DE OMNIBUS REBUS.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 223, 25 February 1875, Page 4

DE OMNIBUS REBUS.

The British Empire now possesses 7,760,409 square miles of territory. The United Kingdom, 121,608 square miles; the colonies, 6,685,021 ; India and Ceylon, 962,280. The Queen rules over 234,762,598 souls, and her people dwell in 44,142,651 houses. A very nice sample of tobacco in cakes has been shown to us {Fiji Times ) by Mr Martelli, grown and manufactured by him at his place at Nola, Koro, We are glad to see this industry being ably prosecuted, and likewise to see that the natives are growing it on their own account with diligent industry. A telegram from Reefton states that the whole of the iron piping, to be worked on the syphon principle across Lankey’s Creek, in place of the old wooden fluming for the supply of water to the Wealth of Nations claim, has been most successfully fixed. The water was turned on for the first time on Saturday afternoon, and everything was found to the complete satisfaction of those in charge of the mine. An effort is about to be made, says the Otago Daily limes, to develop some slate quarries existing in the Kouroo district, near Otepopo, which may ultimately prove to be of great value, not only to the enterprising prospectors, but to the province generally. An application has been made to the Waste Lands Board for a mining lease of 350 acres of land in run 217 A in the above mentioned district, for the purpose of slate quarrying, and, although the members of the Board are not disposed to grant |the full quantity of land applied for, there is no douht they will ultimately agree to deal liberally with the applicants,

Eemarking on the practice, so common in the colonies of presenting testimonials on every conceivable pretext, a contemporary quotes the following amusing story from a Melbourne paper . —“A number of gentlemen met at the Carriers’ Arms, Ballarat, to present a handsome silver cup to Mr John Osborne, on his retirement from duties in connection with the produce market, but the expected guest was not present. His absence is explained by the following letter : ‘ Ballarat, 22nd January.—To the Editor of the Ballarat Star. —Sir,—The presentation which was to have been made to-day from millers and others was, in my opinion, quite uncalled for and out of place. Although while in business I always acted fairly and just between buyer and owner, on all occasions I considered it my duty to protect the interest of the latter to the best of my ability. Such being the case, I did not do my friends the honour of appearing at the appointed time and place. —Yours, &c, John Osborne.’ ” The war against the sparrows is being carried on vigorously in Victoria, The Argus states that a meeting of the Preston Sparrow Club was held lately in the Preston School of Design. The President of the shire of Jika occupied the chair. Mr G. Crawley, the secretary, reported that since the price had been raised to Is per dozen for birds and 6d for eggs, the Treasurer had bought 546 birds and 751 eggs, thus making a total of 603 sparrows and 751 eggs. Mr Vincent proposed that each member should kill twelve sparrows per month, or, in default, pay Is towards the expenses of the Club. The proposition was carried. Mr Vincent further proposed that a premium of £3 3s be offered for the largest number of sparrows above the number of 500 brougnt during six months, and that a second premium of £1 lls 6d be given for the highest number of sparrows above 250 brought within six months, all the birds to be shot in the shire of Jika. This was adopted with some modification, and some new members were enrolled. A correspondent of the New York World at St John’s supplies some particulars with respect to the loss of the cable by the Faraday. He says the Faraday commenced paying out her cable on September 6th, and had laid about 500 miles, when, on September 10th, she encountered a furious storm, one which swept the decks of many of the Atlantic steamers. The Faraday lost her cable in the storm. After repeated attempts and failures, owing to rough weather, she at length succeeded, on November 2nd, in picking up the cable in 1871 fathoms, and effecting a splice. Once more she commenced paying out on her way to Newfoundland. The weather proved to be propitious, and all went on well for five days. High hopes were entertained that now at last the great enterprise was going to be crowned with victory; but on the 7th of November a north-east gale arose, and gradually increased in fury till, on the following day, Sunday, the Bth, it blew almost a hurricane. Gallantly the Faraday struggled to retain the grasp of her precious charge, as she was now but 300 miles from Newfoundland. In the afternoon, however, the fury of the gale was such that it was decided to cut and buoy the cable. During the final operation, in letting go the buoy off the ship’s side, the high sea threw the vessel over so much that the chain falling down caught the starboard screw and became entangled with it. The darkness of the night and the force of the gale prevented the crew from clearing the screw before noon of the following day. It was then found that the chain was broken and the buoy to which the buoy rope was attached lost. The accident happened 300 miles from Conception Bay, north of the Flemish Cape, the northern end of the bank where the water is only 800 fathoms deep. The Faraday and her consort, the Ambassador, then ran into Conception Bay to await fine weather. They arrived there on the 11th of November, and took their departure on the 13th in order to fish for the cable at the spot where it was lost.

In the Court of Queen’s Bench, on December 6th, before the Lord Chief Justice, an action was tried by a jeweller named Draysou against Messrs Chaplin and Horne, the carriers for the loss of valuable jewels sent in a cigar-box, and stolen by one of their van-drivers. The defendants denied their liability on the ground that the jewels had been very carelessly sent, and that the value had not been declared. The whole value of the jewels sent was £I4OO, and the value of those missing was above £IOOO. They were packed in a cigar-box, covered with brown paper, and sealed. The packet was sent to Chaplin and Horne’s office, and the value was not declared, though the Carriers’ Act requires that it should be, and it was admitted on the part of the plaintiff that he knew that Chaplin and Horne have notices in their offices that they will not be liable for parcels of which the value is not declared. The felony by the defendants’ servants was proved, but their counsel contended that a special contract had been created by the notices in question. After a long discussion the Lord Chief Justice directed a verdict for the plaintiff, reserving the question of law, and observing, at the same time, that the law required some change. The sender, he said, should be bound to give the carrier notice of the contents of the parcel. It was outrageous that people should be held liable, as they now are under the Act of Parliament, in case of the neglect of their servants, for the value of goods of great value where they have not the most distant idea that such things are consigned, Where goods were of immense value, and were sent in this unguarded way, it caused temptation, and ended in the destruction cf the servants. It was a very bad system, and one that ought to be put a stop to, A verdict was given for the plaintiff for £1033, with leave to move to enter it for the defendants.