MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 27, 11 June 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Captain Burnaby is in luck, says a contemporary. A telegraphic despatch states tbat Van has been burnt and plundered. Ereeroum has narrowly escaped a similar fate, bat the Koords are on the alert, and bare " according to their wont," as the ease is naively stated, " murdered two or 'three persons in the immediate neighbourhood of Erzeroum." Moreover, Eraeroum is in a half-famished state ; trado is at a standstill, and the sufferings of the people are intense. The gallant captain, who by this time will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of the place wbere these pUasant excitements are in full career, says, in a private letter, dated Constantinople, Dee. 8, 1876:— "I am just about to start upon a journey overland— the whole, way from Scutari to* Erzeroum and Ears I have bought fire horses and engaged a Circassian servant ; but he can speak nothing but Turkish, so I fthall have to learn that language, nolens volens. My party will consist of my English servant, the Circassian, and myself. By the time I hare finished my ride I shall have got over more than 2000» miles, as the route is very circuitous From Ears X shall probably turn south to Tan, and afterwards see what the Kirghiz are doing. It will be amy rough journey* and very cold, as the thermometer in January at Erzeroum is often 80 deg below zero. I expect to get orer thiry miles a, day— that is, if the horses will stand the work ; but they are not haif as strong as the Rirffhia, horses." This is the last news received from the adventurous Guardsman, and further communications, are anxiously awaited by his friends, The population of Prance does not in* crease proportionately to its wealth. The. returns* of the population during the year 1875, published last week by the Journal Officiel, contains some very sad tokens in, this respect. For instance, the excess of births over deaths, which in 1574 was 171 913 fell in 1875 to the much smallernumber of 105,000. In England this. excess for a smaller population was, 385,000, and in Gennamr tho average, annual term is 500,000, If, then, the results of the Beflin official return made byBaron Fircks are to be depended on, it it. certain that 20 years hence, i.e. 1897, the population of Prussia, which is to-day 24,600,000 souls, will have outstripped our 36 millions, and that 10 years later, in, 1907, it will be the double of the popula* tion of France. That of England will be doubled in 63 jears; Norway in 51;. whereas France will require more than, three centuries to attain the same result.. Let it be noticed, moreover, that the average duration of life has greatly in* creased with us, being 31 years and three months in France, and only 29 in Ger« many. Whence does this reduction of the population arise ? Not from any abatement in the number of marriages,, for they increase rather than deorease in number, and for the last 20 years there has Dever been so many marriages as, now. But these marriages seem to grow more barren a3 they become more numerous. — Correspondent Melbourne Argus. Regarding the supposed intra-Mercuritl planet Yule m and the fruitless search for it, the San Francisco Chronicle of March 27 says :—" Professor Davidson, of the Coast Surrey, has given the result of* his observation of the sun's djsc on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, instant, about which lime. it was expected there might be seen the transit of Vulcan. His station was near. Summit Station, on the C. P. R. R.,, 7300 feet above the sea level. The weather was favourable, except on tho afternoon of the. 21, and late in the afternoon of the 22ud, but no signs of a planet were risible, although one spot and disturbed area was seen on the 21st, and 22nd, and a second disturbed area, appeared on the 23rd. These were int-. portant as indicating what size of spot could be observed, and it is belived that had the planet appeared with a diameter of five seconds of areiieouUi trery readily have been seen. The disc of the sun if, reported to have been very sharply dedefined during the greater part of the. time of observation. At San Francisco, Mr Pratt, of the Coast survey, made, similar search for the planet j and at San, Bernardino, W. G. Wright, of that place, with less favorable weather, observed! through the three days. The former sawthe spot on the 21st, and. the disturbed, area of the 23rd, and the latter saw thespot of the 21st. These observations indicate that at the time of observation, upon this coast > no^ planet was vistble. upon the sun's disc." Inquiries are made m the New Zealand Gazette for the following missing per-, sons :— Thomas Tampilt, who after rends me some time at Christchurch, Canterbury*, is said to have left that place for Mel. bourne on his way to England m, September, 1871, and William Mprtoo. (or W. B. Morton) who was last heard, of at the Thames goldfield Auckland about eight years ago. Morton had then a share in some claims,, and «»<> kept a store. He was a fine looking man about thirty years of age ;. had been a sailor, but latterly had been gold digging, and hidvisited most of the- New Zealand ports. Some particulars regarding the latest fashions in Melbourne, "given to him by. a lady friend," are thus retailed by a, correspondent of the Otago Times t— "That old fashions are being daily renewed is a familiar fact, but in spite of its familiarity I was surprised to see the other day white lace mittens, which are to. b* worn for dinner !>«*«* , ot ' evening wear at home, and black Uce, ones for the promenade or Yisitmg. Ine sight of them brought Tisions of our I grandmothers before my minds eye, to. that I could readily understand the shopman's remark that ladies will soon, look like the pictures of 50 years i&o.. From mittens to gloves is only a finger s length, »nd leaders of fashion seem going out of their way of late to introduce, novelties into a part of the costume that, has been undisturbed for a long time. First we had the increase in the number. of buttons, tho single button first becom*. ing two, and ho on, until now 20 is the> fashionable nnmber for evening wear.. Still the cravings of fashion were unsatisfied. Something original was desired, and th ; s has b«cn supplied by the introduction of a glove with a single seam* in the side or edge of the hand. Jfx place. of the three seams down the back, them is a pretty design of flowers worked, in their natural colors. For instance, pink kid gloves' have three sprays of violets, surrounded by their leaves ; cream kids*, three sprays of scarlet rose buds ; and so on> Jifforout colors, different flowers, Jdon,.

know that any reproach is conveyed by spetkinc of aa article of feminine wear ac effeminate, bat the expression seems ap«y to characterise the present style of muffs. We always look apon them as requiring to be pretty warm, and of good fur, bat iarely it i» not necessary to have quillings of fine heo around the sides, and bows of bright colored ribbon. Yet, that this is needed to complete the happiness of some votaries of fashion, is shown by this being the latest style." "An Otago mining Company of fourteen (Jliinese figures in the Gazette in bankWptoy, The " Heathen Chinee" w rapidly adapting himself to the manners aud fiurtoms of the land. With the following remarks which ap« geared in a late issue of tho Timaru Herald we cordially agree :— " We shall p*y with pleasure tho costliest prices for war telegrams which will really interest and inform our readers. Bat we do think that the Government ought to help in the worthy endeavor, and ought to give us every advantage that can be derived from the public, department. 2{otabene. — The public, not the newspapers, gain by cheap and ezpeditioas telegrams. These {messages are a dead loss to every news* paper."