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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 21, 21 November 1861, Page 6 (Supplement)

A strange scandal’was recently reported from Rome. A Roman soldier wounded a French one, and General Goyon demanded his surrender, which Mgr. do Mcrode, Bishop and Minister at War refused. Some correspondence followed, which grew every moment more bitter, and at last the bishop visited the general, and with menacing finger and insulting gestures, poured put abuse upon the Emperor Napoleon. General Goyon replied by “ inflicting two, slaps on the check, morally,” and oficring, if the bishop would strip off his robe, to lay aside his general’s uniform, and meet him in single combat. The ecclesiastic de-

dined, and the soldier was surrendered. The incident lias been described at length in the Paris journals, provoking the comment that withdrawal of the French would terminate all these scandals. Life tv the Sea.— Brimful of life at its surface, the sea would bo encumbered if that prodigious power of production was not kept somewhat in cheek by the antagonistic power of destruction. Only imagine that every herring lias from fifty to seventy thousand more, were there not an enormous destruction going on the ocean would very soon bo solidified and putrified. The great eel ace drive them towards the shores, ever and anon driving into their ranks and swallowing up whole shoals. The whiting eat their fry ; cod again devour the whiting. Yet oven here, the peril of the sea, an excess of fecundity, shows itself in a still more terrible shape. The cod has up to nine millions of eggs, and this creature of such formidable powers of maternity has nine months of love out of twelve. Yo wonder thrt the fishery of this productive fish has created towns and colonies, lii.t even then, what would the powers of man avail opposed to sueh fecundity? lie is assisted by others, among which the sturgeon takes chief rank, 'i hen, again, the sturgeon itself is a very fecund fish. This devottrer of cod has itself fifteen hundred eggs. Another great devonrer is not proportionately reproductive, and that is the shark. \ iviparous, he nourishes the young shark in his bosom, his feudal inheritor, who is born terrible and ready armed." lienee arc sharks called in many countries sea-dogs, and so we lately saw thtFrench chiea da mer literally translated.”—lMachtvoo d.y Majazina for March. ii< LYiIK.U) IlAiißnun—The Liverpool Albion is very wrath with the lavishness with which it is proposed to- make a further large expenditure on Holyhead Harbour, and indulges in the following amusing observations on the subject :—“ When the late Hr. Brunei was once asked by a nonprofessional acquaintance ‘ What were the engineering difficulties ? of a certain line of railway that eminent C. E., after first, a fleeting not to understand the question, replied that ‘ there were no such things as engineering difficulties—that it was only a question of time and money.’ The truth of this maxim has been well exemplified at Holyhead, though we believe that a confiding public entered into the scheme on the faith of a contract made by the Government of the day whereby the entire plans were to be carried out "for £GOJ,29 i —although Sir John Rennie and Hr. Page gave evidence that the works could not be completed for £1,800,000. Isobody ever doubted the utility of the packet station there, but we venture to assert that there are good grounds for consideringthat the late Mr. Askew was right when he called it a ‘harbour ot destruction.’ The Government of the day very soon broke through the original plans and estimates. The original curved line of breakwater was altered, and the great sea serpent having made its appearance is 1851, suggested we believe the line of breakwater which now slumbers amidst the surges of that rock-bound coast. We thoroughly exposed at the time the swindle that was being practised upon the public ; but John Bull went on doling out his money with a lavish hand under the impression that he had engaged in a work of philanthropy. A debate had just taken place in the House of Gommons, and it is now stated that, although, £1,188,000 has been expended on the works, there is nothing but ‘ a miserable wooden jetty on winch to land the passengers ; whilst Mr. Lindsay, who ought to know something of the mercantile marine, slated that ‘ the harbour of refuge was of no real use.’ It is proposed to spend £730,000 more—paid out of additional income-tax—and the probability is that the House of Commons will go on from lime to time voting away money as it is demanded, first fori he packet pier, on the threats of the Irish members, and then for the harbour of refuge, on the solicitation of the friends of philanthropy. It seems to be admitted now that there arc no ‘ engineering dithcult ies,' but that there has been an ‘ engineering mistake ;’ and the public must not be surprised if, some day or other a proposition should be made to give the back of the great sea serpent a good bend outwards in the right direction. There is plenty of the Holyhead mountain left, and unless Br. Gumming should prove right there will be abundance of time. The House of Commons will fi.al the monev.”