ODDS AND ENDS.

Jubilee : Te Tiupiri, Volume 1, Issue 4, 25 January 1898, Page 6

ODDS AND ENDS.

Phosphorous was discovered in 1669, but it was not used in match-making until 1833. Bag-pipes were first invented in Norway, and were thence imported into Scotland, when a portion of that country fell into Scandinavian hands. The first opera ever performed in England was entitled '• The Seige of Rhodes," and was brought out in London in the year 1656 —a great novelty. According to the Roman historians the women fought in time of war with as much courage as the men among the Teutons, Cimbri, and the Gauls. The shearing at Mr. John Duncan's Otairi station is just finished. In round numbers 35,000 sheep were shorn, the result being 800 bales of wool. This is now being sent by steamer to Wellington to be shipped for the Home market by Messrs. Johnston & Co., Mr. Duncan's agents. A ragged man, with a bottle of whisky in hi s hand, said to 'a farmer that he met on the road : Will you tell me if this is the way to the poorhouse ?" " No, it is not," answered the farmer, and then pointing to the bottle of whisky, he added, " but that is." Auckland is the proud possessor of a French cannon which belched its-iron welcome against those impregnable British squares at Waterloo. The piece has a history, too, even subsequently to that terrible June day when the three potent nations met to arrange matters and leave an empire's dust to the midsummer night. At noon we began the fell onset: We charged up the Englishman's hill; And madly we charged it at sunset— His banners were floating there still. The Horse Guards gave it to a Mr Boyd, who was Lord High Constable of Scotland when the Queen was crowned. He took it with him to the Solomon Islands in his yacht. There he was killed and cooked. But the gun avenged him if it did not save. For when the natives having eating the master advanced to make sure of the yacht as well the French piece spoke out in a way which even an islander could understand. It was filled to the muzzle with cannister, grape, and miscellaneous odds and ends. No such welcome was ever previously given to such a crowd. To this day a Solomon Islander no sooner sees a cannon than he retires with much alacrity. So the piece found its way to Australia and ultimately to Auckland, where children in bibs straddle the beech which was so loud from Madrid to Moscow when this century was in long clothes.

Wanganui, 17th November, 1898. To Percy Smith, Esq., Surveyor General. I received yours in re the Jubilee and return our thanks for your kind wishes. Having heard that during your trip to the Islands you have made investigation into the question of the former home of the Maori people, I would ask, as the subject is of great interest to us, that you would kindly write an article on the subject for our paper, as I am snre it would increase the confidence the natives have always had in your kindly feeling to them. There is another subject I wish to approach you about; it is one we are very anxious to see settlled, I mean the Survey of Native Lands. As you are aware there has been a growing feeling among the Natives to get their lands utilized. But there have been great delays in getting Surveys authorized, the ground of refusal being generally, that a majority of the owners have not signed the Application. We were not aware of the requirement until a few weeks ago, but, as you are aware, it would be a very costly matter to get say 200 to 500 signatures, so we Natives remain in a worse state than before we went to the cost of investigating of title, as nothing can be done, which is very detrimental to the interests of both Natives and Europeans, and to the great joy of those, who for their own ends are trying to lie up these lands. We often see that authority to survey lands, not passed the Court, is granted on the application of two or three Natives who claim to be owner, but it may be that the Court, on investigation, may not give them any interest in the Block, yet I will agree no injustice is done the real owners, as all costs are taxed by the department This being so, we cannot understand why obstacles are thrown in the way of sub-divisional or boundary surveys when the owners are known and an application is signed by a number of them, generally the most influential and representative on the list. I have sent in for two surveys in which I am interested, viz., Ohutu and Maraetaua. In the former nearly every influential owner has signed; in the latter a fair number have signed and nearly all will do so when they can be seen, but expense of travelling stops us from getting their signatures before they come to Wanganui, but so far we have had no reply. We have every confidence that you will see into the matter, so that we can get a step further towards utilizing our lands which are probably the most fertile of the unoccupied lands in the North Island. Editor.

Whanganui, 22 Hanuere '9B. He Panuitanga ki nga hapu, me nga tangata i uru kite rarangi ingoa Ohotu Poraka, ka tu te Hui, e tae mai ai te kaitiaki 0 te katoa ki karatia wahi 0 Whanganui, i te tahi 0 Maehe, '9B. Ko taua Hui Kowhiria ai nga mema 0 roto onga hapu e Whaitake nei ki Ohotu, mo te Komiti e 24 aua mema, tokowhitu 0 roto o te rua tekau mawha, hei whaka oti i te whakatu, a te Komite nui. Hei Whiriwhiri i nga Ture me nga whakahaere a te Pakeha e Whakatakoto ai kite aroaro 0 nga hapu Ohotu Poraka. Ehoa ma koi ngaro atu nga tangata Mahara, mohio hoki kite titiro i te tika raua ko te he, koi whaikataua a Ohotu, Engaroanatetinokupu tika hei painga mo te tangata, mete whenua; haere mai tatau ki konei titiro ai i te Ture, ka mahia nei mo Ohotu, ko te ahua o .taua Ture, hei arai i te Hoko, i te neiti i te taki, hei tope hoki ite ngaherehere, hei rui kite karaihe, hei utu hoki i te ruri, mate reti e utu taua Ruri, koia teni te ahua 0 nga whakahaere, mete rahui i nga wahi erite ana hei kainga, hei ngakinga kai, hei takanga poaka, kau, Hipi hoki, ma nga Hapu, ma nga tangata ranei e hiahia ana kite pera. Na kia mahara ano koutou, kua uru 0 koutou ingoa ki Ohotu, me haere mai te tangata te whaine ranei mete 0 ano hei whaka Werawera i te poho i te mea he waru tenei, koi pouri koutou, note mea kaore e taea te waiho kia roa kia tae ranei ki nga tau kai, kaore te mate e tatari kia whaikai ka hae mai ai te mate, no konei i whawhai ai kia oti he tikanga mo to koutou whenua. Na Harihona Wereta Hinaki te Tai Te Kahotarewa Haimona te Aoterangi Te Huna i te Moa Mei Ripeka Mareata Maehe Ranginui Hoani Papita Pareti Wereta Hori Pukehika H. T. Whatahoro.