MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 14 January 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

* Tbe San Fr mcisco Newsletter hts a compliment to Australian jou rna!is<u. lt says ;— Many things about these nowspa\ pers we are comoeiled to admire. They are admirably written, printe i with raro black ink on good paper, and a i\-w nr<? exceedingly well illustrated, Melbourne Punch especially. The wouder turns upon the weeklies. The Sydney Mail In* 4S four-column pages, with numerous well-executed engravings, and, besides locd news, a great variety of original and selected matter,, embracing society and literary topics, reviews, nst, criticism, &c, and is sold for twelve cents. Much tba same may be truly said of the three Tic-

orian weeklies, the Australasian, the Leader, and the Geelong Weekly News. and the South Australian, Observer, In comparison with such sheets tbe weekly press of this city and state, and* indeed, of the entire United States, may hide its diminished head. Those papers, cheap as they are, command a public interest which maintains a remunerative circulation without sensational paragraphs or licentious stories, or illustrations, tit only for brothels, such as are met with here in weekly periodicals continually. , Yet they, do suit the Colonial public. Can it bo that the Australasian publio mind is cleaner, and the munner of the colonists purer than ours. , The man who caused so much annoyance in Melbourne, by his insane £ricks,\ and whose departure was hailed with belief, lost no time io commemorating his' arrival at tbe latter place, Ihe following is from the Sydney Daily Telegraph ot December 17 :— '• The eccentricities "df a man who gn^ c upon bin card — a' highly elaborate affair— the name of 8. Basto* M. D., A.C.8., but who turns, out to le $neW. *E« Stone, a recent arrival from Melbourne by the steamship Cheviot, gave rise to considerable annoyance to the Town Hall officials yesterday. He presented himself there the previous day, and announcing his intention of deliver ing a series of lectures, the subject of which he did not, however state, engaged the large hall for last night for tho first, and banded over a cheque for £10 in payment of the rent. He afterwards visited some business places, where he en* gaged a pinns an organ, and a musical box, with which to enliven the entertainment, besides procuring some hundreds.of cbairs for the seating accommodation of his patrons. The lecture, he announced; was to te a free one, and he dispatched, invitations to His Excellency tlifr Govern nor, and his guest, the Bake of Mao* . Chester, but in the meantime it wa< dis» covered tbat the man wds insane, and that he had not the funds wherewith to meet" the cheque, and the lecture was indefinitely postponed." Mr Henry Laboucbere, M.P,, the editor and proprietor of Truth, one of the brightest of the London week lies, js described hy Mr George Angus! us Sala as 'a' scholar of well*digested reading* a travelled linguist, a diplomatist of nearly twenty years' training, a shrewd financier, a brilliant conversationalist, a ready, incisive r puhlic speaker, a man of wit, a man of sense, and a man of business, and has made a palpable hit in tbe, House of Commons.'

Ifc is said that the propose! New York International Exhibition it 1883 will cost ten millions of dollars, whicb it is proposed to raise by the issue of stock of two kinds; First, tha principal intending exhibitors will be ashed to purchase preferent'al shares, and whei they are taken up the genera) public will be invited to Bubßcribe. Tbe race horso Melbourne died of thirst afc Bindin Station on the Warrego. He would not krinli the brackish water, ' It is understood that the Hon Mr Rolleston will accompany His Ex* tfelleuey on his tour through the Colony next month. At Temora a Prospecting Association has been successfully formed to prospect tbe country within a radius of 10 miles. Here is something for the imitation of our athletes;— At the late athletic sports in OarriclcouSuir Mr P. Da yin, lhe celebrated Irish athlete, jumped '• 6ft 2£in, the jump having been | measured from the centre of the bar to the ground, the bar having been tested with a spirit level. This Ban unparalleled feat, and exceeds by lm Mr Davin's great jump at Kilkenny of 6ffc l£in. A correspondent of the British Medical Journal gave, fn the case of a lady suffering with cramps in the < stomach, something less than a drop -of one per cent alcoholic solution of nitro* glycerine. In two minutes the pulse fell from 140 to 50 ; a clammy sweat covered the patient's features, and she became senseless. Stimulants to the nose and brandy were quickly given, and in about three minutes more she began to recover The pain was completely gone, and did not return all that night or the following day. Tii3 patient said she felt like two people, and so strong was this impre* .ssion fchafc, though perfectly rational in her conversations and unexpifced in her manner, sue could not shake it off, but frequently checked herself when about to make alluiion to her imaginary double. ( An old writer in tbe time of Queen Elizabeth says in regard to mines and speculators : — ' A mineral man should be a hazird adventurer, not esteeming much whether he hit or miss. If he happen to win he must esleem it as nothing ; if he loses all yet he must think he has got something,' (Xo doubt the old gentleman meant ' experience,') 'If he find a rich vien Jet him not esteem it, for ft&isjike a man stung with a nettle. ' (Iceft%£ for more, ' of course ) Another writer

of the sameer* aays :— ' When mines hit, it js the beat got gear in the world it is so profitable-- to all and hurts none , and when they hit not, although it be lost for a time, God is hereby honored in searching his hidden treasures out of the depths of the earth.' The Evening Fust of tbe 22nd gays : ' Eleven Imperial pensioners as* sembled at the Central Hotel last evening, to discu«s a certain grievance in -connection with a fee being charged when getting their last guarterV peneioti cheque* "through the NewZealand Government, The chair waa occupied by Mr Edwin Clark, who ! atated that, on going to the Treasury to claim his- pension, as usual last quarter (lay, Mr Best refused to hand over the amount unless the claimant I affixed a ptffiny stamp to the usual receipt' form, Ha affixed the stamp under protest Hfr did ndtwishto grumble at the lose of the penny ; it was the paltry, dirty meanness of the, few Malarid Uoverotnent in, exacting it of which he desired to complain,, as well a« *f the illegality of the uction. Accordins; to tlie 30th clause of the Imperial Warrant, it waff clearly and distinctly stated that no person employed tc pay pension^ should take any fee dr reward without subjecting himself to the penalty of forfeiting hia Office, togetber witb the sum of £100 He had consulted lhe Hon. Mr Buckley on the subj ct, who waa of opinion that those pensioner* wbo had been compelled Ito W * penny for the receipt stamp had a good ca>o against the Colonial Government. Tha meeting thereupon began to discusft the advi^ablene ss of proceeding against the Government, the cost of such a step being estimated at n very low figure ; and, ultimately a committee waa formed to further investigate tl# natter, and bring up a report at a'meettng to be held on the Srd proi. . Two ' stalwart men were working at night in ft CWcagO freight yard. Each had a forge kerosen » lamp A quarrel arose between them whicb ended in a fightf. The lamp* were ns*d»fts weapons, and were speedily Woken over the head* of 'the contestants.* Thd oil ran over^tbem mcl caught fire, bub neither would lot £<* his hold and tliey continued tlie' struggle with their bodies enveloped in fl.une,. until hoth were dieaUpd by * biirfctng; r One died imtfc&ifo aud tbVothef lived' only a few hours.