MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 37, 4 July 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

News fron Vienna announces that Greece has already posted 22,000 men* on the Turkish frontier. -It is also reported from Vi-nna that tbe traffic is. suspended on all the Roumanian railways^ and the official arohires of the Committee of Navigation of the Danube have- been deposited in a place of sa r eiy. Tbe Ban,k of Eoumania has followed, thia example with respect to its funds. After tbe publication of the Char's manifesto the Municipal Council of Mos> cow granted funds to provide one thousand; beds for wounded soldiers, and a further sum of one million roubles for the pnr-. chase of all the necessary appliances for. nursing. They afterwards, appointed a special committee to draw up an, address, to the Emperor. In the afternoon there was a solemn service in the Kremlin Cathedral, and in all the churches, which, were crowded. The appointment of ex-Coloael Baker to the command of a brigade has beea cancelled, 01 the recommendation of Redif' .Pasha, who says the Turkish army doea not require any European officers. The hon. Mrs Hobart, wife of Admiral Hobart Pasha, died on April 13s, and, was interred at the English cemetery, afc Scutari. The tuneral was attended by a very large number 0/ English ladies aa: well as gentlemen* an evidence of the high esteem in which tha deceased lady was held. The chief mourner was Ists. Hoibart's neice, i^ias. Boyd, the Admiral being too. much overcome by the. suddenness of his bereavement to attend $he. funeral ceremony. The Grand Djake Constantino is to command the Russian fleet in the Medk terranean this summer, and will hoist hjs flag on board the Prince Posharsky, This vessel is a broadside ship with, an iron hull, plated with 4| inches of armour, and carries 8-inch guns. Ifor some year* past it has been laid up at Constradt on account of the- numerous defects in its, outnerous defects in its boilers, but the Admiralty is now using every end,eav.QW

to 'got it' ready for sea by June. Increased r activity is being shown ia pushing, on with -the Peter the Great and other vessels in an incomplete state afc St. Petersburg;- but this cannot be ready for service before the end of the summer.. -■'The, Adelaide papers contain no account of the football accidont which was re.POJfrod in our telegrams a few days agoThey only mention that the victim, Mr PooK was in bis eighteenth year, and that ho died from injuries received at a 'football match. No inquest seems to have been held. In consequence of the occurrence notice was given in the House of Assembly, to ask the Attorney-General 41 if his attention has been directed to the death of a Mr C. B. Poole from injuries received in a game at football, and whether he is of opinion that an inquest was uonecessary ; also, if ho will give any consideration to the question whether legislation oa the subject is necessary or desirable." On several occasions attention has been •drawn to the fact that the quantity of opium consumed in the Colony is largely increasing. Some of this increase is no doubt due to the increase of the numbers ■of Chinese, especially in the Southern provinces, but we fear the increase is not ■wholly due to the Chinese population. A similar increase in the consumption is ■taking place in California. In 1866, 448 boxes of opium were shipped from Hong Kong to San Francisco, worth £36,750. In 1871, this quantity had increased to 1409 boxes,. worth £119.238; in 1873 to 1748 boxes, worth £136,087 ; and in 1875 tto 1824 boxes, valued at £165,994 It is believed that much of this increaseis ,due to the use of the drug by PPPple*£a| European* or American origin, as mejßr .crease is out of all proportion to tHeJHttli crease of the Celestials in the United) ■States. ' On Thursday, April 26, Mr Egerton stated in the House of Commons that Hobarb Pasha has been informed that lie .could no longer he permitted to combine the character, of an officer licensed to hold Her ' Majesty's commission, aod of &n Admiral in command of armaments .engaged in, active operations against a State with which Her Majesty was in friendly relations. This day (May 3) it -is announced that Lord Derby has telegraphed to Hobart Pasha that he •must either quit the English or the "Turkish service at once. The Pasha ,esks for a few days to consider which alternative he shall adopt. The Otago Guardian says :— A Chinese gambling prosecution engaged the police (bench ibr several dreary hours recently. The defendants were two .very .unprepossessing Chinamen who occupy a building in Stafford street, in rather .close proximity to St. Mathew's Church. The building is used assumedly as a boarding <house for Celestial visitors to ithe city, but.aocording to the evidence for ■the prosecution, the ground-floor, which ; is below the level of the street, has been : the resort nightly of crowds of Chinese gamblers. Money, watches, and jewellery have all been squandered thei.e •under ,the fascinating influence of iWtan, a game which appears to be as familiar to every Chinaman as his pigtail. Some remarkable* facts were elicited in evidence. Among other tthings -it .was ascertained that the ; accused Chinamen had about as many. different • names as they had teeth in itheir heads, and that one of them in a."U .dition was decorated with the title of the , gambling-house. One of the witnesses, a student for divinity orders, mildly; .designated the place a club room, and 'then gave an exhaustive description of -.the mysteries of fun-tan. The evidence :had to ; bo translated by an interpreter, 'and the case necessarily took up an untusual amount of time. Ultimately it; was .adjourned, the accused being admitted to ibail. The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol ,writes.:— "l have become definitely a ■total abstainer. I have not taken any •pledge, but I am now just as settled in any mind as if I ha I become ever, so bound. I latterly took a little alcohol, 'but I find no difference between abstaining; still, as I may encourage some, I .drop the alcohol altogether." Among the gifts p.esented to the Emperor William on bis birthday, there was an engraving by Prince, Henry and tti Mok Ibpund by Prince Waldmar, the two 'youngest sons of the Crown Prince. lUnder .the thrifty habits of the dynasty .each of its princes., it is well-known, in .order to become acquainted with the ipopular aspect of life, has to learn a craft. His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is a compositor, and the German Em* peror is a glazier. The .editor of the Lyell Argus has found a subject for an original local, tie writes thus-.— One of those appalling incidents that strike terror into the bravest heart occurred here yesterday, a little girl was seen to leave her home, she reached her destination safely, and started proudly on her return. Fondly the doting another watched her darling child, but .alas: a flash of lightning, a peal of thunder and all was oyer ; the child lay .gasping in the street. The now frantic mother wildly clasping her to her bosom ,and vainly tried to hide her grief. Hero •was a chance for a local. We pressed forward only in time to hear the little one #asp out " mother, mother, don't beat me." Is it serious" we asked. The answer came slowly from the heart broken jmother. " I should think it was, She's broken the beer bottle and it was the dast shilling in the house/ We Passed.