MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume XI, Issue 1792, 8 December 1886, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

♦ "Atticus," in the Melbourne Leader, writes : — It may be natunl that op country shires and borough councils should wish to send deputations to Mcl bourne about the first week in November — that the captains of men-of-war on the Australian station should discover the necessity of having their ships overhauled at Williamston about the same time — and that business men all over the country should take the opportunity of running down to make purchases when there is the greatest difficulty in getting comfortable accotuodation — but why do the Presbyterian General AsseWlmy fix on Cup day for comment ciug their proceedings? I put this qnea tion to a popular minister who has charge of a squatting district, and there was a twinkle in his eye as he replied. ''No one suspects us of a hankering after the enjoyments of the raca course, but we have elders who own horses and know horsey men.

Prevention is better than cure. We sit up on Cup day so that we can keep < our eye on our elders ?" | In the Christchurch Police Court last week Mr Stringer applied to Mr Beetham, R.M., on t>elialf of the men Liitdon and Oould, who were convicted under the Gamin? and Lotteries Act, that the instilments of "aming (a roulette tables, &c ) might l»e returned to them. He urged that the case with these men was cliff-rent from that of a man who committed a wilful breach of the act, inasmuch as other Magistrates had decided that their proceedings were legalised l>y the Amending Act. Mr Beetham considered that the dis» cretion in the matter lay with the police, but he addfd that if it were, in his power he incl!n<*il to order there turn of the instruments. The accused must understand, however, that if t'aey nsed them ajjain in this district heavy penalties would follow ; l>ut Mr Beetham added, "If they go to other paces they may meet with a more sensible Magistrate than 1 am, and in i v go on scrooping more pools" His Worship agreed with Mr Strini^r that if the police did not "forthwith" destroy such things when the seizure wan made, there was no ri^ht to destroy "thtliftolnmiyg^lW ■ *'&^**ktrr?-*& Prince Meltssano, a member of one of the best Neapolitan families, 40 years of age, committed suicide in Paris on Tuesday, October 7, on returning from his clum, where he had seen his name posted up as a defaulter The Paris correspondent of the ' Times' says, with regard to hi 3 cms* : — " Ths Paris clul»s, wluse. chief revenue is derived from th^ir tax o:i gambling and gamblers, have adopted a rule, which strikes at the honor of i^ratilers, inasmuch as the tribunals do not recognise garuMin^ fleets. When a player dees not m.^* his obligations in the time allow d hint by his creditor his name his written on a piece of white paper and pasted on a mirror. The defaulter is thus debarred from taking bs seat at any gaming table untilthedU]naliacation ceases. Prince Melissauo some time ago lost £60, for the payment of which small sum he had asked and obtained lime. H > hud lost at the cln!> more than £20,000 within two or three years, and often applied for time, and m;»de pa\m»nt at the date premised. His creditor, on this as on previous occasions had placed the del it en carte, as it is called ; this is to say, had deposited in the hands of the proper official a enrd stating that the Prince was to pay £60 on Tuesday. The time having expired without the amount being paid, the official published the fact. Prince Velissano went to the club in the afternoon, when he noticed his name stuck np against the mirror. He went closh to the glass, looked at it, and then, without saying a word, took np his hat and went home. There he placed a loaded levolver against his right temple, discharged it, and fell dead. Morn tlmn six years ago lie had spf ni his last farthing, yet since then he had lived iv this distrustful yet credulous Paris, like a man worth LI 5,000 or L 20,000 a year, wih. tffc doing anything rendering him amenable to tbe tribunals."