Notes from Everywhere.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 33, 22 December 1898, Page 20

Notes from Everywhere.

Intelligence from Tonga states that Metis Island, which in 1880 was 150 ft above the level of the sea, has disappeared, leaving no sign of its existence save a reef which adjoined it. Some time ago Falcon Island, to the south, also became non-existent. Both islands were in the line of volcanic action which passes through the Tongan Group in the direction of the Island Kao. The Right Rev. Leighton Coleman, Protestant Bishop of Delaware, has (says the New York World) just gone through numerous and extraordinary adventures on country roads in the garb of a tramp. Unknown and in coarse apparel he walked a distance of 235 miles recently in the mountains of- West Virginia, stopping where night overtook him, and frequently doing hard labour for his food and lodging. Sometimes he went hungry, and slept in barns or under the friendly cover of some tree. Once, late at night, having been denied shelter in a sparsely settled region, he climbed into the window of a deserted schoolhouse and found his rest on the hard floor.. This was the Bishop's idea of taking a novel holiday and gaining new insights into life. Guarding the Bank of France. — The Batik of France is guarded by soldiers, who do sentry duty outside the bank, a close watch beingihkewise kept within its precincts. A former practice of protecting this bank was to get masons to wall up the doors of the vaults in the cellar with hydraulic mortar as soon as the money was deposited each day in these receptacles. The water was then turned on, and kept running until th*» cellar was flooded. A burglar would thus be obliged to work in a diving-suit and break down a cement wall before he could even begin to plunder the vaults. When the bank officers arrived each morning the water was drawn off, the masonry torn down, and the vaults, opened. The Bank of Germany, like most other German public buildings, has a military guard to protect it. In a very strongly fortified fortress at Sp.mdau is kept the great war trea&urc of the Imperial Government, part of the French indemnity, amounting to several million pounds.

Let friendship creep gently to a height : if it rubh to it it may soon run itself out of breath.

The Christmas Number of the NEW ZEALAND TABLET is now ready. Stories of Otago, the West Coast, the North Island, Australia, Ireland, &c. ; Sketches of the Hot Lakes, the Cold Lakes, Killarney, &c. ; freely illus trated.

During the festive season now at hand, no doubt many of our readers will tour ' the L ikes ' and may be doubled to know where to 'put up ' at. At Lake Wakatipu, Mr. P. M'Carthy is the proprietor of the Mountaineer Hotel, and as he is well kuown to be a genial and obliging host, it would be well for intending tourists to secure accommodation at his comfortable hostelry. The hotel is new and repletj with every modern convenience. The cuisine is on a liberal scale, and the tariff is moderate The business announcement of the ; Mountaineer ' appears elsewhere in our columns. —^% Particulars are to hand by the latest mail of a great ride against time by C. Huret, the crack French loDg-distance rider. The pace selected was motor tandems, which worked splendidly throughout, and for the once gave an idea of what is to be expected fro n this style of pacing in the near future. The record selected for breaking was Gould's (Eng.) 100 miles world's record of 3 hrs. 24 mins., and Huret, riding well behind his motors, clipped no less than 13 mins. off the Britisher's time. Another good recent performance of Huret is his 65 miles 185 yards in two hours — one of the most marvellous rides of the season. — „.% The practice ot exchanging Christmas greetings between friends, by means of appropriately inscribed cards, is one which has grown to considerable proportions within the last few years. It is at once a graceful and fitting form of salutation for the festive leason. Recognising the necessity of meeting popular requirements in this direction, Mr. E. W. Dunne, of 81 George street, Dunedin, notifies elsewhere in our columns that he has laid in a large stock of Christmas cards for the approaching season, and is retailing them at his usual moderate prices. We have had the pleasure of inspecting Mr. Dunne's display of cards and fancy goods, and we were much struck with its generally attractive appearance. — *%