ONE THING AND ANOTHER.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 389, 27 April 1880, Page 3

ONE THING AND ANOTHER.

(Collated from our Exchanges.)

A Large Topaz.— In a late number oi' the MineralogicaL Magazine is the his tory of a remarkable gem, called the " Maxwell-Stuart " topaz, which is said to be the largest cut precious stone known. Its weight is 1,475 i) grains or 368 carats 3-9 grains ; sp. gi\, 35685 It is perfectly white and very brillnmt. It was brought from Ceylon many years ago, and has been for a considerable time, in an uncut state, in the possession of Mr Maxwell-Stuart, a collector of gems, after whom it takes its mime. An idea of its size may- be formed by stating that the table is 2£in. in length. It was cut and polished in London, under the supervision of Mr BryceWright, the present owner, the operations occupying twenty-eight days."

Under the heading of "an awful example " an American paper has the following :—A certain man got mad at the editor and stopped his paper. The next week he sold all his corn at four cents below the market price ; then his property was sold for taxes because he didn't read the sheriff's sales ; he lost 10 dollars betting on Mollie McCarthy ten days after Ten Broeck had won the race ; he was arrested and fined 8 dollars for going hunting on Sunday, simply because he didn't know it was Sunday, and he paid 300 dollars for a lot of forged notes that had been advertised two weeks and the public cautioned not to negotiate them. He then paid a big Irishman with a foot like a derrick to kick him all the way to the newspaper office, where he paid four years' subscription in advance, and made the editor sign an agreement to knock him down and rob him if he ever ordered his paper to be stopped agaiu

The Wellington Post, speaking about Native affairs in a late issue says :—We believe that the promise made to Wiremu Kingi, to give him back a large piece of land in recognition of his good conduct on the occasion of the wreck of the Lord Worsley, will be rigidly respected and faithfully carried out. The, Natives according to private information received by us from the district, are quite satisfied and, indeed, greatly pleased at the provision made for them, and show all ' possible cordiality and friendliness to the surveyors, Armed Constabulary, and other Government officers. There certainly seems reason to believe our special correspondent at Hawera was correct in his judgement when he expressed the opinion that the Native difficulty on the West Coast was steadily aud surely " crumbling to pieces." It is earnestly to he hoped, for the sake of the colony, that this may prove to be the case.