PRESUMED DEATH FROM THE BITE OF A SPIDER.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 73, 25 March 1872, Page 2

PRESUMED DEATH FROM THE BITE OF A SPIDER.

To the Editor of the Nelson Evening Mail. Sir, — You append the following note to a letter of mine, of March 21st: — "Dr. Vickermsn is fighting a shadow. We have not questioned the fact of the child having died by spider poisoning. We call it a presumed death from the bite of a spider. Is it other than this ?" — Will you kindly inform me how I could fight a shadow, when there was not a shadow of doubt as to. the child's death ? You ask "Is it other than a presumed death ? " Yes; it is an actual death; presuming ceases, when fact arrives. " May your shadow never be less," is the wish of, Sir, Your Obedient Servant FKAS. L. VICKERaiAN. March 24, 1872.

Dumas asserts that it was his habit to work fifteen hours out of twenty-four. There never was an honest redbreast — He is always a robin. Three Sealing Boats, belonging to Rivertoc, secured 745 skins in five months. To take wine stains from linen, bold the article for a short time in boiliDg milk. Not a week passes but one or more women are tried in Melbourne for infanticide. A Company has been projected to work the site of the opal deposits in Queenslaud. Eveey member of the Royal Family has a trade. The Prince of Wales is a baker. A Seam of Coal has been struck in a gold-mining shaft at Ross, ninety feet below the surface. The Melbourne Leader feara that horse racing in Victoria is fated to become abandoned, like pugilism, to the lower orders. At Shanghai, a Chinaman for murdering a mandarin, was cut into 10,000 pieces. Valmasida, Governor-General of Cuba, has issued a decree which virtually reduces to slavery all the free Chinese in Cuba — some 35,000 in number. Thomson's Road Engine, lately imported info the Province of Auckland, has been seized for debt, and taken to the Mount Eden stockade. A Sydney Telegram, bearing date February 24, states that the Paxton claim has yielded over 7,000 ounces gold from 247 tons quartz. Over 28 ounces to the ton. The lady who presented Mr. Spurgeon with £20,000 some time ago, to found an Orphanage for boys, has offered that gentleman another large sum of money to found a similar institution for girl?. The Drought in Norfolk Island appears to have been even greater than in New Zealand. A letter from that island dated January 10th, and lately received in Auckland, states that no rain had fallen for three months and a half. The Mount Ida Chronicle is severe on the Government Water Supply Scheme. It speaks of it as the greatest sham and the greatest swindle of the numerous shams and swindles enacted by the Colonial Legislature of New Zealand. During the hearing of a peculiar charge at Ballarat, bis Honor the Chief Justice slightly astonished some " ladies " who were waiting in expectation of a treat in the Circuit Court. His Honor first said, " All decent women had now better leave the court," but none of the gentler sex moved an inch; whereupon his Honor said, " Women who are not decent may remain,'' and then some females made a rush town:ds the door. His Honor also ordered the larrikins to be, removed, but they subsequently found their way in,

and were grinning hideously in all parts of the Court. The Mockhampton Bulletin, of 3rd February, says : — * ' On Wednesday lasf, a fisherman named Easton discovered an alligator's nest oa the Eighteen-mile Island. The mother was in the nest when Easton made the discovery, but she ran off ' bellowing like a cow after her calf,' as Easfon fired a shot from his double-barrelled gun into the river. She was about nine feet long. As Easton went up to the nest, a large carpet snake was about to enter it, but the snake fled. On examining the Desf, Easton discovered sixtyseven eggs, which he took away. After leaving a few of the eggs in town, he shipped the others to Sydney per Egmont. Mr. Easton has also placed four eggs nnder a hen, and twelve in straw, in the hope of rearing and domesticating some youug alligators. Cramp has sent his young live ailigator to Sydney' per Egmont, s."

TfiE administration- of justice and the punishment of criminals cost Britain upwards of £4;000, 000 per annum. In Stewart's Island, for the intended special settlements, land has been divided into three classes, subject to various conditions of disposal, viz., 10,000 acres subject to free grants ; 30,000 acres to be sold at ss. per acre ; and 60,000 acres at the upset price of ss. per acre. The head of the tobacco division of the Internal'Reveuue Department at Washington has calculated that there are 8,000,000 of tobacco consumers in the States, averaging 121bs. of tobacco and 167 cigars annually; The revenue produced by this consumption at 24 cents per pound would amount to 25,000,000 dollars. One of the, peculiar features of the Colored Representative, a paper published in Lexington, Kentucky, in the interest of the colored people, is the advertising by former slaves for their wives, their children, 'or their friends, from whom they had been separated during their emancipation. An unreasonable and somewhat misanthropic acquaintance remarks he has often heard the proverb, "A friend in need is a friend indeed," but says he can't see where the laugh comes in. He has a friend in need who is always borrowing money from him. Lord Noeth, who was not fond of scientific music, being asked to subscribe to the Ancient Concerts, refased. " But your Lordship's brother, the Bishop of Winchester, subscribes," urged the applU cant. "If I were as deaf as he, I would subscribe too," was the reply. Old Sailors. — A contemporary speaking of this class fell unwittingly into a pun. He said " they are never so much at sea as when they are on shore," resembling in this respect, says a friend, certain henpecked husbands, who are never so much at home as when they are abroad. Fire-Damp. —An explosion of firedamp occurred in Shaw and party's claim, at Nokomai, a few days since, by which one of the men was much burnt, and had a narrow escape of his life. These explosions, although numerous enough in Victoria, are of rare occurrence in New Zealand. Paper Duty. — On reference to the import returns of printing paper, we find that £21,904 worth of the kind of paper used for printing alone was imported into this colony from the United Kingdom, New South Wales, and Victoria, last year. The returns of previous years show that the importations have been steadily increasing. Dipthbria. — A correspondent of the Evening Post writes as follows : — " Sir, — My brother was cured in America, a few years ago, by simply chewing lump sugar, and repeatedly trying to swallow the grains, without entirely dissolving the sugar in the mouth. He was so far gone that he could swallow nothing, but by persevering with the sugar he could swallow his food in three days." Cure for Red Noses. — Electricity has achieved a new triumph. Already employed to restore vigour and nimbleness to the gouty limbs of decrepid hon vivants, the recent discoveries of Dr. Bernier, a French physician, show electricity to be an efficient remedy for the evil effects of excessive drinking on the human nose. The doctor maintains that by application of an electric current to noses even of the most Bacchic hue, the flesh may be made "to come again as the flesh of a little child," and supports his assertion by a case performed on a female patient of his own, a woman of high rank. Laboes of a Colonial Governor. — The labors of a Colonial Governor are recorded in the statistical summary of the Registrar-General of New South Wales, for the year ending 31st March last. During that period the Governor has written 582 despatches to the Secretary -of- State, 407 messages or speeches to the Legislative Council, 13,600 letters, notes, or memoranda on a host of topics, private or public; delivered 49 addresses on various subjects— religious, charitable, scientific, or literary; and held 170 interviews with as many different people. Servants Again. — -The stage at which servantgalism has arrived in some districts may be inferred from the following cleverly satirical advertisement in the Mart/borough Advertiser : — ' ' Wanted a young lady: to take the entire charge of the culinary department of an hotel. One who does not object to assist in cleaning linen, &c, once a week, infinitely preferred, lady, as companion, constantly on the premises. Chignpns v • flpt objected to, but strict clenliness expected. N.B.— Master and Mistress good tempered. No family. Moderate in washing, if convenient. Apply, Rose's Commercial Hotel, Maryborough." '.'." '_ ,' : ''