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Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 999, 19 July 1883, Page 3

The 6rst snow seen in Rome in 13 years fell recently. Pere Hyacinths will lecture in America this summer, Paris consumes an average of 205 horses a week. They are killed by electricity. The last new boat of the Cunard line, the Auravia, is 7,600 tons, and 10,000 horse power. In 1881 the lunatics in England would have peopled two towns as large as Bath and Torquay. Several districts in Switzerland are becoming depopulated by the emigration to the United States. During the last 30 years the Californian quicksilvermineshas produced 100,222,267 pounds, of which 67,397,800 pounds were exported. California' produces one-half of all the quicksilver in use throughout the world. Mansard is frightfully dry reading nowadays, remarks the Timaru Herald, but we meet with some comical bits in it sometimes. In the debate on Mr Beetham’s motion about the colonies being represented in the House of Commons, the other day, Mr M. W. Green gravely informed the House that <( he had an impression that the British Empire has a great future before it. ” After this, we should say, the British Empire may cheer upend fepl pretty jolly. Some people have a notion that the,British Empire has seen its best days, and is doomed before 1 lopg j,o share the fate of the Assyrian, the Persian, the Roman and other Empires

which made a noise in the world in their day, but came to smash in time. We confers ve never were able to discover what this opinion was founded on ; but still, it ■ mushes us a little uncomfortable to hear it ■o often expressed. After Mr M. W. Green’s announcement, however, we shall make our mind easy. Mr Green does not rashly commit [himself to a positive prediction ; but it is satisfactory to know that ,be has “an impression” that the British Empire has a great future before it. The Chronicle says—lt has been a too prevalent practice, not only in Wanganui ! but in every other town in New Zealand, for the more indigent kind of insolvent debtors to go through the Court on the cheap and nasty principle. Mr L. L. Levy enjoyed an extensive professional business of this nature, and was the guide, philosopher, and friend (always for a consideration) of no. end of unfortunate debtors, who were unable or unwilling to employ a lawyer. We do not exactly know upon whom the mantle of L. L. Levy has descended, but many debtors still file their schedules without the assistance of lawful practitioners, and with the risk of finding the proceedings all null and void when they go up for their discharge. We heard yesterday of a remarkable affidavit prepared by one ef the bush lawyers whose handiwork is very familiar at the Court, and sworn to by a debtor before a Justice of the Peace. 1 his affidavit contained a statement by the debtor that he had posted to his creditors a notice of the time and place of his first meeting, tne fact being that, at the time this veracious affidavit was sworn, the declaration of ' insolvency had not even been filed, and ' of course ho first meeting had been fixed. This piece of business borders perilously ‘ hear to perjury, and should be a lesson to ' debtors and their unprofessional idvisers to be careful, or they may be sent up to keep Mir Levy company.