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Manawatu Herald, 11 January 1900, Page 2

The Messrs Austin's have heard of the safe arrival of the Whangaroa at Melbourne. We acknowledge the receipt of a handy little pocket calendar for 1900 from the Alliance Assurance Companies, for which Mr Alf. Fraser is the local agent. A sum of £11,000 has been subscribed in Great Britain for the establishment of a hospital for the Yeomanry at Capetown. It is reported that at tnvercargill recently the Hon. J. G. Ward announced that he would endeavour to introduce a bill into the House having for its object the prevention of another licensing poll being taken for the next ten yearsi Members of the new Yeomanry force at Montgomery, in Wales, almost lynched two Boer spies who had joined' their ranks. One of the spies had his jaw broken, and the other his nose broken. Startled by a tramway in the Rue de Brissac, Angers, a military charger out for exercise jumped over a bridge and fell on to the railway line, 40ft below. The horse kept its feet and the rider his seat, and neither was injured, Mr D. J. Nathan, of Wellington, who is so well known in commercial circles in this colony, was married in December last, to Miss Cora Jonas, of London. Mr and Mrs Nathan are now en route to the colony. What wonderful things these living picture entertainments are. They almost wipe out distance. I was sitting in the theatre the other night watching the race between the Shamrock and Columbia, says a correspondent. Not only were the pictures of the yachts perfect, but to complete the realism the whole house — owing to the fact of the photos being taken from a rolling tvg — lolloped and rolled until more than one person had to look away. Otherwise, well 1 An officer of the Royal Engineers proceeded to South Africa in the middle of November with various photographic apparatus. To carry these he ordered special cycles to be got ready. The machines are Swifts, and have been carefully fitted up to carry the cameras. They are enamelled khaki colour, with the usual bright parts left dull. A watch, a compass, and a revolver are fitted to the handlebars, while the camera is carried on a strong luggage-rest over the back wheel. The bicycles look very serviceable, and strong enough to stand the hard wear and tear to which they will doubtless be subjected on the rough roads and bridle-paths of the Transvaal. The hospital ship Maine, which has been fitted up at the expense of Lady Randolph Churchill and her American and other friends, takes with her to South Africa a large ozone apparatus, which is intended to be used t6 kill the bacilli in the wounded. The Secretary tor War has received the following from Sir Fleetwood Edwards, K.W.R.0., Queen's Privy Purse : — " Windsor Castle, November ig.— Dear Lord Lansdowne, — The Queen commands me to inform you of her anxiety to make some little personal present, as soon as possible, to each of her soldiers serving in South Africa. Her Majesty has decided upon sending chocolate, which she is given to understand will be appropriate and acceptable. It will be packed for each man in a tin that has been specially designed for the occasion. The Queen hopes that you may be able to arrange for its conveyance and distribution. Believe me, yours very truly, Fleetwood J. Edwards." The Press Association's York correspondent states the Queen orJer for 100,000 boxes of chocolate for the troops has been divided amongst the firms of Cadbury, Fry, and Rowntree. The chocolate, which will be suitable as a beverage or a sweetmeat, will be supplied in tin boxes, each containing half a pound, a quantity suffi" cient to make 12 to 16 cups. A special box has been designed. The lid will have a red ground, with a large gilt medallion of the Queen in the centre, as well as the Royal monogram in red, white, and blue, and the words, " South Africa, 1900." A new method of encouraging people to search the Scriptures diligently has just been patented. According to the "Church of England Pulpit," six £5 notes have just been found between two pages, gummed together, of an old Bible. The religious-minded testator had written on the back of one of them this curious will : " I have worked very, very hard for this, and having no I relatives, leave thee, dear reader, who- j soever shall be the owner of this Holy Book, my lawful heir." The case is likely to raise a question of conscience, whether it betokes a truly religious temperament to search the Scriptures —tor bank ngtes,

Those interested are reminded of the sale of privileges in connection with the Racing Club's summer meeting on Saturday next, in McMillan's auction room. The sale is fixed for 2 p.m. The District Traffic Manager announces that as soon as the date of departure of- the second contingent is fixed, Ihe issue of holiday excursion tickets to Wellington will be notified. The Mayor of Palmerston solicits gifts for the gift auction to be hteld, the proceeds of which will be devoted to the Transvaal Relief Fund. William Hoskins Marriott was committed for trial at Napier on Monday on a charge of attempting to defraud by means of three forged totalisator tickets. He gave them to a Union Company's steward, Michael Hayes, to cash for him. Marriott did not deny jthe facts, but said he gave another man, whose name he did not know, the money to get the tickets. He said he was a master tailor at Wellington, and asked for bail so that he might return to business- This was allowed. Marriott gave the police a description of the man alleged to have got the tickets for him, but so far the police have failed to find anyone answering the description. No other tickets or incriminating documents were found on the prisoner. An intimate friend of Mr Ruskin writes of « l John Ruskin in the Eighties" in the " Outlook." Several new and interesting letter^ are quoted id full, and the paper gives many charming pictures of the great man, especially emphasising his affection for young people, and the pleasure he would take in rendering them a service. But babies he barred out. " Have no respect for them whatsoever," he writes in one letter to a young and proud mother, " like little pigs ever so much better. You really mustn't expect me to care for inferior beings. 1 ' In a bedroom over the Reform Club there long lived an old gentleman who was known as " Chicago Smith," His personal expenditure could not for years have exceeded per annum : but report said that he was rich beyond the dreams of avarice, and that the chief desire of his life was to die the richest man in England. A few weeks ago he did die. Particulars of his will appeared in the newspapers, and greatly to the surprise, of those who knew him, it was" proved at less than £60,000. Was Chicago Smith a fraud ? Had he been honoured on false pretences as a mine of wealth ? Not at all ? He left about nine million pounds. All this was in house property in Chicago, and real estate abroad owned by an Englishman, pays in England neither estate or legacy duty. Of this vast fortune, Mr Smith left three millions to a nephew and the same amount to a married niece, and he also left them residuary legatees ; this will bring them in another million each. The remaining million was left in various legacies. Herr Simon, one of the heads of the German Red Cross institution, repupudiates the persons found aboard the Herzog who claimed to be connected with his society. Madame Melba, the famous Australian singer, made her debut at Vienna on Monday night, and created a great furore. The diva had no fewer than twenty-six recalls. A mysterious case of poisoning occurred at the Dunedin Hospital last week. Warder Reid, following a practice he has made for some time, went into the kitchen during the night for something to eat, and partook of a piece of toast. He noticed a bitter taste about it, which was so pronounced that he spat it out, and took a mouthful of tea to get rid of the taste. Another bite of the toast was sufficient to convince him that something was wrong with it, and about twenty minutes after he felt very ill. He developed symptoms of strychnine poisoning, and was with difficulty brought round by the doctors. In fact, it might almost be said that he owes his life to the proximity of medical assistance. The matter has been placed in the hands of the detectives. Three Boer prisoners, who were detained on vessels in Simon's Bay, near Capetown, escaped from custody by jumping overboard. One of them was re-captured, having been kept afloat by a lifebelt. The other two were drowned. The Cape Times states that on Friday, ioth November, messengers arrived at Ladysmith from General Joubert to ask General White for medicine, flour, sugar, and other articles. A Devon, who was captured at the battle of Lombard's Kop, and who succeeded in getting clear of the Boers on Thursday, brought information that the Boers were in a sad and deplorable state. This Devon was kept a prisoner in camp behind Signal Hill, and there, he said, scurvy, dysentery, and other diseases were rampant. The Boers had no provisions save fresh ox meat, and the effect of this dietary was to breed many painful maladies in the Boer camp. Our General, strong enough to be humane, sent out a doctor and medicines to the Boers. Some sarcastic comments were heard in town on this nursing of the Boers to fight us. It was said: " They will be sending in for ammunition next."