MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 765, 4 October 1886, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

. « All sorts of challenges have been thrown oat of late days among the large array of professional runners now knocking about throughout the colony of N.BW., although it was commonly heard that this one could be backed against that one for £1000, and vice versa, nothing ever came of it. The latest talk has been the canvasssing of the relative merits of Maloue and Samuels, who won the last Botany Handicap, and the supporters of the latter express their willingness to match him against any man in the colonies for £500 over 150 yards ; but as the- opposite party will not agree to anything under 200 yards, a match is not likely to be ratified. Samuels is certainly a wonderful runner, and not* withstanding that he sets all the modern rules of training at defiance, and indulges in the fragrant weed and other 11 luxuries " while undergoing his pre* paration, is in the opinion of every good judges the fastest runner ever seen in Australia. Melbourne streets are, like the streets of all other cities, in a constant state of eruption. City engineers are worse than hidden volcanic fires. Between the tramways, the wood-paving, and extending the footpaths, the principal streets of the city have been like a miniatnre rush for the past few months. Diggings have been going on in all directions. Wood paving is being laid down in the busiest part of Collins, Bourke, Swanston, and Elizabeth streets. Red gum blocks are used. They have been down in Flinders street, where the very heaviest traffic exists, and in 15 years have worn less than the eighth of an inch. Their greatest fault for roadway purposes is that they are so slippery after a slight rainfall. When thoroughly wet they are not so bad, but a shower brings the horses to their knees in all directions. The payments, not of asphalt, but flags, are being extended in the centre of the city to eighteen feet. This is a great convenience, a.id Bourke street on a Saturday night now presents a wonderfully animated spectable with its wide footways overflowing with a moving throng. The Irish policy of Mr Gladstone has been argued and considered in Chancery. The late Colonel Maberly, by his will in 1876, left his property to hie brother General Mabstly, and invested in Irish freehold land. Attached to this frill was the following memorandum, dated May 1881 : " I beg my executors to tie in no hurry in making any investment in land till they can thoroughly appreciate the effect of Mr Gladstone's confiscating measures. In spite of everything, I think land in Ireland will maintain its present value, as there is no country that can compete with it in its staple productions of oats, roots, and cattle." Sir Arthur Watson, Q.C., and Mr Hornell, who appeared for all parties, asked Vice-Chancellor Bacon to allow the trustees to keep the securities as they were, and not to invest the money in Irish land. The asrent for Colonel Maherly's Irish property made a strong affidavit against any further investment, and a Tipperary land agent stated in his affidavit that to invest money in land in Ireland at the present time "i« tantamount to throwing^ it away." Vice-chancellor Bacon said that after hearing the evidence he considered it would be most imprudent and improper to invest a shilling of the money in Irish land at present. The trustees must wait for a suitable opportunity. Lady journalist in London must have a fine time indeed if the following ad" vertisement in the London 'Times' is a sample of the duties required of them :— Lady of position (titled preferred) is offered an opportunity of earning from £500 to £1000 a year in a pleasant manner, payable weekly, monthly, or as may be arranged. Occnpation in connection with -class journalism such as any lady may under* take without social inconvenience and chiefly out of doors. Private oarriage provided if she haw not one of her own. The lady should he young and clever. Post permanent to a suitable applicant. Numerous social advantages in addition to the income. Acordinff to ft special cable message in the Sydney Evening News, there seems to be ft very general feeling among the members of the House of Common* to accept the offer of the New South WaJrt anfbotities to visit the colony on the occasion of the centennial. A definite reply will not, however, be sent until the answer of the members of the Royal British Association has been received. The Westport Evening «sr has received the following letter from Mr W. R. Bathbury, dated to Wyndham, August 9th :— You will doubtlew be surprised at getting this from me at «eh ft short time after the hist; but tNfitfH here treat sixes and sevensi Thtl«|h bo far is a complete failure, Not mo^| than 900 b«. have come down altogether and at the present there are not m%re than twelve parties on the field who are getting anything at, all. Men are coming down every day and selling everything they have p)l to get money enough to get away. During the lint three weeks fully 400 have left here by steamer and sailing craft, mostly jping to Port Darwin, distant about |50 miles, where a railway is abool to be started. All the tradespftOfie here are looking very glum, as there is absolutely nothing doing. Ftoe horses, as good fts you would see

in day's travel, are selling from £6 to £25, with all fittings complete ; new collars, 12s 6d each drays and, spring carte, £10 to £14 10s. Nothing but pack horses can at present get to the field. About 70 miles from here * splendidly equipped dray, with tea horses, lies completely smashed up, sod for over 150 miles you can get enough firewood to last for a year from tM drays that are smashed along the road. Everyone is returning with the same cry 'Don't go up! There is no seam or defined lead ; it is only a patch here and there. I have myself only seen sos. Prospectors are out in all directions, from 40 to 100 miles from the field, but up to the present without success. There is only about four tons of feed on the ground to supply about 800 men, and as yet there are no police there. Those who were supposed to have gone up have not yet | made a start The Government Resident here is only devoting the lime to whisky instead of work A little schooner from Auckland, called the Griffin, arrived here last night, three months out, all well Just fancy! When the wet season sets in here everything will be flooded, and nobody will be able to get up to the field. Advise everyone who thinks of coming not to do so until they receive further news, as suoh a course would be absolute folly at present. Most of the people here are from New Zealand." One of the Australian teams of volunteers which took part in shooting at Wimbledon, writing to the Hobftrt Mercury, says: — "The system of management in every department it perfect, and I have been making all inquries about the working. Amongst the 3000 or 4000 competitors there it never a hitch or cross word. Every* one is quiet and civil and obliging. The system of marking is perfect, ana I can now see how we could have 10 or 12 targets on the Sandy Bay range, with moving men, and, if nqtrired, running deer, and to have men firing at 600 yds, 600 yds, and 200 yds at the same time. There are many ways of putting up targets, and the system si Wimbledon seems perfect. Yonhanßv ever bear of ft shot being challenged, and if it is the challenger invariably loses. The team on comparing notes found the elevation varied from Bdeg. to 9deg., and from morning kill evening it sometimes varies sdeg. or more; A remarkable scene wae witnessed in Dublin over the depftrture of Lord and Lady Aberdeen. The popolftos and the municipal authorities were ft* one in conveying to the outgoing Lord lieutenant expressions of regret at lib departure, ad 4of giatitnde at the kindly, unostentatious way in which he bad identified himself with the best interests of the Irish people. There has been no such testimony borne before to the sway of any Viceroy of Ireland since thin Union. It is not denied that it was emphatically a Home Rule demonstration. That, indeed* was the object of it ; bat it was surely a good augury for kindly relations with the Irish, under the conditions which they demand, that they should thus have honoured the Queen's representative, and that as Lord and Lftdy Aberdeen past out of sight on the steamer it was to the music of bands playing "Come back to Erin." The departure was preceded by a procession through the streets, and everywhere along the route their Excellencies were enthusiastically cheered. At the station the Lord Mayor steted that the demonstration was unparalleled in AngloIrish ftiiftftls, and he besought t ord AberftHW to assure her Majesty, if he would not thereby be exceeding his rights, that the scene he had witnessed in the streets of Dublin "would be as nothing compared with the widespread spirit of rejoicing which would take place on the happy day when the Queen in person came among her Irish subjects to restore to them theirancient constitutional rightof self government and reopen the door of their Parliament in College Green." In bis response, Lord Aberdeen said it would be his " first duty and privilege " toconvey to Her Majesty the substance of the observations addressed to him.