MISCELANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1365, 22 February 1884, Page 2

MISCELANEOUS.

♦ While among the Bounds His Excellency took 'the opportunity of visiting the Caswell Sound Marble j Company's quarries, arid it is under- 1 stood that his opinion is not at all favourable to the works. When the representative of Messrs Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove went to Eugland last year in search of talent, the most important engagement he effected was with Miss Genevieve Ward, an actress of intense power and passion, who has made not only several lengthened professional tours in Great Britain and the United States, but who also visited Paris, where she played LadyMicbeth in French, at the Porte St. Martin (for this accomplished lady speaks several European languages). Moreover, in Miss Genevieve Ward colonists will not only see a new actress, but through her they will make the acquaintance of several new modern dramas, written specially for her — notably "Forget Me Not," Rachel," " The Queen's Favourite," and others. The • first of these plays has enjoyed wonderful popularity on both sides of the Atlantic, and on the occasion of its 600 th representation, which took place in New York, a special performance was given, in which all the characters except the heroine were sustained by lady and gentlemen amateurs of high social position. Miss Ward, accompanied by Mr W. H. Vernon, a talented London actor, will arrive in Melbourne by the mail-steamer Mirzapore early in March, on the 15th of which month she will make her first appearance in that city. Her Colonial tour will include the principal cities in New Zealand. Coney Island, of late years a great pleasure resort of the middle classes of New York, was almost completely inundated by the sea during a terrific gale on January 9, and from 500,000 to 1,000,000 dollars worth of property was entirely destroyed, and hundreds of feet of new iron pier were demolished. At Altanic City, New Jersey, the gale raged to such an extent, and the tide rose so high, that the boarding houses stores, dwellings, bath houses, and other buildings were carried off oceanward. Vickesburg (Pa), Portland (M), and Portsmouth (N.H.), also felt the fury of the storm, but the core of it was in New York bay and harbor, where the greatest mischief was done. It is supposed that Coney Island will have to be abandoned as a pleasure place. This will be a misfortune for the populace of New York. Locusts must be pretty thick in some parts of Victoria. The " Argus" correspondent telegraphs, on the 14th January, that the passengers by the last train to Colac on Saturday night were greatly startled by the engine coming to a complete standstill. On the driver getting down to examine the cause he found that a cloud of locusts had settled on the permanent way, and that, the ti-aiu passing over and crushing them to death had made the rails so slippery that the wheels would not grip. The tram had to be divided, and by the free use of sand a passage was forced, Colac being reached two hours behind time. These insects are doing great injury to the crops. Count Felix d'Haroncour, a young nobleman, chamberlain to the Emperor of Austria, has landed in America with the intention of making an extensive sporting tour, which will, if carried outfully, make him a mighty hunter indeed. He is armed with four superb Austrian rifles, and three of American make. He has, it is needless to say, splendid letters of introduction, which will open up all he requires in his adventurous career, which will not stop at America, but embrace the whole of the wild sporting world, and his bag will finally be tilled with elephants, lions, tigers, bears, and other trophies in the large way. The Melbourne correspondent of the N.Z. Times writes: — The rumor has reached us that Mrs Langtry has abandoned her intention of visiting Australia, and consequently much disappointment has been occasioned here. I am quite sure, were Mrs Langtry to appear in this city, that the majority of the population would behave like a lot of maniacs in worshipping at her shrine. Melbourne is an awful place for fashion, folly, and frivolity —which, I think, are hanging, on to Mrs Langtry's skirts wherever she goes. A short time since the widow Chevalier of Cayoux-sur Mer, was tried for murder before the Court of Assizes of the department of the Somme, convicted, and sentenced to death. The criminal is a woman of advanced age. She had married her son, a youth of twenty, to a girl who was passing rich, and who had made a will bequeathing the whole of her marriage portion to her husband. The dowry was indeed a fatal one to young Madame Chevalier. Her thrifty mother-in-law yearned for the time when the legacy should fall in, and at length she made a murderous attack on the unhappy wife of her son, smashed her victim's head with a large stone, and dug a pair of scissors into the brain. She then dragged the body into the stable, and 4 thrust it* Sutler the hoofs of a horse, to foster the belief that the animal had kicked her to death, As an additional proof of the consistent thriftiness of Madame Veuve Chevalier, it was stated at the trial that when her mother was drying she had pulled the sheets from under the moribund woman and allowed her to expire on the straw beneath. It will be remembered that much scandal was caused in the summer by advertising for public sale the furniture of the Duke and Duchess of Teck. Among the family relics which were

included in the lots were richly gilt and carved sedan chairs which were made for Queen Charlotte, and which became the property of the Dnehegs of Teek by bequest of her aunt and godmother, the Duchess of Gloucester. The reserve set upon these chairs by the vendors was £500, but they were valued by two experts at £300, at which price they have become the property of the Queen and they have now found a resting place in Windsor Castle. The following appeal's in a recent number of the Illustrated London N«ws, among the well-known " Echoes" of Mr G. A. Safe, : — " Ifciway be of some interest to you to learn writes * A.A.' (Glasgow), ' that there are only four words in the English language, ending in " dous" viz, " Tremendous. '" "Stupendous" "Hazardous" and ,' my correspondent gives the fourth word, but I refrain from doing so, in the hope of stimulating the curiosity of tny younger readersSchoolmasters governesses, and lexicographers please don't answer. * Tis to the young folk that I perpend the poser." The European Mail says: — "New Zealand finance is indeed looking up. The conversion of the five thirty bonds has been an enorunotra success. The business was thoroughly well managed by Sir Francis D. BeH and Sir Julyan Penrose — that is the universal opinion here in all financial circles — aud the result a saving to the Colony of £80, 000 per annum is no small matter. When the outstanding balance of the bonds has been also " converted," the economy eftected will be £45,000. This is a happy financial issue, particularly when we remember the condition of matters five or six years ago ; but New Zealand credit may now be justly said to have reached a base of permanent solidarity. On the Gympie gold fields* Queensland the dividends reported lately have been larger than ever, and Warden Lukin in his report to the undersecretary for Mines refers to one Gympie miner who had taken #2,500 for three weeks' work, £1,800 for the previous three weeks, and £1,100 for the three weeks before that, with every prospect of a continuance for some years of large profits. The Willmott mines continue to furnish the sensations. A rough cleaning up took place on Dpc. 4, when a yield of 1,2600z of gold was obtained from 185 tons of quartz. From the proceed* the directors declared a divided of 2s. per share, equal to £3,600. Some remarkable revelations haye 1 come to 1 ight respecting the existence of a colouy of organ grinders in thecentre of Birmingham. A few days ago an Italian and a girl purchased an Italian piano, and by playing; rathe streets rapidly accumulated a sum of £100. With this the man went back to Italy and engaged a number of nien,. some of them actual brigands, and aft equal number of prepossessing girls, to» serve in his employ, paying their expenses to Birmingham. He rapidly developed his calling, and at the present time he has under him upwards of two hundred individuals who do nothing 'but play organs in the streets of Bjruwfng:ham and the neighboring places They all live together and hay»» rooms specially provided for their eating, cooking and other domestic arrangements. The chief of this remarkable tribe has, in the course of a few years accumulated a substantial fortune, and is now a large owner of property in Italy. Nor can this he wondered &t f seeing that it is admitted, according tor the Birmingham Daily Mail, that some of the men and women earn as much as £10 a week by organ grinding alone. It is a common thing for the men to go to Italy in the summer for a holiday and to send their wives to the seaside for two or three weeks' relaxation. Duringthe remainder of the year they turn the handles of the Italian pianos, and gratefully receive coppers from a benevolent public. M. Marcel Desprez's invention for transporting electrical forcps to great distrances has been applied to a waterfall near Grenoble, which iff enabled, to work up to seven-horse power, a sand mill, a printing press, and other machinery at Grenoble. The Wisconsin State Medical Society, during its recent annual session, passed a resolution virtually declaring consumption to be an infectious disease, and urging the necessity of proper isolation and disinfection of those suffering from it. One of the most extraordinary instances of hard swearing witnessed here for a long time past occurred in the Police Court on Tuesday, Patrick Barry, an ex-pohce sergea/nt, and <it present a storekeeper at Kensington, was charged with sly grog selling, and went into the box simpfy to deny point blank that he supplied the beer, or had seen the man to whom he wa» alleged to hare served it. The witness before commencing his evidence kissed the Fible with remarkable fervour, but, not satisfied with his bare denial, Mr Carew undertook a short examination. Barry then denied that he had beer in the house on the date alleged, but on being pressed stated that he did keep it for his own use, and had ordered a 27-gallon cask only a week or two prior to the date of the charge. His attention beinj* drawn to the apparent incompatibility of these statements, he staunchly reverted to* his original statement that he had no beer at the time on Hie premises. Asked whether he had consumed the 27 gallons in the space of a week or two prior to the 3rd February, witness then- explained that he gave drinks to any of his customers that came in, and subsequently amended his evidenoe by stating that a great portion of the beer was bad, anil was outside ia his

yard, nob fit for use. By this time Mr Oarew's patience was about; exhausted, and he sternly ordered the defendant to leave the box, informing him in the same breath that he was fined £20 and costs, or in default oue month's imprisonment. Speaking of the highest score ever recorded in the annala of Australian the " Australasian " of January 26 says : — " Prior to Saturday last Murdoch, with his 321 in the memorable 775 intercolonial match, stood at the top of the tree, but now young Bruce, with his magnificeut score of 328 (not oat) has headed eyen the Cootamundra crack. In alluding to Brace's achievement, one must not be imbtied with the idea that his runs were made against weak or inferioi bowling. The Hothara bowlers are very fair indeed, and though the large total of 685 far eight wickets was made against them in this match, they caused Bruce and his comrades to play the game right thvough. Heypce, all the more credit is due to Bruce for ibis really great performance. His strokes were executed with all his characteristic vigor and neatness, and at no time during his long innings, whioh lasted two Saturdays, did he ■display any reckless or haphazard Slitting. Playing a fine, clean, resolute, and wristy game, he punished all the loose ones, and maintained such a splendid defence that the Hotham -bowlers • grew almost disheartened. When Bruce had got well on towards Hie 800, it was clear his intention, if possible, was to beat the highest score on record in the colonies, and that he !has succeeded in doing so must be eminently, satisfactory to himself and all his friends." The London correspondent of the " Post " writes under date January 3 : — The first intelligence that greeted Anglo-Colonials when they opened their papers on New Year's morning was the announcement of the bankruptcy of your old fiiends and contractors, the Brogdens, who have done credit to their reputation for conducting mammoth undertakings, by failing for a leviathan sum — a total of threequarters of a million sterling. The assets are rumored to be only small, a fact which no oue appears to be specially surprised at Hr Alexander Urogden describes himself as of Wellington, New Zealand. This gigantic -bankruptcy will necessarily affect other Ihonsesin the iron trade very seriously, and "Money" prophesies a series of breakdowns. Things are also looking Iblack in the shipbuilding business. On the 81st December John Elder and *Co., the famous Clyde house, were obliged to turn off 2000, men. In the «ity, I learn, the Brogdens' failure is Attributed to the fact of numerous actions which were brought against the Government of New 'Zealand going against them. • Their affairs have been in the hands of trustees for sometime past No New Zealanders are men iioned as creditors ; in fact, those who •Bight to know declare that the colony -wra w»t sufter in any way. The Bank of New Zealand, which used to do a good deal of business for the Brogdens once upon a time, had no transactions with them for several years. The stationmasters on the railways *re henceforth to wear uniforms, and the New Zealand 'llotuin* factory has the contract for supplying them. While the population of London is 3arger than that of Scotland, the metropolis had school accommodation "last yew for only 527,000 children ; Scotlaafl with all its physical difficulties had accommodation for 619,000. Napoleon IIL was fond of pomp and show and he derived a personal •enjoyment from his entertainments. "They were on a magnificent scale ; Imt the only marked or lasting influence of the Imperial Court, as regards fashion or manners, was on female dress. The invitations to Compiegne and Fontainebleau were commonly for eight days ; and a lady was expected to change her dress three or four times a day, and never to wear the same twice. The outfit for (the visit was computed at not less than "twelve thousand francs. A Frenchwoman of the Imperial circle complained that she could not dress for less than one thousand pounds a ye&r. A milliner's bill on which an action wa3 brought amounted -to fifteen thousand pounds for three years, and the fair defendant paid twelve thousand pounds into court. The case was reported in the Gazette des Tribunaux. i This spirit of' extravagance proved •catching, where ti-aces of it are still •only "boo plainly discernible. 41 Labour " says the present Ministry appear to have a well-ground hope of remaining in office for some time to •come as the house of Mr Mitchelson is 'advertised to let "for one year cer"l can pun on any subject you like to mention," said a friend of ours a few days ago. "Can you pun on the «igns of the Zodiac?" said we, "By Gemini I Cancer" was r the prompt reply ,— 'Prizewinner.' . Writing upon the management of "horses, in the Medical and Surgical Journal, Dr C. E. Page says :— " The custom! o^working or exercising horses <ditfaotly after eating, or feeding after fcard work, and before they are "thoroughly rested ; baiting at noon — •wbeii both these violations of a natural law" are committed, these are the predisposing causes of pinkeye, and of most diseases that affect our horses. Keep the horse quiet, dry, warm, and in a pure atmosphere, the nearer the outdoor air the better, and stop his iood entirely at the first sign of disease, and he will speedily recover. It has been demonstrated in tens of thousands of cases in family life that two meals are ample for the hardest and most exhausting labours, physical or in?nfril, an -I a' together Host The

s same thing has been fully proved in - hundreds of instances with horses, and i has never in a single instance failed \ after a fair trial, to work the best i results. An hour's rest at noon is s vastly more restoring to a tired animal; whether horse or man, than a meal of : any sort, although the latter may prove i more stimulating. The morning nieal given, is possible early enough for ; partial stomach digestion before the muscular and nervous systems are ; called into active play ; the night meal r offered long enough after work to ; insure a rested condition of tLe body ; i a diet liberal enough, but not excessive i this is the law and gospel of hygenic i diet for either man or beast. I have i never tried to fatten my horses, for I long ago learned that fat is disease; but I have always found that if a horse does solid work enough he will be fairly plu mn if he has two sufficient meals. Muscle is the product of work and food ; fat may be laid on hy food alone. But for perfect health and immunity from diseast restriction of excercise must be met by restriction in diet. Horses require more food in cold than in warm weather, if performing the same labour. In case of a warm spell in winter I reduce their feed, more or less, according to circumstances, as surely as Ido the amonnt of fuel consumed. I also adopt th« same principle in my own diet. The result is that neither ray animals nor myself are ever for one moment sick."