MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 10 May 1880, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Serjeant Parry, one of tbe best known and most successful of English barristers, died somewhat suddenly at the end of last week. The circumstances of dew weie extremely painful. Both he^H his wife were attacked about a fortj**^H ago by a severe congestion of the I^^H and only a few honrs before Mr expired Mrs Parry bad passed The late Serjeant who was sixty-^H years of age, though apparently still^M ■ his prime, had' been in practice for beS i tween three and four decades, and during this time had been concerned in many causes celebres—m the Palmer case, tbe Tichborne case and many others. He was a great advocate rather tban a great lawyer. He had a- dignified presence, a 'considerable power of natural eloquence cultivated and improved by usage, a persausive manner, and a singularly rich and at times, melodious voicp. He was eminently sueces ful with juries, and no one understood the English jurymen bet* ter. Personally he was very popular both at the Bar and in general soeiety. Serjeant Parry has been described as I'eing the last of the Serjeants, save Mr Ballantine, who still survives. Tbat, it appears, is not tbe case, and in addition to Mr Ballantine the order of Serjeants is represented by Mr Serjeant Simon. Mr Serjeant Robinson, Mr Serjeant Sarwood, Mr Serjeant Pulling, and Sir Mor* daunt«Wel ! s. Among tbe many statements made by Mr Parnell in New York which have been read with surprise at tbis side of the English Channel, (siys the London Times) there is one which it is felt sbould not be left for a single day uncontradicted. It is disposed of in the following manner: — To the Editor of Tbe Times.—' Sir, I take the following from an account in the New York Herald of an interview be« tween a reporter of that journal and Mr Parnell :-"-* Reporter.— You do not, then, endorse the statement of The Times of London that wbile relief from America is very acceptable, all real and substantial Assistance must e-^tne from b>gh-.nd. Mr Parnell.— No, that is not so, Funds for suffering Irish hi.ye never been popular

in m i m^— —— — ■abe— *lM— —^^— in England. Why, in 1847, the Queen of England was the only Sovereign in Europe who gave nothing ont of her private parse to the starving Irish. The Czar of Russia gave and so did the Sol-* tan of Turkey, but Qaeen Victoria sent nothing. On turning to the report of tho British Reljff Association, formed in 1^47 to meet extreme distress in Ireland, T find there the subscription list headed by a donation from Her 'Majesty the Queen of £2000, a donation from his Royal Highness the Prince Concort of £500, together with donations amonnting to £3000 from the other members of the Royal Family. It is perhaps not undesirable tbat the public at home should be made aware of what kind of statements, or rather misstatements, Mr Parnell is disseminating in the United States. I remain, yours obediently, J. Chxtschill, Phoenix Park, 13sh Jannary. Vanity Pair says that an entirely new ' pastime has been invented for country houses in the shape of a tea tray tobog* ging. The way of it is this : Yon take a tea tray to the top of a good flight of stairs, sit in it, hold on to the sides with ! your hands, and let yourself so ! If yotf manage well, yon go the whole flight of thestairs quickly and easily, aad bring' np on the landing at the bottom, if you don't manage it properly yon turn round wben part of the way down, get a good crnmpler. The advantage of this game iff lhat ' ladies can play at it j and in the houses that I saw it played they toboggined far better than the men, wha generally lose their trays and themselyes when half way down the stairs. The New Zealand Times Says :— The walking mania appears to have taken quite sn extraordinary hold upon a large ! section of the juveniles of the city. Not • a fine evening passes that does not wit» ' ness a number of the most determined J straggle? on the Basin Reserve, and in > several other localities where the ground I is open and sufficiently even to permit of > a course being laid out. It appears absnrd that youngsters of ten or twelve i year * should not only talk of a * ten i mile,* but actually go through it, yet we are in a position to say that 'Several con* tests, in which snch a distance had to be : covered, have taken place, the distance ' being kept in a most conscientious man- ' tier. A s some of the boys show a very 1 fair style they ought to make good ; atheletes when they have reached the age of manhood. Bntler (says a writer in the Otago Witness) is a cadaverous-looking creature with dirty, leaden^hned complexion— which might take on an additional pallor, but would hardly flash with color—shallow bine eyes, and a dhin fringe of hay colored moustache. His forehead and chin fall away rapidly from the salient promontory of his ntise. His cheeks aredrawn in, apparently by nervous con» traction, and at the centres of depression have a twitching motion unpleasant t* see. He is long^-necked — the " Adam's 1 apple " prominent in the throat— narrow ' chested, spare of build aoJ limb, belotr ' middle height, and thongh probably agile,. 5 possesses little physical force. An Otago policeman might tuck him "tender bis arm. He is 28 years of age, but looks 35. He is dressed in darkish clothes, wears a white shirt with half folded collar, and looks a cross between a piek-poeket and ■ " Lightsseribe But» tes. They c predated him with * f the bands* 'atches. and Jedings h& bow one of iroduce the addressing ;d, deferent liberation, done, often pauses, shades his eyes witn ms left hand* and taps the desk nervously with a pencil. He is a litlle foggy about the nse of the aspirate, occasionally employs a* grotesque illustration, but otherwise speaks intelligently and well, and makes' some of his points — a. for instance, when* reminding the jury of tbeir responsi* bilitv — wiih undoubted impressiveness.. All theories respecting his gnilt or in* nocence in the murder apart, Butler is te me a riddle which at present I can'fr guess. Notwithstanding bis antecedents, his general views of life, Providence*, law, and morality would do credit to a> professor of ethic*, and he is as free fron* cant and false sentiment as — well, the editor of the Echo. The day following*' ibe Stamper burglary he spent in practising sacred music which he had stolen* 'rom a church the previous Sunday ! T can't gness him, bul I won't give him up—nor will tbe police either: The Mersy tunnel gives indications 06 becoming a successful engineering exploit. The shaft on tbe Brikenheid side ha* bepn sunk to a depth of aboat 80ft through solid sandstone and thongh considerably below tbe river bed, and exposing a great area to percolation, is practically dry. On the Liverpool side the rock has beenreached at a depth of 25ft and tbe ironcylinder sunk through the made gronnd shows no signs of any leakage sufficient to cause the engineers any anxiety.