MISCELLANEOUS.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4869, 14 June 1890, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Tbe National Dobt of England has been reduced during the last three years by " leaps and bounds." Tho total reduction for 18SU reaohed £8.295,005. This amount added to the reductions of the previous two yoars, made a grand total of £23,323,0C0. This is the larsent amount ever paid during tho samo length of time. Since 3Ut July, 1836, tho number of persons m England and Wales who havo been imprisoned for non compliance with tho terms of tbe Vaccination Act is 113. During the Bsme period no fewer than 10,fi60 persons havo been fined for a similar infringement of the samo| acts, 'l'he " champion infringor," if tho term may be used, is a man of Kent, designated m the Parliamentary return as "Mr 0. H.," this doughty anti-vaccinatorhas been fined 38 times m all, and has paid fines to tho amount of £35 10s. Taking the boroughs m their order of anti-vaceinatory zeal Leicester comes out, facile princcps, with a long tale of no less than 3249 of its citizens on the fine list. The West Riding of Yorkshire makes but a bad second with 699. A native balloonist of Caloutta recently had a narrow escape. Ho advertised a balloon ascent m the suburbp, and an immense crowd assembled. " The balloon," says the- Madra* Mail, " was filled with hydrogen gas, but owing to the want of experience the valves at the top were left open, iho consequence was the gas escaped as fast as it was generated. After soveral hours of paitent waiting the crowd grow impatient, and on the announcement that no ascent was to be made, a riot ensued, and the rofund of Iho entrance money was demanded. Tho mob tore up flowers nnd plants, broko down the fenccß and trees m which tho balloon was being filled, and catohing the unlucky aeronaut hurt him vory Beveroly." We have long been accustomed to annociato any now development of olectrio traction with America, but a scheme is on foot m St. Potsrsburg, whioh if carried out, will certainly leave America far m tlio rear. It is proposed to havo a railway entirely worked by electricity, connecting Bt Petersburg with Archangel, spanning the wido stretch of country that ließ botween tho Baltio and the White Sea. The project is eaid to be backed by Archangel interests, and the namo of Siomens and Co. is connected with tho enterprise. Tho plan is to furnish the ourrent from a tories of generating stations distributed along tho lino. The distance is something ovor 500 miles, and the estimated coat a littlo ovor £3000 por milo, including rolling stock. Tribulation has befallon a correspondent of tbe Standard, who expeoted to do a good turn to a widow by selling for her bohoof an original odition of " Piokwick." He had heard of the first odition fetching as much oe £20. What then was his horror to find that the book was sold at auction for 6o — exnetly what he had paid for having it prosontably bound. We fear tho gentleman has suffered from want of knowledge. Pooplo who pny high prices for first edition:! of Dickenß aro not satieficd that Iho hook should merely bo complete Thoy. wont a great dcol moro than that: Tho margins murt have not bran "ploughed," and the plates must bo m good condition, whioh m this caao they wore not. Al>o tho original wrappers of the parts must have boon preserved. A first edition of " Pickwiok "is not necessarily a treasure. It must bo m what it pleases the doalers to call '• Qna "condition; and then thoy will givo you the wherewithal to fare sumptuously. What most men accustomed to write rapidly will regard as a really remarkable, feat was performed at the Houpp of Commons latoly by ft member Barnard's roporting Claff. Abet was made Unit ha could not wrlto out m long hand no much matter an would fill threo columns of Tho Time* m u 0 many hours — not from notos — but from Iho newspaper itself. Threo columns of Mr Balfour's speech m introducing tho Land Purohaso Bill woro selected, and tho first of thoio, containing 2202 words, was copied m KO minutot ; thp second, of 2134 words, m 61 minutes j and the third, of 2131) word J, m 61 minutes. Total number of words, (jIOD ; time, two hours and thr,oo quarters, or a Quarter of an hour Io spare. The writer wn y nomc^nßfJißJ,rpßßp(j— jn fact, he stopped during tlje lost hour fox refresh, uriiipf'.— ,u)id the copy from first to last would. Ijoprpnounoed good by any compnuitor.