Here and There.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue VIII, 23 August 1902, Page 462

Here and There.

“There are three ways of sending a meissage,’ eaid Mrs Harrison Lee to an audience at Oamaru. “It may be sent by telegraph, by telephone, or by tell-a-woman.” And when the laughter had subsided, the speaker declared that the last method was often the most effective.

A Wairarapa butcher lately receiv-ed-'payment of an account from a well-known Maori chief of £ 500 in cash. The native man of coin appears to be keeping some hundreds of his fellow-beings in food-stuffs at Papawai, as, in addition, he lately paid £2OO for groceries.

A vagrant, who was in the habit of sleeping under a house at New Plymouth, golt a severe fright the other night. The landlord threw a bundle of lighted craxfkers under the house. The vagrant, aroused from his peaceful slumbers bv the detonation, thought Mount Egmont had our in eruption, and ran at lightning speed till he foudn refuge in a hedge.

Sir Henry Moore Jackson, K.C.M.G., tue recently appointed Governor and Comimander-in-Chief of Fiji, and His Majesty’s High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, in succession to Sir George O’Brien, K.C.M.G., was expected to leave London some time early in August en route for Fiji via Canada. It is expected His Excellency will arrive in the colony on or about September 9 ner R.M.s. Miowera, due on that date from Vancouver.

An invention that realises £5600, if only in the fruit line, should be a valuable one, and its utility should be enquired into by those interested ini the banana industry. A British Columbia publication (the “Province,” of June 23), states tlia-t “Chas. A. Doud assigned the entire right in his invention of a banana crate to the Western Banana Crate Manufacturing Co. of La Crosse, Wis., on April 10, 1902, in consideration of £5600; patent No. 691,845”.

The Kawera (Hawke’s Bay) natives whose canoe was accorded first prize in (the Coronation procession at Napier, along with that of the Moteo natives, have decided to take it on an exhibition tour, commencing at Palmerston North, and visitng Wellington, New Plymouth, Wanganui eno Auckland. The canoe is of ancient origin, but is in a capital state of preservation, and on the tour it will be shown as it appeared in the’ procession, with the Maoris attired in their picturesque costumes.

The extraordinary flights which have been known to be taken by biov-knirds were referred to by Sir James Hector at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society. The speaker said blackbirds had been met with in different parts of the world at enormous distances from land. He believed they were not imported to New Zealand, but came without invitation about 1860 or a year or two earlier. They spread immediately over the whole country, and began devouring the fly that was’ killing the cabbage and turnip.

Where did Solomon obtain his gold? This has been a Biblical problem for many hundreds of years. Mr, M. Cohen undertook to give a possible solution -at the Feilding Poultry Association dinner on Wednesday. Several of the speakers during the evening had held forth as to the ability of women in the poultry yard. Taking up the theme, was it not possible. indeed highly probable, asked Mr. Cohen, that Solomon had his wives poultry-farming? That was how he became so rich.

The secretary of the Captain Cook memorial fund has received donations from His Excellency the Governor and Oaptain Alexander. Lord Ranfurly writea: “It gives me great pleasure to see that there is a movement to erect a memorial to Captain Cook. If we wish bo inspire the living gen-

eration with admiration for the greati and heroic deeds of the men of the pust, we cannot afford to leave unnoticed the name of Captain Cook, of whom every Englishman may justly be proud.” A number of letters have been received from members of Parliament warmly approving of the proposal.

As an instance of the efficacy of birds as destroyers of insect pests, Mr W. T. L. Travers stated at the Philosophical Society the other day that while a certain insect was found to lay 2000 eggs in a year, a single tomtit was found to eat 200,000 eggs in the same time. A swallow devoured 543 insects in a day, eggs and all.

Sir James Hector stated (says the "Times”) during the debate on small birds at the Philosophical Society last week, that he believed birds attacked fruit for the sake of the moisture it contained. In Canterbury he had been shown through an orchard where the owner provided small troughs of water for the birds, and he found that this kept the birds away from the fruit.

The Duchess of Devonshire recently acted as hostess to the Queen. The dinner table was resplendent with gold plate, orchids and pink roses, flowers and palms decorating the long corridors and principal rooms till the great house looked like a fairy palace. To choose guests to meet a Queen must be something of an ordeal. Of these guests there were thirty, Princess Victoria and Prince and Princess Charles of Denmark being among them. The Queen wore black spangled with gold, a rather different kind of costume to what she generally affects.

In all twenty-eight of the Electric Tramway Company’s new cars have now been erected, and are standing at the depot, Ponsonby, in readiness for use. Work power-house. Lower Hobson-street, is progressing satisfactory, and a start has been made with the fitting in of the six large boilers imported to supply motive power to the dynamos. The track-laying and overhead wire installation are also nearing completion.

At Mafeking the Coronation—original date —was celebrated by the laying of the foundation stone of a church to commemorate the siege. The stone bears the following inscription:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD, and in memory of those who died during the siege of Mafeking, October 13, 1899, and as an act of thanksgiving for the relief of the town May 17, 1900. This stone was laid by Lieuten-ant-Colonel C. B. Vyvyan, late commandant, June 26, 1902. The latest fashionable fad with ladies at Home is the long gold-top-ped stick.- It seems to have been introduced by Miss Roosevelt, and was in the beginning carried by those ladies who led their little pet dogs in the streets. It was found necessary to have some weapon to keep off inquisitive dog friends from their pets when taking the air. To have to drag a pet along by its ribbon, and then lift it into protecting arms when common, unwashed animals came’ up to pass the time of day, was found too inelegant a proceeding. Now the grande belle just taps the larrikin animals on the head with the gold end of the stick. As a rule they take the hint and attend to business elsewhere. But cases have been known where badly disposed dogs would not go away, but have turned round and worried the gold-headed

cane, or dealt out “rata** to the little animal it was protecting. But, of course, this is a Terr low-class dog, like those who play in the Cathedral grounds or get on to “other varieties" benches at show time, and behave offensively, even when so honoured. ,

Mr Felix Tanner, the inventor of an improved air-ahip, haa built a model of a balloon which is controlled by the same methods, but costing only about one-sixth of the cost of his principal air-ahip. He has considered that the money required to fit out and construct his air-ship, £2OOO, would be difficult to obtain without some practical illustration as to its utility, and has consequently made alterations, which reduce the cost considerably, but serve the same purpose, as far as the principle of his methods is concerned. He claims that a trial trip could be made from Thames to Auckland, and the balloon used as a captive, which would be a. novelty in New Zealand. It could also be brought to serve the purpose of an advertising medium, and the money so gained by its sale would go towards constructing his ocean-tra-velling air-ship, to cost £2OOO, and estimated to do the trip to Australia in 24 hours.—(Waihi correspondent.)

News from Niue (Savage Island) goes to show that there is a good deal of dissatisfaction amongst the traders and natives at the Customs duties which have been imposed there, as the result of the incorporation of the island within New Zealand’s boundaries. The duty on tobacco, one of the largest items of consumption, which formerly reached Niue free out of bond in Auckland, is 3/6 per lb, which is greatly worrying the Savage Islanders, and the enhanced price is expected to considerably restrict the trade.

The Demerrara “Daily Chronicle” of June 4th last reports the death at Plaisance of “Old Mother Asher John,” at the age of 124 years. Within the last year of her life she was to be seen going regularly to her farm, and was only confined to her house for six weeks prior to her death. The old lady never even had necessity to wear spectacles. Owing to her long life she had to mourn the death of nine children, 34 grandchildren, and 40 great-grandchildren.

A very large turtle, brought by the Moura from Fiji, was sold at an auction room in Wellington last week. The turtle was purchased by a syndicate of Chinamen. Because its shell had been broken the tender-hearted purchasers felt such sympathy for the turtle that they gave it liberty by dropping it into the harbour, with the observation from the head of the syndicate, “Him have hard luck!” A European, who “hated to see a good thing go to waste,” offered the Chinamen an advance upon the price paid for the turtle, but the offer was refused. *

A fine, bright, black-eyed, ruddycheeked Irish girl is housemaid at a banker’s residence. Bast week a foreign hawker called, trying to sell certain wares, and, after knocking at the front door, he demanded to see “de laity of de hlouse.” “Out of this, ye monkey-faced divil,” said the girl. “Sure we are all ladies here, an’ if it’s the mistress ye want to see, have the manners to ask for her,” and she Blammed the door in his face.

The “Cork Examiner” of June 13 states: “At noon yesterday a very interesting ceremony took place in the Exhibition Grounds, when the Right Hon. the Mayor was made the recipient of a very valuable presentation for the citizens of Cork by the Rev. W. H. Mahoney, on behalf of Mr J. J. O’Brien, of the well-known firm of Leyland and O’Brien, timber merchants, Auckland, New Zealand. The presentation consists of a number of specimens of New Zealand gum, timber, polished gum, gold and silver quartz, birds, etc., as well as several interesting Maori curios and illustrations of the flora and different phases of life in that distant country. The timber produced in New Zealand is, perhaps, the finest in the world, and

the specimens which now hang artistically arranged around the walls of the pavilion should prove of the greatest possible interest." The “Ctork Examiner” devotes a good deal of space describing the various items of Mr Leyland's gift, and, after a few words referring to the business ability of the donor, records the fact that the Lord Mayor returned thanks on behalf of the citizens for the collection, which would be valued by the citizens, not only while the exhibition lasted, but for all future time.”

Last week a public meeting was held at H.lwera (Taranaki) to devise means of putting a stop to the iarrikinism which has been prevalent there of late. The Mayor (Mr. Robbins) said the state of things was scandalous, and it was time something was done to have a stop put to the damage to property done by the hoodlums Many complaints were made by speakers, and it was resolved “That, whereas the citizens have been disturbed and property destroyed of late, it is resolved that the Government be strongly urged to provide extra police protection by appointing a police officer for all-night duty.”

Jk>e, the groom at a country hotel, is a hard case, and is largely dependent on tips for a living. He is, however, most attentive to any animals placed in his charge, savs “Woomera.” A lawyer from a neighbouring town, who acts on the precept that it is more blessed to receive than to give, spent a night at the hotel, and committed a pair of horses to Joe’s care, one of which had a long and badly-matted tail. Joe milled and combed it carefully, and expected a good tip, as the animal’s apnearance was much improved. But next morning the lawyer cursed him for ruining the appearance of his horse. “Fancy the variegated dog bluffing like that to avoid sriving a tip,” said Joe. “But, Lord, wouldn’t he curse if he knew I got 21b of hair out of that tail, and have sold vt to the saddler for three bob. I have got the best of it after all.”

The valuable paper read before the Auckland Institute by Professor Segar, M.A., on the recent statistics of insanity, cancer and phthisis in New Zealand, has been issued as a leaflet from the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. The chief points brought out by the professor, it will be remembered, were that when the changes in age-distribution of the population are taken into account, the supposed increase in the liability to insanity is a myth—in fact, that there has been an actual falling-off in the occurrence of this deplorable malady. This is also true of phthisis, which shows a substantial decrease. The deaths from cancer have undoubtedly decreased, but not to the extent which might be supposed from an examination of the percentages in proportion to the population, without reference to the larger percentage of people now in the colony than there were a few years back, at the periods of life within which there is a special susceptibility to this disease. The writer also concurs with the Registrar-General of England in the opinion that part of the increase is due to improved diagnosis.

It was at a certain church meeting, and the good Bishop was calling for reports. He had a rather stern, sharp manner, which sometimes jarred a little on the nerves of the more timid. By-and-bye he came to Brother 8., a lay delegate. “Brother B„ what is the spiritual condition of your church?” demanded the Bishop, briskly. “I consider it good,” said the brother. “What makes you think it is good?" went on the Bishop. “Well, the people are religious. That’s what makes me think so.” “What do you call religious? Do they have family prayer?" “Some of them do and some do not.” “Do you mean to say that n man may be n Christian, and not hold family prayer?”

“Yes, sir; I think so." “Do you hold family prayer?" “Yea, air,” returned the brother, quietly. “And yet you think a man may be a Christian and not hold family prayer?” “I have a brother who is a better man than I am who does not hold family prayer.” “What makes you think he is a better min than you are?” “Everybody says so, and I know he is."

“Why does not your brother, if he is such a good man; hold family prayer?” thundered the Bishop. “He tas no family,” meekly answered the brother.

A peculiar case came before Mr S. E. McCarthy, 8.M., Invercargill, William Sim, Underwood, being charged with cruelty towards a son five years of age, whom, it was alleged, he had tied up in a sack as punishment for misbehaviour. Sub-Inspector Green conducted the prosecution, and explained the facts, and called the boy, who said his father sometimes punished him with a strap, and on other occasions tied him in a sack, and hung him up to the rafters in the coal-house. He' had been punished in this manner a number of times, and his knees particularly suffered. In reply to Mr Stout, the boy said he was very fond of his father, who was kind to him. The cause of his father punishing him. in the way mentioned was that he quarrelled with his sister, whom he struck. He and his sisters were accustomed to playing with the sack and putting one another into it. Evidence was given in support of the boy’s story.

Mounted Constable Emerson said that the father had admitted to him having tied the boy in the sack about half a dozen times to punish him, and leaving him in it for half an hour or an hour.

Dr. Hendry said the form of punishment alleged should not be applied by parents. The boy would be able to move to a certain extent in the sack, but some part of his body would be bent. If he were hung up there would be great pain in the knees, as all the weight would be there. Probably there would be a difficulty in breathing, but this would depend on the character of the sack. Defendant said he had put the boy into the sack three times in two years. The boy was, on occasions, very wayward and hardy, and had to be firmly dealt with. He denied ever having tied him to the rafters, though he had threatened to do so. H. S. Bell, manager of Underwood Factory, and Rev. W. White gave evidence, stating that defendant bore a good character, and the latter said that, from his observations during visits to the house, he had found him an indulgent father. Other evidence was called with a view to showing that the father rather erred on the side of leniency.

The Magistrate said there was no

proof that the offence had been committed within the laat six mouths, and that would have to be shown before the charge could be establiahed. La dismissing the information he did not wish to say that he considered it proper for a boy to be tied up in a sack as punishment, and it waa cruelty to leave him in that position for an hour. The evidence of the boy was absolutely unreliable, as he contradicted himself, but there was the father’s admission to the constable that he kept the boy tied up for an hour, and he had no hesitation in saying this was cruelty.

A gentleman, who is a great fowl fancier, was showing some visitors a pen of beautiful silver-feathered fowls he had recently imported from Austria, and when about leaving the poultry run, pointed to a small brown hen, saying, “That little thing hatched and reared that great fellow," indicating a remarkably large gander. The little brown hen, he explained, had shown great pride in her gosling, parading him before the less fortunate hens with broods of chickens, with the air of a mother who had gone one better than any of them. Every time the gosling enjoyed a swim in the duck-pond his little mother walked round and round until he had had enough of it. Each evening she trotted him off into the corner of the stable where her nest had been, and when he grew too big to fit in under her wings she would hop on his back and spread her wings over him as in his gosling days. One evening the 14-year-old son of the house thought to have some fun, and gave the young gander some sponge cake soaked in brandy. That the gander enjoyed the dainty goes without saying, but he became so disgracefully intoxicated that when his little brown mother came to take him to bed he waddled very unsteadily beside her, uttering a maudlin sort of cackle; then fell down and was unable to rise. This was more than the little brown hen could stand. She fled to the henhouse, resumed her seat on the perch, and after that night never again took any notice of her disgraceful son.

A young boy, who is being educated at a certain Boys’ High School somewhere near, was recently introduced by his teacher to the “ditto” mark, whose labour-saving possibilities appealed to his fancy. His next letter to his father ran as follows: Dear Father, I hope you are well. „ ~ Mother is ~ ~ „ Nellie ~ ~ „ „ Dick „ „ „ „ Grannie „ „ I wish you were here with me. ~ ~ Mother was „ ~ ~ ~ ~ Nellie ~ ~ „ ~ „ „ Dick „•»»». „ „ Grannie „ „ .. „ „ „ you would send me 10/. Your affectionate son, JIM —.

What are we going to call the greatest singer of our day when she is here (writes “Boyet” of the “Australasian”)? I don’t like the term “Diva.” To me it always brings to mind a figure in a frilled bathing dress standing on the edge of a spring board, With the green waves bobbing up and down, waiting to take her in their arms. “Our Nellie” won’t do, as there is one “Our Nellie” already in the field nt the Princess’s Theatre, and she Would be certain to object to infringement of copyright. Besides, it seems too familiar for a songstress who has four cabins knocked into one, and with diamonds almost as big as decanter stoppers. “Madame Melba” is altogether too cc.ld and formal in the country where we knew her in short frocks, in her school days, and in days when she put her hair up and lengthened her dresses, when such an event as singing before all the crowned heads of Europe and the East was not ever dreamt of. But after all, what does it matter how we address her. Only I do hope she will not sing all high-class music; 1 mean those long compositions you can cut off in lengths, which the gentlemen with long hair, frenzied eye, and no neckties go into raptures over between refreshment times. I want to hear her sing one or two simple ballads. Perhaps she may do this when she “rests” at Cup time in that, up to now, eminently demure home at Toorak.

Surely t lie brightest of all the Coronation remembrances will be Queen Alexandra’s tea party and souvenir brooch t 0.10,000 London maids-of-all-work. Those' who know the general domestics of the great city will be able to realise all that tea and brooch means. Take down your “Old Curiosity Shop,” and look at H. K. Browne’s drawing of that hardworked. faithful, little morsel, “The Marchioness,” whose bits of orange peek steeped in water, if you believed very hard, tasted like wine. Think of that imaginative little creature sitting down to a partv with unlimited cake and tea (no Sally Brass at hand to deal it out), and. wearing a gold brooeh. the gift, fo her of the Queen of England. Then you can faintly picture the supreme bliss Her Majesty’s treat, will be to thos--10,000 maids-of-all-work, whose drab and dismal lives are unrelieved by a single ray of hope or sunshine.

As a rule, New Zealanders are not great rovers of the world, but there are exceptions. Mr J. Northev, eldest son of Mr John Northey. Western Spit, Napier, has returner! home alter seventeen years’ wanderings bv land and sea. Sailor, soldier, en°iiieer or fireman, carpenter, farmer” or miner, like a true New Zealander, ie adapted himself to the environment, and took a hand in what offered. He was (says the Hawke’s Bay “Herald”) engaged all through the ChineseJapanese war, and spent many years m the United States, which he deems the greatest and finest country on earth. Most of his time was spent in the West, and he never had any difficulty over employment, which was ever abundant, with ample pay. tie had heard iof the reverse side as common in the Eastern eities, but had never experienced it. He served in the Canadian Mounted Police in the Nor'-west, and spent a couple of years at Klondike, where the thermometer remains for months at a stretch forty degrees below zero. Asked how he liked it. he said they bore it with ease, being well clad, and the cold, though great, being dry, was nmt oppressive. But when it blew a blizzard, then it was well to seek shelter. He spent some time in Vancouver, which he says is ’making wonderful progress; and saw the city of Seattle shoot ahead like a comet. “Have yon seen any land as lovely ns this in ynnr roaming?” he wns asked. "Well, honestly,” lie said, “I don’t think I have.”

A correspondent, signing himself "Office Boy.” writes complaining of the insufficiency of gum on nearly nil the stamps now issued by the Postal Department, fie wants to know whether the supply has run out. or whether the shortage of money has

necessitated cheeseparing even in this direction. He is quite right; the stamps now supplied are very badly gummed, and it is little use taking a supply with you unless you also carry a small bottle of paste and a brush in your waistcoat pocket, and that is not always convenient.

In the Commercial Club ease, Invercargill, in which the manager was charged with exposing for sale and selling liquor without a license, the secretary of the club stated that the liquor supplied was only to members and guests. There was a sign outside bearing the words, “Members only.” Money received for drink was kept separate, and one month’s receipts were used to pay for the following month’s supply of refreshments. The takings at the bar for the year amounted to £287. The club had been in existence since 1894. There was 33 per cent, profit on what was obtained for the liquor from members above what was paid by the steward for it to the merchant. A member had no right to take liquor unknown to the steward. The club had applied for a charter with the object of having the right to sell liquor tc non-members accompanying members. Drink was supplied to members, not sold, and guests were not allowed to “shout”; that would be a breach of the rules of the club. The proceeds from the bar included money taken for cigars. It would be necessary to pay half a crown a drink before the bar would pay the expenses of the club, which totalled £4OO. The profits of the bar went to pay the wages of the boy who assisted the steward. Decision was reserved, the Magistrate saying the question was whether the New Zealand law was the same as the English, which permitted such sales.

Some people are quite prepared to swear that they never have at any time thrown down a lighted match (says the “Wanganui Chronicle.”) In the course of an enquiry into the cause of a recent fire, the captain of the fire brigade stated that some time ago a business man whose shop had been burned down on the previous evening was in his (the captain’s) shop, speaking about the fire. “Are you sure you did not drop a lighted match?” asked the captain. “No,” replied the man, “I am always most particular to see that a match is ’out’ before I throw it away.” As he was speaking he lit his pipe and threw (down the match. It was alight, and as it fell on a heap of shavings it, of course, caused a fire. The captain noticed the fire, but allowed it to blaze up, and then <mi<

ly asked: “You were most.careful on that occasion, I suppose?” In face of the evidence, it is needless to give the answer.

A lady deputationist at the Pahiatua County Council, informed the members that she could do the road work better than the surfaceman employed, and “she had told him so.” She had also informed her husband that no more rates would be paid until the road was put in repair. She told the Council (says the “Pabiatua Herald”) that they alt looked like rich men, but the poor paid rates as well as the rieh sheep farmer, and they should receive the same attention. “I might be a sheep farmer myself some day,” she added, but she was advised by a councillor to stick to dairying, amidst a burst of laughter.

Early one morning last week a fowl stealer visited the residence of Mr Edward Abrahams, bookmaker. Sydney, and experienced an exceedingly warm and totally unlooked-for reception. It appears that Mr Abrahams, having some valuable birds, always kept the fowl-house locked at night, and a spring-gun set inside the door. sk> that in case any intruder should attempt to force an entrance the gun would go off and arouse the inmates. About three o’clock this morning Patrick Hall, the coachman, was awakened by hearing loud screams in the direction of the fowlhouse, and on proceeding there found the door open and that the lock had been forced off by the thief, who had

evidently received the contents of the gun about the legs, as marks of blood were visible bn the fence, where he had afterwards managed to scramble over.

A sail feature of the Mount Kembla disaster is the frequency with which the same names recur, showing that in many instances families have lost two or three members and the same women mourn husbands, sons and brothers. The influence of a disaster of such proportions upon a district like that of Mount Kembla is not realised by city readers, no matter how vivid the descriptions supplied by the newspapers. There will be very few families within a considerable distance of the rained mine who have not lost a father or a son, and almost the whole of the women are widows. Such a blow stuns and stupefies, and the bereaved themselves fail to comprehend the magnitude of the disaster. The miners who survived have shown fine heroism, so usual in the circumstances, that the public gives little attention to acts of valour, which if performed upon the field of battle would win the hero almost worldwide glory. Miners themselves think even less of these actions than the public. I once saw a man dragged from under broken timbers in a drive in a Tasmanian mine, and although the rescuer had run deadly risk in relieving- his mate, in less than a quarter of an hour the two were quarrelling desperately over a pipe of tobacco, exactly as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Comedy even finds its way into the most desperate disasters (says a Sydney paper), and while the horrors of a previous colliery catastrophe no longer provoke a shudder in the district, the men still laugh over the story of Sirs Hegan, the wife of one of the men entombed. This woman had been wailing at the pit’s month with a number of wives and mothers for nearly thirty hours. The scene about the shaft was pitiable; women sat on the timbers rocking their bodies, moaning and praying, and Mrs Hegan was conspicuous amongst Ihem. and one of the most deeply affected. Two children clung to her skirt, and her continual cry was, “He’s killed! He’s killed! I know he’s killed!” The woman was distracted and drenched with her own tears. Then came the news that ten men had been liberated. They were coming up. The women clustered about the shaft, silent at last, watching with strained eyes as the rope darted upwards. The first man to step to the surface was Hegan. His wife darted at him, clutched him by the shoulders, and shaking him fiercely, cried, “Oh. Tim Hegan, you wretch, you wretch! How dar’ ye keep me all this time without a wor’rd ?”

Meat is so dear in Sydney now that housekeepers put on a worried look when the weekly butcher’s bill comes in (writes "Rex”). Rabbit men and fish vendors are making a harvest. Children at boarding-schools complain of too much “rabbit”—rabbit curried, stewed, baked, fricasseed, etc. Apropos of the high price of meat, "Woomera.” of the “Australasian,” says: “Once when a friend asked you to drop in and have a chop with him some evening you were not disheartened, because the chop was merely a conventional phrase, and there were always extras. Now, with sheep at about 40/ a head in the Melbourne market, you are anxious to take him literally, but there’s no such luck. He still offers you turkey, whitebait, turtle soup, schnapper—anything and everything in the most comprehensive menu, excepting always—a chop. As for steak—well, a man can but do his best, and what’s the use ot striving after the unattain- , able.

Robert Joseph Smith, a prisoner, who about the middle of last month was sentenced in South Gippsland to four months’ imprisonment and a fine of ten pounds, was released from custody last week by order of the Governor, who acted on the recommendation of the Solicitor-General. The sentence was respited and the

fine remitted in recognition of the heroic aid rendered by Smith to Constable Rankin on the 15th July, when that constable was escorting him (Smith) and a lunatic to Melbourne. It will be remembered that while travelling on the train to Melbourne the lunatic made an effort to jump out of the window. Constable Rankin held on to the madman’s legs and was assisted by Mr McCartin, J.P., who was in the same compartment. The efforts of both would have been unavailing but for the way in which Smith held on manfully to the door and resisted all the attempts made by the lunatic fo open it. The thrilling experience was made still more sensational by the fact that but for the presence of mind of some railway men working on the line in signalling to have the train stopped the lunatic’s head Would have been smashed against a post that was standing a little ahead. Mr McCartin, J.P., at the time expressed regret that he could not recall Smith’s sentence, he being the magistrate who had passed it. Constable Rankin made a report, to the Chief Commissioner of Police, who made representations to the Chief Secretary. Mr Murray in turn recommended the Solicitor-General to take action, which he did, with the result set out above.

Champagne flowed free nt the House of Commons during the two days after the postponement of the Coronation, says an “Express” just to hand, every member being allowed to dine and lunch for nothing on the food and drinks that were ordered for the Coronation. An attempt was made to sell some of the provisions by auction, but M.’s.P. are not fond of carrying parcels, and preferred that the food that was over should go to the hospitals. Seine seven hundred pounds worth was accordingly given away, but much still remained. Several members, however, demeaned themselves so far as to take home parcels of salmAn at 4d a pound. The lucky members who had not taken or paid for their lunch tickets have scored heavily, no discrimination being made in qerving free meals and drinks in the members’ dining-room.

Victor Trumper, the big batting success of the present Australian eleven, is wanted at home, and “inducements” are being offered to prevail upon him to become an English cricketer. This is one way of retaining the balance of power. If England buys up Australia’s best man, Australia cannot expect to retain those ashes, and must presently go down like the eagle that found the mortal arrow barbed with his own feather. However, Captain Darling has trumped this trick, and gone one better, with a view to retaining Trumpet’s services for Australia, says an Australian paper. Perhaps the day may come when cricketers will appear on the list, below frozen mutton and above tallow and hides, as one of the most important articles of our export trade; but at present we have as much as we can do to supply our own needs. The attempt to secure Trumper is resented in Australian hearts as a bit of smart practice, and an attempt tc take an unfair advantage, and no doubt it has been stigmatised from one end of the Australia to another be, a trumpery trick.