 20th March, at tho Publio School, Polloks, Glasgow. Whilst the children were m the glayground during the mid-day interval, a play-shed constructed alongside the ground gave way, and fell m, burying a number of those who were playing beneath it. The shed measured about 70ft by 16ft, had a double span roof, and was stated over. The metal pillars which supported the roof snapped m twain, and the entire roof fell m, crushing those beneath it. The screams of the children soon brought help, and several were speedily extricated anq removed to their homes, suffering from severe cuts nnd bruisos. A girl named Gibson had her leg broken, and, after her, two girls wsre taken out' dead, one of the unfortunate children being »o mutilated that no one present was able to identify her. A boy named George Hills, between eight and nine years old, was found to have sustained a fracture of the skull,' and he died shortly after his release from the ruins. Another girl named Dickie was also shockingly injured, and died m the course of the afternoon, making »p to the present time four deaths. News of the calamity .soon jpread, and a great crowd gathered round the school i and as the dead had not then been identified, anxious parents were present m an agony of suspense. The following is a list of the killed :— George Mill', aged twelve ; Susan Scott, aged nine ; Agnes Tivendale, aged ten j Agnes Dickie, aged nine. The number of inured> not precisely known, but it is believed Ito be eighteen or twenty. Among the more seriously injured we ; Agnes Nath, agsd nine,

nek and legs broken ; Russel Tivendale, aged sight, injuries to the head, eyes and back ; Christiana Wyper, aged seven ; and Albert Dare severe injuries. No cause has been issigned for the mishap. The shed was supposed to be perfectly secure and substantial, md Beems to have given way without any warning. Thb OacUK Eclipsed. — People (says a Homo paper) nre asking what is this new instrument that Mr Baillie Hamilton has put before the world. Those who heard it at Harrow last week, and, above all, those who have heard it played ou nith greater freedom m its factory, see there has been devited an instrument which provides greater variety of effect and greater volume and power of sound than an ordinary pipe organ of twice iU size. There is to be, it appears, an equal comparative reduction in'fcost. Consequently, m these days of economy m spaco and m "outlay, it ■would appear that this new instrument will supply an acknowledged void— provided it is found, on further public trial, to fulfil the apparently justified anticipations of its inventor. It was noticed at Harrow that it possessrs distinctly new and pleasing characters of sounds which recall to the hearer with strange fidelity, many of the familiar tones at once of the pipe organ, of the softer wind instruments, and even of the human voice itself. The sound is produced, we believe, by wind that produces tho JEolian character by the vibration of "free H ree3s,'connected together m triplets and cunningly balanced by ■wire spirals. The human-like character is added by the means of a sounding box of small dimensions into which the windy vibrations pass, and which performs, and performs successfully, the corresponding functions of the thoracic cavities m the human body. A Russian on Russia. — Recently Prince Krapotkine delivered a lecture at the Marylebone Central Democratic Association on " The Revolution m Russia," m connection with a society entitled the Bed Cross Society of the People's Will, 'lhe lecturer said the late Czar had been credited with the liberation of the serfs. He had been forced to that measure. He had ever been on the side of the reactionary party, and he had entrusted their emancipation to the enemies of the people, who had so cheated and overtaxed t'le peasantry that they could not live. They had to pay 22a per acre for bad land and to hire meadow land extra. They were taxed to three times as much as they had been, and were utterly impoverished. Famine had become the normal state of things m Russia ; the peasants were dying of starvation ; the Government agents stole the money given for their relief; the people crowded m hovels, as many 88 twelve persons besides animals m one room. There was a distrust of all the upper classes. When educated men and women formed a propaganda for the amelioration of the people m 1874, 1000 were arrested and kept m prison for four years without trial, and many died of consumption or scurvy, or committed suicide before their trial came. Innocent ladies were now often visited m the night by brutal gendarmes, and commanded to dress before them, lest they should conceal papers. Ladies had shot their persecutors, and been hanged without trial. There had been no outrages committed by the revolutionary parties until they had been driven to desperation by the Government, and his party swore before Europe that they would desist from all violence if representative institutions were given to the Russian people. Hcmtino am Hkibbsb.— The Paris correspondent of the Daily News tuyt that Mrs Mackay, tho wife of the Californian millionaire, has expressed to a Boulevardicr journalist her indignation at the report that her daughter is engaged to Prince Philippe de Bourdon. She is very angry with the Prince for having left her the task of contradicting thfl report, which she asserts was maliciously promulgated by a lady on tho Figaro staff because she asked to be invited to Mrs Mackay 'h balls and was refused. When Queen Isabella colled on Mrs Mackay to felicitate her on the alleged engagement of her daughter, the latter said : — " You know, madame, my opinion about titled suitors Were a king to propose for my child he should not obtain her." The aggrieved mother insinuates that Prince Philippe allowed, to render his creditors more patient, the absurd story to circulate. She expressss utter contempt for fortune hunting . bachelors, a race that are not tolerated m America. The recital of her tribulations is amusing m it» frankness. _ As the mother of a supposed heiress she is not allowed a moment's peace, 'lhe chase after her daughter i§ intensely keen. Every day sinco she left school, Mrs Mackay receives piles of letters from matri monial negotiators unknown to her who j demand interviews the object of which is lo ' assure her child's happiness. Innumerable i calls are made by men of business, who would be glad to be match-makers ; secretaries of titled personages, priests, dowagers of quality, distinguished foreigners from all parts of the globe, who have proposals of marriage to enunciate. Threatening letters also pour m. I The ■«oncie'rge ) governess, and Abigails are beset with sharks wanting information about Mademoiselle's habits, tastes, favorite theatres, and hours for walking m the Bois. To escape from persecution, Mrs Mackay thinks of giving notice on a bill posted on her gate that, according to American habits, Mademoiselle will not have any dowry, and will not have any fortune while her mother and stepfather live. : .