MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 11 July 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

4 Bradlaugb's liability under the statute on which judgement has gone against bim. is nearly £200,000. The Victorian Minister for Mines proposes to spend £15.000 to £20,000 in working diamond drills in promising localities. Mr Gladstone slates that England will net £5,700,000 profit on B?a-----consfielu's purchase of Suez Canal shares. A reef of ruby tin nearly 150 ft long has been discovered within 50 miles of Grafton, N.S.W Of the women of London 411,000 are indostr'ous workers. According to the last census there were in that metropolis 226,008 domestic servants, 16,000 schoolmistresses, teachers, and governesses, 5100 bookbinders, 4500 artificial flower makers, 58,500 milliners and dressmakers, 14,800 tailoresses. 4800 bootmakers. 10,800 sewingmacbing workers, 26,800 shirtmakers and sempstresses and 44 000 laundry women. It is said (a. contemporary remarks) that tbe result of Mr Andrews' motion with regard to C ivil Service enquiries has created some comment, as showing the want of discipline in the Ministerial ranks owing to tbe absence of an organised Opposition, which leaves members free to vote as they choose. Even one of the whips was absent when the division took plsce. A Dundee paper has been ' requested by Mr Edward Jenkins to contradict the rumour that he has any indention of going to Canada to edit a newspaper there. Mr Jenkins says it was never suggested or throught of, and that ho would prefer Botany Bay to editing a Canadian or any other newspaper,' The railway net, woven all over the globe, consists of 200,000 miles. Asia, Australia and Africa can claim only the fourteenth part, the other thirteen founteenths being nearly divided between Europe and Amerca. The rolling stock in use over this railroad now consists of 66 000 locomotives, 120,000 passenger cars, and 1 500,000 freight cars. 12,000 steamers and over 100, 000 sailing vessels assist. The tonnage of these vessels amount to ovtr twenty million tons. Telegraphic communications is maintained by 500,000 miles of wire, of which above five-eighths falls to Europp.two'oighths to America and fully one-eighth to the subnnrino telegraph system. There are 40.000 stations, from which 110,000 dispatches are sent annually, or on an ayerage over 30,000 daily. In an essay in the Australasian an un fortunate actor and literary man tells the following story : — ' I was property man in New Zealand for a fortnight. We were playing to indifferent houses on tbe Thames, and little Jorkins, yott know Jorkitis, was billed for Uamlet. 1 had forgotten tho bones for the churchyard secne, and while he Aas telling Ophelia to 'get thee to a nunnery.' J rushed over to the butcher's to order a supply. To tell the truth, I had been drinking for a week before and when the miscreant euipted a bagful into the grave, I deemed that my part iv the play bad beeu »yell played. But when grav'edigger shovelled half-a-dozen trotters and a bleeding neck of mutton on the stage, and when Jorkins took up a gory sheep's head to moralise on Torick's skull, the theatre rose at him with yells of laughter, aud he grasped tne by the throat. I was sorry afterwards that I gave him a black eye, for I was to blauae, Dixt I

lost the b'llet and was find nt the local police court, 5a for the assault, I so he had bis revenge.* At present American ingenuity is ! being directed in almost every Stale in the Union to the framing of new ' and orgioal expedients for the sup- j pression of intemperance. Nor is it ' only in *« c Union that vigorous measures are being taken. Last month a new liquor law came into force at Toronto by which all liquors confiscated ' on unlicensed premises must be pub' licy destroyed, and as beginniug lOgals of whisky, and 40 gallons of lager beer were emptied into the sewers in the presence of a large company. Tbe palm of originality however, for the invention of novel devices for preventing drunkenness must be awar- . ded to the State of Indiana, Its Legislature is busy with a Bill by which every person who disir9B to drink anything stronger than tea or aoedone must take out a yearly license costing two pounds sterling. The license fees are to go io maintain inebriate asylums, and the license is to te forfeited on the first conviction for drunkenness. The idea of licen- ( sing the drinker instead of relying solely upon controlling the licensed vendor of drink is novel and if the Bill passes it will be interesting to watch its oyeration. A man named Joseph Thompson has been arrested in the Oamaru districts charged with stealling opera Glasses at Wellington in 1877. Slow but sure. At Colac, a child died from the effects of two drops of chlorodyue given by tbe mother to send it to sleep. Sir George Strahan, Governor of Tasminia, will leave England in Semptember for the purpose of assuming office. It is stated that the vacant Garter will be conferred upon the Earl of Kimberley, Secretary of State for tbe Colonies. The Mount Benger Mail states that two gangs of men engaged in the destruction of rabbits on Messrs Cargill and Aderson" during tbe last six weeks. , station, have destroyed upwards of 30,000 , The Fielding Guardian says ; —The residents in this district were consider-" ably alarmed about twenty-three minutes past five o'clook on Sunday morning last by one of the heaviest shocks of earth* ' quake tbat has been experienced sinoe '. 1868. Shortly after mid-night on Satur- ' day the wind rose snd towards three o'clock a terrific gale was blowing. Tbis kept on with unabated fury until about a quarter past five, when the wind sud* denly dropped and a dead calm followed. Tbis strange phenomena had the effect of waking many persons who were somewhat alarmed at tbe sudden cessation of the wind. In a few minutes after a rumble, as of distant thunder was heard, and then followed a heavy shock. Nunu bers of people jumped out of bed, left their dwellings in their night shirts, and made for the streets. The shock was followed by a number of others in quick fuccession, but their power was not so great as the first one. The direction ap* peared to bo from West to East, and if will be seen from the telegrams which appear below that the shock was felt wiih more or less severity in nearly every part of the Colony. Fielding, Palmerston, and Foxtcn appear to have received the full force of the earthquake, as in each of those districts, perhaps more damage has been done than in any other place in the Colony. Tn Fielding there is not a dozen sound chimneys standing, and the damage done in nearly every household is something consider* able. Shortly after the heavy shook tbe wind again rose and continued until about ten o'clock on Sunday morning. During Sunday several slight but perceptible shocks occurred, one shortly after eight o'clock striking terror to tbe congrega* tions tbat assembled at the various churches, About the end of December last Mr B. Brann, of 83, Ring-street, Sydney, forwarded an order for a Rodanow watch, addressed to the " Company," in Boston, and accompanied by a snm of money.. By the last mail Mr Brann had tbe satisfaction of receiving from the dead-letter office the letter he had forwarded, together with its contents. His letter was returned by tbe postal authorities in America marked " Fraudulent." We have not heard if any of those in New Zea« land, who may have been dnped by tbe advertisements, having been similarly successful. We extract tbe following from the Manawatu Herald's account of the late earthquake -.—Later information from the country districts show* that many large fissures have been made by the earthquake. Mr Alzdorf informs us that between Mot u iti ani Opiki, there is a fissure several inches wide, extending for two or three miles. About the centre of this there are evidences of a quantity of sand bavin, been thrown up, and form* ing an oval mass about 20 feet in dia* meter, and 12 inches thick. At tbis point, however, the fissure has closed up, and it is therefore impossible to ascertain the appearance of tbe spot whence tbe sand was thrown. AMr Gray, who confirms Mr Alzdorf's statement, also inn forms us tbat at Waiafapia a larae crack between two and three feet wide was formed--1 J. ;

A few of the Literati of Foochow have prevailed upon the Elders and Literati of eighteen villages, to issue an overlaying prohibitory agreement whioh says:— 'For public good we make this perpetual prohibitive agreement, the purport of which agreement, is without literally purport, is that nothing shall be sold to foreigners, no matter what the articles may be.shops, I houses, fields gardens, ponds, or empty space? of ground. Any pewon violat ing this prohibition is to have his dwelling/house or houses puled down and destroyed by the public and the offender driven out of the village, his or their property confiscated to the head of the elan, and the brokers bound and handed over to the authorities for trial as the law provides J And wben brokers enter the village and are seen, they shall be at once apprehended anl sent to trial.