General Intelligence.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 174, 9 November 1877, Page 6

General Intelligence.

The prisoners in Pentridge Goal have subscribed L4O, out of their pVison earnings, to the Famine Belief Fund. The Couktown Courier announces the formation of a Chinese band of bnshr?anging desperadoes, whc are stickingup and robbing* in true old orthodox style. A gigantic blnck birch tree was felled the other day by a surveyors' party at Slatey creek, near Ahaura. ifc is sf-.ited to have measured 57 feet in circumference at the butt. A child named Thomas [Javhow, three years old, foil into a pot of boiling water, at Sentry Hill, near i\'ew Plymouth, and died shortly after from the effects of the scalds. Mr Colemnn Philips, who established some claim, to he considered the go* originator with Sir Julius Yogel of ihe "•reat South Sea Island scheme o\' 1875, is ahout to become a station-holder at W airar:t pa. The King natives appear to be jubilant over the defeat of the late Ministry, fcrora r l's\upo the correspondent of the Post telegraphs that "special prayers for Sir George Grey have been introduced by the natives." According ro Mr Howon, there are 30 counties, 18 in each island, in which the whole of the provi.-ions of the Counties Act, 1876, are in force. There are, therefore, including the three counties in each island exempted by the Act from its operations, 14 counties in the North Fsland and 13 in the South in which the permissive portion of the Act is in operation. Accoding to the Gardener's Magazine, a new method of preserving flowers has been successfully adopted by Dr \li( j r<j-ups. Each flower field by the extremity of the, st.ulk, is plung-ed into a vessel of purafio, quickly withdrawn, and twirled rapidly between the finger and thumb, so as to shake of the superflrous oil. It. is stated that bouquets of flowers thus treated have been kept for. more than a ye,ir without losing their shape or colon is. A strange accident, snvs the Southland News, occurred on Thursday evening- at the house of Air George Maitl:ind. One of his children, it appears, had 'been playing- on the pianoforte, ami left tho instrument with a cat/die burning" upon it. By pome means the flames communicated wifh tlie front of the piano, and by the time the smoke arising 1 from burning- attracted attention the, instrument was so far destroyed as to be rendered utterly useless. Fortunatel}' the discovery wa< made in time to pruveut more serious results The " Animal World " of September. 1876, says: — The following plan has proved successful in curing- a dog- of worrvins* sheep. Take the dog to a butcher's, set him on to a sheep just killed nnd still warm ,• let him attack and pull about his prey, at rhe same time slip into his month a handful of wool well steeped in (rain oil ; the, wool sticks about the dog's mouth —he cannot clear it away; the oil runs in'o his throat, and makes him so sick b" will not touch wool again. This plan is more, certain thsm any cruel punishment from man's hsmd. " We (Mnrlborou-i-h Express) have been assured by a person who was in Wellington last week, that notwithstanding all the hubbub about the release of Mackny, who was committed for seven days after thrashing 1 an M.II li , the man was never in gaol at all, but it the lime he was to hiive gone he was required to give evidence before, a select committee, and ejmsi -qtn-ritlv \va< not. meddled with If this story be true, all we have to say is tint n most extraordinary misc;irria<j-f) of ]usnce to>k place, such as could not happen we believe in any othur place in Her Majesty's real/n." Commitrees of the I House don't sit at nig-ht, and what was done with .Mr Mackay then? 'Ihe story won't wash. of woman's rig-hfs will be able to use a powerful argument from the way in which the female students at University College, London, are c«>mi n i>" to the front rhis year. A bite Home newspaper «-iv<-R the informal ion that Professor Iliixlpy's daughter, Marion, took the fir.-t priz" in art; Miss (lonstance !.'\-\rry, die first in art anatomy ; and MfssOrujp, sister-in-law of Profesi or ivlassoo, the biographer of AI i'tou, rue Joseph Hume scholarship in jurisprudence. A young 1 ar>d pretty girl, Miss Ellen M. Watson, won the liothscbiiii scholarship of 1/20 a year, and the principal prize in applied mathematics and njeciiiinicrf. Prolessor Clifford xiv* that she has the finest iimthenianr-tl mind btthijsevpr yer met with among- the pupils of either sex. Baby-selling- is less common than wife-selling", if we are to tru-t. (he j columns off hn newspaper press. A Co) 1 - j respondent, however, of an Australian up country journal states that a strand "tory h;ts be.e.n circulated through Maryborough, which, it true, is notmore than one remove from the trade which was some time ago carried on in African slaves. According- to our informant, a fine rosy -cheeked 18. months old boy has changed hands for the sum of L 5, the mother being- rhe vendor, and a rhinese residing- in the Chinese 1 camp the purchaser, Out what i-eems almost incredible is than the agreement for the disposal of the boy to his Chines^ foster-father was drawn up by a wellknown legal ■ gentleman in Maryborough.

A hexapod lamb and a quadruped chicken, both living- healthy creatures, are the latest marvels ia the Auckland district . ' ' Ihe Bishop of Melbourne hasii>vitpd Mr Creswick, the tragedian, to give readings at Bishop's Court in the presence of the clerg-y. ; ; Scarlet fever continues to be very prevalent at Lawrence. The 3 r ounges*t daughter of Mr Bastings, M.rl.R,, ha* succumbed to the disease. The work of transforming the- old Provincial Council Chamber in Du'hedin into a Supreme Courthouse is now proceeding apace, and in a few weeks the place will he ready for the reception of the gentlemen of the long robe. The chamber appears to be admirably suited to the purpose for which it is to be ustd. In Christchurch the o flier day,. Captain Harding-, formerly of the 58th Regiment, died suddenly from excessive drinking 1 . The body of a man named James M'Afferty, who had been missing fur a week, was found near Mount" Harding, and the bod} r of a woman named lillen Boyle, a great drunkard, was found in the river Avon. C. Lawrence, storeman in the employ of Messrs Fargitufc Co., wine merchants, died Uunedin, very suddenly on Monday last. About 1.0 o'clock he was at work weighing some bags of potatoes, apparently in his usual health, when he was noticed to sit down on a box, and almost immediately fall hack. Un being picked up he was found to be quite dead. The deceased, who leaves a wife and nine of a famity, had been about. five years in the employment of Messrs Fnrgie and Co, and he was of sober and industrious habits. The Supplementary Estimates provide as follows for Otago public ■ works : — Purchase of Heaumont bridge, LSOOO j purchase of Clutha bridge at Clyde, L 500 0; purchase of Victoria bridge, Kawarau, L4OOO ; Kawarau bridge at the junction of the Arrow, LBOOO ; bridge over the Oreti at the Elbow, L 6000; Portobello road, L 500; Jetty at Toi Ton, LI 000 j road from Wynditam to Toi Tois, L 1500; roxjd from Gore to ftwitzers, L 400 0; road from Lawrence to Roxburgh, L 500 0; road from Roxburgh to Clyde, L2ooo ; protective wot-Ks, Depton, L 500; removal of rocks, Ciitlins River, L 1000; Courthouse, Alexandra, L 50 0; courthouse, Roxburgh, LSOO. " A novelty in the way of exhibits has been on view at the National Show, Victoria. This consisted," states the Pleasant Creek News, " of a patent incubator, by which it is alleged eggs can lie hatched with more certainty than in the ordinary way. The inventor is Mr A.. Fulton, of Stawell. The apparatus used is very simple, consisting of a stand somewhat similar to a small safe, there being three drawers in which the egus are placed. These drawers are lined wiih cotton wool, and the necessary warmth is supplied by means of a kerosene lump placed under the machine. Yesterday several chickens were hatched on the ground." The great sea snake has again turned up, having been seen quite distinctly by the captain of the ship Sacramento, which arrived at Melbourne from NewYork. Ihe Age says the following is the extract concerning the pea monster from Captain fN'eison's log-book : — 3oth July, in 31. 00 north and 37 west. Wascalied on deck by the man at the wheel, who stated rhat a great snake was passing a short distance from the vessel, 'n rpachin"; the deck the monster was plainly visible, moving' steadily through the water, propelling itself by two largo flappers or fins, situated a short distance behind its head, it was about i'ovty feet long and the girth of a beef barrel', the colour being yellow. The man nc the wheel states that he distinctly saw the eyes of the animal when he fir*t called the captain, who says that he did not hurry up when he was called, ns he did not believe in the existence of such ii creature ; but when he did get on deck, he saw it clearly enough to- be certain that it was a living animal. Wo sometimes, and not without cause, complain of boisterous weather, I severe gales, etc ,in this quarter. Some I believe there are gales nowhere else but in i his particular locality. This is a , mistake. For example, the following incident occurred at Atalvern, in Canterbury, on Friday last: — "As the West Coast coach was approaching 1 Hediern's Hotel, it was met by an extraordinary squall from the ranges, which the horses could not face,, and as it became evident the coach must be upset, the driver and passengers jumped out. Mr Crombie Brown, who was on the box sear, had a narrow escape, but only sustained a dislocation of the ankle. The moment the coach was relieved of its weight of passengers it was- lifted bodily into the air and dashed to pieces. The passengers had fop seme moments to lie on the ground to prevent themselves being blown away, and with difficulty reached the hotel, 200 yards distant." Or take, the following from the Wellington JNews of same date: — ■'»Since the Mouse adjourned this afternoon the large sheet of the dome glass wlm-b replaced the one which fell in the nigiiD some time ago, . fell and crashed through the wire nutting which had been placed there after the former iiocidKiit. to prevent such a thing occur-ring-again. Mad the House been sitting AJet-srs Evans, Brown, BarlF, and Cai-ringfun would have been seriously injured, as the -glass f ell on their seats." How would the discussion have gone; then t