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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 57, 7 March 1877, Page 2

Says the Lyttelton Times-.— ln these days of the Eastern question whenever a Russian appears in countries under British rule, he is immediately an object of suspicion. Some mining engineers are at present visiting the Victorian mines, and because they are" very reticent there is supposed to bo something iu it. It seems the most natural thing in the world that the engineers of a country, like Russia, which possesses gold mines iu some of the many provinces which make up its vast territory, should desire to see the maimer of gold mining in a country where it is brought to such perfectiem as it is in . Victoria. But clever people never will accept the obvious solution to a difficulty. They prefer the continuance of mysteries which give scope to their imaginations. No one scorns to suggest that these Russians are seeking information for commercial purposes, We shall be told no doubt before long that they are making an estimate of the value of the colonial gold mines with a view to seeing if the country is worth conquering en perni'tner.ee. Perhaps they will turn out to be making plans of the country for the use of troops, or perhaps they are marking camping grounds, and laying down on maps all the commanding situations. They may be making a list of each man's property, with a view to squeezing the last farthing out of the country by contributions in the event of war, or possibly we may hear from some imaginative alarmist that these Russians arc actually making a tunnel from the gold mines to the ocean for the introduction at the right moment of a Russian force into the ' heart of Victoria. Tho Cerberus outflanked, I tho torpedoes rendered useless, the mining capitals in the hands of the enemy! There 1 is a dim idea of something sinister and ! deadly in the suspicion excited by the reticence of the Russian engineers. Nobody seems to think it probable that, being men of business, they set about their work without any unnecessary cackling. The weather has been a trifle trying on the other side. The Melbourne Aye of a late date says:— "During the past four or live days the weather iu Melbourne has been most unpleasantly oppressive, the thermometer having at times been over 100 deg. in the shade during the daytime, while iu the evenings also the temperature ranged very high. Ou Saturday night there were signs of a change, and about midnight a slight fall of rain took place, which had the effect of cooling the atmosphere a little. In the country districts the want of raiu is very severely felt, and the loss of stockowners, farmers, and others will probably be very considerable unless a substantial downpour of rain takes place immediately. Bush fires have been prevalent all over the colony. Twosteamers, the Duke of Edinburgh and Fleetwing, which arrived from the cast coast, report that extensive bush fires were raging all along tho coast from Montague Island to the Ninetymile Beach. This embraces fully 100 miles in length, and sufficiently accounts for the close sultry atmosphere felt here during the last week. At Ballarat signs of a welcome change were manifest, the barometer having been falling all 'the afternoon. 'In Sandhurst,' says the Evening JSews, ' the heat was unbearable, not a breath of air stirring. Towards noon a few drops of raiu fell, not sufficient, however, to lay the dust. It was highly amusing to see the school- children forming into circles on the playground, and madly dancing round, welcoming the rain, which has now become a stranger. In a minute or two it ceased, much to their sorrow.' " A paper by Captain J. S. Hay, on the horned men of Africa, was read at the recent meeting of the British Association. lie also exhibited two sketches of Africans with

horns, Mr Hyde Clarke said it was very difficult to assign any reason for the appearance of horns, but there was uo doubt that Captain Hay had seen them. One way might be that they had been inserted or iuuoculated into the face, but Captain Hay informed him that it was the object of the parents to remove the horns, which he regarded as a natural growth. One suggestion was that this was a case of malformation, of which there was a memorable example iu the case of the "porcupine man," who had horny plaits on various parts of his body. He had not heard from anybody any sufficient explanation with regard either to its being a natural phenomenon arising at birth or its being artificially produced in the manner to which he had referred. It was remarkable that the horns were peculiar to the male sex. The subject was very obscure, and had not been sufficiently investigated by anthropologists, because there were great prejudices to taking ifc up. To Mr Michael Houlahan, Chairman of the Arahaura Road Board, brewer of Treble X, and. late M.P.C., for Westland, may be credited the most original speech among the many made at fche receptiou of His Excellency tbe Governor on the West Coast. . It was at the banquet at Kumara that Mr Michael Houlahan rose to the occasion, and the Hokitika Slur has thus immortalized his sentiments :— The speech was received with tremendous cheers, aud rounds of applause which were agaiu and again renewed. The Governor himself was exceedingly struck with it, and so were all the members of . his suite. Mr Houlahan said " That that day they had amongst them a gentleman of the first waters, but the good qualities of the Marquis he did uot intend dwelling upon at any length. Since 1566, they had had visits from three Governors— most excellent meu, but the last was the best. When Sir George Grey came to Westland, the place was a a wilderness with scarce a sound to be heard in Kumara but the note of the Tui, warbling in the trees, and next they • had Sir George Bowea, a capital man, whom he wished long to preserve to rule, but uow they had what they never had before— what was never known bef re in the history of Westland— a real Royal Marquis ! ' I say gentlemen ' said Mr Houlahan when the cheers had subsided — " I say agaiu we have amongst us to-day a Marqnis, a Marquis.'" And the toast which Mr Houlahan proposed—" the health of his Excellency the Marquis," was drank, as few toasts are drank, for everyone at the banquet felt that the Gentleman of the First Waters was indeed worthy of all the encomiums heaped upon him by Mr Houlahan, and that the.Marquis was a man worthy of all honor. Besides, the speech of Mr Houlahan had such an irresistible effect on the company that the glasses were drained to tlie dregs, and the utmost cordiality and good humor prevailed. The Marquis labored under a disadvantage in replying to the toast, for he was boiling over with such fuu and amusement, that he could hardly collect his thoughts, and look as serious as he tried to look. It was a great success, and the Governor will not forget it. At a scientific lecture in America recently a professor exhibited a most remarkable pair of Siamese twins— two tiny salmon hatched from one egg, aud bound together in a manner quite like the human twins recently deceased Although quite lively, he predicted for them a short life, because they were hatched head first, which is a bad omeu for the vitality of the fish. {For continuation of Newt see fourth page)