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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 52, 26 June 1862, Page 6 (Supplement)

Election ok Mr. Fitzgerald. —lt gives us much pleasure to record the election to the House of Representatives, for the district of Ellesmere, Canterbury, of Air. J. E. Fitzgerald. The opinions of this gentleman on the great questions of the day are pretty well known through the Prens, on which paj>er his pen is most freely employed, and are on the main parallel with those of the present Ministry. He is an orator, and his presence will by a groat attraction to the Stranger's Gallery.— lndependent, June 17. New Bird.- — A hitherto unknown species of duck has recently been seen on the Manawatu river, about 20 miles from the mouth. It was seen by a party of several, and fired at, but missed, from a distance of twenty yards. Our informant describes it as follows : —ln size it is equal to a full grown turkey ; its wings are long and powerful ; and its general contour not unlike a shag. The ground color is. a variable ash grey, beautifully marked and spotted with white. The hill is small, broad, almost verinillion, and having a fleshy mcmhfance as in the Blue Mountain duck of the South. When disturbed it produces a loud note between a quack and a scream, and not unlike the low cry of the Kaka. Now Zealand is rich in nnatidee. . We have already described in our fauna seven distinct species. There is said to he a pintailed duck in the rivers of the extreme North, and this duck of the Mauawatu (about which there seems to Lu little doubt) will swell our list to nine. There is a general impression that New Zealand is poor in ornithology. Some of our readers will he surprised that there arc at least one hundred species of birds found in New Zealand. Some of these fproecUarkUc, Syc.J arc only occasional visitants on our shores ; but most of them are permanent residents with us. Some are local in their range, others arc found in all parts of both islands, and it must not he forgotten that onr fauna contains more representations of the s/rnfhionklcc (dodo ami kindred) than that of any other country. We may hereafter tell the reader something about <nir beautiful, Nnfnrnis Mnnlclli, our

throe, (perhaps four) species of axteryx, our rare found parrots, rails, and mountain thrushes. We shall hope at least to prove to our readers that the ornithology of these islands is neither so scanty nor so uninteresting as most: townsfolk • are apt to think. ; — Ibid ‘‘ • ••• ■ • The Horse and the ’’Lion.— There were some horses on board belonging to Major Kemball, the Consul-General at Bagdad, one oi'which got loose and leaped overboard just at dawn. The steamer was then about half-way to Bagdad, and getting under weigh after anchoring as usual for the nig] it. The horse was not missed for half-an-hour, but was then descried ashore, in what seemed very unpleasant proximity to a splendid lion. The lion circled round and round him, always closing in. The horse remained motionless, beyond turning his head sufficiently to watch the lion’s movements. Suddenly the latter gave a tremendous bound, but the horse was too quick for him, and escaped with a slight scratch ; but instead of gnlTophig away he only went a hundred yards and then stood still. The lion commenced his former tactics with a similar result only his bound was less vigorous this time. The horse did not even yet take completely to his heels : he seemed cither tied by some strange fascination, or inclined to tantalise an enemy from whom a few minutes’ canter would have entirely freed him. Again the lion commenced his circles ; but ere they were narrowed to springing distance a party had landed from the steamer, and the instant the horse descried them, he came galloping down as fast as he could, while the lion stalked on brcakfastlcss away towards the jungle. —The Persian War of 1856-57. The American Oie Springs. —The following arc the latest particulars given in the Philadelphia journals : —“ The coal oil of Pennsylvania is rapidly becoming one of the important elements of our industry and wealth. It is scarcely three years old, and even now it bids fair to rival the coal trade itself. The following statement of the shipments on the Philadelphia and Eric Railroad alone will give a comparative idea of the increase of this trade: —-In 1859, 325 barrels; in 1860, 21, 71 t t barrels ; 1861, 131, 927 barrels ; while for the first month of 1862 the total shipments on tins road have been estimated at 300,000 barrels. Large as the business and the increase on this railroad has boon, it is estimated that it shows but little more than one-sixth of the business actually done. Largo quantities of the oil were taken to Pittsburgh by way of the Alleghany River, and thence to Philadelphia by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Erie Extension Canal carried largo quantities to Erie, whence it found its way to the Eastern market by the like and the railroads in North-western Pennsylvania. It is stated on good authority that the wells on Oil Creek yield 75,000 barrels of crude oil per month, which would be 900,000 per annum. What the yield of the whole oil region is this State will be during the present year cannot he definitely ascertained, but it must roach very considerably over a million barrels of crude oil, for new wells are continually being opened and the trade is making the most astonishing strides, and promises greater wonders still. It has no parallel in this country or in the world, except the Californian gold fever, which it rivals in speculation and excitements. The crude oil, it is said, involves an expcncc of about .810 per barrel in purchasing barrels, transportation, refining, &c., so that the expenditure on 1,000,000 of barrels would be 810,000,000 per annum. The region of country in which such an immense wealth is now being developed was, before the excitement caused by ‘strickling oil,’ comparatively thinly populated, and much of it a wilderness, but now it is becoming thickly settled, and new towns are springing up, and old ones growing into greater proportions. This will make that section one of the most flourishing in the commonwealth, while all the oil seeking greatly benefit and increase the trade of Philadelphia, the emporium of the State.” Modern Refinement. —People don’t laugh, now-a-days, they indulge in merriment; they don’t walk, they promenade; they never chew, they masticate. Nobody has a tooth pulled out; it is extracted. No one has his feelings hurt; they arc lacerated. It is vulgar to visit any one; you must make a call. Of course you would not think of going to bed; you would retire to rest. Nor would you build a house ; you erect it. One buys drugs at a “ medical hall,“ wines of a “company,” and shoes at a “ mart,” Blacking is dispensed at an “institution,” and meat by a “ purveyor.” One would imagine that the word" shop” had not only become contemptible, but had been discovered not to belong to the English language. Now-a-days, all the shops arc “ warehouses ” or“ bazaars,” and you will hardl.y find a person having the hardihood to call himself a shopkeeper. “ Workpeople ” are “ cmploy-ccs,” “ tea-meetings” arc “ soirees,” and “ singers” arc “ artists.” Type-Setting.—Mr. Felt, of Boston, Massachusetts, has invented a, typesetting machine, which will be for compositors what the sowing machine has been for scamtrcsscs. It has capacity if requried, for a thousand different characters, and for any 7 quantity' of each character. It will set up two copies at the same time, and in different type, properly “ spaced,” “ leaded,” and “justified,” at the rate of 15,000 letters an hour. It will also distribute the type after the work is printed ; and, what is more, it keeps a register, by' punching holes in strips of paper, during the composition ; if at any time a reprint of the work should be asked for, the compositor has only to introduce the register into the machine, when, by an ingenious contrivance, the setting of the type goes on precisely the same as for the first edition. Printers may bo excused for scepticism concerning this new wonder; but Mr. Felt is to have one at work in the Exhibition of 1862, when they will be able to sec and believe. — Weelcly Northern "Whig. ■ Stopping the Appetite. —“ Henrietta,” said a landlady to her new girl, “when there’s bad news from Washington, or any bad news, particularly private afflictions, always let the boarders know it before dinner. It may seem strange to you, Henrietta, but such little things nlakc a great dilferencc in the eating in the course of the year.” —American paper.

Extraordinary Marriage Preliminaries.A very “ nice” scene gccurred on Monday at St. Potev’s'Church, Liverpool,:.in yvhieh the<principal actors ■ were a rejected “Helen”, and a faithless Benedict. About a quarter past ten a hackney carriage drove up to tbd gates of tlid clmi-ch. Jaryey yvqs plfbis perch in a ■■minute—die door of the car was opened, and; put jumped-a man—a pleasant looking fellow—who was immediately followed by a buxom lass, about “ one and twenty.” They proceeded towards the church door, but, alas, ilw happy event was destined to bo preceded by an event not half so pleasing. J ust as the bridegroom was entering the porch, a lady’s hand eamo in contact with his head, and a regular “ mill” was the consequence. His antagonist was another young woman, and the unfortunate bridegroom was doubled np in no time. His proboscis soon exceeded its ordinary size, and his left eye looked as if it intended retiring from business, while his mouth was in anything but a happy condition. The young “ ladyc” was more than a match for him, and in order to escape greater punishment he slipped away and ran into the church. The row now was at its climax l —shouts, yells, expressions of rejected love, mingled with a slight sprinkling of unparliamentary terms, echoed through the vaulted aisle ; and certainly Byron’s couplet was fully realized, for the scene went a good way to show' that— God has no wrath like love to hatred turn'd, Xo hell a fury like a woman spurn'd. After venting all her rage upon the unfortunate bridegroom, the “rejected” turned round, and caught the bride an awful whack between the eyes winch had the effect of creating a blush such as modesty never wore. An ineffectual attempt on the part of (he latter to retaliate closed the proceedings ; the amazon retired, and the happy (?) couple, after sharing each other’s sorrows, mingled into one. Advertising.—One would suppose that a great house having once established a reputation for excellence in any expensive wares, —such as people never buy out of mere whim, but which are heirlooms from generation to generation, and not to bo indulged in in duplicate—might at least relax its advertising exports unoccupied by its name. The writer of the present paper once made bold to observe as much to the junior partner of a linn of this description, and this was the reply : “When f first entered the business I thought as you do, and persuaded the house to reduce its advertising account from £9OOO - to. £6OOO per annum ; but the loss of custom consequent on the reduction so far exceeded the £3OOO saved, that we had at (he beginning of the following year to advertise even more than before, in order to recover lost ground.” Several firms expend the above enormous amount upon advertising, and some so much exceed it as to reach £17,000 a-year. Chambers Journal. It is a notable fact, of considerable significance to all who take an interest in the philosophy of clothes, that nearly every one of the sovereigns of Continental Europe makes the military coat his ordinary dress. The rulers of Portugal and Sweden, and, to a certain extent, the head of Imperial France, are, we believe, the only numarchs who ever wrap (heir royal limbs in homely broadcloth, and dispense with the rainbow hues and gaudy trimmings of the soldier’s jacket. The thirty kings of Germany dress in uniform, one and all. ■ -Spectalor. Exhibition Eccentricities. —Tin; first odd commneation in writing which commissioners received came direct from a lady, who concealed her name. She was anxious that the building, even in its earliest stage of election, should bo secured from fire ; and she hoped that the commissioners had not neglected to insure it in some respectable office. She was led to write in this strain, because her sister had recently had a tire- at her house, and was not covered liy any policy of insura n co. — Lei an re Ho ur. An Irish mile is 2210 yards; a Scotch mile is 198 t yards ; an English or statute mile is I.7G(> yards ; German 1806 ; Turkish 1826. An acre is ■lBlO square yards, or 69 yards 1 foot 81 inches each way ; a square mile, 1760 yards each way, contains 6 10 acres. Probably no age ever congratulated itself so often as this nineteenth century. One never regrets doing a polite or a kind thing, no matter how it is received. “ Bob, how is your sweetheart getting along ?’’ “ Pretty well; she says I needn’t call any more.” You may purchase any stamp at the staiupofilcc except the stamp of a gentleman. There is a good deal in the tone and manners of our day to foster a habit of quiet passivoness. — Saturday Hevieic. A lady advertises in the lie cord for a cook, who must be “ if possible, a Christian.” An American has just discovered a plan for making ships of India-rubber; but Congress discountenances the scheme, because they are afraid that such ships, in crossing the lino, would rub it out. — American paper. “Give me a nice polish, you young scamp,” said a dirty swell with a pipe and a pork pic cap . “I can’t give you one,” said the lad; ”it would take a cleverer ’man’ nor me to do that. But I can polish your boots, sir.” There is a man in the West who has moved so often, that whenever a covered waggon comes near his house, his chickens all march up and fall on (heir backs, and cross their legs, ready to be tied and carried to the next stopping place. Here is an epitaph sharp enough to wake up the vixen if she wore not very dead indeed : Here lies my wife Polly, a terrible shrew If I said I was sorry, then I should lie too ? It is related of the French family of the Due do Levis, that they have a picture in (heir pedigree, in which Noah is represented going into an ark, and carrying under his arm a small trunk, on which is written, ’’Papers belonging to tbc Levis family.’ ’ Once, when Madge was a very little girl, her father found her chubby bauds lull of the blossom a beautiful tea-rose on which he had bestowed great care. ”My dear,” said be, ’didn’t I tell you not to pick one ot loose (lowers without leave?” “But papa,” said Madge innocently, “all these bad leaves.” It may perhaps 1 be thought difficult to decide which is the more'destructive —the mortar in (be battle-field nv (be mortar in (be drug-shop..