MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1517, 4 March 1885, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

General Grant, hat written a letter declaring he will Dot accept a pension, and thers is now talk of patting him on tli* retired list with the rank apd full pay for lif« of a General of thn army, from the date of the close of bis Presidential services.

By the way (says the anthor of '•Sydney Gossip "iv th* Australasian), a soit of " jck'O seiious" turn wan given to the inquest on the Cootammidra mil w.i y accident by that intercolonial Ik>ss betting loan, Joe Thompsou. H» with a nnmber of bookmakers, were passengers in the train, and thus he descrioed the pecuniary losses : — " I had a £10 note, 10 £5 notes, and a lot of cheques in my trousers pocket when the smash came, but when I struck th« shore, aiH asked Harry Giles to feel in my pockets for tlw * stuff,' he found ' nix.' '' One might find ivor« elegant language tlmn Joe's whereby to depict his losses, but the Doric simplicity ot' Joe's diction is more pathetic than any possible word-painting.

A telegram from St Louis (Mo.> dated January 4, says : — " Never iv the history of St Louis hay« the citizens of the city Wen confronted with tb« problem which now stares them in th« face. The commercial crashes of th« last six months, followed by the closing rlowu of the principal manufactories, have thrown about 20,000 men ont of employment Of thi3 number it is estimated that 8,000 aro to-day entirely destitute and the problem of furnishing food and clothing for this army is now agitating the municipal department* and tliH vtvions ci. ante lie or^avis^tion*. The Litter a totally . . ,i ior tii'- wj. L cutout. Ttl^l 7 * i:;.:-: s.-, ijj^-.'.J :. o ;.: aua day wi.h *

thousands of poor helpless creatures actually starving and begging for bread. The police stations are besieged lor shelter, and every night for two Weeks past have accommodated an aggregate of 2.000 men. Appeal after appeal has been made to the public, and the result ifl that a great deal has been contributed, but not half enough to stem the stream of poverty that is flowing through the streets of the city. Police stations have been made gener.il distribution points for supplies. Every morning, when the thermometer is often at zero, a pathetic picture is presented at the stations. From all points of the compass the starved, ragged, and abandoned swarm, begging for a day's supplies. Flour, bread, and clothing are given out, and they retreatto the "hovels, were they remain until the next morning. Every day the ranks of the destitute are increased, until the army becomes so Urge that a few enterprising citizens have taken the problem in hand and are now end.-a vonring to successfully solve it. lhe Sanitary \id Association wasorganned. The scheme of this organisation 19 to col'-ct €3 from the property ovv.ers and' tenants of every city, and rl,-,, ! use the money in giving e.nploym.-..[ to the destitute. Tiie employment will consist in thoroughly cleaning t.e streets and sewers, and bettering the sfinit-iry condition of the city. Fitty thousand dollars is the sum hoped to be raised. Half of the a-nonnt is already in the hands of the Committee, and it is probable that thousands of unemployed laborer* will be put to work soon St Louis, which claims to be one of the first manufacturing cities, is sorely stricken by the depression now prevalent in business circles, if the scheme above outlined miscarry, lives will only j be saved by legislation."

" The entailed estates in Scotland to which thp present Duke of Bncclencli snrceedfd, extend,"' says Truth, "to upwards of 45 3,000 acres, and include the raaijniiiueiit seats of Bow MM, BramUnrij? Cdstle, and Dalkeith Palace. The present annual rental is about £170,000, which is at If ant 20 per cent less than the return of ten years a*o. The Duke also cones into the Brjuvhton estates in North Hants, near Keltering, and he gets a property in Warwickshire, near Rugby, the two being new wortli about L2B, 000 a year. The Duke's piers at Graton brinaf in L 10.003 a years ; his minerals ami quarrwsai-« worth nearly as much, and ha owns valuable ui-bm pmpwty in Midlothian. The Duke will receive ab™t L 503.000 from Ins father's personal estate. His income, therefor- will «m about L 270,00.», on ■which pittinco even a duke cau live handsomely. On the nisjht of January 1 (says the Sydney Town and Country ami Jour nal) a curious case of horn Lide occurred. A • number of navvies working on the P*»at Ferry road, on the N<?w<m«tle railway line, were noticed robbing the orchard of Mr Thomas Foster. That gentleman at once rushed out, and threw a stone at one of the supposed robbers. The missile struck one of the men behind the ear. The man staggered, and when he was picked up it was found that he was flead. Mr Foster gave himself into the custody of the police. At 'thrf ■coroner's inquest Mr Foster said he would n»t have thrown the ston», which weighed about half a pound, at the men if he thought it would have hurt either of the man ; but tint 41 they had too much foot for him,"' and as he was constantly losing his fruit, which was th« only support of his family he wanted to frighten th«m. The doctor's evidence having been heard, a verdict of manslaughter wa « returned against the accus-d, who was comiuitwl for trial. Btil was allowed. Great sympathy is felt with the accused, vf!jo is a q'liet, h ird working man, and a general favourite.

A corroHpondent writes from Colling--wood as follows : — " On Saturday list news was brought to thn township from ,th«* Northern Gold Mining L^fisp, Wf.st WanifaMiii, that Mr Alex WilV ie had proved a veil defined reef one foot thi«-k over a distance of 50 foet o.i the. B'irfice. Odp p^nnd fin* ounces of stone, in which no gold co'ild I>p geen wit!l a gaS% ij:ive one grain simply hy pounding. Gold can he seen freely throughout most of the stone, wliieh is expected to average at least 2 ounces to the ton. In tho course of a few days 4 or 5 tons of unpicked stone from the surfm-e will be taken to the Go!d.-n Ritl^e P> tttery so as to give it a proper tost. Mr Wilkie La 3 had great faith in the ground, which lies about two milt* from the Golden RHjre and on the Mine line of country, nnd ha* for th«* list three yearn or so Keen prospecting nlinogt entirely at his own expense. Thf? find i 3 therefore most satisfactory buth to him.mjlf and to the distuct."

lliv. Dr Macfayden, told a story at a tc npeiance meeting i > 1 (JUsjrow. Th« iu^mb^r3 of th" Muthrdist church ■ ' having m^t to consider whether the building should he repaired or not, the most wealthy man in their scM«ty said he won Id give £5. As he took his s^at a pi«*c« of piaster from the roof fell on liis h^ad, and heros^aMdiutim iN-d f hat h« meant to have Suid hv. would £50, w!ifreupo!i an eMthmiiistic <nona b.^r ctir<d out, " L).d, hit him again." The body of Miss G. CliMr-y, the youny actress w.io dud in Baitimo >• ! November 10, wis etc n <.ts ' at, t!nLancaster Cr«'ui!itofium T!ie l»oiy • arrived at noon, b:tt owtir^ ti tijG , afm-'p'i'Te t!ia iiec ssiry teiiiui'ra^i o , of t'i« f;ii" ; i*Cf '^va-s ii')l ■■eiCit--d '*.)'i! : this ••vejiin'i. Tii- on'y \>fi-4 > i«. ..-'-, -i, \ were B"vnml f. !e;ids fv) »i .'}<!■, ;i • J . | The (>n\y Cf-rf-nony -v.-ia j» •: f:> • i -\ i>> ! J N. Giirdinr, of B.ilti-iioiv, >v i.iv... : |h« poem, " I still live." M.ss Ci i «-.«y ♦i>s3)irj3 btjiittv;r in c-»*in t o . a..l

anxiously awaited the completion of

the Lancaster Crematorium, in which she wished her body to be burned. Her wishes have been respected to the letter.

I I went the other day to see the truth toys at Limmer's Hotel. Every year the propritor of truth gives a priza for the most most ingenious toy, constructed by one of his readers. An iniisimise number of toys are always sent in ; they are first exhibited and then distributed among th« children jin the various London hospitals. This year, in addition to an enormous collection of toys, Truth had received from a benevolent gentleman 8000 new sixpences for distribution with j the dolls, ect, while a lady had sent the money to purchase several large musical boxes. As for the to* a they i included every variety, from dolls and wooden soldiers to rocking horses. One of the most remarkable whs a large model representing a watt-ring place at the height of the season ;on these sands was placed a motly crowd of children-, nurses, mini mas. mishers, bathers, niggers, donkey-men, arid all sorts of interesting fig^nvs. Another very cever toy was an ingenious model of two artillerymen, seated on a gnu car riag**. In my opinion th*- pettiest thing in the show was a realisation in miniature of the cottage marie of cakes in Grimm's fairy tale of " Hansel and Grethel." Thesnow coverinirthe ground was sugar icing, with a lovely layer of brown cake beneath. The chimneys were layers of chocolate. The fron t was made of rows of maccaroons, large round pink sweets and chocolate honbons, and in the doorway stood a witchlike old woman, who came out, as all readers of Grimm remember, to ask who was eating pieces out of the roof of her house. Another very amusins toy was a model of Robinson Crusoe's hnt.

The ketch Activity, which has arrived at Sydney from a cruise among the New Hebrides group, reports that at all t!ie places ton. -lied at the natives were found to b* very friendly, but there was great excitement among them with regard t» the expected annexation of the islands by the French. Both Captain Oliver and the only passenger, Stephen Vale, state that at every place the vessel called at the natives were strongly adverse to the French having anything like authority over diem, and at Tanna, they were evidently determined that, so far as in them lay, the French', should not have dominion. They were very anxious to know whether the island;) were going to be annexed by the English. They had been informed that the French were going to take possession of he islands in April next. They stated that if the French attempted to carry stioh a proposal imo effect they would kili all the French, or the French should kill them, l»efore thty would permit it.

A Hebrew wlio gave evidence in a London breach of promise case announced that, while on ordinary days he was % shoemaker, he was on Mniday a marriage broker between the Jews and Jewesses of the east end of London.

" Rouott on rats". — Clears out rats, mice, roaches, flies, ants, bed-busfs, beetles, insects, skunks, jack-rabbits, gophers. Druggists. Kemptliorne Prosser & Co., Agents Clnistchurch.