NEWS IN BRIEF

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1877, 9 March 1892, Page 5

NEWS IN BRIEF

The crews of the United States warships Baltimore and Felix are claiming 400,000d0l from the Chilian Government.

Sir Edwin Arnold is not wanting for a good opinion of his profession. At a convivial gathering at the New Press Clnb, the other day, Sir Edwin, speaking with a long experience of Fleet street life, declared that a " successful newspaper man must have the constitution and hide of a rhinoceros, and a hair-trigger intellect. I am," he added, " prouder of the fact that I am a journalist than I should be of being an archbishop or a lord chancellor."

A little mote than one hundred and three years ago took place what may be termed the birth of steam navigation. On the 14th of November, 1788, the first vessel propelled by steam power was launched upon Dalswinton Loch, in Dumfriesshire. Its inventor was Mr Miller, son of the then Lord Justice-Clerk ot Scotland, while William Springton, a young engineer at Wanlockhead, had superintended the construction of the necessary machinery. The company who were present on board the tiny craft on the momentous occasion included Henry, afterwards Lord Brougham, Robert Burns, the bard of Scotland, then a tenant on Mr Miller's farm at Ellisbank, and Alexander Nasmyth, artist, and father of the inventor of the steam hammer.

The existence of the barmaid is again threatened in Nsw South Wales. In the Assembly last week Mr JDangar aßked leave to bring in a Bill to amend the law relating to licensed publicans by restricting the number and situation of bars in each licensed house, and by abolishing female labor in such licensed houses. Mr Dangar did not say much in favor of his resolution ; he merely pointed out that the reforms asked for had been asked for over and over again for years past. According to the Premier, it is dangerous to meddle with barmaids. This Mr Dibbs took occasion laughingly to point out when speaking on Mr Dangar's motion. He did not oppose it actively — the Government had no objection to the matter being discussed in committee — but at the same time he reminded Mr Dangar that the last member who attempted to deal with barmaids lout his seat in the House. The member concerned did not seem much frightened at this warning, and, amid general laughter, succeeded in getting his motion agreed to,

The 'Waikato Times' is responsible for the following: — "Everybody has heard of the schoolboy's answer as to the ace being the largest known diamond, but it i 3 not, we think, generally considered that a pack of cards is a necessary adjunct to a schoolgirl's ' kit.' This appears to be the case, however. Recently, at a certain school, we will not particularise, not a hundred miles away from Hamilton, one of the teachers discovered a pack of cards on one of the scholars' desks. The young lady, on being questioned by the teacher — who, having received a strict education herself, was horrificd — replied that the cards were her own, and that during play time she and others of the scholars devoted themselves to playing euchre. A nice pastime surely for chits of girls," The remains of the 180 British sailors who, during the Crimean War, died and were buried at Beioos, on the Upper Bosphorus, were, on December 29, disinterred and removed to the cemetery at Scutari. Her Majesty's Charge d' Affaires, with the staff of the Embassy, and the officers of Her Majesty's ships Imogene and Cockatrice, were present in uniform. The Sultan, who desired to honor the memory of those who had fallen in defending his country, was represented by three aides-de-camp, and a battalion of troops, with the band and colors, rendered military honors. A short funeral address was delivered by the Embassy chaplain, and the remains, enclosed in two large cases, having been consigned to the earth, three volleys were fired over the grave by twenty men from the British ships.

Amongst the rumors of the day, says the Melboui ne • Leader,' which have not been caught up by the society journals, is that incident of Larkins, the defaulting building society secretary, writing to Lord Sheffield from gaol to put off a luncheon to which he had invited His Lordship, is the oddest of all.

Speaking at Oldham on December 5, Mr John Morley, M.P., thus referred to the Houße of Lords: — "Again they heard many threats of what the House of Lords was going to do in the way of over-ruling the House of Commons. Was the sense of civil and political unity in the nation promoted by maintaining the authority of a handful of men whq represented nobody, who were most of them accidents of accidents, whose only service was that they had given themselves the trouble to be born ? Were they to be maintained in possession of privileges which, as John Bright said, were an intolerable anachronism in a country calling itself self-governing and free ? "

Mr R,ae (the Socialist member for Wagga in the New South Wales Parliament) has been censured by his constituents for opposirig the addreßS of condolence to the Queen on the death of the Duke of Clarence. Mr Rae, having been heard at considerable length in his defence, the following resolution was proposed :— " That Mr Rae's action in Parliament on the motion for the appointment of a select committee to prepare an address of condolence to Her Majesty the Queen was an insult to Mr Rae's constituents and a degradation to the electorate he represented, and this constituency deeply regrets that one of its members should have so grossly misrepresented the feelings of his constituents, and hereby disclaims any sympathy with Mr Rae's action in the matter." There were 200 persons present, and the amendment to a vote of confidence was carried by five to one, whereupon Mr Rae called for a division. Then nearly 100 persons rushed into the room, when the voting was declared to be : For the amendment, 250 ; against, 20. • There was great cheering, and the National Anthem was sung.

Mr Justice Matthew recently gave judgment in the Chancery Division in the remarkable case of Mustapha v. Wedlake, Mr Mustapha, an Egyptian by birth, died suddenly at his residence near the Finsbury Park, about two years ago, leaving three children. The eldest, a daughter, claimed that when on his deathbed her father gave her certain bonds then worth LIO,OOO, and told her to look after the other children. Against this it was said that all the children were illegitimate, and were not entitled to the property, as there was no disposition of it in their favor. Mr Justice Matthew, however, found that there had been a valid donatio mortis causa, of the bonds in favor of the children, and declared accordingly, but postponed the completion of his order to consider the best way of securing the bonds for the benefit of the children.'

Lady Hay (N.S.W.); who followed her husband to the grave within a fortnight, took her farewell of him (says the 'Bulletin') a few hours before his death, when the impossibility of his recovery was communicated to her. He was then lying unconscious. She bent down and kiesed him, murmured " I cannot bear to see him die," and, unaided, walked into an adjoining room, where, an hour afterwards, she was seized with paralysis. So ended a wedded union of fifty-three years' duration. Lady Hay was one of the wives who make their husband's careers.

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