MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 20 July 1881, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

. * A point illustrating one of tbe < niceties of law occurred in the <

Supreme Court Duoedin A prisoner was indiotei for attempting to ateil, lake, and ctrry away from another man sevpn pound notes. The accused and prosecutor were in an hotel in Jetty street, and the former preceiving thai the latter had in his possession a number of notes, wished to appropriate them. He endeavored to effect this by putting his h.wd in the pocket of the prosecutor, but in doins so he evidently mistook the pocket in which the money was and searched the wrong one. It was contended by Mr Stout that this was not attemept to commit the robbery, aa the money could not be taken from where it was not. Mr Haggitt submitted that the matter should be viewed in the light of common sense. If a man searched the pockets of another, but failed to obtain possession of his money because he kept it in his boot, according to Mr Stoul's view that would not be an attempt to robbery. His Honor held tbat the money /nuab^ 1 bind 1 Such" a jjosfcion that it could be "" stolen in the attempt made. Whether the evidence showed that the prisoner put his hand into the prosecutor^ pocket which contained (he money was left to the jury and they acquitted him. Libel actions should become fashionable when so great a personage as the wife of an English prince is mixed up in one. The Dutches of Con naught is subpoenaed aj a witness in an action brought by a German lady who keeps a governess agency, against a governess employed in a noble family. Other ladies of title are n quired to attend also, at which of course they are very indignant. | A German inventor proposes to make boot; that will never wear out. Be mixed with a waterproof glae a suitable quantity of clean quartz sand, which is spread on the thin leather sole employed as a foundation. These quartz soles are said to be flexible and almost indestructible, while they enable the wearer to walk safely over slippery roads. A telegram from Berlin in the Daily News of April 22 says :— ' To the con* siderable surprise of the public here the B >ersen Courier, one of the principal Berlin journals, was thia morning confiscated, in consequence of having reproduced an article of M Rochefort's in the Instransigeant, which approved of the murder of the late Czar. The Boereen Courier condmned the article strongly but in spite of this was con* fiscated for simple reproduction. The official statement* made to night in the Roichsanzeiger is tbat this his been ! done in virtue of tu9 Socialist Law, and they any further offence or breach of the above law, will empower the Government to stop the circulation of the paper althougher. Although the Boersen Courier is a loyal paper, still its tendencies politically are decidedly Progressive, and therefore in opposition to the Government. Temora, the famous new diggings of New South Wales, had been more than ordinarily lucky in getting some rain to fill the .50 or 60 large dams, and before long we will be in a posi- | lion beyond doubt, to state what number of miners this gold field can support. Where there is no water miners anticipate more from their claims than is usually found by their washing up, and the true result can be b'st ascertained by letting the wash* dirt go througbt the sluice-boxes. Judging by tbe last monthly escort from the Temora, which brought 2128 0z3., it is much less than was expected from a population of about 5000, and miners that had heaps of wash to go on with. However ;be next month will be a better criterion. Provisions are very cheap here. In some houses you can have meals for sixpence, incluing soup, meat, vegetables and pudding. Of course, those restaurants buy their beef and mutton from Id to 2d per pound. Tbe rest of the requirements for mining population are equally cheap. There are a good many West Coasters here, for instance there is Sam Ejss, from the Kutnara. He has one of tbe beat claims in Temora The last washing gave them one ounce to the load, but this is an exceptionally good claim. Dr Uiley, formerely, of Hokitika, is alßo here, and is the Hospital doctor, doing tolerabily good practice. He is well known here as the Hokitika butcher. If this is a compliment to a physician I am not in the position to say. They are sinking artersian yells in Temora now, and have obtained water in some of them but it is not drinkable, and, as a matter of course, not go good for washing, up, but as it is all rough gold it does not matter much. A Striking Change of FortunesMr Ranier who served as Lieutenant Governor of this State and subsequently represented New York State

in Congress, is now, working in this city as a common L. borer on the street. The gang of hands with which heiß •employed are engaged in extend'ng Bjy Rlree'. While busily engaged in handling bis pick nn incident occurred which must have vividly reminded the ex statesman of the wonderful changes feature som times work in one's temporal affairs A garbage cart backed up to where ex Lieutenant Governor Rainer was at work and dumped a load of dirt on the street, among the rub* bisu of which was a copy of the * Congressional Record/ containing n speech mads by himself on the Civil Uighte H!l while a member of Congas*. Riiner is not ashamed of doiog manual labor although at one time wealthy. 4 Ninteen thousand four hurdred'children attended the Otago SohoolaMiii" ing the June quarter. Scotland contains 19,000,000 acres, most of which is sterile and stubborn land, OF tbat which is worth claiming, one man holds 1,358,000 ncres ; another, 500,000 ; a third, 424,000 ; a fourth, 373,000. Twelve persons hold the bulk of the arable lnn-1 in Scotland. It must be confessed (says The Age of Steel) that the building of a stable for twenty horses on the top of a private mansion, access to which i* obtained by means of a lift, is calculated to awaken feelings of astonishment even in these days of marvels. Yet this is the case on a house just erected in Belgrave- square, London, by Mr Sassoon. Ground is very valuable in that fanhionaMe part of London ; and by relegating the horses to the top of the house two birds are killed with one stone, for space is saved and the smell of the stables avoided. The horses do not seem by any means to object to the mode of ascent ; possibly they are unconscious of it, on account of the closed shutters on the lift. At a recent meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce the following re* solutions were carried :—* That this Chamber is desirous of bringing under notice of the Government the desirability of introducing the decimal system of weights and measures, and that the Government be urged to pave the way by using the cental or lOOib*. in Government contracts in railway carriage, and in Customs returns,'