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Manawatu Herald, 6 December 1898, Page 2

In commemoration of the Emperor Francis Joseph's jubilee, all prisoners under sentence for treasonous offences have been granted an amnesty, and the sentences of 548 other prisoners remtited. The Indian Government is sending reinforcements of all arms to the Swat river to suppress the rising of the tribesmen under the mad mullah. " How to be happy though married " has been discovered by the SolicitorGeneral, with Lady Finlay,s assistance. The secret is golf. " Lady Finlay," he says, " found that I was becoming moody, morose, discontented and, indeed a general nuisance. So she bought me a. set of clubs and sent me off to the links, and now there isn't a happier man in existence." Mirrors are objects of great antiquity. The Egyptian women, we are told, were so fond of their mirrors that they even carried them to their places of worship. The mirrors of the ancient Greeks and Romans were made of bronze, and articles of thk kind have been found in Roman graves. What is the speed of electricity ? is a question frequently asked in everyday conversations, but one seldom answered to the satisfaction of the querist. Wheatstone says that the speed of electricity from point to point along a proper conductor is practically instantaneous. Various attempts have been made to ascertain the exact number of miles which the current will travel in a given time. According to trustworthy estimates its speed is not less than 114,000 miles per second. A new settler on the Glenmark Estate had finished his first shearing when the cold snap came on and the whole of his flock, some 1500 in number, perished. The French Senate has passed a Constans Bill prohibiting a secret investigation at preliminary examina- j tions at court-martials. 1 The Cretan Mahommedans are afraid to return to the interior, though guaranteed protection. They also demand help to rebuild their houses. An Oamaru paper understands that Elderslie has again been placed under offer to the Government, and the valuators have visited Oamaru for the purpose of estimating its value. It is stated'that Mr John Reid will retain between 2000 and 3000 acres about the homestead. The Returning Officer gives notice of an extraordinary vacancy in the Borough Council. Nominations must be lodged before noon of Wednesday 14th of December.

New York has produced a newsboy whose methods would scarcely meet with success in London. One afternoon he appeared in Broadway with his arms filled with evening papers, and from his neck hung a board on which was printed : " Hush ! Noise is a nuisance. I don't shout my extras, but I have them all for sale. Buy of me and prevent shouting." The word " Hush," which was printed in large black letters, at once attracked the attention of passers-by, and almost every man who stopped to read the sign bought a paper to encourage the silent newsboy. Mr R. C. Kirk, chairman of the Otaki Cottage Hospital Board, has made arrangements tor acquiring a larger strip of land than originally intended on which to erect the new building. A tender has been let for the work, to be completed in 15 weeks from the Ist December. Bishop Julius, of Christchurch, is the subiect of a good story which is " floating around ' down South. He was paying a round of episcopal visits to the churches in his diocese, and one Sunday morning was due at a certain church at Lyttelton. The service was about to start, when the lady at the organ struck up ' See the conquering hero comes,' just as the Archdeacon led the procession of himself and the Bishop out of the vestry. The Archdeacon never flinched. He went and took his seat in the chancel, and, looking up, after his usual silent devotions, found to his surprise the Bishop had not come. Again the organ rolled out the • Conquering Hero,* and then for the third time. Matters were getting serious, so the Archdeacon went back to the vestry. There he found the Bishop doubled up in the corner, roaring with laughter, between spasms of which he gasped : • Go and tell her — the conquering nerd — won't come 1' The voluntary was changed, and the service proceeded. The School Committee meets on Friday at the school. Business being the election of chairman and general.