MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 23 February 1880, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The amount expended by the New Zealand Agricultural Company on the Waimea Plains portion of their estate during the past year in improvements— breaking up, cropping, and fencing — has been considerable, in fact, much larger than almost any one would imagine. From a reliable source, we (Gore paper) learn that the sum is over £20,000. More than 6000 acres of land have been broken up, and miles of fencing erectedffTTbe crops wili, it is anticipated, give a capital return, as judging from their present appearance, the yield it is fully expected will be large. As evidence of the fertility of the land we may mention that a portion of it leased prior to the Company acquiring the estate has produced six successive crops of oats. That of last y.ar yielded seventy bushels to the acre, while this year's crop looks even better. .Two bags of oats sown on a small patch in anoiher place yielded exactly seventy times that number. And the potatoes grown on Mr Gee's lam!, near the Pyramids, are certainly among the finest we have seen this year. The Ran Francisco correspondent of the Otago Daily Times says:--The indus* trial revival in (his country is remarkable. Throughout Pennsylvania there is not a man idle who cares to work. Some of the largest mills, established over 40 years, lave now more work on hsnd than at any former period. Manvare running night and day. It i|^fll over the country east of the Ebcky Mountains, leaving out the Southern States. The area of settlement is extending rapidly, despite Indian raids and the stupidity and rasrality of the Indian boreau agents. West of the Mountains prosperity is not so mnrkod, but then what may bo styled the Pacifle Slope and the great basin be« yond nrver were so prostrated as the older States. The increased price of lead has stimulated mining ia Utah Ter* ritory, in which base bullion in limitless quantities can be produced. Above two millions sterling ha? been invested by Eastern men in Utah mines during the past six months. Great activity prevails there. There is also a mining revival in California and Arizona, but the season so far has been unfavorable, because of scarcity of water. The wheat harvest, owing to the high price in England, will put Californian farmers on their legs again. Freights are also high, and I should not be surprised if iron ships were chartered before the close of the season at £4 per ton ; £3 5s is now freely paid. A fisherman in Sydney Harbor hooked a shark, a 12-footer, which on being hauled to the surface, rushed open" mouthed at the boat seized the stern, and shook it like a terrier would a rat. The occupants thrust a lance nearly through tho shark, which again attacked^, and seized the side of the boat, just failing to. bite the top rail, or probably it would have torn the side of the boat out, Ultimately it was killed with repeated thrusts of the lance, but Lot until it had left a number of teeth sticking into the boards of the boat. During the past three years 182 Ameris can railroads covering nearly 17,000 miles, and representing an invested capital of 728,463,000 dollars, have been sold under foreclosure, A new eharapioa at billiards has made

hJ9 appennnce in Rutland svlu> premises scon to challenge the suprem-icy of Cook and JJiiljorts. The Sportsman by the last uiuil s;ivt's an account of an cshibi* tion in which Mitchell, a Sheffield man, playod with J. P. Bennett, the exchampion, receiving 100 points. Tbe usual misses were recorded, and then off a fluke the Shelliclder put together 330, exactly the amount credited to him as a chief effort in his Grst heat with Hichards, only this time the spots were 111 against 105 on that occasion, 'ihe exscbampion was thus 437 to the bad. It was soon evident, however, that if Mitchell had not found hi 4 master at I. is own game, he had found a worthy mate, as the scratch player answered him with 379, in which were runs of 3^, 10, and 73 spots. Bens nett's play in this break was perfection itself. Mitchell was then silent for a time, while his opponent took a corns manding lead with beautiful breaks of 68, 148 (35 and 4 spots), and 150 (43 spots), j These cfl'irts took the game to 747—478 s in favour of the scratch player. Here, howevor, Mitchell by far outdid al! bis former attempts, as he manipulated the spot 170 times, which took him out the winner in an unfinished break of 522, when amidst the greatest applause he consented to finish bis contribution. He then made 22 more red winners before be broke down, his full innings being 567 (192 spots.) Both men, it will be seeD, therefore, played wonderfully well. In Mitchell's case a flake or two certainly rendered great assistance, although they detract but little from his really extraordinary form. This game only lasted one hour and fortv^one minutes, and to show with what effect both men scored, it may be mentioned that throughout the game Mitchell took up the cue but eight times, including the introductory misses, which gave him an average of 125 and a fraction for each innings. Bennett was only in charge of the table seven times, and his average for those efforts was just over 106. Puring the election in a certain locality a temperance candidate called on a rumseller, and solicited bis vote, ' I wonld rather vote for the Evi! one Himself than for you,' was the savage response. ' Yes, I know,' said the candidate. • But in case your friend should not be nominated, might I then count on your assistance ?" § Lately on tbe arrival at San Francisco of a vessel from Honolulu, there was found on board several cases which bad been shipped to that port by some Chinese in San Francisco, and sent back condemned by tbe consignees. The cases were opened, and fonnd to contain shoes. The beels appeared made as usual ; but by pulling out a nail or two, and remov-« ing one thickness of leather, a bole was discovered in which opium had been placed for introduction to the Hawaiian market. The ' condemned ' dodge was a part of tbe programme, and the shoes were returned that the holes in the heels might be re filled with opium, and forwarded again to Honolulu. The multiplication of 987654321 by 45 gives 4114141445. Eeversing the order of the digits and multiplying 123456789 by 45 wo get a result equally curious, 55555555505. If we take 1234567P9 as the multiplicand,- and jn^^^^^A^^|^ figures of 45, take s l^^^^^^^^^^^H we obtain anotherS^^^^^^^^^^^^J 6666666606: Bei^^^^^^^^^H cand first used. as tbe mu'tiplie^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H — all three3^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J figure:--, mnj^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M tiplier. J^^^^^^^^^^^^^l asing 2|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H we get read intercl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 2!*, anu^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J a prrxki^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^H tbe firs^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^^^ togetuer, pj^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^J All who n9l^^"^|H^^^^H reading the Social ScieneeJ^P^ delivered from time to time in Manchester, will, we are sure, learn with re* gret that they have come to an end. The scheme has, ifc seems, collapsed. It was set going eleven years ago, and for eight or nine years they were tolerably successful, tbe attendance being good. Within the last year or two, however, the attendance has fallen off, and now has suuk so low* that it is considered utterly useless keeping the lectures going. It is much to be regretted. Tbe lectures were valuable, and some of the most eminent scientists of the day lent their assistance in carrying them on, A correspondent writing to one of tbe Northern papers, referring to the .price of Kauri gum, says it is actually throwing it away to sell it for £G5 per ton. The kauri gum has met with such favor with American manufacturers of varnish, and is being used by them so extensively, that ifc would readily sell for anything up to £150 per ton. Copal is its only opponent in the market, and is somewhere about; £250 per ton : but kauri gum is found to make varnish that is superior for many purposes, and one that meets v/ith a readier sale,

A London physician lately advertised in tho Time's for a housekeeper, offering liberal terms, and received 1100 applications. The population of the globe nny be roughly estimated at 1,421,000,000, divided thus: Europe, 309,000,000,Asia, 821,000,000; Africa, 1909,00,000 Oeeanica, 4,000,000 ; America. 85,000, 000 It has been calculated from the mortality tables of known countries that the annual number of deaths throughout the world is 35,603,350. or in other words that 97,790 persons die each day. On the other band the balance of population is more than kept up by the births at tbe rate of 104,800 per day. Seventy new lives are ushered in every minuto.