GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1217, 27 January 1886, Page 5

GENERAL NEWS.

Amongst the " upper ten " of the Victorian Parliament are included a journeyman calico printer, a grocer, a nailer, a gardener, a braceman, miner, a draper, house carpenter, merchant, tailor, produce dealer, bookseller and butcher (last election nearly gave them a bake '), and amongst the rank-and-file there are operative masons, grocers, drapers, and draymen, three carpenters, five printers, two mechanical engineers or fitters, two chemists, three publicans, a sawyer, saddler, oven and. boiler maker, nursery gardener and florist, a cabinetmaker, a blacksmith, working jeweller, patternmaker, herbalist, currier, dairyman, a maltster, and a brewer.

The prohibition that touches the Utah saints is the strict order against polygamy. A Mormon named Brain was sentenced to six months in jail and 300dols. fine, on October 2nd, for "unlawful cohabitation," he having taken a wife whilst a former one was living. Brain made a long statement to the court saying he knew by direct revelation of God to himself that his, Brain's, covenants were made for eternity. He would stand by them at all hazards. Judge Zane reminded him of two of his wives already divorced from him, and his first wife dishonored in her old age. To talk of this being an eternal covenant under divine command was blasphemy. The court was tired of hearing such cant.

A plan fo rthe establishment of a system of sentry lightships, to be stationed at short intervals between America and Europe, andto be connected by an oceanexbie, is at present attracting some attention in the United States. The objects aim*' 3 at, if carried into effect, will • ,* prove a convenience to • . ,- T thick weather yes*>»- navigation. In these fixed -' *«• P assm g an y or i e " f a blo - ■ dcations will, it is urged, be . aG once to determine their latitude I and longitude. The stations not being I more than 200 miles apart, no ship follow-

ing thvir allignment could be far from a point of communication with the shore or a place of refuge for passengers and crew in case of disaster. The movements of shipping at sea could by this means be almost daily ascertained by merchants on shore, and moreover, the drift of icebergs, weather chauges, and the translation of storms and cyclones over the " steamer Unes " and contiguous parts of the North Atlantic could be signalled by cable. During the visit of the Minister for Public Works to the New Zealand Iron and Steel Company's works at Onehunga lhe whole of the process carried on by the Company was shown to him, commencing with the process by which the ironsand is brought up from the sea, convoyed into the mill, separated with ma«nets, mixed with sawdust, and then dropped into the furnace. Three " blooms " were taken out while the Minister and party waited, and were hammered by the enormous hammer which the Company have erected. The "blooms," after being duly treated, were returned to the furnace, and having been treated were rolled into bars. The metal looked splendid, Mr Macandrew, the manager, showed Mr Richardson some steel made by him on the premises, and which Mr Riohardson, who has a good knowledge of the subject, pronounced to be excellent. The Company have sent to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition 10 cases of exhibits, consisting of ironsand, ingots of steel, billets for steel-making, simples of clay, manganese, &c.

Among the new methods for simplifying the unweildy process of the law, nona is more noteworthy and suggestive than the science of chiromancy, which appears to be becoming fashionable in Police Courts. It was applied with striking success in two cases the other day In one of these the prisoner, who was charged witn, begging, pleaded that he had done hard work, but was now unable to get any; the gaoler then examined his hands, and declared they showed signs of hard work and the man was let off with a nominal punishment. In the other case, the accused said he was a carpenter, but was out of work. The examination of his hands showed that he had done no carpentering work lately, and he was accordingly sentenced to the full penalty for his offence. Thua by a highly useful but little studied art, the truth is at once arrived at, and the trouble and expense of calling witnesses are saved. Chiromancy, moreover, evidently only marks l-he beginning of a new state of things,

and we may fairly expect a time when every gaoler will be a skilled phrenologist, and be provided by the Government with a copy of Lavacer's works, as no less indispensable to his calling than his bunch of keys.

Mr Macandrew's views in reference to late sittings of Parliament find endorsement in the following, which we clip from an exchange :—": — " Mr Speaker Peel is of opinion that the hours devoted to business by the House of Commons are inexpediently prolonged ; and that one effect of the overwork is that the work is done bad. Mo3t persons will thoroughly agree with him. We ('Lancet') doubt whether much of the speech - making which mars legislation would not cease if the practise of droning the hours away in a half-dreaming state of stupid excitement were discontinued. The dinner-hour in the House of Commons is a woful opportunity for small talking of the lengthy sort. Some years ago the Press made a feeble attempt to boycott the late and long speech- makers by declining to report after a certain hour ; but this could not be carried out effectively. It would be far better to make a rule that the house shall adjourn at midnight. From four to twelve (eieht hours) is quite long enough for any sit-ins;. The business done after that length of time is badly done. The legislators are sleepy, aud the intellectual work they do after midnight is wondrously sleepy too.

The discovery of what is asserted to be a payable goldfield in Western Australia is thus detailed in a telegram in the Melbourne " Age " from its Sydney correspondent, dated December 29th: "A telegram was received from Townsville on Monday from James Farrell, of Herberton, who has received a letter from Joseph M'Cague. in Western Australia, dated 2ad October. M'Cague states that a party, of which he 13 a member, have discovered payable gold on the Elvira Creek, one of the head waters of the River Ord. Owing (,0 the scarcity of water the party could only stay there a week, but during that time they obtained lOoz of coarse gold. The party have applied for a reward, which will probably be recognised by the Western Australian Government. Mr M'Cague deprecates a rush at present, owing to the difficulties and dangers to be encountered, but he believes that ultimately a large field will be opened out. M'Cague is a reliable man and an experienced miner. The Elvira Crack is probably one of the creeks which combine and form a river which discharges into Cambridge Gully. It is through Palmerston that diggers would have to go, and it is 700 miles from Palmerston to the alleged goldfield. When Mr Watson left Palmerston a fortnight ago, a party of 10 men were preparing to make a start for the head of the Ord River. The best route from Palmerston is first to make the Darwin camp, thence to the Catherine River, and from Price's Creek to Delmara Station, thence to Gregory and Victoria Rivers, on to the Warehill Station, owned by Mr Buchanan, who believes in the existence of a rich goldfield.