General News.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 3104, 26 July 1894, Page 4

General News.

The Bondonderry mine is perhaps the richest in the world. They say it takes a microscope to see the quartz among the gold. The discoverers came on the reef by chance. At lunch-time one of them gave a chance blow to the rock he was sitting on with a hammer, and laid the gold bare. The same story was told of the discovery of the Bong Drive. It may bo that history has repeated itself, or it may be that something like this is a favorite goldfield’s legend. A portrait of the late Premier of New Zea and, Mr John Ballance, is now on exhibition at the New Zealand Agency-General, and is generally admired. A suggestion has been thrown out that it should be purchased by New Zealanders in Bondon and presented to Mrs Ballance while she is in England.

Thus Poverty Say Herald ; —“ If the principle of invoking the aid of the law on every trivial matter is to be carried to such an extent as at present appears possible, we may wake up some morning and find our sapient legislators have passed a compulsory Porridge Eating Bill, Consumption of Tea and Coffee Bimitation Bill, Oysters and Stout Abolition Bill, Go to Bed at Nino o’clock Bill, or some other equally absurd and irritating measure.”

Captain Bussell says that there can be nothing better than that a Judge of the Supreme Court should be President of the Court of Arbitration. There is no leisured class in New Zealand, and he has the greatest faith in the judicial capacity and fitness of the Judges. He does not agree with the alternative proposal to appoint a District Court Judge The late Dr Kidd, Registrar of Auckland University College, whose death is announced at the advanced age of 70 years, was the first headmaster of the Auckland College and Grammar School, and when the Auckland University College was established became Registrar of the latter institution. He took his degrees in Dublin. Dr Kidd was an able classical scholar. lie was a man of unassuming manner, and was very popular with the students. In China there are no telegraph poles. The reason for this is due to the superstitious reverence for the graves of the dead, it being considered a sacrilege to permit a shadow to cross a burial place. As the graves of the Celestial Empire are scattered everywhere, it was impossible to erect poles which, at some hour of the day, would not cast a shadow across a grave. While the gunboat Halcyon was recently on a steam trial off Plymouth and running at the rate of sixteen knots per hour, a seaman named Collings fell overboard. Commander James Startin, who was in charge of the vessel, and standing on the forebridge, rushed aft to the poop, and, although fully attired in his uniform, plunged in,to the sea, hoping to secure the man as he dropped astern. Unfortunately, however Collings was not again seen, and after remaining in the water nearly a quarter of an hour, during which time a lifeboat and lifebelts had been lowered, Commander Startin was picked up. Commander Startin is already in the possession of

throo Royal Humane Society’s awards for saving life, and the attention of the Society is to be called to his latest gallant effort. Representatives of some of the large firms in England who have recently visited these colonies with the object of taking stock of our resources, have assured the Government Stock Branch of New South Wales that in various parts of Great Britain there are [ immense markets which have not yet I been tapped. For example, it is said that the opening of the Manchester ship canal will enable us to reach an immense population who may reasonably be expected to become large consumers of our produce. Is there, asks the Daily News, an English purchaser who is illiberal enough to be prejudiced against goods because they are stamped with the words “ Made in Germany?” If bo, let him take example from the simple German peasants, to whom, according to Mr Wilfrid Powell, our Consul at Stettin, these words are words of enchantment. It seems that in Germany English goods are supposed to be the best of goods, therefore, during the great festivals of Christmas and Easter, when the country folk flock into the cities to buy their presents and supplies for the coming holidays, it is the practice to send in articles of various kinds bearing the inscription required by our Merchandise Marks Act in the case of imported manufactures. It is true that “ Made in Germany ” signifies that the articles are German ; but as the peasants cannot read the words, they aßk the seller, who is generally as ignorant ns them-

selves, what language it is, and being told that it is English, they eagerly buy it as such. Last summer (says Mr Powell) this story was corroborated by myself. Being at a farmhouse in the country, the good wife brought out her best china for coffee, and with great pride pointed out to mo that it was English. Alas for her cherished English ware ; it bore the legend—- “ Mad© in Germany.’'

A curious but rather inconvenient custom of exacting toll from newlymarried couples appears to survive at Wilsden, in the Bradford district. Recently a marriage took place in the Congregational chapel, and on the happy pair ernorgiug from the building they found the way to their waiting cab barred by a number of women, who had tied their aprons together and stretched them across the gateway. When these were satisfied with a douceur, and the cab was gained, progress was again hindered by a couple of carters, who had drawn their teams across the road, and who also exacted toll. Sometimes, it appears, several cords are drawn across the road at intervals on the line of route and the inroads on the bridegroom’s purse are thus considerable. There is a man in the United States who has patented a useful machine for disposing of criminals, and who is going to submit it to the British Government if he cannot get it taken up in his own country. Instead of a black cap a tin helmet is fastened over the doomed person’s head, and this helmet is pumped full of coal gas. Cheapness, efficiency, and despatch are, in the words of the low minded inventor, the main characteristics of the fruits of his misdirected ingenuity.