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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 44, 17 February 1876, Page 2

The education rate at Hokitika amounts to £915. Tlie collector reports after a deal of hard work having got, £120.

Dr. Bakewell, Dunodin, writing to tbe Waikouaiti Herald, snye we rai<iht as well try to stop the spread of scarlatina by putting the wind in quarantine as by quarantining the houses. Paris was horrified on November 24 by the report of an accident at the winter circua on the previous night. A gymnast named Mayol had inaugurated an innovation in the trapeze exercise — instead of merely swinging himself from one trapeze to another, he had himself shot out of a mortar by a small charge of powder on to the trapeze bar. On the 22nd he hnd performed the feat successfully, but on the following night he did not manage fo clutch the bar properly, or the charge j of powder was too strong, and he was j projected headforemost on to the balustrade in front of the boxeß, and was picked up senseless. He recovered in about twenty minutes, and is said to be none the worse. An old Highlander noted for his I love of whiaky most of his life, was induced to sign the teetotal pledge. After abstaining for some time, not | feeling quite so well as he used to do, i he thcught he would consult the doctor. Meeting the doutor on his way to another palienf, Donald, stopping him, told him bow he felt, and aßked his advice. The doctor said, "I believe I Donald, you have been used to a little spirits in your time !" " That I have, sir, and too much at odd times." "Well Donald, take my advice and take » little each day." " But, sir, ye ken, I am a teetotaller now, and dare uot take whisky." " Pooh ! pooh," eaid the dootor, •• It is no violation of your pledge to take it as medicine." "And how much should I take at a time, sir ?" " Oh 1 about an ouuca." Donald on biß way home, wondered how much whisky went to an ounce. When he got into the house, he got his eye on a little boy, a grandson, who had just come home from school aud said, " Johnny, just take your slate and count up to me how much whisky goes to an ounce." The lad turned up one of his tables, and bawled out, *' Sixteen drachms make an ounce." The old man know well bow much went to a dram of whiaky, but sixteen of them as medicine was a Btaggerer. However, he very prudently considered there was little use asking advice if it was not followed; so off he sent Johnny at once for the medicine, shouting after him to be sure and call at old John M'Dougal'a on his way and toll him fhat ho wanted him immediately. When John and the whisky arrived, the two worthies sat down and had a I jolly evening over the doctor's medicine. At a meeting of the Medical Society in Boud, Professor Zunfz brought forward a case in which a gentleman who had for several years been subjent to migraine observed that for some days he had headache late in the evening, which, without interfering with sleep, continued in the morning, and wag accompanied with loss of appetite and malai9e. In about a fortnight the

symptoms became more savero, and lasted the whole day. At the same time singular symptoms, but much less severe, appeared in two efcudenfcs who sat ut the same table in tbe evening. The preen shade of the petroleum lamp was suspected to be the cause of the mißchief; aud, oil chemical examination, it was found Jo contain arsenic. Its use being discontinued, all the symptoms ceased in (he three individuals. It was evident that, the boat of lhe lamp bad set five the urßeuie, and the greater severity of the symptoms in the first-mentioned individual was duo to the fact that ho wns near-Bighted, and therefore ant, nearer to the lamp than the others did. Professor Zuntz said that he himself was some years affected in the same way, though less severely, while uaiug a green lampshade, in which arsenio was found.—British Medical Journal. An amusing instance of a telegraphic error occurred at Opotiki recently. A business man received the following from bis representative in Auckland : " Daughter arrived ; send, mother by Hazard to cut firewood." Our obliging telegraph officer very naturally got the message repeated, but it came exactly as before. The original, however, appears to have been intended for— "Doughty arrived;' send nothing by Hazard but firewood." There must be something very wrong with the management of the Auckland railway, or the Southern Gross would scarcely write as follows :— So successful have Mr Codlin's efforts been in running omnibusees between Auckland and Onehunga in opposition to the railroad, that he has felt justified in advertising his timetable, which is published in another column. It will be found that Mr Codlin ruus a bus either way every two hours from eight in the morning till six in the afternoon. Mr Codlin expects to run the iron horse off the line. It is imagined by many persons, says a home paper, that the killing of a ghost is not murder in the eyes of tbe law. This is a mistake, and those who indulge in the sport of ghosb-hunting will do well to be careful. It seems that the inhabitants of the village of Lockhampton, near Cheltenham, have lately been much annoyed by a ghost which, in the form of a bear, jumps upon them suddenly when they are imprudent enough to be out of doors after dark. The proceedings of this ghost have of late become so troublesome that a party was organised tbe other evening to hunt, and, 'if possible, capture it. Tbe ghost- hunters were five in number, four being armed with thick (sticks, and one, a young man named Scrivens, with a six-chambered revolver. On turning the corner of a road, Scrivens was imprudent enough to fire a chance shot in the darkness, and was immediately pounced upon, not by the ghost but by a policeman, who carried him. off to captivity, and being brought before tbe magistrates at the Cheltenham Police Court, be was fined 10s and 8s 6d costs. The Bencb. at the same time advised Scrivens to leave it to the police to deal with the ghost, whose conduct they designated as disgraceful. {For continuation see fourth page.")