MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1340, 24 December 1883, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

* ■ A correspondent sends the following narrative to an Auckland paper :— Last Friday a large party of Plymouth brethren • assembled at North Shore early in the forenoon, intent on a day's pleasure-seeking, at the same time combining business with picnicking, for at the hour of 1 p.m. all preparations having been Completed, twelve women and twelve men announced themselves as ready to be baptised by immersion in the sea. The person who was to perform the rite had by this time taken his station, about waist deep, another being in readiness to conduct each aspirant from the shore to the. spot. The women were led in first, each decen.ly clothed, with heads bare or with some small covering, such as a cap, with one notable exception, who entered the water in full walking dress, hat and all — she was- probably bald. Of the men, one. was immersed likewise in full dress black surtout, but no hat in his case— he may have been proud. When the caremony was finished, the baptiser (a man with a very large red beard) came ashore ; but the other one delivered a short address, standing about knee-deep. He told his audience that they need not consider the ordeal they had just come through as at all a trying one, seeing that the Israelites of old were much more severely dealt with, — mas much as, at the yearly feast of Tabernacles, the whole nation was commanded to sit for seven days continuously in pools of water ; and so on. A writer to a London newspaper says that after spending months among the poor of the city, he has come to the conclusion that large numbers of them have a hatred and ferocity towards wealth and aristocracy which could not be surpassed by any Russian Nihilist or French Communist. In a note to JSlealc House, there is mention made of a Chancery case" in which so many counsel were engaged that they filled all the seats set apartfor the Bar. There is a case shortly to be heard before Vice-Chancellor Bacon which will make an equal demand upon the services of the Equity Bar. Half a million of money is in dispute. There are ten defendants who have all put in separate defences, and employ separate solicitors and counsel. Three counsel are briefed for each defendant ; and the plaintiff, which is a company, has either three or four. Thus there will be over thirty barristers engaged in the case. The leading counsel for the plaintiff company has £1000 inarkei '

on his brief, and as the case is expected to last a month, there wilt be plentiful " refreshers "to reckon upon.. ■; Several of the other counsel have £200 or £300.0n their briefs and even the jjiniors have £50. The pleadings of the fcase are bound up in a large folio volunve,«aaji4he brief is too heavy to -be carried by onVclerfc . It is some tiuit* since so Brobidgnagian a, lawsuit had been heard of. Many fertunes have bee* lost arid won over the Alexandra Palae* ~ Estate, and now the lawyers are giing to have tieir pull. I One of the curiosities which tha Olde Eoglyshe Fay re" at Wetfi6gioit~ brought to light was au 8Oy«ar8-ol(I copy of the ' Weekly Despatch,' namely, dated " Sunday,. 22ud May, 1Q03." It contains the Declaration of War between England and prance, and among the shipping departures from Portsmouth is : — " Sailed — The Victory* . 110 guns, Vice Admiral Lord Nelson* for the Mediterranean. 1 ' •• . / The other evening' a par y of Ifedie# and gentlemen were laughing over th* supposed, awkwardness attending ar declaration of love, when one t)f thu party remarked that if he ever offered himself, he would do it in a collected and business like manner. iffi'jSi^f instance," said hp/addrcssuigaj^^ll? to a beautiful lady presenti^f^woiilcl Bay, • Miss S M J^ty& been for year* "hSokrttg 7 rTT^r^^^^^^^TTf n U t ho Indian i_4. of my acquaintance I admire you the? most. Indeed, to speak plainly, I lo?0* you, and would most gladly make you my wife !'" * " You flatter me by your preference," good humoredly replied Miss S., to the surprise of all prejse&V "Not at all ; I am entirely sinceie. l^ " Then I refer you to my fathw*"" " Bravo V 1 exclaimed the goutlemeb*. " Well, Ide-c-l-a-r-e,!." exclaimed j£<* ladies, in one united chorus. The parties -were married- soon- after.. " Wasn't that," as the narrator Said;** I*'1 *' modest ,way of coming to the .point, and a sensible method of taking a.raan^ at his word?" i- . :... ;•".,•.. ?.».a<, ?, A discussion concerning the rate* <i»f wages in the chic^ fowng of WorUi'iftid South Germany lias,, bi^ugfct, <H\t jihat the average weekly wagW*lw v l«w&ing' day being twelve bcros all thetmgk the week, paid to etoh€tEtaeon« 'varyirigf from 15 to 21 marks (the mark fcding equal to our shilling) ; to/turoemi^qt 20 marks; gold ai>d -eilv^r ftr^meers, ..-, according to the class of wofi.ttpoh which they are employed; IrWttW^tp 30 marks: beltmakera, workstteft'lti foundries, 1.2 to 18 marks ; locksmiths',. 25 raarkb ; 15 to, 24 ; workmen in,, machine factories, 15 to 81 raarkp? tanners, 15 to 18 marks ; linen' itijfa calico weavers, from seven to 1& marks; carpetniakeis, 15 marks; joiners and kindred trades, 15 marks ; butchers, 12 to 20. marks; brewers, 21 to 81 marks ; tailors, bix. to 15 marks ; female dressmakers, seven to 12 marks ; shoemakers, 12 marks. A Munich industrial journal commenting on these rates, observes that wages in South Germany are about equal to the Berlin rates ; but thfc cost of livinj* and lodgiug is much less. • , "I hater to see a woman with rings in her ears !"' said the deacon. "They ain't natural. If it was intended for woman to wear'em. she would have been born with holes in her ears. The first woman didn't wear earrings, I'll be bound.*' "No," replied the quiet little man in the corner, " nor nothiu" else." Messrs Maspn and Vallance have sold Jack to Mr Osbourn, Who runs horseson the West Coast ; and Mr Dillon reports that he has parted with Hercules to Mr Housjhton, of Blenheim, for 500 guineas a sensational price for a "lepper"; but then he is a \ery first animal of his class. In an Article on the present political situation, the Lyttelton Times deplores the situation into which the colony has beon plunged by the present Minißtry. . Aud it is . true that the revenue is decreasing, the unemployed clamor&is, the civil service growing and sacking the life-Wood of the people. Our contemporary thinks that under the circumstances " it will be Major Atkinson's interest to distract attention as much as possible from our financial state. He will have to give his Parliament some attractive toy to play with to take up its time during the dangerous weeks of the session, while backstairs arrangements with the Sha.ws, Munros, Hobbses, M'Kenzies, et id genus omne are yet unsettled. Soothed with this bauble still as that before Till tired they fly and one more session's o'er. Therefore, we may expect that every possible endeavor will be ma^de to exalt federation into a burning., question throughout - New Zealand during the coming six months. So we may expect that .-.iajor Atkinson, heralded by the Government Press, will perambulate the colony enlightening our darkness with the reflected radiance absorbed, by himself at the Sydney Conference." A Chinaman criticising Christian civilisation, in fluent and forcible English, was one of the remarkable incidents of the meeting of the Melbourne Presbytery (writes a late Argus). Mr Cheok Hong Cheong appeared as a commissioner from the Fitzroy congregation in support of a calL Mr Cheong has been walking about with his eyes open, and the result of his observation is that he hafi arrived at the conclusion that Fitzroy presents a vast field for missionary enterprise. Several venerable members of the Court arched their eyebrows at this unlooked-for announcement of the shrewd Celestial, but their astonishment was intensified when Mr; Qheong proceeded to express his Qonvictiou that there were more heathens in Fitzroy than on any island in the New Hebrides. The young ministers smiled significantly, ut the " fathers of the Church" looked grave, for the conversion of the New Hebrides is one of their pet projects. The inferential

suggestion that the missionaries sent to the New Hebrides would be more usefully employed within a mile or two of Collins street was evidently not ' relished by the " fathers and lirethren," and the plain-spoken Celestial sat dawn in silence. ... > • ;' * Last Decfimbfir, o,n th^jjocasion of Mr Gladstone's politteal ahttiversUiry celebration, the »Greeks .proposed to erect a. statute to him in Athens by pnblic subacriptidn; The money camj in so r^pidly^ frora^tb^e GreTpks^in^all parts of the world, tliatthe Committee in ohfitrge of the matter soon f.qund) themselves in , possession, •of*ja i .sum largely-exceeding the'requii;ed amoun^ This surplus niohey ' they jdecided to use in. erecting a statue also to LordGuilford, the founder of the lonian • Academy, • where . Greeks completed their education .-. before the .. Athens University was established. , Tenders, for both statutes ' were invited from Greek artists the sticcessful competitor in tb» ' 'ease > ; 6$ »th*e l Gladstone statue being -Mr VitaliSt^ofiiiyra,/ "vho has jnsli; arrived in England with a view of perfecting bis task from personal observation. : ' v . >W.< lij l\'A-:tt'.i Some; < time ltotr year t there wsls . a wooden' ibedstead manufactured, whiph was intended for the use of the King of Siam. It was fourteen feet wide, and ' - divided into three parts, the centre part being raised -tfri&uj^^l^wak^ inches. ThiH piece of fc®|ss?Mfrg^!ls b unusal dimensions, caused a slight sensatiotr ambn^ ''til'i'tlm/ p(»rmitttd*i«ri: examine iti Bat tbft lwd^l^ m^ e W Paris lately fo? aa Ind flf»JßfW?ce would draw thousands to.see it wero it exhibited in LoMoh, r even if feft'cy firicW^Avere charged for admission; The bedstead is partly! mad« of VeiiJ ttivef, and cost' many thousand pounds- -sterling. "At each .'sorrier c ( BiXttty : a beau^f ullymodelled • .itemal^ t yjh^e f^-a.omf^ News.,-.;. w " ,/..... ,. fi _." '.. , Skisxy M«n.— •< Well^VHoftltli' Renewer" restores health »nd vigor, cure* fihrispeßia,, I«tipo^tt», , Debiljty. Moses, Moss & C0.,'"874^y. General Agents.