MISCELLANEOUS.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 17, 7 January 1878, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

G. W, F., of St AußUstino sends tho following to tho Now York Tribuno . whioh ho thinks, desorvos 'publication twioo a year in every nowspapor in tho 1 world flineo thus many livos mi^ht bo ssvod :— Persons' aro drownod by raiaing thoir arms abovo tho v,'alor, tho unboyod weight of whioh do[)roHsns Iho head. Whon a man falls into doop water, ho will riso to tho surfaoo, and will continue thcro if ho (loos not elevate his imnds. If ho movoj) his hands undor water in any way ho ploasoH, his head will riso so high us to allow him full liberty to brcatho, and, if ho will uso his legs as in tho act of walking up stairs, his shoulders will rise abovo th,O'wator ao that ho may uso less oxortion withlnc hands, or apply them to any othor purpose. Those plain directions aro rooommondod to tho roooHootion of ; those -who havo not loarnod to swim in thoir youth, as t-hoy 'may bo found 'highly advantagoous in preserving valumblo life, i Tho Aucklen/d iforald hag tho followinft ; description of a soasiohaso nc(\r Capo Brett i—" The rocont paswigo of fcho cut* i tor iVfaud; Captain Rountroo, to. Ruhsoll was a Homowhat oxoiting ono. When off i Cape Hrot.l, a hii'.ie bbn-U inaniraalo subs ! Sl.M'M'O W:' 1 -. '; ' i-l ... .' 'i „--. . ""I,' f.ll<l

1 torn upward*, approached it ns .soon as possible, and Rottihg alongside disjy)vore<r it io 1 bo a 'loud whole 1 , •• -with tfcoros of shai'liii JuoMid, "'To tnnke fast was a work oFdilliculfcy, 1 bill ultimately they wore onablod to do' so, and 'iha cutter took the animal in tow with tho inUMiUon of taking it into) Hurscll. After several hourstowing, with a fair prospoct of' scouring tho tioh prizo, and blrocKO ' sprung up from tho lnnd, and owing to s mnnifold difficulties, nnd a laolc of skill in whaling matters, tho captain had to cast" ofF, and forogo what at ono tjmo nppearod to bo 'ft valultiablo prize Tho Maud proceeded on her oourao, but a fow houra afterwards 1 tho wind choppod round, blowing fto'm tho east, nnd Captain llountroo rcfturndd onco more td tho sdona of his previous labours; only to find that four nativo whaloboats, containing sovou mon ouch,' had secured thu fish, and woro towing it to Ifyiwhili with a fair wind, surprise' of tho Miuidcan bo hotter imagined than dos« orifocd, for on nrrivnl ntliussoll thoy woro informed by tho whalers thoro 'that tho fish was worth at least £200. Tho whalo appoiirod to havo boon harpooned buforo, and hud no doubt (jot away from its would bo-captors, but to soonro a doad fish of such enormous proportious is not an' easy task, ' ' „ . , Tho editor of an Ohio paper publishes tho names of subscribers : who pay promptly under tho head of "Legion of : Honor.'!; . '■'! v' '^ i^wik^ •: ' :*^ -;" By way of nn cEarrtpld to/^Usetafc?, 'llio Vineont County Council confiscated over £300 which 1 would have been duo to ii contracting firm, tho work not having boon executed according v to specification. Tho purveyor advised a roduoliou of £125 only. A' West Const pnper sorrowfully rofors to tho fact that for sdvornl v years past Westland has not been gladdened svith ft visit from a womber of tho Our contemporary wiya if ono A of tho E'lrop-aivniomucrs cannot bu spared, a visit by tho lion, itouivl Nahe\ tho vlnori* int'tulicr, would bo better than uo visit nt nil, in "fact, 'they would rntliVr prefer Ilonni, if ho can mnkd it convenient N to look down their way/ A nsitui'id curiosity has boon diseovorcd in Wnsco County, Oregon, United States. It is nothing less than several springs' of mud whicli contain a very largo per contngo of silver in v freo stn'to. Samples of it liavo been 'nnalysed rind found to (,'ontnin Irom .^i to db'KJi) worth of silver per ton of mud- Tho weather hrn s »mi) fflfiust upon tho fi)vv ol llio mud nnd the rinlitis of tho silver. Warm, sultry wonthcr hit lon lound 'n Iw t\u> bem. L'rblVssor /tanks, in his repo-t on iln? dis(jovnry, says }— " Sometimes, in 'me of tho larger springs, when tho weather is coM, i ho mud will be of a yellow color, showing no silver, but when tho dny h wurm, tho mud is blockish blue, a*- lens* in pl'icos, and is rich in silver, They iep'n to work moro aotivoly on a warm nCtnr. noon. S >mo of them oontnln v grout <I<ml of ncid, tlio bones of nnimids tli.it full into them being dissolved in a lew m mths. There mo bclvree.n 100 nnd 20') quiitE loods diaiiovercd running in two directions, close to tho springs. Tho silver is in llio state of ohlorido, and is Kern ii'idor tho microsoopo both amorphous and in rrystnls." It is supposed (hut ii thorough sludv of 'l''S Bubstanoo and a solid, blaokish substunro found in TJ'nh, oon* tnining si'ver in tho snnia condition, mny ihrottr valuable liaht upi n tlio formation of inotullifo.rous veins. A curious point has recently been donided in London. ThomaH I'nillips nnd Uotoort ("nblo wero charged with being flrunlc atwi huuipnblo in a putilii? Ihoronah* i'tWi'. „Thpy, Thpy wore in a ourt Onblo lvinu down on ti.o bnttom. nnd Phillips having tho roms, but quite incapable of driving. Tho Mrtjjvstrato fined ". Phillips, but rliseharcod Cable, cbsorving that ho omld not fine a nian wh<> was' simply drunk in ,his vehicle, It would bo monstrous if a gentleman i;oing homo from dinner in his earriaue wero to bo taken out and charged boenuso ho had drunk tqo mtieli wine.' Tli^ following lot tor from " A victimised hushni'in" appeared in The Australasian of December I, exposing tho'iidvei'tis-nl an; distributions:— Sir,-— Seeing tho following advertisement in your issue of October I}— " Given nwiiy for Ihroo-shil-lings, to pay cost o»'pnv'king, trnnsmission. Ac. n cuso containing 1 Hippo Hii'iiplos of mc^oxtint oleographs, equal, if not su* perior, to tho finest nil paintings, nnd yulun for ;C2 >f — l rogrok thnt I vms induce,!, liko many othors in this nciclu borhood, to send tho require I threo shillings, with -an humblo npologv for hnv'ng to send llin National Art G\ of Melbourne Now South Wnlos postn<fo stamps inslead of llio required p >st-ofllce r>"i\or. Sir, in rrtu n I received, no* the clamant and sump'uous \"ork« of nrt ailvortisod. bnh three miseiablo nr • raiig'innnis, seven l, v fivo ino'tos, that would puazlo a )?Jiilndclp!iia lawyer to find n namo for. Ono was suppposod to represent n roso blooming in a dilapidated stable li'ieket, tho second was a roso nnd lily out short nt tho shank, tho third was a liybn I between a Mai eso cross and a Chine"' puswlo, which soomod to huvo got outftiijtlod '\Vith a strip of printed, calico. A* a work of nrt, thoy arc not equal <o tho colored labels on a tobacco oaso, They wore not packed in a caso or box, but moroly covered with somo wrapping pipor, and tied with a siring, nnd thoy nro not oomoroial value for sixpence, ino'.uding tho prico of ■truiiKmissiou, which is twopenoo. I sincoroly regret that; distnnco provonts ;mo from placing tho matter in tlio hands of tho policoi Hut trusting tho nboro will provont othors from being gulled by tho numorous promium gifts whoso ndverlisomonta nro now flooding tho upcountry phpors, nnd apologising for trespassing 6n your valuablo space,— I am, &o. Tho South Australian Advertiser, Nov--29, makes'hiflrry over tho proposal to hold an international ovhibitioii in Melbourne in 1879, but nfc tho samn tinio falls into a most oxtraordinnry orror. Thnro was a proposition to expend from JB(i(),000 »o £100,000 on tho erection of an exhibition building in tho Carlton Ganlons, Molhourno, but tho Cliiof Socrotury, ovon in his 1 wildest dreams, says tho Argus, never went to tho length with 'which ho is croditod by our contompornry, who, by adding a nought to tho highest sum assumes that Victorian oxtravaganoo was carried so far as to proposo tho spending of £1,000,000 on tho building.' "It is a largo sum 1 ," 'says tho Advorlisor, "but then Victoria is a great nation. If England could spend £500,000 upon (he Hyde Park building why should not Vieyj.\\ i H\vwA a million P l)o uot our ueijjh-

• ■ »• •■■ I bors liolil Australia l\'!ix ! T* »t "«>' tIl(> veritable Ophir ! Is not Melbourne the capital of all the wealth and activity which haro made those southern lands so famous P It would not do for Victoria to engage in this international display of production and skill without proving to the Wholo Civilized world that she has plenty of inonoy nnd knows how to spend it. -A fig for n million. With Colonial >l per cents at pur, or a littlo, bdyond it, it would bo only £-10,000 a year' upon the consolidated rovbnUe, oven if the vonturo should bo nu absolute loss." ' ' A London correspondent furnishes tho following information about Mr A. Forbes 1 tho ablo nnd untiring correspondent of tho Daily News, to an American p:»per:— Tho nowflpiipers neve!r hud a »ir.jrnor timo of it than they havo hud to-day with theso things, Tor all of them make readable matter, nnd the sale of tho Daily News and tho Daily Telegraph isonormous, tho Daily Iplograph with its police- reports, andHho Daily Wows with 'its war correspondence. 'Yot I doubt whether nil is K old that glitters, eveii with tho Daily News ; for Mr Porbo's tolegram alone, I hear, cost a couple of thousand pounds a week n#o, an 4 I can quito believe it, for he never- stnq&iaffiaicpoiiso, will rido from Sliipka rasa^^^pu:est, changing horses two or throd^rfpM tho rond, engago the tolcgraiwifcpi Stfjf, and then sits down and Writes fill h6 taa told ull ho has lo tell without' the .''slightest afterthought "ajjouyuo ofttottio' of his transmitting his toicsWn. "' Tlioso '-lr.(*f»iii.<»; df course; will iriako tho fortuno of the Daily News, as they ought to do, for thoy aro the lirsl,, tho fullest, and the most authentic, and ns specimens of literary skill marvels in themselves. W. H. Russell, in his bust days, wasnovor equal to Archibald l?orhc?s in vividness nnd vigour, nnd "Forbes has one great advantage over all tho ro>t of tho Specials with tho uriny. Ho has Ixon ti soldier, knows what military strategy is, nnd has s<oen morn ol' war thmi nil our Field Marshal* put, together. Tliis is w hero the secret of his success lies— in (liis nnd in his unrivalled energy, nnd there is no other special who can hold a 'candle to him U« whs for some years in one of our town cavalry as a private; but ho is a mtin of K°°d education, tho son, I believe, of a I'ies >yteriun minister in tho 'Highlands, nnd ho began his career •on the Prefi'j afl a correspondent ' of tho Moning Advertiser in the Fr.uico-Ger man war. He ' IIIS now ft »o«ul.ir en«ng.»menfc upon the Daily News ju a silnry of JBIoGO a yea", £25 'n week, wiiothor be lin.niinything'io do or not, .-md in lime of I war li'< : o thin, of course, a special hoiiornr urn. and the ii'lowanco of an am r»<snd r tor his oxpi'lhes. A leltcr •• enrrinr «;is jnuruored in Her* lin in elrcumstanee:i ol exiraordinary businens. It whs in the Taubeii-stras.se. one of tho most crowded and Ivu.y si.reots in Berlin, and in l.he mi.ltlie of ilio day. Tho victim, who was t\ noMor'u'l'ir^er, ot carriei, who p'tiya postal in-inoy 0.-ders ami oollivls tho money on pJislnl drafts, hud been t > Hi« third llglit of a ltir^o It us , where ho hail received a puyuio'it or 10 00:) marks. * (.)u descending lo tlio street ho passed on the (1 »or, which was \.neniif, h young mnn apparently trying to dbtnin enlnmci'. The goo l-natured lettercarrier explained lhat ro'iody live I there, nnd passed on down. 13-.it he had just liii'icd !\is b'lok, and had got down one or twi steps, when tho mnn sprung up»n V\n\, and dealt him a severe- blow on th-.r head wuh a knife, tin I then trie I to. snatch tho pi-noil in which tho money was car' rio I. In this ho tailed, and as the enrrier had streng'U enough to follow him with crios for help, ho was scizod as ho i>-s>icd info the street, and wiis taken to'tlie' polico station. Tiio victim o\' this iui laciom attack was carried to an hospital, where, it. is reported, ho has since died. Tno nsstissin ' was cool and impudent before t,lio police, nnd explained that, In: had learned the habits ot the letter-carrier, as woll »s the arrangements ot the house, iiy^ frequenting a low drinking saloon, in the hn.oo.ncnt. Travellers overland from Chris'onuroh to Kokitil(>\ nil romeinber the " (Jass ' where bi)th conches rem:tin for the night A good story, if old, i-t Inld by a roeenl traveller over this rond i — Uy iho Uokitilu coach thero nrrived a well •known j'ldgo, who was on this holiday tour from Victoria ; nnd by the Oliristchureh conch a ' wolNknnwn divine of the Chure.li, nbout whoso proper title in this Colony discussion wnjfcd vyurm lately. Now, it so happened that the landlady, when teljing oIV tho travellers to t,h"ir rooms, told oil' the worthly judgo ninl the divino to occupy the s-»in ) room. Tho divine bogged tho landlady lo pit him into a room with so no other body, for really ho didn't lino the look of tlio old man (iho judge), it i" noodle'ss to sn" both were sfrungor-t to caolt other. '< ho following morn n^, OV' r' f.he hurried fivo o'clock br'iiklast, mutual oxpl mations took place, with the following' witty repartee:— - To the divine : "Ah! you esctipod » judgo's scnlence."' To the judge: "Aiid your Honor a priosl's blcH.sing." Qrenfc consternation hns boon caused amongsifc the labouring clnsses through tho notion of tho oontraotors for tho drainage works ftt West Melbourne Swamp, who urn nbout to introduce 200 Chinamen' to exoouto tiio work in which Kuroponn labou'rorshavo previously been employed. Thoro is probably no raot) of people who can livo so chonply as Chinese, nnd thus they are woll provided for at a very low wage. Should tho ox* porimont being mado by tho contraetois lor 1 tho work at tlio swauip' prove a suecoss, other contractors will doubtless follow thoir oxample, nnd in a short time it may reasonably bo expected thnt a great portion of the ' yellow plague in Queensland will bd trnnsforrcfl to Vie- 1 toria. Tho Minister of ltaiUVrtys has had tho maktor brought undor his notice ; and has oxpressed his sympathy with tho fotilinßS.of.tl* European workmon on tho subject. Mr Woods, m order to prevent tho' railway contractors for the West Mclbourno swamp, has decided to insert a condition in all the railway 'contracts to thooffoot thnt Chinese labour is not to bo employed by tho contractors so long as Kuropea n labour is available.