ENGLISH ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 634, 12 June 1874, Page 2

ENGLISH ITEMS.

The jewels of the Duchess of Edinburgh now at Buckingham Palace, are valued at half a million sterling. One hundred and eighty salmon were hatched in one week at the Brighton Aquarium. They are all doing well, and are being nursed on a mixed diet, of which beefsteak appears to be the piece dc resistance. 23.000 different sorts of native wine will bo shown at the forthcoming international Exhibition by Portugal. Uocently a gentleman in undress uniform and wearing the Crimean medal with three clasps, and three other medals, appeared in Parliament-street, Westminster, with a new broom, andjbegan to sweep a crossing. A crowd soon collected, and as he refused to “ move on ” he was “run in.” It seems that he is a major unattached and that having been invalided homo from India and regained his health he is anxious to resume service, but the authorities will not accede to his wishes. He therefore took to the occupation of a crossing sweeper, and presented the passers by with printed statements of his grievance, in order to bring his case before the public. He has been bound over to keep the peace for three months. 1.290.000 watches, occupying 12,000 workmen, are annually produced in the Bernese, Jura. 18,303 British seamen have died during the past four years, leaving 12,242 widows and 30,726 orphans. Cremation is to bo legalised in Leipsic and Dresden, and a furnace is now being constructed by Herr Friedrich Siemens, an engineer. The cost is estimated at2sof., and it is calculated that a corpse will be completely consumed in an hour. A letter-carrier at Kirby Moorside, whose mother kept the Post Office there, has just been sentenced to ten years' penal servitude. His mis-deeds range over a period of live years, during which time he has committed 51 forgeries, and 116 embezzlements, the total amount of “ loot ” being 1,230/f. A frightful punishment was inflicted at the East Riding potty sessions at Hull on two unfortunate youths, named William Whiting and Charles Usher, for what must bo considered in these days a very trifling offence. These poor young fellows had merely attempted on two occasions to upset railway trains on the North Eastern

Railway by placing obstructions on tho line. One night they placed an iron chair on the rails in front of the mail train, but the chair being broken the train shook it off and no lives were lost. Smarting under tho disappointment, they put the next day a coupling chain, three wooden keys, and about twenty large stones on tbe rails, merely with the view of causing “ another railway casualtybut these obstacles being discovered in time, were officiously removed by some railway employe, and again the dear boys were doomed to disappointment. It was urged against them, somewhat harshly, that being fifteen years of age, and moreover in the company’s service, they could not have been actuated by a pure spirit of mischief, as might have been tbe case had they been children ; bub that they mm t have been fully aware of theprohabk consequences of their act Tbs offence, if such it can he called, having been proved against the prisoners, the Bench actually committed them to gaol for three months, but it seems incredible that they will he allowed to languish in captivity for this lengthened period.—Pall Mall Gazette.