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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 163, 1 July 1876, Page 4

The second week of April this year in England was the moßt extraordinary known in that country for mauy years. After delightfully mild weather, winter ' suddenly returned, and enow tell heavily all over Western Europe, from tbe >- Pentland Firth to Florence. The fall appears t. have been worst in Dublin where a loot of snow fell in one night — and in the midland counties oi England, where it wa. almost equally heavy, 'and caused great delay on the railways, come of the trains being from five to ten hours late in consequence. The weight of the snow also levelled the * telegraph wires over a large portion of the centre of England, tbis being the third occurrence of the kiud this wioter.

Twenty-five thousand pounds' worth of diamonds avid manufactured jewellery have been stolen from a wholesale jeweller's, Messrs J. and R. Williams, in Hatton Garden, London. • Two safes in which the property bad been deposited were opened by false keys. Amongst the property taken were 300 diamond and gem rings, 10 to 15 pairs of brilliant earrings, 40 diamond bracelets, 5 diamond ornaments for hair, 200 gold lockets set with various precious stones, 200 carats of diamonds, 40 carats of rubies, 40 carats of emerald B, &C. Liverpool is to be supplied with water from Lake Windermere. The estimate of cost varies from £2,000,000 for a daily supply of ten million gallons to £4,500,000 for forty million gallons. A Norwich man calls himself- on his card a " temperance boot-maker." The need of temperance boots is apparent, for though they are not generally drunk, ii's a notorious fact that they're often very tight. Boas around young ladies' necks are in fashion again. And illiterate young men will do well to remember that boas and beaux are not synonymous by any manner of means. But just as likely as not some persons who should know better will probably make a mis* take in this matter. Aud we can't b'ame 'em, either, An eight-year old boy sent the following rather warm epistle to one of his little playmates:— "Dear Minnie, i love thee i ador you, don't show this to your mother, if i don't love thee may the lions tear my bart out, may i be thrown from a third story window if i don't love you may I be torn io 3 balfs by wild beasts but i do. answer tbis. get good paper and leave g a sheet for me you are a pretty girl, and i'il have you. Charlie." At Tuapeka they have adopted a new style of announcing the hurried departure of forgetful debtors, as witness the following notice, which appeared in the Times of a late date, surrounded by a black border .-— «. Skedadled.— On the 26th instant, from the Blue Spur, William Batter, miner, aged 23 years, native of Redruth, Cornwall, England. Supposed to have gone per Alhambra to Victoria. Redruth and Victoria papers please copy." Tt the Waterford Assizes lately, Thomas White, a ship-owner, was sent to prison for two months for sending to sea the Minboa schooner io an ooeeaworthy condition in September last. The vessel went ashore outside Wexford, and immediately broke up. The Liverpool Post says:— A poor woman has been sentenced at Oswestry to twenty-one days' imprisonment for stealing a penny-worth of coals. The culprit pleaded hard for mercy on the ground that it was her first off.nee, but the Rhadamanthine justices were inexorable. One of the new policemen in Elizabeth arrested a negro last week; who resisted co stoutly that tbe officersplintered his club over bis head. At his examination at the station-house he, was asked whether the officer bad struck bim witb his club. "No, sab j not dat I's awah of," was the prompt reply. The statement that tha officer was a " new " one, accounts for the " freshness " of the proceeding of trying to bring a negro to term, by clubbing him on tbe head. An experienced policeman would have known better than to waste his time so foolishly. The question, Where do ithe pina go?, seems in a fair way to be answered. Ak least we know that a talented citizen who sat down on one yesterday, seemed to have no difficulty in deciding where it had gone, but put bis hand on the place at once, and spoke about it. Tbe polite Speaker of the House of Representatives will have quite enough to. do if he endeavors to make some iof the Opposition shining lights as polite as himself. When the hon. gentleman was a debater, he could make mote sarcastic remarks than any one else ; but then his sarcasm wns rpfined, and naturally enough he is severe on membees who spoil the effect of their compliments by blundering over them. Mr. Reader Wood, yesterday, whilst expressing his high opinion of the Premier, remarked that the arguments of Sir Julius were the arguments 'of an idiot. The Speaker corrected Mr. Wood immediately, saying that he Was not goiog to discuss whether the arguments of the Premier were the arguments of an idiot or not, but perbapa it might be as well if the hon. member would express his feelings in Parliamentary language. Mr. Wood found

himself unequal to the task, so he withdrew the expression instead. — Times. In reference to thejrecent labor scare got op by the Dnnedin morning papers, tha Bruce Herald aays:— Thousands of men can find employment in Otago at a wage of seven shillings a day, and we challenge the Times and Guardian to dispute oar assertion. Mr T. M. Wright (aays the 'Press') who, for some years has been in charge of the Picton Agenoy of the Bank of New Zealand, left by the steamer oo Thurs lay, r Jane 15,. 7 f0r Wellington. We understand that he has left the Bank of New Zealand, and his place in Picton is filled by Mr Leslie, a gentleman who has had considerable experience, and who is most highly spoken of by those who have been brought into contaot with him on business matters. Captain Malet, in speaking at ai recent Church Congress on church work in the army,' told a good story A recruit, on being asked by his commanding officer what religion he professed, in order that he might go to his proper place of worship, said, " Please air, I bave not made up my mind !" He probably though -he would get off the church parade, but the officer was equal to the occasion. Turning to the sergeant of his company, .he said,. " Sergeant I here is a man who has not made up his mind as to what religion he is. We will give him every opportunity. Let bim be marched to tbe Romanist service at 7.45 j to the" Cborch of England parade afc" 9. ls • and to the Presbyterian service at 11 until further orders." The man soon made op his mind that he was a devout Churchman, probably, said Captain Malet, because the servioo was the shortest one. A pretty story comes to us from Paris. One day, not long ago, a little girl entered one of the pawnbroker's shops, tenderly handling something wrapped up in a pocket hankerchief, and when her turn came to be attended to, handed it to the shopman. On opening the parcel, tbat worthy found to his surprise that it contained a doll, never of much value, end now a good deal the worse for use. '' Why, my little dear, what do yoa want me to do with this?" he asked. " Father is ill. and mother is crying because she has no money to buy him physic," said the child, " so I thought I would bring you my doll and ask you to lend something on it." Tbe shopman looked wonderingly at the child for a moment, then went into the back room where pledges are examined, and on coming back returnel tbe doll to the little girl with something wrapped up in paper. " Five irancs on a doll," he cried out to the olerk, as she toddled away.