NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2630, 8 September 1923, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

To-day is the anniversary of the taking- of Sebastopol in 1855. It is related that recently one of tlie Melbourne Customs Staff, upon informing a new arrival —a female —that he desired to search her portmanteau to ascertain whether there were any articles subject to duty, was greeted with astonishment. “Why, the bag contains only my under-linen and surely you are not going to insist on a search.” In the circumstances, the officer, a young bachelor, blushingly said he would not look in the bag. He put his hand in the portmanteau, however, and the first thing he encountered was a bottle of gin. “Is that linen?” asked the officer, with a triumphant grin. “It is part of my apparel,” responded the unabashed female. “In our country we call that a night-cap.” Amongst the queerest languages used by human-kind throughout the world are those of the Gomeros, inhabitants of one of the Canary group of islands, and the Cameroons of West Africa. The Gomero whistles what lie has to say to his neighbour, using both fingers and lips so expertly as to express all the signals that are required to make the conversation intelligible. A Cameroon man uses a drum. This instrument is rather peculiar, its surface being divided into two unequal parts, so that when it is struck it yields two different notes. With a code in character not unlike the taps of the telegraphic system, it is easy for the people to make this drum express every syllable of their language.