SCISSORS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4088, 28 August 1884, Page 4

SCISSORS.

An nnemployeel rostrum—a fence. Be a footballer, anel then you can travel and see everything. The net amount of the public debt of Victoria is £27,512,011. Total number of acres in crop in Now South Wales, 759,052_ In New South Wales publicans are not allowed to join Volunteer Fire Brigades. _ The London journals have been dilating on tho " pros " and " cons " of federation. There is no truth in the report that smallpox has brooken out in the Upper Murray district. GOO members in England have already enrolled themselves in the New Guinea oxpeelition. 2250 Fellows', clnnvn from all parts of the Avorld, arc members of the Royal Colonial Institute.

Seventy-four quarter-chests of tea Avere recently condemned at Sydney as unfit for consumption. The young lady with " speaking eyes has become quite hoarse, in consequence of using them so much. 8000 head of cattle arc reported to have died in Ncav South Wales from starvation during tho year 1883. Mr F. H. Asbury, Dunedin, has applied for a patent for improvements in an apparatus for generating steam. Lawrence 'Barrett and S. B. Bancroft patronize Lord Londesborough's coach at meets of the Four-iu-Hand Club. The next spectacular comic opera will be •'Lc Grand Atogol," libretto by M. M. Chivot and Duru, music by Audran. At San Francisco Madame Path had to en "-ago five carriages to convey to her hotel the flowers scattered at her i'ect during v concert. . Annual consumption of cigars m South Wales estimated at 500,0001b., of which only 50001b. arc of American manufacture. . . The French nation used to be oonsidereel very abstemious, but drunkenness in France is constantly on the increase, anel especially in Paris. . The reports of the Education Commission in Victoria are unanimous in recommending unscctarian religious instruction in the State schools. A rim- valued at £90 has been stolon from Mr Donald Wallace, the Avcll-knowu racehorse owner, Avho was living in the Oriental Hotel, Melbourne. Hans Richter conducts without a note ot music before him, and hoAvever intricate the composition performed never misses a single instrumental entry. Haverly's manager has a hoarding m Victoria-street, London, IGO feet long and GO feet high, and holding over 1100 square feet of demy paper. . . There Avere 10-19 State schools m Victoria in 1872, and 1702 in 1882, and the total number'of scholars em tho rolls increased from 13G.035 to 222,915. . . One of the greatest of music loving Princes, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, elied lately at Vienna. HeAvas morgana tically married to a pianiste. The Manxmen in South Australia presented an address to Sir Henry Loch corns plimenting him on his nineteen year..■overnorship of the Isle of Man. ° Archbishop Moran is a temperance advocate, aud he is likely to start a blue ribbon army among the Roman Catholics ot the colony very soon after his arrival. A fair A-aluation of the buildings and contents of New York and Brooklyn Theatres brings tho total up to live millions and one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Before Wilson Barrett became known iv London he had avou success as a provincial actor in plays written by himself. Mr Barrett is as well a painter of no mean ability. By the Avithdnuval of spirits from, bond over and above the average rate of consumption, in anticipation of an increase in duty, tho Victorian Treasury lost about £0000. „ r _ It is stated by tho World that Mr. Barry Sullivan Avill soon start on his third professional tour round tho Avorlel, visiting the United States, Australia, Japan, China, anel India. A large number of men are out ot employment in Adelaide. The Government is making every effort to provide work, the wages being Gs Gd a day, with tools and tents found. Mrs Dutton Cook, Avidow of the late distinguished dramatic actor, Avho as Miss Linda Scates, the pianiste, won all the honours the Royal Academy of Music could o-ivo her, has returned to the concert plat-

form. At the end of June tho population of , South Australia avus 312,000. The percentage both of births and deaths during the cfuiirtcr was the highest known for several years. Fever Avas especially fatal, chiefly to children. What next?—A journal called Orange Blossom is announced in London. The feature, as the title denotes, will be accounts of Avcddings, and it is promised that cadi number shall contain photographic port raits of prominent brides. A proposition to impose a tax on Avax matches in Victoria has been abandoned at tho instance of the miners, avlio protested that they all carried avux matches Avhen at Avork, aud that these matches were often the means of saving life. Ton D. M'Kuy, the champion railway a"-ent of tho Avorld, has been paid a high compliment by the Marquis of Normanby. Tom noAV says that if he could only get Queen Victoria to travel over the Burlington route he would die happy. Early Cramming.—Fond Sydney mother (with a son of a very open countenance) ; " He's a pretty srood boy, but he don't take to his letters."" Old friend: "Well, he ought to do so, for his mouth is like the slit"of a post office box." More honors for Australians ! Elphinstouo M'Mahon Moore, son of Mr 11. Moore, of the Under-Secretary's ollieo, Melbourne, has obtained Avrauglership in the University of Cambridge Ho Avas educated iv tho Wesley College, Melbourne. A thoroughly practical effort is to bo made to find petroleum at Gisborne by the South Pacific Company, avliosc head office is in Syelney. A practical oil-well borer, who has had 15 years' experience iv America, is to put clown a bore of 1000 ft. If you Avould be in the latest fashion burn or bury all your pocket-handkerchiefs on which your crest is embroidered in the lefthand corner. The crest, like the diamond shirt front solitaire of tho masher, must now bo in tho liiieldle of tho handkerchief or noAvhcre. . It is proposed, at the instance of the Chambers of Commerce and Manufactures in Melbourne, to establish an independent organisation Avith tho object of introducing certain classes of labor into the colony under suitable arrangements for their selection anel distribution. Somo of the married United States Senators are utilisiug their Avivcs as private secretaries. As these secretaries get six dollars a clay from the Government, it is supposed to 1)0 a scheme to provide the wives aforesaid Avith means to visit Niagara next summer. An Englishman wanted to cultivate the Chinese trade on the Victorian diggings years a"0. Ho got a Chinaman to Avrite him 'nw'u, and was amazed to find tho Celestial trade full off at once. At last lie >r o t his si"-n interpreted, and found that it rm " Tins man is a blooming rogue." Mr Curtis (who is described as a semiAustralian) has been dispatched by the friends of " Chinese Gordon from London to Khartemm to tell tho general what has been done in England in his cause during the last few months. Curtis is a during fellow. Ho is now engaged in a desperate expedition. . ~ CharlesLauri, junior, l.slopluy ' .lackey —au Australian aboriginal—in M. Mayor's proposed production of Charles Reaelo's " It is never too lato to mend," at tho Porte-Saint-Martin. One of our own sweet niggers holding forth :n the French language will bo a novelty. How does M. Mayer propose to translate "budgcree," for instance? It comes like an echo from the past to hear that Mr. F. N. Crouch, the composer of "Kathleen Mavoiirnceu," is still ulivo. It is painful to hoar that he is old and poor, ' with a poor old wife. It is pleasant to hear that 'i "onerous American has taken them into ids house and provided for their rc-niaining-days. Mr. Crouch is an Eng-ush-

IU Everyone will bo glad to see the Australian captain steadily working himself into lus very best form with the bat. His innings

(writes London Cricket) against Cambridge, Avas a very fine one, and it certainly looks as if, by the time representative matches begin, the Australians Avill be in vastly improved form to what they shoAved in their earlier matches.

A country clergyman who recently preached in an Austin Church is an admirer of the Avritings of Charles Dickens, and quotes from his novels almost as often as he does from the Bible. Ho surprised his congregation by Avinding up a gorgeous peroration Avith, "It is thus, you see, my brethren, as the Scriptures say, ' Barkis is willin', but the flesh is Aveak.' "

Lovers of Scotland's popular game will appreciate the folloAving, given by the British Mail: — "An irate skip, greatly disgusted Avith the play of his leader, but not wishing to send him direct to a certain nameless region, had recourse to the folloAving delightful euphemism :•—

"Man, Jock, it's a gnid thing ye're gaun ■where there'll be nac ice !"

A very sadden death occurred in the Congregational Sunday School, Paramatta (N.S.W.), on tho 21st instant. Mr. Charles U. Edgell, superintendent of the school and deacon of the church, Avas in the act of reading out a hymn when he staggered back and died almost immediately. The deceased Avas well known in Paramatta, where he had taken a prominent part in church matters for the past twenty years. In Her Majesty's navy during the year ISB3 there Avere 172 men died through falls from aloft, 1060 Avere droAvned, 48 committed suicide, and 423 elied from the effects of Avounds and injuries. The British navy consisted of 240 ships in commission, manned by 40,010 seamen and marines (including officers and boys). Ono vessel foundered during tho year, three Avere stranded, and there were 33 collisions and other accidents.

G. B. Studd, the Avoll-kuoAvn cricketer, has been in very bad luck. Last year he had a severe attack of typhoid fever, with lung trouble supervening, and Avas laid up for four months in the spring of this year. He broke Ins right arm, and now, on recovering, finds that the bones arc set out of line, and the member partially useless. His brother, J. E. K. Studd, captain of the Cambridge eleven this year, is the eldest of tho three'ericket'ors (of Avhom C. T. is tho youngest), and they havo all been captains in successive years.

Two new Avindows given by the Holy Catholic Guild and the Roman Catholic printers of Sydney have just been placed in St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. Avery largo sum has been expended on the stained AvineloAvs of tho Cathedral, but they are not considered first-rate specimens of this branch of art. Tho AvindoAVS in the University arc, perhaps, the best in the colony in design and execution, and it was expected that the windoAVS for St. Mary's, Avhich Avere ordered at the same house in Birmingham, Avould have been equally good, or even better. A new idea in relation to fancy dress balls has been hit upon by stating on tho cards of information that the dresses must bs specially adapted for one of the amusements giA'en in the accompanying list. _ As this list includes lawn tennis, rowing, yachting, cricket, linking, cycling, croquet, la crosse, polo, Badminton, archery, and football, there is still no lack of choice, but the result outrht to be useful as avcll as interesting. For instance, a really pretty and yet practicable dress in which a lady might play huvn tennis might bo hereby diseoA'cred," and a most urgent want might thus be supplied. Up-country journalists do not submit to the indignities of tho law after the meek manner of th"ir brethren in toAvn, avlio tamely march off to gaol as tho result of libel actions. A bailiff in a Western township took possession of the Roods and chattels of a newspaper proprietor, Avho had been somewhat remiss in his payments, Avhen ho Avas shown the power of tho press by the editor and proprietor summarily pitching him headlong into tho street, notifying Avhat Mr Taylor would cull " tho hell hound of tho law," that an Australian pressman's office is his castle. Of course the bailiff sought redress at laA\ r , and, strange to say, an unappreciative Bench fined tho energetic pressmen sums which, Avith costs, amounted to something like £32. There is no chivalry in these base, degenerate days— no reward for bravery. "A dirty process server," as Squire O'Graely puts it, "is considered equal to a man." When the announcement reached us by telegraph that General Sheridan had left San Francisco by the mail steamer for Sydney, it Avas, of course, at once concluded that it Avas the great American soldier, whoso march from Atlanta to the sea Avas the most wonderful achievement of the great seccssiem Avar, The General Sherielan Avho has recently arrived by the Zcalandia is not, however, General Phil Sheridan, Com-mander-in-Chief of tho United States Army, but another "General," avlio has retireel from the U S. Army, and has come to Australia to deliver lectures on America. Balzac, one day, Avhilo lying UAvake in bed, saw a man enter his room cautiously, and attempt to j'iek the lock of his Avritingdesk. Tho rogue Avas not a little disconcrcteel at hearing a loud laugh from the occupant of the apartment, whom ho supposed asleep. " Why do you laugh ?" asked the thief. "I am laughing, my good fellow," saiel Balzac, "to think Avhat pains you arc taking, and Avhat a risk you run, in hope of finding money by night in a desk where tho kiAvful OAvner cannot find any by clay. " Has it struck any ono (Avrites the London World) how big a figure "extras" cut in the totals now-a-ehiys? There is no better Avicketkeeper in the world than Blackham ; yet the Australians, iv the nine matches they have already rjlayed, have given their adversaries no fewer than 104 byes. In the second innings of the match against the Gentlemen, when every run Avas of importance, they gave 16. Against Yorkshire the Cambridge men gave 57 —there Avere Si) altogether in the match—anel Avhen the first 12 of that University played tho next 16, the total of byes was the same. When Kent played Yorkshire, 19 were run on either side ; and when Hampshire played Kent, the latter country gave 24 against 27 received from the former. With the slow bowling that was so long in vogue, a longstop could be dispensed with, and thus an atltlitional man secured for the out-fielding. The fast bowling seems to bo looking up again, and, besieles, even our slow bowlers

generally indulge in one fast ball at least in the over. Palmer anel Giffen, for instance, sometimes put one in epaite as fast as Spofforth, and Steel can vary his pace pretty smartly. Runs come from the bat, as a rule, epiito quickly enough, Avithout Ihi-OAving them away in this fashion.