News of the Day.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1583, 9 June 1874, Page 245

News of the Day.

A Conscientious Architect. The spire of what isjcnpwn as the new First Church at Dunedin is being taken down—its appearence detracting from thin beauty of the edifice. It is to be replaced by another thirty feet higher, and, it is to be hoped, of better proportions. A correspondent of the. Tuapeka Times states that the architect is making the alteration •for his own satisfaction, and that he bears the expenses attached to it. The name of so conscientious a man deserves to be handed down to posterity. What a number of people would, bo ruined if his example were generally followed.

Mr Moriarty, of Sydney, has written to Greymouth, inquiring as to the effects of the late flood, prior to making his report upon harbor works. A survey has been made ; few alterations have been found necessary, and those alterations, says the " Argus," " are over such a limited area, that they prove beyond doubt if a permanent training-wall was erected, the question of making Greymouth a port of some considerable capacity, is settled." Five Maoris, says the Auckland Star, have been introduced into the Harbinger of Peace Lodge of Good Templars by Baron De Thierry, and went through the mysteries of initiation. This Lodge is strong in regalia, and the brilliancy of the spectacle in which they were taking part seemed to make a great impression on the minds of the new converts. The Order seems likely to become very popular with the natives.

It is alleged by the " Newcastle Pilot " that an expedition is about to start in search of Classan, the reported survivor of Leichardt's party. . Andrew Hume has secured the serrices of Masson Giasebrook—commonly known as the " Horsefinder," and an extraordinarily good bushman—Andrew Hume, a cousin of the explorer, and Kellick, also well skilled in bushcraft. The expedition—the cost of which is to be borne by the explorers themselves proceeds overland to the Western Lakes, where Classan is said to be.

Wonderful Escape.—A lady, while engaged in the pursuit of her domestic duties, encountered a mouse in the. flour barrel. Now most ladies under similar circumstances would have uttered a few feminine shrieks, and then sought safety in the garret. But this one possessed more than the ordinary degree of feminine courage. She summoned the hired mau, and told him to get the shotgun, call the bull-dog, and station himself at a convenient distance. Then she climbed half way upstairs and commenced to punch the flour barrel with a. pole. Presently the mouse made his appearance, and started across the floor. The dog at once went in pursuit. The man fired, and the dog dropped dead. The lady fainted and fell down the stairs, and the hired man, thinking that she was killed, and fearing that he would be arrested for murder, disappeared, and has not been seen since. The mouse escaped.

The Schoolmaster Abroad—Thefol lowing is from the Bay of Plenty Times:— One of the officers in the Public Works Department, Tauranga, was some time ago surveying up country. Employed ia his camp was a bootmaker, well-known in the district, who was taking a spell of rural life. Our readers may judge of the surveyor's surprise upOn receiving one morning the following letter, which has been handed to us for publication :—" to Mr, Sir will you blige me Sir Geting me a paire of boots Made by the shoomaker this Instruction linth 10 inches and a £ harf rown the Instep 13 inc the holer of the Foot, lOj inc round the tows 9 inc Roun the aukle 85 inc. Those boots are to be fancy Made ankle smale in the Holer part of the foot Aud to be butchers Send them as soon as you Can and i will sitle for them, Adue truly." A perfect gem, is it not ? ■

Quite Enough Married.—A Dutchman and his wife had travelled West and arrived at Salt Lake, where they halted for a few weeks. The Mormons got around the old Dutchman and coaxed him to join their ranks. After retiring one night in their canvas-covered wagonette bed, the good Dutchman broke the matter to his better half, hinting that the Mormons told him that he " Had better stay, settle among dem, and take some more wives." " How mauy more wives you tinks you vants?" asked Kathrina. The Dutchman thought "Fife more vould make half-a-dozen already;" whereupon the old wife got down her bodice, and slipping from it what the Dutchman called the " priest-board, vhich vas made from Visconsin hickory wood, and vas very tough," she laid the hickory fierce and fast on the old man, who shuffled out of the wagonette and fell into a i itch. The old man got up, said his " stomach was very cold, but his back was very warm." His wife cried out, •' How many wives you tinks you vants now, old foul?" But the Dutchman felt and expressed that one was enough.

The Development of Language There is a strange tendency of modern poetic genius (says the New York Tribune) to career wildly into philological novelties. The dictionary, expansive as it is, appears to be dl too limited a field for the exercise of genius, and so mysterious and awful verbs and adjectives arise from chaos. This peculiarity is not wholly unpleasant to the average reader ; it is exciting not to know what new word is about to stun him—aud besides, if genius be not sufficiently inventive, it is apt to fall gasping into a tumult of dashes and exclamation points, which is more picturesque than entertaining. Of lack of invention we shall not accuse a person who is kind enough to send us a pathetic ballad in which two attached young people walk through a forest, " while," to use his own beautiful expression, "the wood-wren jerks its tune." Neither shall we make that accusation against the poetic genius which, in a • ghostly poem printed in a popular-magazine, introduces to to a "blintering " phantom, and likewise us divers animals which "snorkl" Two more remarkable words have probably never been coined. There is a breadth, a boldness in them calculated to appal the ordinary mind. Will other " poets " adopt them 1 Shall they pass permanently into romantic literature ? They would not, On the whole, be unworthy of the novel of the period. " A sudden snork was heard at the portal, and Mortimer, blintering, dropped the fairy-like and gem-lit hand of the Anastasia." Beautiful! This poet, by the way, makes an inquiry which, fortunately, we find ourselves quite competent to answer. ""What," he anxiously asks, " can it be has power to scare The full' grown moon to the idiot.stare Of a blasted eye in the midnight air 1" Any reasonable and respectable moon casting a transitory ■glance upon these' verses would be scared unto it, '' -. /