SCISSORS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 165, 15 February 1878, Page 3

SCISSORS.

A quaint civic custom, annually observed on Allhallows Eve, was gone through (says the London Times of 2nd November), at the office of Sir Fredrick Pollock, the Queen's Remembrance, in Chancery-lane. It referred to the appearance of the late Sheriffs to account, and as to rent services due to the Crown to be rendered on behalf of the Corperation of the City of London. The Secondary (Mr De Jersey), the City Solicitor (Mr T. J. Nelson), nnd Mr Forrar, the late Under-sheriff, attended on behalf of the City. The. warrants .having been filed and recorded, this proclamation was made: —'* Tenants and occuyiers of a piece of waste ground called the Mmtb, in the county Salop, come forth and do The City Solicitor then came forward and cut one fagot with a another with a billhook. Then Came another proclamation:-—" Tenants and occupiers of acertain.tenement called." The Forge,' in the parish of St. Clement's . Danes, in the County of Middlesex, come forth and do your service." The City Solicitor upon that advanced and counted six horseshoes and filnales, the Queen's Remembrancer saying when he had finished, " Good number." With this the ceremony came to a close. This is one of the three remaining " tenures by grand serjeantry," the other two being a flag to the Queen for the Duke of Malborough on .the anniversary of the battle of Blenheim, and the other from the Duke of Wellington for Straithfieldsaye on the anniversary of Waterloo.

An Australian journal tells the following stpry :—-A number of gentlemen parrot-fanciers agreed to meet in twelve months' time, and exhibit parrots for a prize, to be awarded to the bird whose talking qualities were the most meritorious. On the day appointed all the gentlemen attended, bringing their birds, with the exception of one, who excused himself for not producing his bird as a competitor on the ground that it was such a stupid beast. This excuse was not however, admitted, and the gentleman at once returned for his bird, which he soon produced, and on setting it down among the others, it looked round with a seeming stare of astonishment, and audibly ejaculated, " Oh My ! what a lot of parrots." Amid roars of laughter the prise was xmanimously awarded to the " stupid beast."

When Verdi's " Macbeth " was given for the .first time in Dublin, the long symphony, preceding the sleep-walking scene did not altogether please the galleries. The theatre was darkened— everything looked gloomy and mysterious—the music being to match. The curtain rose, and the nurse and doctor were discovered seated at the door of Lady Macbeth's chamber, a bottle of physic and a candle being on the fable that was between them. Viadot (who was playing Lady Macbeth) was waited for in the most profound silence—a silence which was broken by a voice from the gallery crying out," Hurry, now, Mr Lavey, tell us, is it a boy or a girl ?" The inquiry nearly destroyed the effect of the whole scene by the commotion it created. — Once a Week.

Something like an old servant! The English Standard of Dec. 10th records the death of one Ann Robbins, at the age of 100 years and eleven months, and adds " she was housekeeper since 1807 in the family of the late Henry Merttins Bird, Esq., of Barton House, Barton-on-the-Heath."— Robbins. — Dec. 3, at Barton-on-the-Heath, Ann ( Nanny ) Robbins, housekeeper in 1807 to the late Henry Merttins Bird, Esq., of Barton House, aged 100 years and eleven months.

My child, what is an erring man ?" said a clergyman at a board school examination in Aberdeen to the brightest pupil. " The fishmonger, sir," was the reply.

A correspondent of the Spectator writes :~*A story is going about which ought to be true* if it is not; but I have been assuredtbyS.fi-iond in holy orders that it may be impended on. Two persons—a materialistic lecturer and a city missionary—recently met before a first-class audience to discuss the question of responsibility. The atomic philosopher went in first, and showed that the popular religious notion of judgment to come for deeds done in the body was inconsistent with any notion that can be formed of judicial righteousness. The first principle of justice is not to punish one person for the fault of another. But, said the lecturer, science has proved beyond doubt that at the end of a few years not a particle in my body or brain remains ; every atom has passed away, and the new matter forms a new man, who cannot be held accountable for the conduct of another. The audience seemed as enchanted as that at Belfast. Then rose the cijfcjr missionary, whose wits must have tsen lively, and said:—• " Ladies and gentlemen,—lt is a matter of regret to me that I have to engage in a discussion with ja man of questionable character—with one, in fact, who is living with a woman to whom he is not married." Up rose in wrath, again, the materialist. " Sir, this is shameful, and I repudiate your insolent attack on my character. I defy you to substantiate your charge. I was married to my wife 20 years ago, and we have lived happy together ever since. This is a mere attempt at evading the force of my argument." "On the contrary," replied the city missionary, " I reaffirm my charge. You were never married to the person with whom you are living. Twenty years ago two other people may have gone to church bearing your names, but there is not one atom in your bodies remaining of those which were then married. It follows inevitably that you are living in concubinage, unless you will admit that you are the same man who was married tw3nty years since ?" The philosopher was compelled, amidst great cheering, to allow that somehow or other, credit and discredit for past actions must be granted even by materialists. If the Khedive of Egypt can only turn his property in the Land of Midian to good account, he may yet be able to pay all his creditors in full and build himself more yachts and palaces. In the early part of this year it was reported that Captain Burton, of H. B. M.'s Consular Service, the celebrated traveller and Orientalist, had gone to the Land of Midian, lying to the southeast of the Gulf of Akaba, in the Red Sea, and found the country, believed to be the original Ophir, rich in gold, silver, copper, and other metals. He brought back specimens of the rock, and analyses of these by competent chymists show that Captain Burton's is indeed a " great find." So satisfied is the Khedive, that he has requested Captain Burton to thoroughly explore the land of Midian, and he is now in Egypt preparing another expedition, determined to investigate thoroughly that Biblical country to which he only got a superficial idea in his twenty-day visit last spring. Concerning the copper he has no doubt whatever, and reports that the hills which contain it are only ten miles from the Coast. Silver he also found in the same range. But the gold he brought back was taken from the beds of torrents that came down from mountains away in the interior. It was in sufficient. abundance to make him eager to follow up the torrents to their source, but time did not allow of further travel. His intention now is to penetrate to these " golden hills," and thoroughly satisfy himself as to their nature and capacities. He estimates the distance under twenty days' march. The Khedive has received several offers of a royalty from persons anxious to work the minerals, but with prudence he prefers to keep himself free until he knows the full extent of the wealth of the country.— Court Circular.