MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 80, 12 October 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

DrGuthrie said: We have a great c many thing* taugh in our schools bow- a physiology, pMlogy, crauiology, geology I -and what the better is a girl for it, » J she cannot darn her stockings, J»k» to' bread, boil a potato, or hght afield nor, remember, despite these olojies ,b t T «n for stttchology, bakology, and boil- ° S A correspondent semis the Melbourne J Argus a good story. " Proceeding home ralher lake the oHiw nirfit thro^h a populous suburb, I observed, walking a few yards in advance of me. n gentleman in evening dress, with a cigar bet wen his lips, going quietly on his way. and roolct!£r nobody. Soon he had to p. . ■< a j 'corner where a mob of lads wore collected talking and laughing in « "«*». nnH b ""- , teroiis manner, when. one of their number, senaraiiws himself from his companions, took hold of the gentleman s arm in a ' familiar and insolent manner, saying, • Come, old cock, I'll see you- home, frobahly the lnrriknn thought the gentleman had been dining, thoimli Huto is nothing in liia manner or ffnit to imln-nte Hint he: hid been dining to excels, unrf l-ye-an-i- I bye »t was made to appear, greatly to Jlr Larrikan's discomfiture, that the gentleman was very capable of takmg enre ot himsell AtYirst, father to my surprise, lie dfd not actively recent the liberty. Imj went ©* his way piiflimr his weed. 1 though*, however, that his indifference was a bittle artificial, and kept an eye on th« pair to see what would transpire. After a block had been traversed in fie I way jjust described, the larriknn seenv-d ] to "suspect that he had got hold of the wrong man, and endeavoured to withdraw hi* arm. But no. the more he tried to get clear the^more the gentleman would not allow him, until at length, when he was beyond the reach of his companions, the gentleman seized him by the throit with a grasp of iron, and rolled bjm bodily over into a public house horse drinking trougl . He gave him, calmly and deliberately, three quite distinct immersions, that took his breath away then solemnly put him under a dreadful oath never again to molest an unoffending passenger. I waited too see if the fellow's companions would oome to his aid, or if a wines* to the occurrence should be necessary to the wranger's protection, but my services were not required. I think the particular "rough " concerned will bo more circumspect in his conduct another time, and I send my compliments to the strange gentleman who treated him so properly, and congratulate him upon having done his duty on the occasion in a very com» plete aiid thorough manner." The Russians tronps obtained possession of Tirnova, the capital of Bnlgaria, in a remarkable manner. The Turks were apparently frightened out of it. The Daily News special correspondents at Simnitz* mention that cavalry had been seat against the place, and that fighting was expected, and now the Czirewitch reports tho capture. A body of cavalry and a battery of horse nilillery appeared iic Tirnova on July 7. surprised the delendcrs. and captured Turkish camp, with Ihe ammunition and baggage • The garI ris-m consisted Jof 3000 regular Turkish infantry and a bnt'ery wiih an unknown number of militia, who fell bank .in Os<nnn Haizir, in the direction of Sim nl.i. The Ku«si hi commander sunn sent u;> his in- , I'antry and artillery to Tirtiova to ooeii >y tins important plare in lorn 1 . It nun' excile surprise that the Turkisn enuinitinder did not nvike b.-tler provision for the defence of this position, which iimv he considered as lriving been threatened of the day when the Uu-sikth hid nude uood their footing at Sistova, from w!i ; i:h it is only 3> miles distant. Tirnova is currently described as a fortified to«vn— ih it is to say, it is enclosed by a wall and trench, hut these are of small account, under the conditions of modern warfare. The place stands on a bnssahie lull 1(XX) feet high, and is important ns «iviri«j I access to the best passes leading to A Irianoplo. Its population of 17,000 is composed ol Mahometans, Christians, and Jews. In addition to the items which have already been published in our telegraphic columus. the following information appears in the Melbourne pipers : — At a public meeting held at Madras, the statistics read were appalling, and sli iwed that one mil lion of deaths had been reported from December to July. According to th* 1 Home papers a second year of famine is dreaded. London advices state that the stocks are buoyant.it being considered that the Turkish victory in Bulgaria will lessen the chances foreign intervention. It is announce! that a special Turkish Im--1 perial (iard camp from reserves will be » formed to protect Constantinople. August i 12 — Lord Derby, replying to a question, said that the report in the Austrian Press ■ that England's policy, would ho to await and participate in the partition of Turkey j ; was wholly unfounded. A Turkish array corps of 350,000 has been re-called to , Constantinople trow Biigdad. Consul i Webster, at Cherson, and Consul Mansi field, at Bucharest, htwe been oxpellel ■ from tiie local clubs tor reporting Russian ill-trestment of the Uniat Christians. Au increased revolutionary tendency on the • past of the Slavophils- has ularmed the ; Government, and Mak^akoff, of Moscow, i the- leader of the party,, has been ordered ' to travel abroad. In Ceylon, Bishop J. , Copleston has excommunicated one, it not tw<\ church missionaries.. Chinese emigration to Queeusland is being discouraged;, if not stopped. 'If he Times of July sth says :— "-Some interesting experiments with the Thornycrot'6 torpedo boat were tried in the presence of Capt. Labrano, of the- Italian Navy, military attache of the Italian Legation, and several principal officers of the Construotion Department of the Admiralty, including Mr F. K. Barnes (Dockyard Surveyor), Mr Crossland, and Mr White. In the recent engagements between torpedo boats and ironclads on ' the Danube, it was noticed that the torpedo boat Schootka, in which the painter Verletschagin made his unsuccessful expedition, though pierced by bullets, and her men wounded, did not sink ; aud this suggested to Messrs Thoruycroft and Donaldson, the builders of the Schootka, to make a bullet hole in one of the torpedo' boats they are now completing, in order to see under what conditions flotation is | still retained. A Martini Henry wos therefore fired deliberately through the side, about a foot under water iv tha stoke hole. When the boat was at apchor. the water entered in sufficient quanti 1^ to fill a bucket in ab>ut 25 secon.u. When . she was dnveu aueaJ l«n»s. water autoeed

and when the speed attained was 10 knots an hour, a perfect immunity was practically ensured. The boat in which the experiment was fried was 76 feet long, and 10> feet beun, and attained m> the Ling Itech of the Thames below Woolwich, a speed with the tide of 20 knots an hour, and^uninst it of 17 $ knots, giving an average of 18 9. The boat in her rapid progress drew with her a skirr of water, which, rushing forward, found its way but little or not at all into the sbothol&. whi'e it kept the outer body of water beyo«d the skirr at hay. The hole- was little more than three-quartera-of an inch in. diameter. A, sb-.t from, agreat gun would doubtless have- been more dangerous the use of uoufcinurd and rnpid movement in k.'epius: the- water out of a pierced* hull uu .j, t llot j DI any case to bo neglected. At the present moment Uitrw is an on*parallcd iacrr»«u o( poisouosn (id uVsuider*. in the littoral provinces of the B-aek. Sea. tannins by their v»neinous bite itrent suffering to the men aud anitnuls etup| O y,e ( |. in transporting stores »o the lUisstan army It is reported that the bite of these noxious, insects produces first a shnr-p local irritation, and afterwards a swellin,' all,ov<«c- ----\ the body, especially iowaid» the ah.loi minal' regions. Oi-oisional P-i»es of death, occur, but these are-rare ; the sufferer in. the generality of itintanc.i'S recovering at the end of three day.». Poisonous spiders were first observed* in ijussia in 1875*. chiefly in the Hoisth central provinces. Since then they have developed. so largely as to lu»eoine quite a plague,, and now. I cover Ihe whole «f the pr.>vinees.bordbriii4 | northern coast of die Black Se». Their j rapi'l increase is ascribed to the Jestruc*- • ti-'n of forest 8, which by causing a diuunur tiou in the number of birds and insectivorous animals, has deprived the country of its natural check against them. The following amusing incident iv. connection with Tawbiao is related by thelocal Waikato paper:— Uneasy lies tho liead that wears a crown I By-the-bye,. it always struck us the head would be a, 1 great deal uneasier without its crownBut in the inaiH the poet was right.. Royalty ha* it drawbacks, and even a king cannot auswer for the conduct of his female appendages. Sueli was the cisc with our sable regal neighbour King Tawhiao. VI s alive that we met in Cambridge some three or lour days ago gave , us the following delicious particulars o£ ' the goings on at the Court of this luxurious autocrat. It appears that he it unfortunate enough to cunnten uioa i polygamy to the limited extent of three wives. Ad an almost certain eonsequeueu. : wo out of the three commenced a flirtation with one ot the leadiug subjects, of bis Majesty. Dire was the wrath ot thedescendant ot Potatau. He suuiuinoned { his three spouses to his august preseuce, , and in order to make n ." shocking ex*- , ampla" coniiiienced to ciiastise one of the delinquents. But her companion ul i iniquity, foreseeing trouble iv herself iv. , the tuture, rushe»l to the rescue, aud it | was only after repented charge* that his~ Jioyal Hi-fhness sueL't'eded in driving herI from the ware. The monarch ihe n sat , down, with the hea<l of his dear, lost { erriug wife upou his lap, and calmly ami deliberately, with a raa >v, removed every hair from her head. - Tne oil raged wo nan, { til first rein mstrate l» bUb reflecting tliut it was cisu;r ti> g.r»«v «v«-v hair limn a new , windpipe, £>ou resuned liorsell' to Herfate. Xht> iuturiiU'.l m>>:iarcli is uo>v , |iutting tortu all his vv.ies and exluusiiug. , nil Ins strategy tucip.ure tiie otncriiusky siunfc, \\iin a view io aiimiuisivriii^. , tv her also a " clean sliave." one is sail . to he a'»oiit t.» fly lv ( ho geueruUi bobum I ol' Dr i'oilcii for u^si.siiince uad protection, do much has be v said re ative to U.o- ----( prevailing pest, the in irsupisls (.v riles a . oorrespOiidetit of llio U. L) UtiZJite), that people me at last >uue>vhat alive iO tho I necessity ot' doing &imetmg to meet this > plague. While on luo way doivh frooi Air liraeker's > Warrotx rounl by GleneU \ and Canal Creek d^gui^s, duwu eveih r wivhin a milo or tw>> of Wurwick, the- | kiiuguroa-i UKiy Ie seen all the way. I Evrrybo ly is complaining of the inju.y dime by kungaruus or «uliaoies. 'lnore is no escape lor anyoue— all are attacked,.. ! tanners selectors, and squatters alike. -V 3 sheepowner on the way informed tne. that • his sneep art »->w in such conditiou'as to. J be untio f«>r ti>t>d — all ut" llteiu tull ot' ' worms. l\> mo it i»n umikKt thnlii.t .siioi'ij ai'c <t >to i) iiu' ai <ili. Auol. ••.'!*■ 1 tol<l ">e lll-it. 1 -it it i> >>ny <i ma 1. 1" «'i Uiiiv?nilli In* .ml'i 1 , , a.vuiv u.i.»^ii'» is.mv i i ' possession of every aero. iMa i>' oi llio I taruiers aud seieciors are compelled i»>« | walca their uro\>s iUy and ui^uc. fne ' waut ut r.iiu, added to the r.VMUes of " kuugaroos, is teiiiug severely ou every ' ttung, aud (he little crop that there v. '■ looks very seedy. Uau laruier, who had. ' steadily persevered iv keeping off' the - kangaroos, bad at last to give them best. ' fiudiug that as lie wunt out they a*. quickly went iv. Jfor 70>miles it is oae- ' incessant line 1 of grumblers. To many it ' nu-ans ruin straight, an. I uo end of expettse- } to those who caa stand v. As for grass. ' tuere is none, or lii»eiy lv beany, fornowi " the kangaroos have the couutry i,and a*. ' old resideuts ulUrui, are unyeastiis.. There ' will aOou •»«> such a swarm as will. take ao. 1 little time »o exterminate. VV.hat thu ! stock will have to live on unless some— '■ tbiug is done, I cannot imagiue,. for the ■ cattle may be seen actually chewing the--1 leaves aud iaileu brancues. bouie ot the paddocks t between and Warwick. • have been completely cleared ot scrub. ' high as the cattle cau reach. Th« crops-—-----chiefly wheat — wuu one or t«o exceptions*, appeared to have suffered to sucli. 1 au exieuc luat it is doubttul if they will, ' recover. ' The Liveroargill Weekly News of the Hth in«tnit, gixes a somewhat peculiar ? reforfc of a public dinner to the Alnyor of Winton. We have beeu loyal from our ; infaucy, so uuicn so,, that even in thesedegenerate days,.w^} always remove our , hat and. standi up wJu-n •• G*od save theQueea." is. played wathiiii our hearings ltiiagme then the h.-rror with. which we- ! re id in. the account alluded. to, that " Tho Queen, was drunk with the usual patriotic houors"!. Her Majesty was in the habit of this,, observe — ' the usual patriotic honors" — not ouce in a way— but the usual~ this is terrible I horn it rufflfes up one's classics, too—dutce ct decorum, est pro patria, mot'i— that is what w-e were ' caught at Etou. was " a patriotic honor." I JJufno ! it cau't be, if Her Majesty, gets Me jl t _ so so on it! Consequently w« are not so uiuoli evenjKStfd *vlieu it is implied' further on, that the " Artny and Navy %f were m the same condition. They iu*y perhaps do a little in that way sometimes.. ' The chaiimaa, is. reported, to have saidl

fifepeffc proud to have the honour §»fisilinpthi} cli'iir that evening' n°. w %iffisM*% a delicate way of putting v, raft! * good square feed! '•'&**'*? gWftsvirespottdcd to by Mr ffe«n »» m » «&*.* This. ton. v somewhat jlougli on, Mr K -an, if tlmt B eiitl«niin has ionly one set w*y of ex,.w»«»« .»»'"««'•'. lfce must fed it keenly, we *»•««'•' m !;'«'"V; S The " writer „f-A i«uid "• I"*' l * lillk . Ifcothe Melbourne Ar«n< recounts the »nraJot«> o\- Jw «•« of ex-Presi-*dentGrauu-Mr Je*f Gr,.nt, of some Of whose peculiarity I l>«ve already informed you, distinguished Imnselt greatly %t Windsor Casfle. At (he Royal dinner were, as usual, two tables, at one o\ Swhich sat the Q'ieeu and the Generul, at the otuer less exalted individuals. A seal was put here for Jesse. Upou discovering this arrangement, this young gentleman rose, and in distinct though nasal tones save utterance to tlio following remarkable sueec :— " It I don't sit next to niy pa, I quit" Wliereupon General Ponsonby rose from the other table and changed seats with him.. His eloquence, j therefore, carried his point j hut huh 1 am liiot displeased that tlie Presidency of tlie 'United States U not an hereditary office. From our -Nelson exuliuugij we yleaii fiat :— -Alex. Maclainc appeared at the Bankruptcy Court, Nelson, lecemly with the object of a third lime oi»ununt{ liis discharge. It was shown that he incurred debts the day alter he hid fi.ed, besides sundry other irrwgulanties, ainon^ wliicb may bo mentioned Hint having O^n^lit a horse far £15 fro.n a Mr Docevn w. Ma plock he at once proceeded to sell for £8. Without any nieaus whatever, lie ran up a bill of £111 in about three inontlm. As it is ue is to be prosecuted for the horse affair, and if he gets through that he may again apply lor h disi-iiHi^e.