GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1184, 30 September 1885, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

Australians and New Zealanders will note with interest that Sir James Fergusson will stand for North-eaßt Manchester at the coming general election. Sir Jas. Fergusaon has seen service in many fields. He was wounded at Inkermann ; he represented Aryshire for some years in the House of Commons ; he waß successively Governor of South Australia, Governor of Nqw Zealand, and Governor of Bombay, and held other offices under the Government, while he now appeals to a working man's constituency in the Conseivative interest.

Saya "Atticus" in the Melbourne " Leader :" — A jury of his countrymen have decided that Mr E. V. Browne has no right to complain of the " Melbourne Punch" suggesting that he would be fittingly employed standing outside the Post-office to lick stamps for the public. Possibly Mr Browne suffers no injury by the article in question. I hope not. At the same time it is rather a vulgar sample of the humor that dragged the "Punch " proprietors into court. Coarse personality of this description is never "amusing, and when we c^me across it in a paper like " Punch " it makes us think for a mement we are perusing one of the religious journals. We are accustomed to think that the £5000 a year paid to the English Prime Minister is a pitiful salary ; and so it is. But there are other countries scarcely less rich where the wages of the Premier are more pitiful still. Prince Bismarck, it is astonishing to learn, receives only £2700 a year as Chancellor, and when he submits a moderate vote for secretarial assistance he is snubbed and repulsed in Parliament. This arrangement of salary ia probably accidental, like that which fixtH the English. Premier's salary at precisely th» same sum as the Home Secretary's. In England, at least, it is not the question of money which draws some of the ablest men in the country into official toils. If it were, they would make an exceedingly bad bargain. Nearly a column of the " New Zeiland Times" is devoted to an account of the career of a noted criminal named Henry Garrett, who died on Wednesday night from general decay in the Wellington gaol, aged 72. The writer of the long obituary states that Garret, who spent 50 years of his life in prison, began his criminal career in Birmingham, continued it in Australia, and ended it in New Zealand. He pursued the occupation of highwayman, burglar, and housebreaker, but avoided bloodshed ; was'a great reader and student of science; an admirer and disciple of Darwin ; at one time a contributor to a Christchurch society journal ; a friend of Governor Garvey and Archdeacon Stock, and though he believed not in God nor dpvil, he turned his face to the wall and moaned " My God ! My God !" shortly before he died. We are not aware what customs obtain in New Zealand in respect to the bagging of grain for export, but we observe from the " Australasian" that there are great complaints in London relative to shortness of weight. Tnrough carelessness or fraud on the part of country buyers, exporters have had to pay very heavy claims for short-wefght in the actual out-turn in Europe. Buyers at Home are said to be chary in dealing with cargoes of Australian wheat. In fact, matters have gone so far that several of the leading grain merchants in London have suggested that all buyers should refuse to buy Australian wheat, whether in parcels oe entire cargoes exoepl on the baais o£ full out- tarn guaranteed. Referring to th« Waimea Plains Railway Rating Act recently passed in Parliament, the Mataura "Ensign" says:— The Company will no doubt sue for the rate under the amended conditions ; and perhaps the ratepayers v\ ill resist payment again, only to bo met in the end, should they succeed, by the passing of another Validating Act lobbied through Parliament by Mr Driver and supported by Mr Stout and Sir Julius Yogel. The Jinale will come sooner or later ; but when the bailiff does seek to carry out the direction of the Court all we say is— Heaven help that bailiff ! We -would fain hope that Mr Driver could be induced to take the position, but probably someone else will be told off to do the unpleasant work, unless, indeed, the work should fall never to be undertaken by r the Government and Railway Company coming to terms for the purchase of the line — a contingency whose consumation all will hope. fervently for. It would relieve the district of a moat odioua tax and an excessive railway freight. We hope we shall hear of something being done before long, and in the meantime we have done our duty by directing attention to the scandalous way in which the Government have treated thiß district.

You Can Be Happy .if you will stop doctoring yourself and families with expensive doctors or cure-alls that do only harm, and use Nature's simple remedies for all your ailments, you will be well and happy and save great expense. The greatest remedy for this is the great, wise, and good will tell you, is Am. Co's Hop Bitters.

Benefactors.—" When a board of eminent physicians and chemists announced the discovery tint hy c -mbining some well-known valuable remedies a most wonderful medicine was produced, which would cure such a wide range of diseases that moat all other remedies couid be dispensed with, many were skeptical, but proof of its merits by actual trial hag dispelled all doubt, and to-day the discoverers of that great medicine, Dr Soule's American Co's Hop Bitters, are honored and blessed by all aa benefactors." Read.

Captain John Stuart, commander of the steamship Arawa, of the Shaw Savill and Albion Company, claims to have made the fastest passage on record round the world. The vessel left Plymouth on March 28th, and made her outward voyage to Kew Zealand in 3d days 19 houra 50 minutes cross, or deducting difference of time and stoppages, 38 days 30 minutes net. Homewards the gross time has been 36 days 10 hours, or net steaming time 35 days 5 hours 10 minutes. The voyage round the world was thus performed in the steaming time of 73 days 5 hours 40 minutes.

Concerning the Ministry's pet but very unfortunate measure, by which they were going to stand or fall, the "Timaru Harald" remarks:—" Then there is the Local Government Bill. There never was very much in this poor little Bill, at any time, except a propensity to borrow money, which he seems tv have acquired from some of his authors ; but when the House had cut off his head and feet, and taken out his lungs and liver, there was still less left of him. However, the Government folded their arms round the remains of their preciouß darling, said he was still ready to return good for evil, and would astonish us yet by the wonderful results he would achieve for our benefit, and once more they swore a solemn oath that they would still stand by us in our troubles."

The following quotation from a lecture delivered in Paisley, Scotland, by the Rev. David Watson, minister of the Presbyterian Church, proves that the clergy themselves are awakening to their danger. Mr Watson says :—": — " The great, the wise, and the mighty are not with us. That, I fear, we must all own to, however much, we may grieve to say bo ; and the more we road of the history, the poetry, the biography, and the literature of the age, the more we will think so. The best thought, the widest knowledge, and the deepest philosophy have discarded our Church. . . . They are not even nominally with ua ; they look not to our heaven ; they fear not our hell. They detest what they call the inhumanities of our creed. . . . Why are these, and such like men, without tha pale of the Christian Church? Not that they are unfit— we own that ; but we are unworthy of them, and by the mob force of our ignorant numbers have driven them out. They shun us because of our ignorant misconceptions of heaven, man, and Gud. They feel our evil communications corrupting their good manners ; they feel our limited vision narrowing the infinitude of the horizon ; and, therufere, as an indispensable to the very existence of their souls, they separate themselves from us, and forsake — and greatly unwil'ing are many of them to do so — the worship with ub of our common God."

The horse of the present day is the last of a regularly ascending series of forms. The first horse which geologists have discovered waß scarcely larger than a terrier dog, and had fivs toes on each foot. Then, throughout anccessiva geological epochs, the animal became larger in size and the hoofs fewer in number, until the one-hoofed horse of the present day was developed. This phenomenon of " throwing back" is familiar to the breed of fancy rabbits. No matter how pure the breed of the parents may be, and liow long their pedigrees, a young one will be occasionally born which is, in all respects, like the common brown rabbit of the fields. Some animals become abnormal, not by the multiplication of existing organs, but by deprivation of normal characteristics. For example, a " Hen with a Human facu " was exhibited in Boston, and was pictorially represented as possessing a symmetrical female face, with human nose, lips, eyes, and forehead, and nicely parted hair. A single glance at the bird showed that its head and feet were unable to secrete horn, and that therefore it had neither beak nor claws. The total absence of a beak gave a curious aspect to the bird, and a very vivid imagination might trace a distant resemblance to the face of a battered Dutch doll. Such imperfect birds are

not uncommon ; but as they cannot scratch up food for themselves, nor pick it up if found, they are as a rule killed as soon as hatched. — ''Atlantic Monthly."

It is a good thing to hive unlimited credit, but better still to have ready money on hand for emergencies. Baron Rothschild learned this lesson one day when ha chanced to ride in a public conveyance abroad, and found out that he had not a farthing in his pocket. The driver was

furious and demanded his pay. Rothschild told him his name, and likewise gave him his card. "I never heard of you before, and never want to again ; but I want my pay, and must have it." And he looked down threateningly. The money king waß in haste. Ho had an order for a. million, and offered the (JriT^r a coupon for 50,000 francs "to change." The driver started, the passengers laughed, and just then an acquaintance came up, I from whom he borrowed aix sous, and paid the angry Jehu. A story showing how different materials have value, not necessarily from any merit of their own, but from the place whence they are procured, reaches us from Greymonth. It is in3'ruc'ive in its way, and not without point. A Hokitika gentleman largely interested in the prosperity of the place and consequently in the success of our coal mines, took a large lump to Greymouth for an unofficial report. On his arrival he asked a few gentlemen connected with the industry to have a look at his coal, and tell him what they thought of it. The unfortunate lump was exposed to the closest inspection, examined, turned over, sc-aped, had a penknife stuck in it, and <i piece was put in the fire. After being subjected to all these indignities, which it took easily enough, the coal was placed on the table and the verdict given. It was not a suitable coal ; it would not m;ike v a good. steam or gas coal, an \ did not burn clearly enough for household purposes. In fact it was unhesitatingly condemned. The faults were so many chat it must have recognised itself as an imposter, and probably would have blushed for shame, if its countenance was not so dark. Our friend thanked the critics for the trouble they had taken, and gravely informed them it was a piece of Greymouth coal he had taken from the coal yard before leaving. We have not heard the final result of that meeting. — " West Coast Times."

(Renter's Special. ) Sydney, September 27th. Further cases of smallpox have been reported to the sanitary authorities. In one instance the disease attacked a seaman on board the s.s. Gunga, which vessel returned lately here from Melbourne. The source of tbe disease is unaccounted for. Another case made its appearance in Druitt-street. The patients and the occupants of the house have been removed to the North Head Quarantine-station.