MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1233, 14 February 1883, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

Mr H. Mace, from Wellington, with others visitors to the district, left for Mokihinui reefs yesterday morning. They were accompanied by several residents interested in the mines in that quarter, and there is little question that the results of their visit will be favorable. The same parties have been interested in the Terawhiti reefs, which, if a tenthpartasgoodas thoseat Mokihinui, are far better than a great many people expect. Buller News. When a country editor, in order to be up to the times, prints a cut of a patent medicine man, and labels it General Wolseley, the fraud is excusable, and his readers may compliment him for his enterprise ; but when he goes a little farther and publishes the familiar portrait of Lydia Pinkham for Arabi Pasha, he should be told about it. "Widder Jenkins," said an Ohio farmer, as he bustled into her house one morning, "I am a man of business. I am worth 10,000 dols, and want you for a wife. I give you three minutes in which to answer." "I don't want ten seconds old man," she replied as she took out the dishcloth ; "I'm a woman of business, worth 16,000 dols, and would'nt marry yon if you were the last man on earth ! I give you a minute and a half to git ! ' He got. On a recent occasion the up platforir at Bristol was thronged with people anxious to demonstrate their affectior for the Duke and Duchess of Edinburg who were to pass through on then way from Plymouth to London. As the train came in loud cheers were to be heard, but the blinds of the Royal saloon were drawn, and the occupants did not think fit to pull them up, so that the sentiments of the mob quickly turned round, as the train moved ofl a few feeble cheers were drowned in a general shout of hisses. It appears that Mr and Mrs Massey were stopping in Geelong early in December. The Advertiser writes : — " A detective was in Geelong on Thursday, making inquiries, and found that they had resided in a private boarding house on the eastern beach. At one bank Mrs Massey succeeded in getting six £100 notes exchanged for twelve £50 notes, and these were Bent by Mi Massey by draft to a bank in London. It had been previously suspected that the notes had been presented at some •bunk in Geelong, but, although Sergeant Swale, had made inquiries, nothing was found to warrant the susspicion. A clue was, however, found as to the bank visited by Mrs Massey by a document' discovered in the possession of her husband at the time ol his arrest." Again, Mrs Langtry. Only a few words. The Earl of Ducie, though a married man, is what is known in common parlance as a woman-hater." When Mrs Langtry's fame as a popular beauty was at its height in London, and her name and doings were on tongue, he went so far in his expressions of disapproval of what he termed the popular craze as to declare he would neither willingly go to a ball where she was to be present, nor be introduced to her should chance throw him into her company. The week after the high toned misogynist was at Lord Sherburne's to dinner, and coming into the drawing room, suddenly found himself face to face with the Lily. With a start he turned to go, when Lady Sherburne, who saw the action and determined to punish him for his all but rudeness, quickly advanced, and ere, his lordship could realise what she was doing, introduced him. Of course, he had to stop and say something. He had intended to slip away after a minute or two. But he didn't. People who knew his opinions were surprised to see him linger on and on, and, in short, he never left the dreadful beauty's side all the evening, looking positively impatient when anyone diverted her attention for a moment. And yet she didn't go out of her way to be agreeable to him, but just looked at and talked to him as she does to everybody else. The Wellington correspondent of the Auckland Herald telegraphs": — The chief of interest here at present is the marvellous " power "of Mr Milner Stephen, the healer. 1 know for a fact that his takings amount to close on 50 guineas a day — a good deal more, I imagine, than the legitimate professor of the heeling art are able to make out of their patients. He claims to be in communication with j the spirt world, alth rough at first he denied the spirit. Now I have no doubt that he could give us a high testimonial for our capacity for swallowing anything au impostor cares to prescribe. Among his marvellous cures are

wie muguißiuiig oi legs, me Sbraignremng ; , of curvatures, the restoration of sight, hearing, speech, in fact, a regular •' take up your bed and walk " performance. But the saddest part of this painful business is that the Wellington Press have run wild after the man. i Articles an spiritulism, two or three • columns a day devoted to descriptions of bis meetings and private treatment . of patients, studied letters from people b who believe he is a second Saviqui\ - and quote texts to prove it, make.it unecessary for him to have- more than a three-line advertisement in the ordi^ p nary paying columns. In several oases that have come under my notice;, the patients are worse than before, besides being two guineas poorer, and in no> case where organic disease existed has* ) any improvement taken place. Of 1 course it is possible that in the case of ' a few imaginary illnesses were the- patients (if such they can be called) wished for the celebrity of a. miraculous cure, he may have told them to move the leg or arm which either hysteria or hypochondria made them imagine they couldn't move r and it is also probable they may have obeyed. But 1 for genuine imposture, breathing on ! hip joint disease beats anything I haveheard even among the heads of the • humbugging profession at Home-. '. The Westport Times says : — Readers may remember the appearance in our \ columns, some 18 months ago, of ' several letters suggesting the possibility of the length of road between t Westport and Eeefton being shortened ", by a crosscountry route, the direction of which was indicated. The feasibility of the scheme propounded was 1 the subject of local discussion, and so e much was thought of it that the member for the district brought it up in ' the House and obtained the promise that a survey would be made during: 3 the recess. Mr J. A. Wilson and staff ! have just completed the survey, and we are pleased to state, the opinions--3 expressed respecting the likelihood of a shorter route being discovered have 7 been thoroughly verified. A line has. been surveyed from Blackwater to the 1 Inangahua road, which, cuts off about. 12| miles of the presentroad — a day's--1 journey with a loaded waggon. There 1 are said to be no hills on the route • worth mentioning, but a gentle fall ■ towards Reef ton, which would be an • assistance to loaded teams ; tie usuil. > engineering difficulties- met with on 3 the West Coast 'being minimised- » The country through winch the line 5 passes lias been hitherto almost unr explored, but what little is known of - it is very favorable to the probabilities. ' of auriferous ground being discoveredJ In the early days, previous to the ■ Eeefton rush, some good gold was obt tainod thereabouts. There is also a- • tract of country which looks very I suitable for agricultural purposes* ' The result of this survey is, alto- • gether, very satisfactory^ and, if exf pectations are realised,^ the means will be provided whereby Westport may r command the trade of the interior,. > which can never be the case with the • presentroad. The chances, of a goldi field being discovered ire the new r country are good, and this phase isalso one of importance;. We hear i that several seam& of coal — one 40ft,, through — crops out. in the locality, to - which the road spoken of would give' l access. ' A day or to ago we reprintedantirticle ■ referring to an invention for manfactuting aluminium at about one-tenth o£ , the present cost of the-operation. Tha Morning Post thus deals with the possibilities involved in the discovery :--- --' '" It is. said that aluminium bronze can be used for cannon. . If an aluminium: piece of equal, or any thing, like equal, size be as strong as one of steel it l would be possible to reduce by morethen one-half the weight of all our ' artillery, and possible, consequently^ to. • bring into the field pieces of twice the » calibre now employed, and capable of throwing shot many times as. heavy, j It would obviously be possible to t construct armoured ships of something like thrice their present strength. J " without increasing their weight. ' Aluminium indeed might very speedly i supersede iron for shipbuilding purposes,, i even although its price should be r censiderably greater. It would, we- , believe, require no sheathing, and would, not affect the compasses as iron inevitably does. Aluminium wires of onethird the weight would bear the same strain as wires of iron. Aluminium ■ carriges might be made cheaper than wood ; aluminium bicycles would certainly be the delight of athletes ; aluminium boats and oars may, before many years are past, be common sights, on onr lakes and rivers. The present canoe is a graceful and beautiful object ; a canoe made of aluminium would bea thing of beauty indeed, as well as. of use. We may live to see locomotives, shining brightly as silver, and dragging a train of silvery carriages after them at about half of the present cost per train-mile run, seeing how greatly tlw dead weight might l»e reduced. Aluminium tables, chairs, picture frames, furniture of all kinds, would be not merely light and convenient, but, if devised with any thing like aesthetic taste, exceedingly beautiful." , Tennyson's prose drama, recently produced at the Globo, m.iy be called