Miscellaneous Items.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1470, 2 October 1885, Page 4

Miscellaneous Items.

In reviewing the position of the Ministry during the session tha Post (which is the Ministerial organ) says : — " The Ministry were a Government only m name. They had responsibility without power, and were employed as a buffer to repeal' the advance of/ Major Atkinson. They were kept m office m order to keep Major Atkinson or Sir G- Grey out.' We are surprised that members of the Government submitted to the indignities of the position, although we are certainly glad that they did not give way to a Ministry formed trorn the other side. But had they taken another stand or a firmer position the same end might, we believe, have been secured m a less objectionable manner. The events of last session have done much to bring representative government m this Colony into deserved contempt." The two legislators, mysteriously spoken of some days ago m connection with the Hutt tarring case, and now freely and openly spoken of, turn out to' he the Hon. John Martin, M.L.C., and J. C. Brown, M.H.R. Their offence is said to have been m showing portraits about Bellamy's, and that the portraits belong to Muir, the man who was tarred, who lost them from a portmanteau m. his rooms at the hotel. It \i rumoured that the said legislators are to bo called upon to explain how they became possessed of these portraits. - The electric lamp which was used^for. examining General Grant's throat is a marvel of ingenuity and simplicity. It is mounted on a hard rubber holder, and about seven inches long, having a reflector at the lamp end 1 , by which the light" can be thrown to any desired angle. The holder is connected' by two silk-covered wires to a small storage battery, carried m the pocket of the physician. The light is turned on by simply pressing a small button on the rubber holder, and the quantity is governed by another button convenient to the operator. The lamp is inserted m the mouth almost to the palate, with the reflector above the lamp, which throws the light down the throat. The lamp 'has no unpleasant heat, and gives a light equal to half , a sperm- candle. The extreme simplicity of the whole appliance makes it very valuable to the physician and dentist. Everyone knows the Scotch story of the laird whose wife's coffin as it was carried down the avenue struck the branch of a tree. The coffin was upset, the lady woke, and was restored to her family. But nextfcime she died, as they approached the fatal spot, th ft laird said " Be very careful with that bough." An unmarried young lady has had luck like that of the laird's.wife at Fardrum, near Athlone. Her body was actually "laid out," and the coroner had been sent for, when a friend who dropped m remarked that he doubted the fact of death. He then shook the body, which rccovert'd animation, and the girl is being restored to health. Some more precise and scientific test than shaking ia much to be desired m these mysterious cases. From time to time we hear accounts of how ridiculously drawn up is the railway tariff. A merchant m town informs us (Chronicle) .that a short time ngo he got fonrkegß of butter from New Plymouth by rail, on which he paid the absurdly high freight of 9a. 9d. By steamer the charge would have been about 3s 6d. In contrast with this example is that of some 70 or 80 empty kegs which were also brought from New Plymouth to Wanganni. Jb'or these although they took up a wbolo truck,tho charge was only 14s 6d. Mr Vaile may not be infallible m all his areumr-nts und facts, but there is no doubt that there is ample scope for reform m railway matt ci a. A Wanganui paper has the following : — The apathy winch is shown by many of onr spttlers when any scheme or pro posal is brought forward for the good of the district is something lamentable. People are everlastingly crying out aliout dull times, yet do nothing to try and make things better. We are moved to these remarks by the fact that at the final meeting of the local committee for the Colonial Exhibition only three gentlemcin turned up. Yesterday was the last clay for receiving applications tor spa^o, and m spite of the object's of the Exhibition having been well and I»rigth* ily advertised, and that all exhibits are sent to London free of any expense to the exhibitors, only ten applications for space were received.