MISCELLANEOUS.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 250, 25 August 1874, Page 7

MISCELLANEOUS.

Mr James Tanner, who does a little popular speaking at election times in Kendal, disposed of an ultra-Radical argument against 1 royal dowries by reducing the question to “a pipe of tobacco —“ They were going to give the Duke of Edinburgh £25,000 a-year. That seemed a large sum, but if they reckoned it up, they would.find it cost exactly a pipe of tobacco per annum from every man that smokes in the three kingdoms. (Hear, hear,, and laughter.) There was not a single man who agreed with him in the delightful habit of smoking, who, if he were to meet Prince Alfred on the road, would not give him a pipeful of tobacco.” (Laughter.) Referring to a recently published romance, professing to give an account of one of the New Zealand wars, a writer in the Napier Telegraph says ; “ The Natives in this book are a most romantic and poetical lot, very far removed indeed from the original Simon Pures ; but the richest piece in it was where the author makes the assembled warriors sing their great war song, 1 Deatli to the Pakeha,’ but, sad to say, be has been the victim of some wag who evidently had a good knowledge of the language, for these dusky savages, instead of chanting a war song of defiance, are singing one of the most lewd and lascivious ‘ hakas’ it is possible to imagine ! If some of the old dowagers about Claphatn bad a literal translation of the Maori words, they, perhaps, have been diligently poring over, their hair would stand erect with horror.”

“The most expensive dressed man I ever saw” writes a captain in the navy, “was an African chief on the Gold Coast. [Jis wives had anointed him thoroughly with palm oil, and then powdered him from head to foot with gold dust. You never saw in your life a man got up so ‘utterly regardless of ex-

pense.’ ” Tho Wellington correspondent of the Evening Star says;—“ Six witnesses for the Ward-Chap man’s inquiry arrived on Saturday. The Committee believes it is now in a fair way to unravel the tangled skein. Rumor says a lady resident at Oamaru lias a son who communicated the matter to his mother, and the latter repeated what he told her until it ultimately found its way into the Otago Daily Times office, through medium of Mr Brown, the latter’s correspondent at Oamaru. Judge Ward asserts his ability to prove that an offer of £3O was made to the boy to give the

actual telegrams. Mrs Clayton and Mr Macassey are being examined by the Committee this morning.” We are assured by an American paper that in the United States a case of cremation

has actually occurred. The ‘ orematoe’ was George Opdyke, son of Dr Francis Opdyke, a native of Heidelberg. The body, which produced ‘ a quart of whitish grey ashes,’ was burntift'a chimney of .‘ peculiar construction,’, which had been constructed in phro Opdyke’s house, and the ashes, placed in an urn, now. ornament his study mantelpiece. There is one other little fact, however : the experiment cost £2,000.

“What do you call that!” indignantly asked a customer at a cheap restaurant, pointing out an object that he had discovered in a plate of hash. “ Wristband, with a sleeve-button attached, sir,” said the waiter briskly. “ Well, do you consider that a: proper thing for a man to find in his hash?” asked the customer in wrath. “ Good

heavens, sir !” cried the waiter, “would you expect to find a ten-dollar silk umbrella in a fifteeu-cent plate of bash ?” . A telegram from Tauranga, dated 18th inst., says : —“ The bones of llawira, the great Tauranga rebel, which were disinterred lately, were buried to-day in the Church Cemetery, next to the grave of Colonel Booth, Who fought against him. The remains were followed to the grave by three hundred Natives. The pall-bearers were old European settlers—leading citizens—who respected the old warrior for his bravery and mercifiU behaviour to European women and children.” Quite a stampede is setting in from Nelson Creek, (Grey Yalley) towards the diamond arid goldfields of Africa. Several who went to the former at the first rush have sent hack favorable reports from time to time, and these are now bearing fruit. Two of the oldest residents, of Try-Again, Messrs David Kfirr and Richard Livingstone, are going away next week, arid it is said many others are.prepared to follow.— Grey River Argus. M r Milbuvn, a compositor in the London Times office, who produced a set of verses in. honour, of the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburghj has received an autograph. letter of thanks from the Empress of Russia.