MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1036, 16 January 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

* In acknowledging the receipt of Mr. David Buchanan's "Sp cimens of Australian Oratory," the Home News says: — "Of the marked ability, eloquence, and power of these addresses there can be no doubt. The style is more fervid than we are accustomed to in the old country, nor can we boast the. courage of calling a spade a spade in the simple terms which the colonial advocate makes use of. Yet Mr, Buchanan does not by any chance display a want of taste, whilst his illustrations are always to the point, and show a mastery of his subject. The speeches are a credit to a young country." When speaking on the subject of temperance lately, the Rev. R. A. Kerkham stated that tlie number of convictions for drunkenness in Dunedin for the past year was 1718.

A few days ago, at 1 -30 a m. the Dunedin Registrar of the Supreme Court was awakened from his slumbers to sign the declaration of insolvency of a bankrupt. The reason of the un--1 nsual circumstance was that the insolvent might publish the notice in the morning papers. The number of declarations of insolvency filled in the Supreme Court of the colony during the year 1880 was 777, the assets in which, as shown by lists and statements filed, amounted in the aggregate to £600,525 17s Id, and the liabilities to £689,428 16s 2d, the deficiency being £88,602 19s Id. A gentleman arrived from Greytown gives the Wairarapa Daily the following description of a 'reception there to an aged individual who eloped some time ago with a widow, and returned recently without her. On the arrival of the train from Wellington a large number of people had collected for the purpose, struck up " The Dead March." A procession was then formed and headed by two leaders on j grey horses marched behind the prodigal, playing "The Girl I left behind me," "Brigham Young," and other, appropriate songs. The crowd increased considerably by the time they reached his residence. After singing " Safe in the arms of a Policeman " they left him to enjoy his welcome in the bosom of his family circle. A lusus naturae, the production of the Hampden district, is thus described to the Oamaru Mail by Mr McKay, its owner : — " I have a spotted sow that produced eight young ones, and among them is a most curious : nondescript. It is the same size as the other pigs, but has not a hair on it beyond a few bristles on the eyelids. It ■ has a perfectly formed head of exactly the same shape as that of an elephant, with a trunk like that of an elephant, over three inches long, and turned up • over the forehead. It has no mouth. It has two large eyes under the head, joined together, each being quite as big as a shilling. The ears are extraordinarily large and are placed on each side of the breast, and they are at least four times as large as the ears of the other pigs. The nostrils are placed between the ears, and quite prominent. The feet are all alike, and of the most extraordinary shape, all the fore toes being at least lin. long, and turned up with nobs on them. A Number of gentlemen who assembled in the Liberal Club in Park row, i Leeds, on Saturday, October Bth, were enabled to listen to Mr Gladstone's speech to the mass meeting, in the < Cloth Hall by means of telephonic communication between the club and the hall. The offices of the National Telephone Company were connected with the hall in the same way, and there, seated round a table, a small i company were able with the utmost comfort to follow Mr Gladstone intelligently hi his masterly oration. The telephonic receiver in both cases was , affixed in front of the desk on the speaker's rostrum. ; By the English mail, Mr Charles O'Neill, M. I. C. E. , received a letter from [ the secretary of the Institution of Civil i Engineers, London, conveying the thanks of the members for the map of the city of Wellington (the capital of 1 New Zealand), which Mr O'Neill had inscribed to them. The map shows his proposed improvements in Wellington harbour, reclamation, esplanade docks, wharves (on a new principle), railways and tramways. The footpaths of all the principal streets have 1 already been paved with the patent Caithness flagging. Mr O'Neill was the first to introduce steam street tramways in the Southern Hemisphere. Messrs, Lyell and Gowan have received the following telegram from Mr W. Nicholas, F.G.S., respecting the recently published letter relative to the Mount M 'Donald goldfield, issued from the Victorian Mining Department: — "Carcoar, December 20, 1881. Letter respecting this goldfield sent to Minister of Mines, is full of untruths. I stand by all my reports published in prospectuses. As regards Balmoral, I reported in September last : — North and south reef runs 9in wide, equal to 2oz ; east and west reef 3ft wide, equal to from soz to 6oz per ton. I now report the former 4ft wide, equal to 3oz, the latter 4ft wide, equal to 6oz or 7oz per ton. The latter widths and yields are at 52ft and 33ft deep respectively, consequently reefs are daily proving permanent and rich, and more than verifying statements made by me in prospectus. Report of Grant's company's yields of gold speak for themselves, as do yields of gold from quartz crushed from other claims. Such facts are, I apprehend, sufficiently satisfactory to shareholders, and should be to the Victorian public. I claim to have more thoroughly examined this field than any other person, and I believe it to be a rich goldfield in its birth stage ; but it is a lield for capitalists, not for miners to rush t<\ I never have been mixed up with swindles, nor "will 1 ever be. Mines here aro legitimate investment pro-

perties, so far as I van see. I challenge criticism of my reports by any one who will not sacriiice public property to private ends. — W. Nicholas."