MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 28 January 1881, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

. <# ■ ■ Here is a rather unusual and pleasing incident, which happened in Dunedin daring the past week, A Scotchman, a new arrival, was walking along Princessstreet the other erening, when be was accosted by a somewhat younger man, who " Ji inquired if liW : name was. Jet oa s»y, Macintosh*/ and^ whether he hailed, iroto, the new-comer replied in the affirn ative, but diselai mea nil i n^wledge of hit • questioner. That •, gentleman, however^ proceeded to bring to the memory of his hearer how, twenty years ago or more, he had ef changed cheques for a certain tarn to convenience a young acquaintance of his who was on the point of leaving i (Scotland, The cheque given to Mr Macintosh (in all good faith) in exchange for his own was drawn on the unfortoa nate Western, Bank, which failed before it could be casued, and consequently Mr Macintosh lost the amount, as the yonug tnaa had left the country. Ibe incident was Recalled to the mind of the *. newcomer only in order that restitution night be made; and Mr Macintosh is now the happy potiseisor of Colonial Sank notes for the amount of the cheque he bad not only years ago given up as lost, bat had almost forgotten. Need we (Morning Herald) say that his estimate of human nature has been raised by his visit to the colony P The steamship City of Brussels, of the Inman Line, which arrived in New York on October 16 tb, experienced terrible weather during her voyage. She left Liverpool on the Ist, and on the morning of the 9th the vessel was caught in a hurricane, which, although lasting but a lew hours, was of »ueh violence that the oaptain said, that in all his experience be had never known tueh another. It had been plowing a little hard on the evening of the Bth,. and at one o'clock on the morning; of tho 9th the wind rose, with a sudden roar which will never be forgotten by those who heard it. The ship was not tossed, but hurled about, on the waves, which were running mounta ns faig'i, and whioh broke over her with frightful fury. The passenger! were panic stricken as the vessel rose up on the foaming mountains or plunged again in' o the deep as if shd were never coming up again. The greater number of the cabin passengers crowded the saloon, add there 4 was sot a soul in that saloon that thought the ship could last in such a hurricane, and they propsred for the end. Men ana\ women cried aloud and wrung their bands in an agony of despair. Two or three, ladies fainted, and strong'hearted men, with faces as pale as death, were uttering what they thought would be their last prayer. Husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters, aud friends were embracing each other expecting in a moment to be parted for ever. And as the fury of the hurricane increased tl c panic became greater* Many were almost speechless with fright When the storm began to subside, the terror-stricken passengers came to 'their sensesVand most ot them, with tears in their eyes, offered up praters of thankfulness for their merciful preservation. There was another scene in the steerage— 7oo passengers, of nearly every nationality, rushing about and being hurled merciless 1 y about their quarters, screaming and howling in despair, prayers and oaths mingling in strange contrast. Every noWand then they made a rash for the deck, and it was with great difficulty that the officers, could keep them below. If they had once made their way up they must have been washed overboard. Every officer, from the oaptnin downward,. was unanimous in saying that they bad passed through the moat awful hurricane that they bad over experienced, and that through that terrible hour the ! «hip had behaved admirably, -Apart from *he hurricane, one of the officers states tbat, .during nearly the whole voyage, the weather bad been unusually rough ior the time ofthe year. With the exception of a alight injury to i sailor, Tjho was hurt by being hurled against a spar, no casualty was reported. The Tauranga people claim that some of the most promising reefs at Te Arocha are in the Tauranga country, and are taking steps to claim their share of J,bo gold revenue. They submit that the Te Arocba mountain ia the meeting point of boundary lines of three countries, so that unless a change is made .there, will be some difficulty in apportioning any revenue wbieb may arise on the new gold* field The American Congress met on the 6th Decerabei, when President Hayes submitted bis annual message. He is in favour of an arrangement being made with Great BriUio to enable both British A nd American fishermen to ha?e equal

/>ivile«es on all Atlantic fishing grounds: iod thinks that tho matter could be ar anged. He is loud in his praises of the .ay persons were treated at the Sydney ixhibition, and commends the Exhibitor - t Melbourne* He notifies Congress thai, wo treaties hare been arranged with Jhina, one of a commercial character un<; r{ie other modifying the former treaty, so » to check the immigration of Chinese. Yhe President took strong ground afia'nsi Oe Lesseps nnd the Panama caqal, mainly because iV is not owned nor ccn« trolled by the United States. He adfocates subnidirs.for steHm postal, sprviees on the ocean, and points to Great Britain hs a country whose prosperity hag been t&reatly enhanced by such policy. The national finances, he says. are in a very flourigMnj; condition. Hip receipts last linaiiciil vesr were 333.526.613 tols.. bene 9),000,000dols. more iuhd (lie .expenditure. Me arrises CongreHS to phhs a lan* making the silver dollar contain a gold dollar's worth of silver.