GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1994, 1 February 1907, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

A vicar in tlio Aosta Valley, Piedmont, is nn electrician,and has joined up tho alms boxes in his church by concealed wiros to nn oloctric alarm in his houso. Burglars recently onttrod the church, and attempted to rifle tho almsboxos. Tho bell awoke tho clergyman, who managed to shut the thieves in the church until the polico arrived and ari’ostcd thorn. A foreign experimenter roport-s that after tliroo years’ researches ho has learned tho secret, not only oi welding copper, but glass as well, iost for centuries.., Tho invention, d a success, will enable all telephone, telegraph, electric light, and tramway companies to wold tlioir copper wiro instead of brazing it. Broken panes of plate glass can also be welded, saving heavy loss in that direction.

There is an apparatus which concentrates the rays of tho sun from more than 0000 small mirrors on a spot about so von inches in diameter. Tho lioat generated is about 7000 degrees Fahronlieit. Iron can bo molted in loss than a minute, and fire-clay fused in about throe minutes by this machine. Magnesia, one ol tho hardest things to melt, requiring a heat or about 6400 degrees Fahrenheit., can, bo i educed to a molten state in twonty minutes. For the benefit of those who wish to forgot the naino of .this instrument, it has been christened tho pyrholiophor. I hear (says a writer in the Lady) that Lord Rosebery’s second son, Mr Neil Primrose, benefits largely by tho will of his groat-aimt, Miss Cohen. She has not only left lam the considerable sum of £150,000, but also her treasure house in Great Stanhope streot. Lord IDalineny is not so lucky. I suppose Miss Colien took into consideration that ho is Ins father’s eldest son and heir, and diu not need a second fortune, so she only left him £'sooo as a trifling souvenir ; but to liis sisters, Lady Crowe and Lady Sybil Grant, she also left a legacy' of £IOO,OOO apiece, as well as some exquisite lace and jewels, so that they are greatly to bo congratulated on their good fortune.

Not content with having the largest refracting telescope in tho world, the United States oi' America is about to construct a reflecting telescope which will bo considerably largor than anything that has been attempted boforo The idea of this huge telescope originated with Mr John D. -Hooker, o 1 Uos Angelos, California, who has prosented tho Carnegie Institution ct Washington with £1)000 for the construction of a glass disc oi 100 m m diameter and 13in thick, and for other expenses in connection with tho undertaking. Tho observatory m which this telescope will eventually bo erected is situated on tho top of Mount Wilson, in California, and is known as tho Solar Observatory ei tho Carnegie Institution of Washington. Tho new telescojio will not be finished for four years.

Dio Schweiz, an illustrated • fortnightly review of Zurich, calls attention to an example of marvellous vitality in a popular tree. Years ago a public fountain was erected in front of tho post oflico in the village of Glunton, on the .Lago of Thun. To protect the metal water pipes, the hollowed trunk of a young poplar tree was sunk vertically into the ground. After a short time tho trunk began to sprout, and formed new branches and roots, and has now become a fine sturdy tree. The metal pipes have long sinco become firmly imbedded ill the wood, and visitors arc amazed at seeing a strong jet of water rising from tho crown of tho tree. Those who are not in the know are completely mystified by the “watergiving” tree. Visitors to Jersey arc familiar with tin peculiar eabb:iges“whieh are there grown. They are to be found in Jersey, Guernsey, and Brittany, and grow to an average height of 8 to 10 feet, whilst some giant specimens have been known to reach a height of 16 Yeet. The leaves which grow from the central stem are very coarse, and form a food for calves and pigs. They are also used for packing potatoes and other produce for export. A few leaves are left at tlie top to form a crown, thus giving the plant somewhat of a palm-like appearance. This crown is left on during the winter, and.when.it has been nipped by the. frost it is tender enough to be eaten 'like ordinary, cabbage. The stems are afterwards cut down or pulled, nip: -■and A allowed to dry, when they become quite hard, and are used as peasticks, palisides, etc;• • Sk/ine of tht-nr ore made Into ..vwalkfjtg-sticks, ail'd 'sold years agtdr "iiv,>TVhicli>had". ~blade ;..lnuiself. from, liis hah§hty fc-hud.' overbearing kod by one and all.' ; In be was supposed to •VisTp'f&bUtombs of. his ancestors. In. thb-clmtriy ijfrtbe. stage,upon a marble pedeftaij stood.'tho statue of liis. father. ' A'heavy fold of drapbtiy covered the figure. Enter-Albert : “Once again” lie says, “to gaze upon those features which in life so often gazed on mo with Tenderest affection. Father, thy mourning sou now comes to pay thee adoration. Lot me remove the veil which, from tho vulgar gaze shields the beloved imago of .a once dear parent!” Off went the drapery, and behold! the father stood upon his head! The effect cannot be described. It. was electric. The shouts of laughter which followed the mistake of the scones man effectually put an end to tlio scono, which changed to the next as quickly as possible, amid flic “Bravos!” of the audience, the anger of the manager, and the, uncontrollable rage ol tho actor;

No man lias added more to the gaiety of at least one nation than Mr W. S. Gilbert, who lias just celebrated the completion of his seventieth year. Mr Gilbert bogan to writo plays when lie was at school at Ealing, a thrilling tragedy, “Guy Fawkes,” being his initial effort. He was very nearly lured into tlie army by tlio Crimean war, which fortunately came to an end in time to turn his thoughts elsewhere. He joined tho Civil Sorvieo, was called to the Bar, and wrote for the magazines. Tlio “Bah Ballads” rejected by Punch, wore eagerly seized by Fun. In 1866—just forty years ago lie wrote a burlesque for Christmas production at tho St. James’s, and received £3O for it, together with the manager’s advice never again to sell anything so good for so small a sum. Ho laid tho advice to heart. Six years later his first effort at co-opera-tion with. Sullivan, “Thespis”; or. “The Gods Grown Old,” was produced at the Gaiety by John Hollingshead; in 1876 cafe “Trial by Jury,” .and in 1877 began tho inimitable series of comic operas, the success of which induced D’Oyly Carte to build tlie Savoy Theatre specially for their production, At the Ashburton stock market an auctioneer submitted a line or merino owes, which failed to produce tho slightest animation among those round tho liens An original request if anybody would start the sheep at 8s suffered a gradual decrease, ti>' was asking for an offer of •*

W«0 tioiiiii nn c**j. wuvi oi - give you a bob,” quot> - ,s- 1 1 from tho rail, Tho - a a blltchor ing the bid, in'- auctioneer, scornany of you * wmred, “Now, don t mutton 9 .armers want any harvest so _ . The pelts are worth 3s 6d, you’d almost get the mutton for nothing, or you could send tlie sheep for boiling down.’’ Silence still reigned, so apparently to test the market, the auctioneer started the line off at 2s, and after gently running the sheep up to 2s 9d, he assured the listless . assembly that 1 he could not accept that price.

Tho Wellington pi an ist, Mrs. Barrington Waters, who is at present living in Dresden, has recently given evidence of her powors at a recital with tho noted 'Russian ’cellist, Mnllinnlin. Mine. Carrono was, says the Standard, in Dresden at tho time, and, as slio invariably does, greatly encouraged the Now Zealand artist by her praise and advice. A New Zealander, in tlio person of Mr Leo. Northerolt, is among tlio candidates for the first Parliament of the Transvaal. Air Nortlicoto lias boon requisitioned to contest ono of the Johannesburg suburban seats, and lias consented to do so under tlie standard of tho National Association, tlie party that is opposed to tlio capitalists. Mr Northerolt .was for many years proprietor and editor of the West Coast Times.

The list of scholarships telegraphed to us was defective in that it did not give tho ages and , schools of candidates. The hoy who topped the list, H. F. Parker, comes from Gisborne, ami being over 13, will probably take a Queen’s Scholarship. That would give May White (Havelock) tho National Scholarship for schools with an averago attendance oi : over 40. Tho other National Scholarship goes to the highest candidate under 13 from schools under 40, and tiiis appears to be W. B. King (W liotuku ra). —H. B. Herald. It is a standing joke that farmers are good at growling. The following is the latest literary production on the subject: “Farmers are proverbially grumblers, but the British farmer, who, on-being congratulated on bis splendid hay crop, replied that tbo worst of it was there would bo no bad hay for tho cows, probably holds a record as a growler.”

Rudolf iionnig, the daring murderer who mado a sensational escape from tho clutches of tho Kaiser’s police and was subsequently recaptured alter a pitched battlo in tlio Berlin on tho anniversary of his streets of Stettin, was beheaded in crime. Tho execution took place in the presence of a select company of invited guests, some of whom were clad in evening dross. These latter included the headsman, Herr Schweitz, of Breslau, who also wore whito gloves. Shouting incoherent curses, tho murderer was thrown violently to I.is knees by tho executioner’s threo muscular assistants, who placed liis head squarely in tho centre of the block Having place dtho death-war-wart bearing tho Kaiser’s signature in his wallet, the executioner swung liis glistening axe, anil Hennig’s head was cleanly severed with a well-dir-ected blow.