MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 59, 22 July 1878, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The first fantastio jink of tho noiuon wbb (says tlie Ago of 6th instant) held lust night at the Melbourne Skating Kink, Stephen stroot, Ovor 100 spec* tntors assembled, And about forly oompotitors cntorod tho lists. Lady Howon and tho Misses Bowon, nocompnniod by Mnjor Pitt, occupied scuts upon a reserved dais and remained interested spectators during tho greater part of the rinkina. Tho skntcrs appeared in fancy coslurao, and a prizo was oflferd to tbo rinkcr who should display tho most fantastic dross, A well got up Chinaman was much admired, and a fantastic unknown being, presenting a cross bo* tween n Will o'-the-wisp nnd an aboriginal, carrying hiswcll»knowu firestick, who burst in among tho skater* when tbo room bad been placed in semi* darkness, created quite a sensation. Of tho Indies, an Indian Prinooss, richly studded with tinsel beads, Mrs Bocohcr Stowe's Topsy, a Normandy peasant girl, and a neat and pretty lady's raaid appeared to bo tho most gonorally admirod. A foaturo in tho programmo was tho llinkomaniao quadrille v Other dances wcro successfully gono through, and tho two Misses Lowo (Indian Priu coss and Topsy) gavo an exhibition of fancy skating. Tho spectators bad tickets supplied to thorn, and markod off tho number of tbo card worn by tho rinkor | whom they decmod worthy of tho prize When a poll of tho votes was takon, tho Indian Princoss was found to rank first, Topsy scoond. Tho prizo, a silver lockot was prosoutod by Lady JBowcn. Tho Now York correspondent of tho Loador writos :— Lory, tho coruot playor has arrived in Now York. H stylos Australia ' a land of thioves,' and gets impromptu donunoiations of tho ' blastod country ' on tho side walks. As Austra* linns, notably some of tboso in tbo show businoss, havo made tho narao of tho Colo* nios rather unsavoury hco, he gets a few svmpathisors. Thatcher, his late agent, who caught him at Honolulu, and got 150 dollars oat of him in San Frim* oUco, put him do-wn with, a very plain talo

to tbo Californian papers, but w h» is leaving for London, the tevy-athen wil\ hare it pretty well all hit own wiy. However, it does not matter muoh, for thero is no ono acqaintod with him wto will bclisve a word ho says, or trust him for a cent. The Melboumo thoatrioal managers aro serionsly considering about op^ug orf Sunday oyenings in sacred fortti.^Kmma Hnrdingo Briton has boon clearing over £50 on Sunday nights with hor Spiritualistio lectures at tbo Opera Houao— nothing nioro nor losi thnn a performance. The Melbourne Waxworks aro opened evory Sunday evening at n shilling a hcail, with an anti-spiritist Icoture by Mndnmo Lotti Wilraot thrown in, and likewise aaered musio by a brass band. It is easy to porooivo that nil this is but tho thin end of tho wedge, and no ono can doubt that Melbourne will bo like San Francisco. in courso of time, The Japanese habits of reversing ovorything, if we may rogard our own way of doing as tho proper way, is said by tho Pacific Press to bo curious, and in some of its details very interesting. Mr GrilTetbs in his work on Japan, discusses it thus : , Another man is plaining- Ho pulls tho piano towards him. I notion a blacksmii li at work. He polls the hollows with his feet, while he is hiding and hammering with both hi* hands. Ho hns several irons in the fire, and keeps his dinner pot boiling with tho wanta fl-inw. Mi* wholo family, liko generations before him oeem to get their living in tho hardware line. AH of them sit down while thoydo their work, Perhaps this is nn impo.tantdiflcrcnco between a European and an Asiatic. Ono sits down to his work, tho other stands up to it Why is it that wo do things contrarywiso to thu Japanoso P Aro wo upside down' or they P The Japanese say that wo nro reversedThey call our penmanship 4 cmb»writ.in^ bocauso say they, ' it goes backward.' Tho lines in our books cross tho page liko a crawafish, instead of going downward properly. In a Japanese stable wo find tho horso's flunk where wo look for his hoad. Japaneso screws screw thoother way. Their locks thrust to Urn loft ours to the right. Tho baby toys of the Aryan rave squeak when they nn> squeczod ; tho Tnranier gimo.rflcks emit noiso whon pulled apart. A Caucasian, to injure his enemy kills him ; n Japaneso kills himself to spile his foo. Which rnco is left handed ? VVhioh has tho negative, which tho positive of tnuh ? What is truth? What is down? What is up ?' Mr 6. Bonry, the Premier of Victom, has prntcd a go»d deal sinco he camo into powor about tho rights of tbo working«man, tho tyranny of capital, &c ; but, if tho following statement is correct, h.i does not appear to bo tho disinterested patriot which hs assumed to bo. Tho Melbourne- correspondent of the- Wol ■ Imgton Chronicle supplies- the following — ' A writer in tho Hamilton Spectator enlightens the public on a* preitya little family party, and pio.-o of political patronage, a.» hat come to light for miiw time. Ho has Nken tho trouble — niri evidently made tho most of his opportn* nity— to ferret out tho amount pocketed Ity the immodiiito family relations of thopurest and most . pat riotio (according tohia account, vide recent speeches) Premier that Victoria ever hns boon blessed 1 with. The list reads thus— Cliiot Scon-tary £2,17* Tho fntherin-l.nr 38JD Thos'in in-hw 400 Tho son (in Treasury) 20i> Tho son (in Hallways) 230 The son-in-law (thnt is to be) 260 Total ... £3,6(55 And yet the Ministerial followers and supporters nro happy, though fiey still seem loth to admit thnt their boloved chief does might but from '"> purest patriot'sm and disintcrestediu^ * The * tfciotnilie American ' ssys :— • • During tho ptist ten years :W,tWO,O K> dollars worth of nilter has pa**'' \ through the Lima Mint for coinage or s ny«, tho ninonnt coined being 17.00 '000 dollnrs. Gold coin pay* ft per < «»nl» export duty. Ihe exportation of ,iH'i"nal silrer coin is prohibited, hut silver bar may bo exported on payment of 3 per cent., and coin i» accordinuly melted into burs to ovado tho prohibition. Theio ia but a slight production of gold, bat silver in largely produced nn-1 c»xport«ol either as metal or ores, Silver is found 1 in nil tho western range of the Andes from lntiMidoft dops. to 22 deg>. south. Tho district of Corro del Paseo produced, botween 1830 and 1849 475,000,000 dola, A tunnel on tho plan of the famousSutro tu'inel ia projeoted at Cerro del P boo 150fr. below the present workings, and is calculated to open up KX),OO(> pquaro y »rds of surface and 600,000,000 worth of fresh ore. This is but ono of tho many mining districts, as others of equal value with better railroad facilities exist in tho province of Puno. Before* tho modorn systom of railways tho difficulties to bo encountered in the way of smelting silver wero incredible, tho ores being transported great diatanoos onmules 1 bMcks over rugged mountain paths,, woro often animals, with their loads wero lost throa gh a mis-stop ; yet notwithstanding this, immense quantities wero smelted at the Government smelting works.' Tho Ilokitika Kvoning Stnr snys of tho Westland County Council : — *' There is a chairman who does literally nothing, is frequently absent on his own business when ho should bo present in the Ouuoil, and yet is not ashamed to tnkc £300 a yoar from County funds for such very in* different discharge- of duties. There is a clerk chiefly romnrkablo for ovor«woening and matchless cflVontry, who has tim? to devoto himself to other pursuits of a most varied natnro and draws a little* sum ; nnd thero is an lilngineer costing nearly £600 a year; ovorsoers without ond at heavy I costs ; tli ore is a constant drain for trnrcN ling expenses of membors, and in short tho expenses of administering the County of Wostland's nllnirs is at least double thnt of any othor County in the Colony in proportion to income." Sir Julius Yogel is arranging to son.l out Angora goats to iNewZoaland, at - cost of £10 a pair. Whorent tho Tim usj Herald thus discourses— " Tho qu 1 >i is, would the game be worth tho o v il^ ? Is not the glass which, tho gpats. v ■ '

oat rrtyro pfofltably consumed in the pro* dm>,Uojv of hißh-otaiw wpolP Angow is v place In the mountainous interior of Ah\i\ Minor, and tho breed of goats which are found tliero are remarkable for thoir bimutifiil silky hair, eight or niru* inches lonj?. Of thi* the Stuff oHllod cnmiot is tande. Tliift animal, therefore, iuis in its nutire state, several very importnn^ond profitable peculiarities. The unforfflpkto thint? in« ho we? of, that those pocuHoriton aro probably produced in a (;ro«t measure by tho ohmato of Angora. Olher animals boMidcs Routs posicffl) them there. An«ora dogs, catu and Angora viibbitsall have the same soft pliant akin and long silky hair, but they are found rapidly to degenerate into mero evory* day bow wows, pussies and bunnios when removed to oher parts of the world, It would be a decided ' soil to bring Angora goats out here at £20 a piece and spend a lot or money in sheds, paddooks &0., for thorn, and thon to find that they were no better in two or three generations than so many common Oillj and Nanny goats/