ENGLISH ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 653, 23 October 1874, Page 3

ENGLISH ITEMS.

A monument commemorating the New Zealand war of 1663-4 has been placed in the grounds of Greenwich Hospital. It is in stone, and it is in memoiy of those men of Her Majesty’s vessels Curacna, Miranda Harrier. .Esk, and Ec!i n ?.2 fell in the war. In the centre the wirds “New Zealand.” and on the four sidci inscriptions of the names and rank of the deceased. The monument is erected by the survivors. Tho “ Dunmow Flitch,” of classic memory, has beecn awarded again this year. The happy recipients, " who have offended each other neither in word, thought, nor deed for a year and a day,” hail, we hear, from Brixtou.

Mr Sothern, the actor, has abandoned his idea’of paying a visit to Australia. Barry Sullivan, the tragedian, is in the receipt of L 360 per week with a three months engagement. Two hundred and thirty-five out of 1,662 actions bruiight at the Manchester Assizes during the last ten years—an average of one in seven—have been against railway companies.

Ladies in Buckinghamshire havo been following the example recently set by their Australian sisters, and have been playing . ricket matches. Eleven ladies of the parish of Fash have beaten a similar team from Great Harwood by 115 against 86 runs, and an innings to spare. The American Aloe at Kew, ’now in bloom, which takes from fifty to 109 years to prepare for flowering, has reached the height of twenty-two feet, ami has penetrated the roof of the Succulent House. This plant generally dies a f ter it bless, ms, but in this case, the leaves have withered before the aloe has finished flowerin'*

The dangers of the Paris “ Jardin des Plantes ” for children are being complained of by anxious mothers. In one corner is a fine deadly nightshade tree with magmficentred berries, naturally of the most poisonous The tree bears no warning placard, and is not surrounded by a railing, so that children are tempted to pick and eat the berries without any knowledge of their fatal effect. Last year no less than fourteen children fell victims to this cause.

Recently, Mr D. Stanton rode on a bicycle from Bath to London, backing himself against time for LIOO. The computed distance he had to travel was 106 miles, which he did within two minutes of the time allowed, namely, eight and a half hours, not withstanding an accident which hefel him at Maidenhead, whereby ho lost much time and seriously disabled his left shoulder.

A singular action was recently brought forward at Bristol. A man named Broad, having been disappointed in love, went mad, and was placed in an asylum. Some time after he managed to elude the vigilance of his keepers, and pitched himself trom a window, tho effect of the fall being to restore his reason, but to render him a cripple for life. Tho action was for damages against the principal of tho asylum, but tho interesting case was not allowe I to go to the jury, the judge directing a nonsuit upon some technical points of law. A drove of eleven fat beasts, worth L 250, were lately stolen from a farm near Bath, and taken by rail to London, where they were slanghtere 1 and sold. The owner thought they had strayed, but one of them jumped from the train, and being afterwards recovered, Inquiries were made which led to the discovery of the theft, and the arrest of one of tho offenders.

At Aldershot, Mrs Reeling, the wife of Colonel Keeling has been bound over to keep the peace towards her butler. It appears that Colonel an 1 Mrs Keating entertained different opinions as to whether the butler should stay in the house, and the lady got a loaded revolver and threatened to shoot him if he did not go.

At Manchester a man who had been locked up for taking part in a glove fight has recovered L! 0 IQs. from the policeman who handcuffed him, the jury considering that such a proceeding was neither reasonable nor necessary, although the arrest itself was legal.

By a new Act of Parliament (probably an outgrowth of the Tichbourne trial) it is provided that any person falsely and dece’tfully personating the heir, executor or administrator, wife, widow. next-«f-k'B, or relation of any person, with intent fraudulently to obtain any land, estate, chattel, money, valuable security, or property, shall be guilty of felony, and liable to penal servitude for life, or to not less than five years, or to imprisonment not exceeding two years with or without hard labor, and with or without solitary confinement.