MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1064, 22 March 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦ There are 40,000 breweries in Europe, and of all the houses in England and Wales the formidable number of 113, 000, or one in every fourth, are devoted to the sale of liquor in some form or another. A London Tory paper says : — " The irony of destiny has never made itself more apparent than in the career of John Bright, One illustration may suffice to substantiate this statement On man has so energetically denounced the existence of sinecure offices. He designated them jobs, founded for the sole purpose of affording outdoor relief to the aristocracy. This, however, wa* before he had attained his fiftieth year or worn the Queen's livery. Since then we find him holding one of the most lucrative sinecure offices under the Crown — that of Chancellor signing tickets giving admission in fashionable marriages at the Savoy Chapel. Mr Bright has really nothing else to do than to draw his salary of £2000.' Mr J. H. Vinson, an actor well known In Victoria in the early days, died latterly in New York. He was found dead in a saloon adjoining Booth's Theatre on November 21st A fter entering the placcabout midnight, he was taken suddenly ill, and was placed on a lonuge. Some remedies were applied, and two of the attendants remained with him until about three o'clock, when he felt better, He asked permission to remain there for the night, which was agreed, to, and he was locked in. When the place was opened at daybreak he was found dead. No inquest was held as the medical men decided that death resulted from natural causes. At the time of his death Mr Vinson was sixty-two years of age. In the early days of the old Theatre Royal, Melbourne, under the

propreitorship of the builder. Ml John Black, the stage managment was in the hands of Mr Vinson who was recognised as one of the leading " old men "of the Australian stage. A writei in the New York Mirror says that, "at the best, Mr Vinson's treatment by his New York friend was the result of thoughtlesness, which isnearly akintc heartlessness." His last venture was with '• Eve, the Saleslady," which was a success at Philadelphia; but some time prior to his decease he had been without engagement. The late Kate Wade was his wife, and his daughter, Kate Vinson, is a favorite with Melbourne playgeors to-day.