MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 8 April 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Tbe Lyttelton Times property ha-t been converted into a limitsd liability company. New Zealand need not despair of her debt. New York city alone has a debt of twenty seven million which requires a tax of one million six hundred and eighty thousand to pay the interest. Sir Richard John Griffith was appointed by the British Government in 1834 to make a general valuation of land in Ireland, and upon that valuation tbe various local and pudlic assessments are now made. Hence the term ' Griffith* valuation.' The London Examiner tells of tbe insanity of Mr Cross, Gearge Eliot** second husband, of which no previous pnblic mention bas been made. It sa^JJUeeJii^^ year ainee weHoat' George! Henry I ewis, her firet and most trusted counsellor and companion, and hardly a twelvemonth since tbe world learned! with perhaps some degree of surprise tbat sbe had married a gentleman of tbe Stock Exchange, named Cross While they were on their wedding trip — it is no use to conceal the sad facts— he lost control over himself et Venice, and threw himself from the balcony of their revidence. Happily the sea and not the ground received llin, and he survive 1, but only to be placed in amanon de sanie. Bravely Mrs Cross set herself to face her now doubly lonely life, but tbe struggle not surpassed in intensity by that of any of her heroines, did not last long, and she has now gone, at the age of 60, to the rest tbat must hsve come to her as a relief.' It is stated by Mr R. M. Hill, superintendent of tbe operative depart* ment nf the Royal Mint, tbat the purchase of dirt adhering to gold costs on less than £311 per 1,000,000 sovereigns, and £331 per 2,000,000 half'sovereigns. The delicate calculation, it is said, was made by washing coin, which proved that the loss of weight on 1000 sovereigns was 0.050f.,' and 043 on 1000 half-sovereigns The following circular has been addressed by tbe Education Depart* ment in Wellington to the teacbeft of the public schools:— • The attention, ofthe Minister of Education having directed to "the fact that an annual loss of about £400 is sustained 1 by the Telegraph Department in cons quence of wilful damage to insu* lators, the masters of public schools are requested to use their influence j with their pupils in order to induce! a feeling of. respect for the public j interest involved in the regular working of the lines.' During a debate in the Honse in Sydney the other evening those two slang champions Messrs M'Klhone and Buchanan came in contact. Mr M'Elhone male some allusion of a 1 very nasty character in reference to the hon. member for Mudgee's past carreer, whereupon Mr Buchanan arose and informed the House that there were two kinds of blackguards — (hear bear— (one born into tbe world a black-guard the other becoming one by force of circumstances ; but before him stood tbe most perfect scoundrel he ever knew— .(' order,' and crie* from tbe gallery of * shut up you're as bad.' ect,)— and that tbe only way to recall him tp his senses would be to penetrate his dirty Bkin with a charge of sings. The scene lasted for nome time until both members were called to order. The detailed accounts received frotu New York of the experiments on a large scale with the Brush and Ed son electric light, confirm tbe impression produced by the telegrams that the practical diffculties in the way of utilising electricity for street lighting are on tbe eve of being overcome. Broad vay for three quaters of a mile was successfully illnminatcd by the Brush system, and 290 of Edison new lampi were simultaneously lighted at Menlo Park. The Brush light gave a white, steady glare, which neither increased 1 nor diminished in size bu<; burned with equal intensity from halfpast five in tbe evening till aqutrter to seven next morning. Mr Kdison has substituted bamboo carbons for the paper he formerly used, and he guarantees tbat the horseshoe carbon will last six months. One defect ofthe electric light is that it cannot be lowered — i' is always either full on or entirely off; and to obviate tbis disadvantage Mr Edison suDplies lamps of eigh^' cix and four-candle pow ier, for halls, sick - rooms, &c. He estimates tbat he can supply as much light or a dollar and a-half as that for which the ga» companies now charge two dollars and a quarter. If that is the maximum saving that even Mr Edison hopes to effect, gas shareholders in this country need not be much alarmed as ro the rivalry of the electric light. The Edison Light Compiny \n New York expect to do a greater business in letting eletric power for sewing-machine i, elevators, and other

purposes than for lighting* although they are going to lay down 12 engines of 1000-borse power, which will enable them to keep 8400 lamps of t6-candle power constantly going. Mr Edison bas already taken out 250 patents, and it is possible he may have to make the number up to 300 before be achieves complete success. The Cape Mercury of late pays : — « According to Cr Spvriggf, there are now about 11,003 men called out for active service. Taking into account all expenses, the cost per man cannot be set bown at less than a pound a day. Tbe army therefore cost* £11, j 000 a day, £77;000 a week £340, , 000 a month, £1,000,000 per quirts, And those best able to judge affirm tbat tbe war will last from, one to tbree years- If it continues one year lhe expenditure will feaeh £4 0CO,000; if it drag* on three ' years it will amount to £1.2,000,000 And what is this expenditure for? Apparently to show the world that tbe Cape Colony is able to conquer territory wbich has been, and murt continue to bp, a drain on the Colonial Treasury. It is very noble for a* child to te fired with an heroic sentiment; and it is fqual of Colonists to wish to civilise the Native that reside beyond the Kie; but the tac k is too great for the Cape of Good Hope.