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Globe, Volume V, Issue 596, 17 May 1876, Page 4

The latest case of ingratitude is that recorded of a Westean editor who returns thanks for a box of strawberries sent him, and says he will excuse the neglect to furnish the sugar. “On the night of April 11th,” states the Brisbane Courier, “on the voyage of the Florence Irving, when the vessel was some fifteen miles north of Mackay, a Chinese prisoner named Ah Lee, who was being con yeyed from Cooktown to Bockhampton to await his trial for horse stealing, was missed. Search was made throughout the steamer, but without avail; and it is supposed that he jumped overboard and was drowned. In accordance with the belief of his countrymen as to the necessity of providing for the inner man during the passage from this to another world, John took the precaution of appropriating a loaf of bread before launching out on his journey.” „ A good story is told regarding Mr Gladstone’s forthcoming work on Homer by the South London Review. The author of the book originally entitled it “Homeric Synchronism.” His publishers, probably influenced by the modern preference for SaxonEnglish, ventured to suggest to the right hon gentleman that “ The Time and Place of Homer ” would be “ better understauded of the Common people ; ” and they went further than that. They related an anecdote of an old Scotch minister who was called upon to baptise a certain infant, and who, in the usual course, demanded of the fataer how the child was to be named. ‘ Alexander Augustus.” said the father. The minister, wholly disapproving of such higa-sounding names, answered sharply, “ Hoots, nonsense, the child’s name is John. ” And sure enough the child was baptised plain “John” forthwith. We do not know whether Mr Gladstone quite appreciated this jocular remonstrance, but at all events it led to a modification, or rather duplication, of the title of this book, which now stands—“ Homeric Synchronism, being an inquiry into the time and place of Homer.” “ The Board of Trade returns show,” says the Times , “that the decrease of £16,000 0.0 in the declared value of the British and Irish produce and manufactures exported in the year '876, as compared with the amount in the preceding year, occurred chiefly in the expo-ts to foreign countries. These amounted to £152,415,850, or less by £14,862,179 than in the preceding year. The exports to British possessions abroad abroad were of the value of £71,078.720, a decrease of only £1,201,872. The increase in the value of our imports, on the other hand, was chiefly in our trade with British possessions. Our imports from foreign countries in 1875 were of the value of £289,144,196, showing an increase of £1,224,334 over the amount in the preceding year ; but there was nearly double that increase in our imports from British possessions, which reached the value of £84,486,221, or more by £2,323,382 than in the preceding year. The total imports of merchandise into the United Kingdom in 1875 reach the value of £373,630,417, the largest value ever