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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 448, 21 January 1867, Page 3

Popux.ah Photogkahic P«rtraits. —A popular singer or actor, or a successful prizefighter, will sometimes have a run entering into tens of thou sands of copies; but the demand will suddenly collapse, and their sanies will bs heard no more. Public- men; whose names are distinguished in connection with the pulpit, with literature, science, or art, or in tbs Legislature, are in constant demand, notwithstanding that the especial rage for this collection of portraits has within the last twelve months considerably subsided. Eoyal portraiture is always popula-

and perhaps nothing can more strikingly illustrate the loyalty of Englishmen than the constant demand for portraits of the reigning family. Just about the period of the marriage of the Prince of Wales, a photographer ia Brussels had the good fortune to uviaia sittings the and several members of the Royal family, including the Prince of Wales and the Princess Alexandra, and the sale of these portraits exceeded 2,000,000 of copies. One photographer alone in this country has, during the last few years, issued half-a-million yearly of members of the Royal family. After the Royal family, the popular statesmen are the greatest favorites; Lord Palmerston during his life and for ■ some little time after his death being in greatest demand. If the sale of 1 men’s portraits afford any indication of the popularity of their principles, it is tolerably manifest that Liberalism 1 obtains very strongly in this country, the circulation of portraits in the ratio of ten of Gladstone to one of Derby, who is, however, judged by this stand- ■ ard, the most popular of the Conservatives. On the other hand, the portraits of Louis Napoleon and Garibaldi have about the same popularity, the rage for the portraits of the latter being more spasmodic, and of the former more steady. After statesmen, popular literary men and clergymen are most in demand; and lastly, popular actors and singers. Bishops seem to circulate in virtue of their rank, the Archbishop of Canterbury having the most extended circulation, whilst clergymen and ministers are prised only in virtue of ther popularity. Mr Spurgeon was for a time in very large 'circulation; Mr Binney less exten- ' sively, but more constantly.—British ■ Quarterly Review. Melancholy Case of Suicide.— Oa Friday a melancholy case of suicide occurred in town. A person named David M‘Millan, an old resident in | Wellington, hung himself from a rafter ia the house in which he was living. From the evidence which was given at the inquest, held on Saturday, there can be no doubt that the unfortunate man destroyed himself during an attack of delirium tremens. It is said that not long ago he came in for a large sum of money and has since been addicted to excessive drinking, which, since Christmas, he has carried to such an extent as to have been frequently out of his mind. The jury at the inquest returned a verdict that the deceased had committed suicide when in a temporary fit of insanity, brought on by drinking.—N. Z. Advertiser. The Return of the Hau-haus.— We (Wairarapa Mercury, 12th January) received information yesterday, from a reliable source, that the Haui haus, about forty in number, under Wi Hapi, returned from the West Coast ■ on Thursday, and took up their abode ■ at Ngairo’s pa, near Masterton. It is ‘ said that they have.only accompanied , to the district certain natives of i the Wairarapa, who had proceeded with them when they went last year , to see their frienda on the West Coast, We may state for the information ol 1 our readers outside the district, that i the resident natives here are more in- . terested in having the Native Lands , Act brought into operation, than they i are in the fate of Hau-Lau fanticism. Give them titles to to thoir land, and i we bind them down to keep the peace by holding, in effect a material i guarantee for their good behaviour. ' The Stamp Act and its Penalties. —The Taranaki News, of the 1 10th January says Stamp Duties ’ came in force on New Years Day, and ’ unless people bear this in mind they J will be committing a variety of new offences which may have very unpleasant consequences. For instance, any > person issuing, accepting, or paying any unstamped bill of exchange or promissory note, incurs a penalty of , <£so; any person not cancelling a ■ stamp when be uses it by writing his i name and the date upon it, is liable to a penalty of £lO ; while any one i _• *1 . ) VTIbUUUb lIUbUCI UiUCIUg l/UC SlUUtp llj I writing the word “ paid” on it incurs : u uuc of £2O; any one selling, buying, i or leasing anything, and not setting , forth the full amount paid for the same , in the deed ig liable to a line of £SO, • besides five times the duty; and any • solicitor doing so is liable to a fine of ; £SOO, and to be struck off the rolls. . Every cheque drawn must have a penny stamp oa it, aud also every re-

ceipt except for sums under £5; agreements or memoranda, of agreement under .£2O are free, over that they must have a shilling stamp. There are, as wa Hayg said, a variety of penalties provided for the incautious, but any one who gets the Act and studies it with the help- of a lawyer will probably be able to escape them all—if he is fortunate.

Singular Fatal Accident. —The Tuapeka Press gives the following account of a singular fatal accident which ° oL.-M-f *• wAAv/iw v*my uuva. Hb tut; Tuapeka Mouth Saw-mills belonging Messrs M'Coll, Buchan & Co., to one David . It appears that on Monday, 24th ult., the deceased, while standing on the travelling bench, reached over to turn on a jet of water to cool the saw, when one of the other men turned back the crank causing the bench to travel in the contrary direction without his being aware of it. This brought his left elbow in contact with the large circular saw, revolving at a considerable velocity; the bone was cut right through, laying bare the joint. In trying to extricate himself, the unfortunate man brought his other arm against the saw, which severed all the muscular parts in front of the arm, cutting through the blood vessels, &c. He was immediately conveyed to the Tuapeka Hospital (a distance of 15 miles,) arriving there by 4 o’clock next morning. The resident surgeon, Dr. Stewart, sent for Dr Halley, the honorary surgeon, and they decided upon amputating the left arm, which was done; the right arm was dressed, but the poorsufierer was so weakly from the immense loss of blood he had sustained, that he sunk under the shock about 2 p.m. next day, and was buried on the Thursday following. He was followed to the grave by a large concourse of persons.