MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 85, 5 March 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

A portion of the General Hospital, Launceston, has been destroyed by fire, and the remainder narrowly escaped destruction. At Queensland, the Leonora steamer ran into the brig A. F. Levy in Formosa Channel. The latter instantly sank, and all lives were lost. The remaining child of the Holden family, at Sydney, died of small-pox on January 27. The father and other patien's were then domg well

The Chamber of Commerce of Queensland hold a meeting shortly with refer* ence to the possible termination of tbe Torres Straits mail contract. A ledgeerkeper and an accouatantat the Australian Joint-stock Bank, Bockhampton, bave been arrested on a charge of embezzlement. They had been cleverly manipulating the books for years past. A gentleman named 8. Campbell, from the neighborhood of Greelong, who while suffering from sunstroke, took passage from Melbourne to Sydney in the Macedra , on the Bth mst., mysteriously disappeared?*"* leaving a valise and other artictea behind in his berth. One day last week, a Sting Bay (Trrgon Pastmaca) was caught in Akarot Harbor by a fisherman, measuring Sft 6in long, and 4ft Sin in breadth, and weighing about 2cwt and a-half. A short description of this fish might prove interesting to our readers. It very much resembles a skate in general appearance, but bas a tail which it bas the power of twisting round its victim, at the same time giving it fearful wounds with tbe serrated spine protruding therefrom. With this spine tbe South Sea Islanders tip tbeir spears. Mr Lambert bas purchased the fisb and sent it to the Museum at Christchurch. "The Vagabond" goes to church in Melbourne to hear the Ber. W. Pearce, and in the columns of the Argus an abstract of the sermon is given, as also are abstracts of sermons delivered by Mr Pearce on the Sundays preceding and succeoding tbe Melbourne Cup race. The remarks of this evidently gifted and faithful preacher are of particular interest in Wellington just now, m View of remarks made fVom a Church of England pulpit a few Sundays ago. In the first sermon, taking his text from Corinthian and St Paul's allusion to the Isthmian games, he says : — •• No one with a fragment of common sense wonld seek to deprive a people of its amusement—whether tbat amusement be taken on a racecourse or in a theatre. The former promotes the breeding and rearing of fine horses, a thing of tbe first importance in ft conntry iike this. The latter, if properly con* ducted, conduces totbe highest moral and intellectual culture. St. Panl bad far too much good sense and knowledge of the world to advise his Corinthian converts to avoid the Isthmian games ; and he was not afraid to quote from a comedy of Menander when seeking to impress them with the great, the vital truth of onr Lord's resurrection. But be did advise tbem to be 'temperate in all things.* Pleasure may be pleasure without being fast snd furious ; enjoyment need not degenerate into excess. A man of wealth may back bis opinion of tbe merits of bis horse without staking bis whole fortune on the issue of a race ;-a woman may dress withelegance and taste without jeopardising ber husband's position, or ber own fair fame, and exciting envy and scandal by reckless extravagance of costume. The golden mean is proverbially bard of at* tainment, but thut is no reason why we shonid not try to. attain it. and pray for grace and strength to attain it, remembering that though God, wben he gave us life, intended that we should have a fair and reasonable share of pleasure and en* joyment, never intended that the quicklyfading crown should be the aim and end fo,' that, life " In the spcond sermon . after, pointing out the need of physical rest to .the man who labors with his hands, he | graphically sketches the career of the ,brain««worker, and shows bow he will break down with overwork unless relieved by play. Then, he says: — "The people of Victoria seem to me to be fonder of play tiian any people I have yet come amongst, and the question arises — Are we too fond of it ? Do we lose, or do we score ? The Americans have no idea of play. They carry their business with them everywhere. Their thoughts are in WalLstreet, if their bodies are at Long Brench or Saratoga. They turn pleasure into business, and regard churches and picture-galleries, the treasures of ancient art, as so much work to be done ; and they boast themselves as having done it. This is all wrong, doubtless. But do we go to the other extreme ? Do we work enough ? Th* test is an easy and a simple one, and yon will anticipate me when I submit to von that it is this — Does bur play give us zest or distasle for our work? If the former, it is good ; if the latter, it is bad. If the cup of pleasure, of which we bare lately drunk so deeply, indisposes and unfits ns for the serious business of life-^* makes us restless, dissatisfied, discontented, it is surely a sign that we bave drunk it too deeply. If on the other hand we go back to onr bnsiness strengthened and refreshed, and with a feelingof satisfaction at being again at our work, then our play bas done us good." Thai this is sound practical sense and Christianity, tbe majority of professing Christians will be found to agree. — .N.Z. Times. Promiscueus acclimatisers (says tbe Timaru Herald) should take a warning by the fa*e of Mr F. D. Rich, a large proprietor near Waikouati in Otago. This gentleman, who we believe has done at much as anybody in the way of acclima* tisation, was recently fined in a nominal amount for shooting hares on. his own land. He freely admitted the offence, being apparently desirous of having the matter brought prominently forward. Be further stated that the hares on his estates quite equalled in voracity a flock of long" woolled sheep, and that there were sOme--times at least a thousand of them in a single paddock. His evidence was cor* roborated by other witnesses, and the Benc'i, though obliged to inflict a penalty for the sake of the law, appeared to sympathise with the defendant. It seems that when the Noxious Animals Proven* tion Bill was before the House last session, Major Atkinson promised that tbe open session for hares should be exteaded, the Governor having power to do so. Nothing, however, bas been done in the matter, and tbe consequence is that not i only Mr Rich's grass and plantations ' have been devoured, but also the law has been broken, and tb some extent hrought into contempt. ._ " JSgles in the Australasian of Feb. 3rd writes:— A clerical friend has an especial objection to the title of Lord Bishop in the colonies, and be bas favored me with an apologue tbereanent. The last time he read the epistle for Dr Sumner, the archbishop of Canterbury, was when that benevolent digniClry bad come to Blackfriars raid to preach on behalf bf the ragged schools. Wben Hia Grace came out of his carriage he had no head covering but his wig, and all wero hatless but the beadle. This important functionary had received a new hat with a large gold band in honor of tb* occa*

t°*\ an i he m * "-brtraa-'to ke#'iton bis !L otd Y3 h 1 Ho °- Heibbrt re- ! moved his head covering, so even did the American husband of Ms Beecber Stowe, who followed the archbishop. Not iothe beadle. He marqhrd in f^ont of Hia Grace, but clung fo hi* hat with the gold band. "So," says my correscondent, "do colonial church diunitavies chng to ibe title of « Lord Bishop,' " al- ! * though they know it?* bestowal was a i blunder—a Queen's blunder certainly— bnt still a raisiake. The title is like the • inappropriate gold-laced hat of London beadledom. The Gundagai Times, New, Sonth Wales, reports that the individual at present confined in Gunda<?ai gaol foe one "MWth for having swallowed a ring lent to bim dv ing a ledgerdemain performance has been' seriously ill, requiring medical assistance of a very prompt naiure. The cause of bis illness was the shifting of a steel chain he ba* with<n hiae. from its former position into h's gut, aiicl inflammation was feared. Dr M'Killop, howeter, procured him rel ; e", bnt tlie chain still remains in hi .a. We l"a n tbat the prisoner bns oa several oicas'ons extrtcted the poisooons fan.^s of snakes, and then swallowed th" live replies, and. after allowing ihem to wr'ggie about 'n his inner mai for a whi'e, hss bronchi them up a-;a ; n P'ive a-d kickiig.

A Veb ele of Health. —A pare stimn* * l»nt possessed of 'on : c prope.'i'e" b.-s ever been regarded as the desideratum for diseases which drain the system «<f i.s vital powei, &>»• ove coming tbe de'jlliiy which follows sick i<\*s, ajrl To" jemedy^g consitutioral weakness Knowing iis absolute pn . i(y, its power "villy invigorative and correciiv? Ac \on, cod hs vai.'e i»spn an i-f'yspentic and dlo.'elic, ifc is ro wosde? that nhysicipns ao frequently p c» acribe Udoipho Wolfe's Schiedam AmMATIC FCH.*AI»T»3.