MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1188, 27 October 1882, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦ Some months ago a New Zealand cor 1 respondent wrote to a London news piper, calling attention to the wide field of usefulness that existed for an electric sheep shearer. Well, Curtis Sampson, head of the Hudson's Hay Fur Company, has applied electricity to trimming sealskins. Ihe fur is mowed down by pas sing over a platinum wire at a white heat. The immigration so far into Canada this year, has been unprecedentedThousands of farm hands have already arrived, and been eagarly sought after at good wages (from £35 to £40 per annum and " found"), and thousands more are wanted. No~ less than 100 were lured at Kingston in one woek.

A terrible railway accident is reported from Germany, It happened as is but too common in this country, to an exercusion train. In the present instance, 1200 passengers, mostly Alsatians, had been to Colmar from Frieberg, and were returning homewards. When at Staglattan the train was suddenly thrown off tho line. The cause was either the heavy floods, which had washed away part of the embarkment or the blowing of a telegraph post across rails, which upset the engine. The consequences of the accidents were frightful. Most of the carriages, 26 in number, were scattered to pieces, and the occupants were mangled or killed. Fifty-two succumbed on the spot, and as many more were desperately wounded ; several were mutilated beyond recognition. A second and more terrible catastrophe was averted by the presence of mind of a brakesman. An express train was within an ace of running into the wreck, when the man by promptly changing the points altered the direction of the express. By the summary of news brought by the San Francisco Mail, which arrived at Auckland on Sunday, information is given that a party of United States Coast Survey officers is coming to New Zealand to observe the transit of Venus. They consist of Edwin Smith, H. G. Pritchel (Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy, Washington University), and others. They will probably locate at Auckland, and, after finishing the transit observation, the insturment will be sent to the United States in charge of the photographer, and Messrs Smith and Pritchell will continue a series of pendulum experiments at New Zealand, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokio. The pendulums used are the famous Kater invention, the property of the Royal Astronomical Society of England, and lent for this purpose to the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey. The ultimate results of these pendulum observations is to discover the determination of the figure of the earth. They are made under the direction of the United States Coast and Geodesical Survey, and in concert with observation by English scientists all over the world. Four German expeditions left Hamburg for Connecticut South Carolina, Costa Rica, and Straits of Magellan to observe the transit of Venus. There is a science of cricket, and RA. Procter is its prophet. He has invented a new way of playing the game, the chief merit of which, he fondly imagines, is to prevent future Australian teams from carrying all before them as the prevent one has been doing. He has made the discovery that to the really glorious success it has achieved on its mirits has been added a very conspicuous share due to chance. He does not hesitate to declare that most of the drawn games have been drawn very much in favor of its opponents. The statement is not correct, but let that pas 3. He yould therefore put an end to drawn games. The next thing he would do is to prevent games from being finished before the end of the third day, or of whatever number of days may be agreed upon. He would, moreover, eliminate as far a possible the element of changes in the state of the ground as the game pro ceeds or as the wheather changes, as well as fiom that rising from the time of the day when an eleven goes in. Ho believes that all these ends would be attained by letting the wickets fall alternately on the opposing sides, instead of letting all ten wickets fall on one side before the other side goes in. Another advantage of the arrangement would be that neither eleven would be kept idle long unless when a couple of batsmen made an unreasonably obstinate defence. His avowed object is to make encounters as fair as possible,,, and to take away every element of chance which can really be removed without touching the essential character of the game. Giving him credit for his good intentions, and acknowledging his competency to deal with the subject, his views call for careful considertion.