MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, 12 August 1878, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

In tho courso of a spocch in Melbourno Mr J. B. Harmon, tho dologoto from tho I 0 0 Fin America, referring to his impressions of Victoria, said that thoir institutions woro as green and vigorous as in tho United States. Thoro woro J four essentials to civilisation whioh woro fouad horo, yiz. — Frco religion, a free Press (which was tho bulwark of liberty) | fioo publio schools (in connection with which education must bo ooropulsory), and froo assemblages of tho pooplo to disouss any matter they plensod. Theso thoy must fountain. Thoy woro also, ho observod fust becoming a distinct nations ality—- Australians— and bo rejoiced to soo ifc. Ho had nover been more sur*< prisod than whon bo saw Molbourno. Thoy might havo political difforoncos cau**iug somo disturbance, but all would work out right. Thoy must sook for highor froodord, but thnt must not do* gonorato into license Ho did n. t foar that it would do so horo, whoro friendly sooiotios flourishod, for their principles woro totally opposed to * communism ; thoy sliould fighfc out thoir differences with argument and persuasion, not with force. Tho lollowing, takon from tho London Echo of tho 25th April refers to a gentleman who visited us nbout throo years ago, having arriyed in the ship Wild Doer :— " Whnt's to bo dono P In Little* bnmpton a number of parishioners, wbo objoot to tbo ritual practised in tho parish church havo erected a building which is to bo oponod <o-day. ns a 'Reformed Episcopal Cburoh,' by ' tho Right Rev, Bishop Gregg,' Tho Bishop of Chichester, in whoso dioooso tha now building now stands, has writtou a lottor to tho mombors of tho Ohuroh of England in Little bnmpton, in whioh ho informs them that any bishop officiating in that diocoso is nn intrudor, and that thoso who seek oon* firmation at tho hands of such a ono aro partakers of his trnnsgrossion.'' Tho grontost oyosoro in tbo City of iho Plnins is tho Calhodral. This vonorable pile (says tho Timaru Herald), though it is said to bo making somo slight progross internally, seems t) havo como toa dead standstill outsido, and is turning groon nn 1 groy with ago, and crumbling away without haviue: ovor boon a third part finishod. Ifc will bo a ruin boforo it is a ohuroh. Wo obsorvo that tho soulptures in tho west doorway, which aro really artislio, nrcj suffering terribly from exposure. Whether tho injury is attribute ablo to weather or larrikins vto do not know, but ifc is nlready vory apparont, and nppoars to bo progressing. ho visago of tho effigy of tho Saviour is nlinost foaluroloss, and thit of tho figuro on tho right hand sido is a moro blank. Wo have seen tho snmo oficot at Westminster ; but thon tho staluos thoro have braved tho London fog for hundreds of yonrs. Ostrich farming is becoming a sottlod industry in many parts of tho Capo colony and is yielding largo profits to thoso on* giKcd in It. Tho Groaf Roinofc Advertisor speaks of tbis novel pastoral ooou pation ns tonding to tho nogloot of tbomorino and annngora in pnrts of that distriot. Every ono that has a drop of running wator is using it to produco boot or luoorno for his ostriohos, A rooovorcd void, fenood-inrffucras, nnd tho loarning to pro* dueo food for stock whon drought prevails will bo a groat g«in to the oountry. A gonlloman bomoanod to ussorao timo ago on tho folly of abandoning ngrioulturo and tho cultivation of tho morino for tho ostrich. Think said ho, of tho folly of thinking a country can ovor becomo prosporous or great on n pretty feather. Six months aftor ho was going in largoly for ostriches, and was most foroib'o on tho difficulties and littlo rofcurns of shoop farming and agrioulturo— on tho hopeless* noss of oyer making anything of tho oountry by moans of them. Largo sums of monoy havo boon mndo by successful brcodors. •Wo hoard yosfcordiy says I tho sumo authority, of a man who eight« ecn months ago, gavo £250 for a pair of breeding birds, who got all his monoy and moro bnok in their progeny, and is now offered, but declines £500 for the pair. And again, ' As for tho feathors, pooplo

are making enormous profits from them, Speculators traverse iho country 111 nil directions purchasing birds mid feather. nnd uro making lots ot inon«.j.' Tin* should bo very woloomo news indoor lo our Acclimatisation Society, whoa, small flock of valuable birds havo show. tUemsclvos capnblo of increasing theii numbers. Tho ostrich is a vory hard] animal, nnd tho olimato of tho land of thi emu would suit it admirably. It is pro bablo thnt if tho society were to ostablisl a small farm under tho management 0 somoouo understanding the habits of thesi ungainly-looking plumed bipods, thej would sccuro a haadsomo return forthoii outlay, and form tho nuoloas of an in dustry whioh would steadily contribute t< tbo rosourcos of Australia. It is uot ai all likely that tho doraand for tho foathor-i will tall off, but rathor incronso with the larger supply of thoso beautiful article: of adornment. Tbo Wellington Post mentions tho ox« trnordinary enso of Ann Robinson, who bad been incarcerated as a lunatic upon tho sworn evidence of her husband, William Robinson, nnd who, upon examination by two doctors, was deolared to bo suffering neither from lunacy nor drink. When tbo caso was called on at tho Resident Magistrate's Court, Mr Mausford took occasion to express his opinion that, the case was ono of tho most disgraceful which had probably over occurred in a minor Court of law. It appeared to him that tho husband inks', havo acted from purely malicious motives, and thero was certainly no ground whatever for tho ohargo. Iv his Worship's opinion, any husband who oould prefer suoh a ohargo ns that upon oath, and without any grounds for the accusation, ought to bo procoaded ugnins! for porjury, nnd said further that if that courso oould bo adopted, ho would cop tainly ordor it to bo done. Robinson askod for a remand, whioh his Worshij: docliuod to grant. It is to bo hoped that somo stops will be taken to punish Robinson for bis heartless and disgracoful conduct. Aftor quoting a recent artiolo in the Grey River Argus ro tho Hochslottei Race, tho Now Zt_.ihin.lor says— Tho foregoing opinions nro very consolatory for tho pooplo of tbo Colony, a ter tho expondituro of nearly £100,000 of the publio monoy upon ths work— an oxpoii* diluro it must bo bomo in mind undertaken almost entirely on the representations mado by tho Groy River Aa.,'us, and its oditor, who nt tbo timo tho work was commenced occupied tho position of member for Grey Valley District. Tho Government of iho day woro induced to spond this monoy upon tbe positivo statements of the local representative and tho locul Press, that tbo outlay would bo ro muncrativo directly nnd indircolly, nnd now tho result is worthy of notico, if only to servo as a warning to tho present Ministers, in rcferonco to tbo probable result of a similar entorpriso in course of progress— tho Greymouth Harbor Works, The Greymouth Press howover, is not singular in thus advocating the expenditure' of largo suim of money ont useless nnd unproductive works; Nearly evory second «c!ass town throughout tho oolony has its pet sehemo for bonefiting tbo few at tho exponso of tho many. And unless a wiso discretion is oxecrcised by the Govornmont in granting thorequosts that crowd upon it for grnnts in aid, the people of tbo Colony will havo to pay interest on many other hundreds of thousands ns hopelessly ml irretrievably Wiistcl as tho amount oxnonded on tho L'lko Uoohstotter Wotcr-Rnco. Miss Diokonson, tho young lady whoso oh <rgo against Colonol Valentino Ikkor, wus the eauso of tbat officer's expulsion from tho English nrmy nnd imprisonment in gaol, has taken a stop that will bo appended by every right-thinking porson. Tbo colonel, whoso .military tnlcuts and personal bravery in tho Sultan's sorvico bavo ma lo him a social lion in London, has beon honorod by Queen Victoria with an invitation to Windsor, whilo tho Prince of Wales has introduced him to tho Marlborough Club, and otherwise patronisod him. Miss Dickonson has thoroforo returned tho royal portrait Rent toher by tho Qucon ns a mark of sympathy at tho timo of tho assault and requested that hor own whicli sho prosontcd in return, shonld bo sont back. Tho Bullor News says :— Mr Roovos, tho energetic though new membor for tho Grey Valloy hns nlrondy givon ovidonco that ho will bo no • dummy' member of tho Legislature. At a recent sitting of Parliament, whilo asking if it was tho intention of Government to nmond tho Mining Coniinnies Act, ho pointed out thnt the prosont law was very dofeotive, and staled that a oongross of mining managers whioh had boon hold at Heefton, would submit noxt week proposed altera* tions. Tho Hon. Mr Stout said if tho hon. member would furnish him with tho report of tho congress ho would Ihon bo able to ascertain iho objections, nnd take stops for tho neccssnry alterations. Mr tloevos askod Uio Government, if it is their inton'lion to appoint a Locnl Assistau Commissioner of Wante Lands for tho Nelson South west Goldfiolds P The Hon Mr Slout slated that the question wns at present under tho consideration of tho Govornmont. The Pay of Plenty Times states thnt ! a certain southern gentleman at present in i negotiation for a blook of land at Makotu [forwarded from Dunedin by thoToupo, ' on Sunday, 2cwt of lollios for distribution among tho nativo children at Makotu. • Doro ain't no nigger on tho top side or krontion,' said a coloured man at Tcnillo tho other da)', putting his hand to his bnn* dagod boad, ' what oan sing a hymn nn, put the. gear on a kiokin' mulo afc do same lime' Tho average cost of the prisoners in tbo various gaols iv New South Wales, after doduoting tho valuo of tho labor performad by tbeniiis £H 4i id per hoa j

. The total earning*, in 1577 amount. vl t.> I 611.513. There nro at, present, iv DiU"** . linghurst 0 iol <>87 prisoners. A spoikor ni ii woman's righ',**. mooting, who iv..** 'rather opposed to tho innvonionl, I but wanted to bo just,' confess.*,! that 3 truth compollcd him to s.iy that, although x women can't argue logic Ily, or slnr on a pencil, or bold nn umbrella, sho can pack more things in a tr.uiic ,Mu\n a man P oan slow in a one. horse \M|»ifiV).' » Charles E. Courtney, of r^Jki Spring? , IT S., has published tbo following eh >l« longot— Vl will row any mm in 'hii oountry nny usual distance f,*r nny ' ronsonnblo nmount, on nny lake, ri.- or. I* crook or pond where thoro is room for f one boat to pass another, and givo or tnko f actual and ronsonnblo expense**. Hut when I pay a man 1500 dollars for ox** * penses— the largest amount ever -vKvoil > in tho world in any kind of sport — I think t I have a right to select the water, provided I chooso a good and fair course, I do not ask nny mun lo travol any fur: hor 1 than lam wdling to go myself. I should 1 havo started for Austral l-ist. Deoombrr had not tbo newspapers pub'ishc I TrieU ■ oil's challenge, \n which be said be w uld como to America, nml row h..rv. n : r,n^, any Amorican sculler, nnd if he docs not; como hero I shnll go tboro .text winter ' and row him over his own courso for tbo Championship of tho world, If any English scullor will como bore ami mi:-o a match for 50)0dols. n side, I will allow him lOOO.IoIs. for expenses, or t will go thero on the s.imo terms. If they will not do either of theso thing*, I wil', , as I have leisure, go to Etiglan I paying my own expenses, nnd trying to I'md somo mmi who is not afraid lo row ny an even match over a lair course. I havo ollo.ed fair terms to every man in Aiu'iiei nnd no ono accepts. Tbey say Tain not a champion, but tho men wbo claim to bo champions will nofc row against mc P and how oan mon claim to bo champions, and i still rofuso fair offers fom championship i mntoh P, • Galignnni' says—' Tho Ihnq'.ofc of Nations, at Paris, whioh hrn been talked • of for somo tim.\ and is to comprbo several thousands of guests, reminds ono ■ of the most formidoblo repasts ever given. , Tho persons wbo sit down to the feast; were 10 000 in number all viclori uh 1 soldiers brought bnok triumph inl y to ' Paris, by Napoleon I. As no bill eoul I i bo found largo enough to contain such a company, tables woro placed in tbo ('|r.mps*-!.1y5003, and on tho occasion wcro served up 27 oxoll, 75 shoop 10; )0 1 pnrlrid res, 2)0) fowls, 1.000 carp, 1000 ' tench, &<.. To wash down theso solids 218 barrels of wiuo wer.) consumed. A London correspondent writes :— A. lottor appeared in a reeont number of the Times upou the finances of Now Soni b Wales, upon whicli thnt journal remark d ns follows :— ' Obviously a large proportion of what is hero styled ' revenue ' is nothing of tho kind. Ifc is morcly capi'al • oxpendedas revenusand wben tbe money received (rom tbo sales of bi*\d dwindle i nwny or ceases, Iho population of tbo colony will only havo taxation and the returns from public works to fill back upon. Should tho former bo heavy, tho people mny como to regret keenly that tbey partod so cheaply over tbo ine.mic from land j and, on tbo 0 hor bind, should tbo railways and other publio undertakings booomo vory profitable, it is j ist p-vnibh. Unit this wealth may tend to make the Executive 100 independent of tho community. Whatever the outoomo of tbo present financial policy of this and similar colonies may be, they iwc. evidently just now pluming themselves on the possession of a kind of wealth that promises to bo very unstable.'