MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 31 March 1880, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

1 The statistics of the State of Kansas in America show a development of progress not less wonderful than those of the older States. It dates its entry into the Union in 1861, at which period * bleeding ' Kansas contained but 135,807 inhabitants. At the present date the population of Kansas is about 930,000, and the amount of land in cultivation, which in 1865 was only 272,903 acres is now 7,769,926 acres The yield of corn has risen since 1865 from 191 500 bushels, and that of maize from 6,700000 to 32,000,000 bushels of wheat and 90,000,000 bushels of maize respectively ; and it is believed that the aggregate harvest for the present year will not be less than 125,000 000 bushels. The Lyttelton Times gives the following description of the scene at the Waimate Native village before the inter* ment of Horomona Pohio, a Native chief who died there on Friday last :— • The body of the deceased was enclosed in a handsome European fashioned coffin, upon which a gilt-lettered plate bore the name, age, and ra,nk of the chief in the Maori language. The coffin was placed in one of the rooms of the cottage in which the deceased had lived, acd numbers of our residents passed through the house in order to see it. Outside were several tents for the accommodation of the Native visitors, and large supplies of beef, eels, potatoes, &c, were provided. Numbers of pakehas surveyed with cvi» dent interest the peculiar cooking opera* tions which were going on. and numerous were the exclamations of wonder as the contents of the Maori ovens were disclosed to view. First an ancient beldame shovelled off some earth, under which were three or four layers of sackcloth, then came a lot of fresh potatoe tops, beneath which was a bushel or two of tempting looking potatoes. These the attendant Natives quickly hooked into the freshly woven flax baskets—fingers not* being yet replaced by knives and forks in this section of Maoridom. Finally coarse chunks of fat beef came in sight, nnd odours recalling by.«gone retninis* cenoes of hot cinders in dripping pans, ascended, leaving some of those of the palreha bystanders who had not yet dined with scant appetites. Below this was a layer of river shingle, not boulders, and at ibe bottom of all was a quantity of half-extinguished charcoal-embers. It is said that a whole bullock was cut up and cooked in a single oven yesterday morn* ing.' Il has been estimated that during the recent storms in Scotlaad between 700 C and 8000 trees have been blown down on the Breadalbane property, between Aber* feldy and Dmmmond Hill on the Eiliecha«sie estate, a large quantity of fine timber has been down, notably a fine specimen of silver pine 114 feet in length, nnd containing about 244 cubic feet of timber. This tree was supposed to be about 118 years old. Immense damage has been done on the Meuz'es property, especially in the Eannoch woods. The intelligence which reaches us from New York shows (says a Home paper) that there has been no diminution of prosperity in the United States. The American iron trade has, indeed, taken a new departure. Some observers are disposed to attribute this to the vertiginous speculation from which there must some day or the other be a disastrous reaction. Others again set down the marvellous animation now prevailing in American metallurgical industry to the extra* ordinary prosperity of the American railroad interest and the extension of American lines, which is its legitimate and natural result, Certainly the pros* perity of American railroads is just now very remarkable. Lines which no great while ego were in an utterly profitless plight are gow distributing 6 per cent or

# per cent di> idetids ; and even those which are still dividendlees have greatly improved their position. All this affords, no doubt, a large measure of legitimate encouragement to the American iron trade. Testimonials and presentations are (says the Southland New.) very pleasan things— to the recipients ; but (hose who are the prime movers in getting them up sometimes have a different feeling. This must be the experience of certain parlies in Queenfttown who were instrumental in paving the way for a valedictory presenta- ! Hon to Warden Beetbam, since they h;,ve been forced to tome into Court for redress of their grievance, The initiative was made in the Eesident Magistrate's Court recently, when the evidence of Mr M'Ardell in the case of H. J. Finn v. F. R. Daniels and others was taken for transmission to Dunedin. From th* declaration filed, it appears that plaintiff seeks to recover £21 11s from the defendant ant others und«*r the following circumstances :— Plaintiff paid defendant, as treasurer for the testimonial fund, £16 ss, the amount of collections by J him and his own contribution. A clock was got from Messrs Kohn and Co. before all the subscriptions were collected, defendant paying on account of it £14 Sdme time after Messrs Kohn sued the plaintiff for the balance, gome £27, which plaintiff bad to pay, and now he sought to recover from defendant and other contributors the sum he was out of pocketviz., £21 11*. The decision on the case will be given in the Dunedin Court, to which the evidence of Mr M'Ardell will be transmitted. An American legal journal states :— * The use of profane and indecent language in a railway coach in the presence of ladies i 3 such a breach of decorum as will afford jnst cause for the removal of a passenger from the train, although he was provoked to such expressions by the command of the conductor for his fare, which had already been paid. If a person, having purchased a ticket, attempts to get on board a car, disgustingly drunk, j or so drunk as to be likely to violate the common proprieties and decencies of life, be has do right to passage while in that condition ; bat slight intoxication, such as would not be likely to seriously affect the conduct of the person intoxis cated, would not be sufficient ground to refuse him passage although his behaviour might not be in al! respects strictly be* coming.'