MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume X, Issue 1632, 27 November 1885, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

I Perhaps an equall good reason for ignorance on the tender point was given by a woman recently in an Ameifcan court of law. "Now then, madam," said the lawyer to the laclywitness, " w»l! yon please tell U* your age ?" "It is impossible, sir." " Why, madam, impossible to tell ynnr agt*f" "I can only depend on witnesses in regard to the matter, and as I have neve/ asked them to give sworn testimony I cannot swear myself what my age is." " But madam—?" •« It is tine, sir. lam willing to admit that I was present at my birth, but I assure yon I have not the least recollection of the event, and you wnnld not have me speak of anything under oath of which I am personally ignorant" The lawyer did not press the matter further.

There are two live barometers in Sacramento, so it is said, that have proved trustworthy, even wen* artificial instruments have failed. One of them is a cat-fish, which is kept in a water trough. No matter how clear the weather may l*», this fish always, before a storm, makes it a point to swim about with his head below the water and his tail above. When the rain begins to fall he goes out of sight until the weather changes. The other is a couple of frogs nnder the nW of the police office, hut who presage a storm several honrs in advanoe o/tbe haroaaetrical indications

l>y a series of pecnli.irly dis.-or.lart croaks. No matter how clear and bright the night, the police offirer* then make it a point to prepare f . r a storm. »nd the warning has never provMfj ;,, va j n#

A cnrions incident recently occn'T*»d i» the Parade Chmvh. Shonichflfe, England. It was fonnd that the church was l*-Bie«ed by vaiious kinds of birds, principally swallows. F.very effort was made to dislodge them, Hat withont effoi t, and at last some solder* were obli^eil to fire a volley of hlank cartridges, which compVte'y routed them, and the chu«ch b»-in«{ soon \acaled, the service was held.

The last invention fortheprot cMon of theatre andiencen is a "penetrable saf-ty wall,' which has jn* »»eeu patented l.y an E.igin.-er at Kottslmr, Germwiy. The pU» id u> mnke th« interior walls in all parts of the theatre of papier mache, made after a certain method. R U i:h a wall will have the appearance of massive stone ; hut by pressnre on certain parts, where the words are to be painted in luminous letters, '• To Ih* liroke open in vase of fire," access to the exterior corridors are to he obtained!, whence escaue to the. outer air cau be m u!h.

Mr B. Horwits, a well known chess player of the past generation, died suddenly on Angnst 29, in his 80th year. Mr Horwitz bad iv bis time taken part in many matches and tonrnaiiient, when he had as competitors Anderssen, Stanuton, Bo leu, Harwits and LowHiithal. Although a first class player, he will probably principally be remembered as a composer of end gnineg. and bis celebrated collection of chess studies, which h« p^hlijljed iv 1851 in collaboration witbnie la 4» Herr King, has long been out of print Mr Horwitz was np to tlie last ft frequent 'visitor to London che» resorts, where his w«ll known figure will be greatly missed.

Sonir. of the German newspapers were very outspoke .j in tbeir o>>itiuirr noti.es of the lale Prince Frederick

harles. One of them characterised him as a licentious debauchee, who was in a chronic condition of deliriu«n tremens, with frequent murderons ebullitions, daring which he attempted to kill his wife. The Du-hess of Onnaught hi 3 dn tighter, wanted to prosecnte these newspapers for lib-'l, l»nt at the intercession of h«r bnsband and friends she has concluded to let the matter drop.

In a first-dass compartment of tb* 8.10 p.m. Dmiftlin express a testy old gentleman was sitting next to a young fellow who »enipd to l»e in high spirit over something, and wlio Weguilcd the time first by whilsting and then l»y hamming softly to himself. The o'd g»DHeman was evidently annoyed, and became irritable. At last when bis neiglilw bnrst o«t with, " I would I were a liird," the old gentleman couM forbear no longer, and exclaim*.! excitedly, "I wish yon wore, yonnj man. Wonld'n't I wring your neck T

In Denmark the punlican is oblignrt to send a draukea man boinn in a ca>».

Scotland (says the Daily Newt) it overrun, overcrowded, overforested. You are turned off the heather into

the high road, and yon can only have your meals when the haughty laudloi'd thinks fit Though •■xtre»Holy L.beral in politics, Scotland is no to th» tourist, the land of freedom, though it is iudoubtably the land of cakes, .

A machine for shearing sheep is said to )** in successful operation in Victoria. It is made of brass in the shape of a small trowel ; the motion is actuated >>y a small turbine wheel, some t'iree inch* 8 in diameter geared into another wheel, on which is fixed v cutte \ front is a comb, serving as a guard against cutting skin. The steam is conveyed fiom the. Hoil<r • y a tube of mdiaruMier, whii b is double, hiving one iastle the oilier. The inner one h the injection, at <f the space Mween the two is the ejection. The machine m used in the same fashion as the shears bnt cuts, it is stated, much quicker and fvr cleaner, without the least danger of it jiiiiing the fleece or the sheep.

Mr Burrow, the editor of the Son' h Australian Times, has been sentence! to six months' imprisonment without bard labor, for libelling a Mr Tomkinson.

An Australian cricketer Writerwyo: _ "It is not to be wondered at that W. G. Grace is referred to by E:>gh Jt cri. ketine journals as " the grand old man." Hh has >>een playing first class cricket no*r for 21 years consecutively, and the latest exploits to hand by last mail, are worthy of his ve-y l»est seasons. Playing for Gloucestershire against Middlesex, on the 24 f h and following days of Aujjnst, he went in first on the morrning cf the fiist day, and when the innings closed ' about Innch time the Hay followirg, ' was not ont at 221 . The G!once*t»*rshire total was 318, just sufficient to secure a one innings victory, thanks to W. G. Grace's bowling, Ins figures leing 6 for 45 and 5 for 75. Thiee days before this wonderful pet ft rniancr, W. G. Grace had made 134 against Snrrey, without giving the semblance of a chance. For twenty years he has been th»* )«♦»** l >"»t«ro»n in the world, and I should only be delighted to hear of his revisiting Australia next season with any U*.ib that may come."

A Frenchman has inverse.? a rev >1« vor which, though so small a« to he conveniently carried in the vest-pock*!, can br fifed ten time*witbontre aiding and with greater ease and crrtair ty than tliosH of the old pattern. The whole length of the weapon is four inch**, which can be reduced to t*o and five rights by unscrewing ih» barrel. ' *

Pi^sp?etiii£ the number of Natives iv the Kin* country, MvUimwii, surveyor in his report say's tliat the estiuiAte he. m tie previously of the Kn\« «ounfry {In, 4030) is too high. He contimvs a-s follows:— "Durins? <> ul ' last 12 imnths' opemtio'is I have visi^-d very n-uly all the SHttlements in the country, and was everywhere struck with the paucity of impnlition. I <lo not think, I saw in all 1 500 Natives, ini-i.vlin* m^n, woiiph, and children. Bit the Maoris lining «lm ( )-«t constantly o?j thp move, aid a lrn^e mittiher o: tli^m jjfnerally absent from tliei settlements, attending meetings, &c, it wnild not be gafe toestimite the \xt\Hiktion from the number one meets in travelling thron h the district, T y cultivate very little— merely af<w acres in small patches around their settlements. Their cultivations a-fl encloanresand the settlementsgenerally have a neglected appearen --e, *■ ■■ I» • meets everywliere with strong proofs that the. population is v**»-v <»r 1 1 1 1 . .

or in any way connected with them or t.h»«ir nttme, are imitations or counterfeits. Beware of them. Touch none of them.

dfi<Mvastn». M >«t of the younger men work on the railway and rmvl* under the Pnblic Works Department, or go away to riisj kauri Sjnm in Hanraki and elsewhere, neglecting their cultivations and lettlem^nts, where only tb« old ppopl« remain

As a rule (says an English paper) it rpq-iirfs very little to achieve notoriety nowadays, but that little must hp incisive, for otherwise no oiih ha* time to wonder at a n^'ib w'* p«rforinances. This, conMned with i.'i»* fact that the amusement his grown ratli^r sfale, must be the reason tha no attention is being ♦paid to " Br>en':pr's8 r >en':pr's Sfrf-at walk," beyond two or three lin^s in the Sportsriiau e*ah morning. Spencer is an oM man, who has nearly compleb-d man's alloH^' term of ypars, and some Mine ai/o h" set himsplf the task of walking? 6000 tnilfs asjainst time. For nearly two and a half months lia* the veteran bepn plodding on, sometimes on the track, more often on th« road, never coverinor l^ss thin 50 mil** a day, and ofVn more. He has now completed 42^0 miles, and shows no si^n of givinsf in. Of course tin* man is tni«i«»uidpd, and one. shndiiers to think of t?ie shite of his mind at the conclusion of his task: but eveiianirailftiHtirance is entitled to soihh recoj;nifion in a finM where many inferior performances havn been crowned with lanrfl. But '>y th»* titn« he has finished Spencer ought to be old •enonzh to know better.

A Gemivi jnT^ft, wSo wxs inns*»n<u»ly •st,a«t, having trie«l mv«y ant.i fat remedies to reduce hi* weight without any satisfactory result, finally we.ut f.o Boni« hot springs, and urn h to liis joy lost considerable adiuos« ; issne, returning home in a mint hanpv frara^ of mind. H« thoiijflit and taikpH of •nothing else exc«pt ht« lo^s of fl *3li, He w«nt to raarkst o'»e m>»Miin«j TPcntlv, and said to the ••ntchcr, 41 Out m? off twonty pi'uvl* of pivk.'' Th« rpqn^^t was co-npli^d with. The judge looked at the m^\t for s.iin" time, and then walkwl (iff. "Shall I sond the meat to your Imiise, Hen-Bii-hter V a«k»*d the bntolifr. -Oh ! no," was th« rwply, " I don't want it. I hay« fallen off just twenty pound*, and I only wanted to see how it looked."

On the lower ridge of the Japanese Island of Sado is a fine growth of pine trees, the home of the crows innumerable. The nnmber is remark ible, even in this land of the crows. In the morning a great whirring of wiu<r«, discordant cries, and a black clond of these birds flying over the city, tell that they are off on a foraging expedition, no one knows whither. In the ear'y evening, by the same token, their return is proclaimed. They Seem to move in organised companies and almost military style, * " many wintered crow," at the head of each battalion, leads the changing rookery home." In appearance th^y resmMe the raven more than the common crow They are not an unmitigated nuisance, as they are good scavengers. But still there, h suoh an army of them, the often arises : On what do they snbsist? It is a w<-ll k-iown f»ct, however, that they are canni'»alistii- i»> their tendencies, the si«k and f^el.le ones lieing devoured l»y the strong. — Oorr. Bural Home.

Of the hundred snsnepfs who were in Kilmainham Gaol, D iMin. wit.h Mr Parnall three, have lieen h-itt^'d, seven are dead, ten have lie«n sent to p^nal servitude /or life, and car conductors and drivers in Chicago, Brooklyn, and New York. All of whom had good businesses or profusions, but had to leave Ireland in consequence of the severity of the Crimes Act.

A Japanese inventor has jnst made from seaweed a o-ip»r trans urent enough to be substituted for window glass.