MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 15 September 1880, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

P^rmi- 1 M!i lias been «nnt"d to the Tirliborno ehiiivmt to !!;-re.-i to the U> n>e of Lords jirninst t'.'o recent Act. Cis of tlic C'lirt on r writ of orroiNobody ciWiits Line'? sfafrtnonf, t!ia f since lii-^ vc!ea«p. 'ic b-is lipph nb'e lo prr. clii't 1 evicienco i!tnt the Cljira^ut landed at Mel.bo:ir.»;o from tlic Osprej. At n !■!'(]•' ot fiiver: a l . C -ponhnmn to .'jiralt Hornhnrdt, tic Tvell-knn^*n actress ilicGofinm Miuistrr proposed the toast nf 'France and Sivah Uernlurdt,' nnd in rt'p'yin^ sLe said that she loped th:

ions! in.'liiilf.l * Alsace ami Lorrpine.' Great conlusien ensue,!, tbe Danes cheering tbe sentiment, Moris. Tueiniter, of the French legation, then descanted on the former intimnto relations between France and Denmark. Renewed confusion thereupon fn«ued, :ni the chairman left the cliair. The Gorman Government Lave directed their Minister to take leave of absence. The physicians attending Sir Charles Dilke repoit that lie is suffering from abscess, and that liis gout has not im» proved. ' Atticus ' in the Leader says : — 1 Several members of the House are reported to have been indebted to the Celestial vote at tbe lute contest. Eong Meng. in gratitude for having been made an Exhibition Commissioner, helped tp .iistrioUte circulars written in Chinese denouncing the Liberal party, and ustd his influfnea with the same oljct. so that bis countrymen throughout the Colony polled to' a man wherever they cou d for the party of ' law and order.' They could not in every cue pass through the ordeal of an examination by the Returning Officer, anJ at Stawel! the J allies of Mr Service were routed by a very simple expedient. Before going to 'lie poll, they had been instructed that thrj sh uld be asked two questions— first as to whether they were natural born <>r naturalised citizens, anl next as to whether they had voted before that d;iy. To the first query they were to answer ' Yes ' and to the second ' No/ and after •i little drilling iht-y were inarched to rote. Liberal ingenuity, however, provrd equal to (he occasion, and knowing that enlightened Chinamen had got their lesson by rote, without understanding the meaning of the farce they were asked logo through. The scrutineer for the Opposition candidate reversed the or.ier of the questions, where upon the unsu-peet* I ing heathen blandly declared that he had voted before that day, and that he was nof a naturalised citizen, and was greatly surprised at Icing bundled out of the ho r; th without having exercised the suf* ra_'<\ The stratagem was good ; but would not a short Bill forbidding such a travc-rstie of the ballot by excluding Asiatic voters be better still ?'