MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1220, 17 July 1885, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

A Russian Jew who has been annoying his brethren in Auckland for some time past has been sent to prison for three months on a charge of vagrancy. The Jews in that city very substantially assisted him. One had set him np in business; another had purchased goo is for him to hawk, and procured a license ; another bad paid his pas* sage to Fiji, whilo'la 1 had given him money and clothes. When asked by the Rabbi why he did not work he replied, in astonishment, “ What, me work ; you work 1 ” He was incorrigibly lazy, and would not do anything. He spoke very little English, and was master hand in use of profane language. In fact he swoie like a trooper and was disgustingly obscene. He abused his brethren in terrible language for not giving him LSO to take him to Rusaia. His journey there will be deferred for at least three months. The schooner Ripple, from the Solomon Islands, brings intelligenoa’to Sydney of a reported massacre in those islands. While coasting along the east side of San Christoval at the beginning of May, the Natives of a village informed Captain Woodhouse that some days previously a small Bailing vessel had gone ashore not far from the village,ffand that the crew consisting of three white men and three Natives, had been atta.ckedjby bush men, f who'succeeded in killing one of the wbitejmen,' but the others escaped||in a 'canoe, whichJwaa despatched to their assistance and went on to Ugi. On arrival at Ugi, Captain Wood, house found that one of the two men was being cared for by the he was Bufferingj sol severely information as to the details oK the occur* rence could be obtained from him, and as the other man could not be discovered, no further'stepa could be takenjin the matter. The vessel is|believed to have been a cutter hailing from the Fiji, but her namejcould not bo ascertained.

It was lately rumored that an attempt had been made to blow up the Sydney gasworks with dynamite. The statement arose through a package of dynamite having been got in one of the new and unused retorts, but the ecare subsided when one of the employes explained that he had obtained the dyna* irite to kill fish, and had afterwards for* where he had hidden it. The question of the appoinmentjof shorthand reporters to Judges came up in the course of the Bankruptcy sitting lately. In answer to a remark which fill from a soliciior engaged in the case, Judge Richa mend said it was a very strange thing (hat the Judges had not been consulted in the matter. “ Take my word for it, Mr Travers,” His Honor continued, “the person who takes shorthand notes will be the Jndge.”

Some amusement baa been caanedin Wellington by an affair in -which the private secretary (Mr Macaliater) of the Minister of •Justice took a leading part. It transpires that having heard that a priest at Wairarapa tad been aspersing the character of his 'sister, Mr Macalister obtained leave of absence and took train for Masterton On interviewing the rev. gentleman as to what he had been saying against the character of his sister, Father Treacy replied “ Your sister has no character.” M r Macalister naturally lost his temper, and gave the rev. gentleman a tongue-lashing. Some friends of the priest'(secured the enraged ;■ private secretary, who was handed over to vfhe village Bumble and illegally incarcerated blatters were, however, settled, and the -following advertisement in ,the]|Wellington fapers explains itself t—“ Masterton, 22nd, 885. To Mr J.P.Macalister, Wellington. Sir, —I beg to retract all statements which I have made against the character of your sister (Mrs Redmond), and declare the same to be unfounded ; to express to you tny regret for having taken the steps which 1 took on Saturday last, the‘2oth inat.. in causing you to be given into custody.— Yours truly, Patrick Treacy, Catholic priest, Wakefield."