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Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1658, 15 March 1886, Page 2

Says a Southern exchange :— Last night the Escaped Nun pud Fred Fulton, were to ha^e a debating match m the Garrison Hall. History repeats itself— O'Connell andjßidy Moriurty over again. There were no Sejiser than four cases before the Wellington Resident Magistrates Court ofi (Tuesday, m- conja|cti6uj • with tho Licensing AciJ- 'Sir William Fox, Mr -Levy,, Secretary, of- the No;w . Zealand Temperance Alliance] and other temperance men were : m court during • ( the proceedings. - * . r • ■ : • It is, an English newspaper points, put, ap extraordinary and; perhaps-un-paralleled fact m history that the betinning of this year finds, the destinies of the principal countries m Europe "practically m the hands of well-worn Vejterahs and t ; hat political stability! is 'bound 'up • with their preoarious lives. In England 1 Mr Gladstone, whose power for weal or woe is still enormous, celebrated his : seventy-sixth birthday m December. In Germany the whole policy of the* Empire rests with one man. and. m the Spring Prince Bismarck enters dn his •eyenty second year. France has just found her only possible President m: a man who., is* neariy an' octogenarian. Signor Dedretis who is virtually/the Italia^ Government, is not many years hirjuhibr, and M. de Giers, at sixty fiyo appears young, by comparison. Prince Alexander of Bulgaria is : (perhaps the only notable person m European politics -:vfel| uunderr r fifty. '/. The ftiihes different since a yonng lieutenant |of , artillery seized cha .supreme., pow^r m FranoVand Pitt^dwd at forty-two^pre-maturely aged by office and anxiety. ' , An amusing instance of Chinese c(in-. ning took place m connection with the" landing of some ? of thoir number f r6m ■ the steamer Afghan m Melbourne last Wednesday waek. A Customs officer detected a Chinaman with a bundle of Hmbrellaß under his arm, which he at once impounded, pending the payment of half-a-crbwn duty upon each. His action was quickly observed 'by other. Chinese with similar loads ; but quick: as thought they handed the umbrellas round to their friends, who mildly filed past the officer, each gravely carrying a new umbrella. The officer, however, saw through the lttle trick, and as each smiling Celestial came up, relieved him of his " gingham.' An interestiag coj T lection of umbrellas is now m the hands of the Customs department, m bend. The Auckland correspondent of the Txvms states that on the Thames gold- , fijelds .there, seepis to j lie\ a jreaption to : some extent, owing to the sanguine expectations regarding silver lodes not being realised. Still, the month's yield was 4000ozb. The problem of dealing with refractory ores has yet to be solved. Mr La Monte has succeeded by his procesß of .dealing with them, but .thei cost is greater 'than "anticipated/ and 'it is likely to prevent many of the uiin9 propr.ieiors'frqm ayailingtbemselves of the patent. Another unforseen obstacle is the difficulty m obtaining the jiecessr-, ary.fluxes, especially irou ore, wHi^h, of course, adds to the cost. One company (thb Rosomont) are actually sendiotf, 100. tons to England, with the riew of getting their stuff treated by the- most approved processes which modern science can Buggest.