MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1510, 16 February 1885, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Speaking at the Mini**teml banquet at Westport thf other day, Mr O'Couor said :— " Of tlie many reasons the Coast had to be proud of the present Ministry, was the Premier's career in New Zealand. When Mr Stout was a humble schoolmaster, the speaker (Mr O'Conor) was a cahman in Dunedin. H« dealt with Mr Stout's sub •sequent career, which was wholly due to his superior leading powers and qualities of mind. He then spoke of Sir J. Yogel, whom he first knew as a stationer in Maryborough. There was nothing upstart about this Government, but an evident patriotism running through every one of them. The destinies of New Zealand required to be placed in the hands of such men, who were pushed forward hy their own intellectual altitude, not those who were sponged or pushed by monetary influence. He continued eulogi-nng the Ministry and their conduct with respect to the Westport Harbour Bill. The once celebrated Victoria hushranger Power is now approaching the end of the lons* term of imprisonment to which he was sentenced at the close of daring career. In F<*b. he will be entitled to his discharge, and in the meantime efforts sire being made by persons taking an interest in his welfare, to get him s.-nt to America as soon as he is set at liberty. If the question were asked (says the Timaru Herald) to whom are we indebted or whom have we to anathematise, for tho introduction of sparrows into New Zealand, we suppose nine out of ten people would at ouch answer, tha Acclimatisation Societies. Yet this is denied point-blank by the Hon. J. T. Peacock, president of the Canterbury Accclhnatisation Society, who has been a member of that body for 25 years, and therefore ought to know something about it. The explanation he gives of their introduction is a little curious. Years ago, he says, the Society used to ofi*i*r bonuses to the captains of vesselsfor the importation of live birds. One captain brought ont. some sparrows and offered them to the Society, but they were rejected. Thereupon the captain somewhat annoyed, tossed the birds, which were five in number, into the air, and from these five birds, Mr Peacock declares, came all the sparrows now in the country. A correspondent of a contemporary writes: — "I had received some days •ago a delightful bundle of flowers from a Japanese acquaintance. They continued to live in all their beauty for nearly two weeks, when at last they faded. Just as I was about to throw them away the same gentleman (Japanese gentleman) came to see me. I showed him th° faded flowers, and told him that, though lasting a long time, they had now become useless. ' Oh, no.' s*?id he, 'only put the stems into the fire, and they will be as good as before.' I was incredulous ;so he took thf*m himself and held the stems in the fire until they were charred. This was in the morning ; at evening they were again looking fresh and vigorous, and continued so for another week. What may be the true agent in this reviving process I am unable to determine fully; whether it be the heat driving once more the last juices into every leaflet and vein, or whether it be the bountiful supply of carbon furnished by the charring. lam inclined, however, to the later course, as the full effect was not produced until some eight hours afterwards, nnd as it seems thit if the heat was the principal agent, it must hare been sooner followed by visible changes." — On December lGth the World's Fair at New Orleans was formerly opened and dedicated. Tho fair is slid to be by far tbe largest yet held, and to reflect erreat credit npon the citizens of Lousiana's capital. The ceremonies were in a way u:ii<pK*. *<■■: they wereh eld «it the same time jointly in Washington nnd New orl**anp In Washington fceme 200 distinguished guests had been invited to be present at tlie ceremonies, and they assembled in the spacious "East He:- hi" of the presidential residence, in one cornei of whidi was placed a table witii telegraph instruments upon it. eonneeting with a.n in a t-'<fii ,r ''!t simiiiurlv placed in tin nni'i lii of th; i-xpo'-iition buildings in New Orleans The P'e:-*id-*ot w?t,s seated at one si'!*nf the table, while the guests grouper them pelves around. When the wort Wai flashed Uiit all '.va.3 in readiness

• the President stood up, and the operato t presented a manuscript containing tin t address of the President delivered ii t New Orleans by the President of tin s i Association to Commissioner More i | head, who represented the Association I i and he read it to the President, whe f made a fitting reply, which was r immediately telegraphed to New t Orleans and read in the Exposition s Hall. After these formalities, tin* . President laid his finger on a key of f the instrument, which was connected . with one straight wire to New Orleans, ; which started all the machinery in the ? machinery hall of the Exposition 1400 c miles away in motion at the saimi instant. The ceremonies in New Orleans were imposing, and passed • off very well, some 25,000 people being present at tho opening, t and at night the city was in a M ize 3 of illuminations. Of course, the i exhibition was not nt its best on the • first day, as numbers of the exhibits ' did not arrive in time to be placed. 5 The exhibition will remain open until , the 31st of next May. One of the | features of the fair will be the great floating hotel, impro*. ised out ofthe ; Great Eastern, which h.-is b--en chartered for the son son for 10.000.101. As the hotel accommodation will be scai ccl v equal to the demand, this «' floiiting hotel " will in all probability become extremely popular among the transient visitors. The Melbourne Age says : — " The suggestion has been made in Now South Wales, and has been favourably entertained by the Treasurer of that Colony, that the sum of €5000 or I*6ooo per annum should be spent by the Colony in sending news telegrams to the English newspapers. It was made by a gentleman who only just returned from a visit to the Old Country. When he left for England he did so with the conviction that if New South Wales was not absolutely the best place under the sun, it was at least not much inferior to what may be considered the best, and was greatly superior to the majority of civilised countries. He expected to find on his arrival that the people in Great Britain manifested some in trest in thissplended iand of his adoption. But he found that Australia was known only in the sense that Greenland and Patagonia are known. From the highest to the lowest there was habitual indifference concerning the country ; but he believes that a constant succession of messages in the telegraphic columns of the h-adiug English newspapers would do mote t-> direct the attention of the people of England to the Colony than hundreds of the most carefully-compiled pamphlets. Mr Dibhs was %rt>zt\y taken with the idea, and he has stated his intention of bringing it before the Cabinet, with a view to its being put into practice." Mr Sclanders recently said at Nelson : -In concluding my address I would expres the hope that the expectation of better times in business, which I notice seems to be generally reckoned upon, will shortly be fully realised. I j am not sure that as yet I share very ] fully in the expectation. I notice it is \ the fashion to speak of the recent J change of Ministry as having already changed the face of nature — hope was I dead — hope now lives again. Being j merely an unimaginative man of busi j ness, I confess I cannot see very much j lin such statements. I believe it is j possible, and 1 even think it likely, j I that the change of administration will ! be of service to the . -olony ; bnt 1 ; trust the hope referred to is not merely the expectation of still larger sums of borrowed money being made avail able. Far my own part a penny a pound added to the price of frozen met, a rise of twopence in the price of wool, one shilling a bushel in the price of wheat, and a corresponding rise in the value of our hops — or even any one or two of these things — would do more towards reviving sound aud legitimate hope within us than any number of political changes or tbe successful floating of any number of new loans. The good people who frighten themselves periodically about the decay of religion (writes the Melbourne Argus) may find a great many crumbs of comfort in the annual official return of the religious progress of the community. There w:.s no outward and visible sign of decay in 1883. nor yet in its predecessor;-*. In 1873 there were 2284 churches, chapels, and buildings used for punlic worship in the land, and in 1883 there were 3098, an increase of over 60 per cent. Additional accommodation was thus secured for 130,000 people, the growth being proportionately in excess of that of the adult population. This seems to be satisfactory evidence of vigour. Church accommodation is provided by the denominations as follows :— Methodists, 152,1 13; Roman Cr.tholios, 100,393 ; Presbyterians, 92,3(50 ; Church of England, 91.221 ; other Christians. 53,486 ; Jews, 2380. The figures show the Anglican Church to be ail behindhand, but it is due to Bishop Moorhouse to say that during his episcopate there has been a great improvement on the part of this dell nomination. Whereas the average j j increases in churches is nnder 70 per i rr nt. for the decade, the Church of i England late is nearly 100 p.M* cent.. i The good work will doubtless be con- | tillUl.-d. ' Skinny Mrs. — "Wells' Health Re 1 newer, " restores health and vigor ; i cures Dysppesia, Impotence, Debility, 'j At druggists, iv nipthorn-*, Prosser, 1 i it Co., Agents, Christchti'-ch. Jj ONE BOX OF CLAHKE'S B 41 ' PI'.LS is Wicrrtuted to cure :i-. .Mscluirsref : 1: vii the I'rinary Organ?, in eilli-jr sex i (';:rquirud '»»• ciliMtitutioiiiil), (jiavei, aim ' j Pains in the 15;. ck. Guaranty..*.! free ' I from Mercury. !S<>id in iiuxis, 4s. <>; 1 ' euch, by ail Clu-mUts and Patent Medicinf i Vgudoi-j: f-jolc i'ij^nwtois, The Liscoi>jj