MISCELLANEA.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 164, 31 December 1872, Page 6

MISCELLANEA.

. * There is a run of 24 acres 23 poles in Taranaki. The debt of Canada in twenty years, from 1851 to 1872, has increased from 20,481,472 dollars to 126,832,008 dollars. The Provincial Government of Auckland intend to take steps to establish a free public library in .the city of Auckland. A heavy storm took place in Melbourne on the morning of Dec. 12. A telegraph boy was nearly drowned in the street-channel. The Hokitika races were to have been held at Christmas this year ; but heavy floods have so damaged the racecourse that the meeting had to be postponed. mi. _ ... . x r... x x: x ±ua luuvumuiib tor constructing u. transcontinental railway across Australia is progressing, both in Adelaide and Melbourne, though discouraged by the Press. The Grey River Argus speaks of " the unwarrantable crowding of business people into Reef ton," the result of which has been the occurrence of numerous bankruptcies. An American whaler cruising off the coast! of Southland has within the last four weeks captured three whales, whose value is variously estimated at from £2500 to £3OOO. John We3ley is computed to have preached forty-two thousand sermons —at the rate of fifteen a week ; yet he never had a clergyman's sore throat, or a year's leave of absence with all expenses paid. The Dally Times says a breach of promise of marriage case is likely to be heard shortly in Dunedin, in which a lady and her husband are to be asked to recoup the damages sustained by the lady's " old love." A late Australian telegram says : —An important discovery of new gold has taken | place near the Tarwin river, Gipps Land. I Nearly all the diggers at Stockyard Creek i have left for the new ground, which i 3 re-1 ported to be fabulously rich. The rumour that a mairiage was projected between Sir James Fergusson, our future Governor, and Miss Davies, of Tasmania, has been contradicted. A late Australian telegram says the bride is to be Miss Richmann, j sister-in-law of Captain Hughes, the rich; Moonca mine proprietor. A party of courageous tourists in Colorado j recently ascended Gray's Peak, one of the loftiest points of the Rocky Mountains. This ] mountain is 24,300 ft. above the level of sea, \ Mont Blanc being 15,800 ft. The view ob-! tained by the party frum the summit is de- j scribed as grand in the extreme. With a view to encouraging the planting! of shade trees in the streets, the Municipal Council of Oaniaru has adopted the following resolution : —"That the ratepayers residing j in the side streets be allowed to plant trees, 10ft. apart, on the lin? of kerbing, and to erect temporary fencing in the line of channel." The Southland Time? has been shown n specimen of copper ore brought from Moke Creek, in the Lake district, which seems to indicate that avast amount of mineral wealth awaits development in the locality named. We believe that the deposit is so rich that in some places solid pieces of copper nnr be I seen. A sample is to be forwarded to Dunedin to Professor Black, for analysis. Immense veins of iron ore have been discovered on the banks of the Tamar, in Tas mania. The iron is said to be " the best in the world," and the supply is reported to be beyond question. Several companies have j already taken up ground at this "ferruginous | Eldorado," as it is termed by a writer in a t Victorian paper, and operations upon an exj tensive scale have commenced. Tiie (pies' ion i whether Tasmania Will be able to produce i iron so as to cut the English article out of the Australian market will be watched with i the deepest interest by all the Colonies. A touching story of faithful love comes from Philadelphia. A beaut.ful young girl I became engaged in 1851 to a gallant officer jin the Union army. At the close of the war he wont to California to seek his fortune. She waited patiently for his return, feeling confident that he would come back to her. So the years passed ; grev hairs began to | show themselves in her brown tresses ; her friends no longer ridiculed her, but pitied her as a monomaniac. Last week her fidelity was rewarded. The lover of her girlhood reI turned from California bronzed and bearded, a millionaire, with a wife and twins.

We learn from the Sydney Morning Herald \ i that a fat man has been let off from serving !upon a jury. Our contemporary says that; the gentleman "sent a letter to the judge) earnestly begging to be excused on acei >unt of his great weight." The stout party pathe- j tically stated that he was twenty-seven stone j weight, and could not possibly stand the j i fatigue of a whole day's martyrdom in a jury j box. The lamentable position of the obese! juryman created some merriment amongst the case-hardened court officials, but the circumstance stated was kindly allowed to be a . valid excuse by the courteous and compassionate judge. An important master—the sale of 10.009 ! acres of a run near Tapanui and Switzers, at ill per acre to the leasee, Mr Logan—occupied the attention of the Waste Lands Board yesterday and the day before. The land was I opened for sale, with Mr Logan's consent, on j Tuesday ; the application to purchase it was | put in on Tuesday afternoon, was " received" ; yesterday, and it was resolved that the surj vey be "paid in land," which means the alienation of an additional thousand acres. On the motion of Mr Duncan, it was exI pressly minuted that 2000 acres of agriculI tural land should not be included. It did I not appear whether any compensation had j been given by the Government to Mr Logan. 1 for throwing open his run for sale.— Daily | Times, Dec. 10.

The married ladies of Hannibal, Missouri, have organised a " Come Home Husband Glub.i' Broomsticks figure among the in. duceinents to come. American Journalism.—There's no meeting tl|e wishes of some people ! A Connecticut Jjditor announced that ho -would " Vac. cinatd free of charge all new prepaying sub. soribars to his paper." A brutal fellow wrote] to him that of the two he'd rather tak) the sniall-pox than the paper. According to the latest accounts that editor is looking for that fellow to inoculate him with a shot-gun. Two practical jokers in Virginia town, who were leit in charge of numerous babies on 8 social occasion while the mamas enjoyed a dance, changed the clothes of the little darlings and arrayed each one in strange habilinients. The mothers, after an hour or so oi devotion to Terpsichorean delights, took theii baby vestments and the dear little forim therein contained, and retired to their respective and once happy homes. On pre. paring the little ones for the crib, sexes had changed—girls were boys, and boys girlsa:id with one universal yell the outraged uiatemals set out on a baby hunt. At last accounts, almost all had succeeded in recovering the lost heirs ; but the wags keep out of the way of those maternals as much as possible.—Phila'idphia Ledgtr. ■ A correspondent of the Ouniru Times says with regard to the weather recently at the Maerewhenua diggings : —" It is almost invariably the case that correspondents begin their news by describing the weather ; but I don't mean to attempt anything of the kind —and good reason why, it isn't. to be done. Tlie weather !—save the mark ! It ?/i«;/be imagined, but it can't be described. To help you to understand the sort of tiling we have been enduring, I may tell you that two poor diggers were the other day in search of water at one of the races to make their tea with. The second found the first watching a miserable dribbling trickling into his billy, and accosted him with, ' Well, mate, is it any use my waiting f To which No. 1 replied, ' Well not muchly ; I left my billy here yesterday morning, and it's not half full yet.'" Our Nkw Goveknor.—From " Men of the Time,'' we learn that the Right Honorable Sir James Fcrgusson, Bart., appointed next Governor of the Colony, is the fifth baronet. He was born at Edinburgh in 1832, and succeeded to tiie title on his father's death in 1840. Aft.-r leaving the Rugby School, he entered the Grenadier Guards, and attained tiie rank of Captain in 1851, but ia the following year he retired from the army. He represented the County of Ayr in t;ie House of Commons in the Conservative interest, from December, 1851, to April, 165;', and from Ooto >er, 1859, to 1863 ; was Under-Secretary fo;' lud.a from June, lSJii, to July, Itf «7 ; and U.ider-Sec- . rotary for the Home Department from the last date till August, 18i8. He wis then appointed Governor of South Australia, and sworn Privy Councillor. With regard to the Chinamen empl >yed on the Clutha railway works, the Timpekt Tima says : —" We were hi error when we stated that Messrs Brogdon and Co. had entirely dispensed with Chinese labour on the Clutha railway. It appears that the first batch of men were physically incapable of performing more than two-thirds of the amount pi ' work expected, consequently they were discharged. A fresh batch of other working | Celestials were the majority of i whom earn d their wages. This last experi- : ment proved so satisfactory, that it was deI tcrmincd to continue if. Toe incapables are being gradually weeded out, their places I being rilled by useful navvies. No difficulty j is experienced in procuring Chinese labour, | large •• • ■,s o: Celestials b hug camped at | various places along the line, waiting tor em- | ployment. T'tirtv-eight Chinanvm are now j at work on the rail aay betwejn Adam's Flat ] and Tokomair r>. This number is expected : shortly to be considerably aug nented."