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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 66, 17 March 1877, Page 4

We once knew an Irishman who bore evidence before a commission on the west coast of Ireland. Amongst: other questions as be seemed rather discursive and inclined to ayer anything, one of the commissioners asked him if they had many whales there? "Is it whales ?" answered Pat. v Sure you may see (hem, like water engines, spouting all over the place' 1 Another of the commissioners gravely asked if there were any dog-Gsh "Dogs, magorra 1 faix, ye'd say so an ye'd passed the night here. Sure, we can't elape for the barkin' on them 1' Lastly, one of the other commissioners asked him, "If flying fish abounded ?" The answer was : " Arrat), an' if we did'ut put the shutters up every night there' wouldn't be a whole pane of glass left in the house for the crathurs bateiug against- them, sure" This ended the. court, and the next day this genius came: to as.k,.\for his expenses, trx laiming : . " Sure, , now, honey, didn't I swear to everything ye axed me ?" - Mr C. Cracknel!, the Superinten-. dent 6f Telegraphs in New :■ Sout^h; Wales, 1 has recently returned "there after a visit, to Europe, and America. In Ne,w; York he" hid the' opportunity < 'of taking notes with respect to tho latest t improvements in telegraph, instruments of the kind known as quadrupjp.and, automatic, ,Tfre former, is deaieined for simultaneously transmitting fpur messages upon the same wire j and the latter, of "automatic type- printing telegraph; intrument," ia for letter: printing, and is the invention oMtfr Pheips, of New York, who is, the chief mechanician in the 1 Employ pf ,the Western ..Union Telegrfiph^Coiar pany.;,. Specimens .of the instrument' above .mentioned have been purchased by Mr Cracknelt for| use on the New South; Wales fines, and : it is ex,pecteel tb'at they will arrive shortly. "\ He . .also ..via if ed ,, the;.; fire and vaj t^ttm Bta|ions of New York, with .which aref connected. electric wirgs from, the. large" commercial houses, so that in. case of fire, or of. burglars breaking : into the premises, fchu hews ia iostanuy" flashed to-|he station without the^ aiid, of an operator,., and a.hody of police can be at once dispatched l id the place frotu which the alarm iar deceived. Specimens of the"! instruments , employed for this purpose; have' also; been .purchased by, Mr Cracknell, , He visited al! the principal telegraph establishments for the .construction of . cables,

I telegraph' material?, instruments, &c. He spent some time in France, Ger--many , Belgium, Switzerland, and. j Italy for, the same purpose. . Ha also j gained: a large amount of information j respecting torpedo matters at Chatham, j Woolwich, and Ppi ! tai&i6tfth; and ia mii deb red to Colonel; Niig4ii.t, Colonel | Scratcbley, Captain Armstrong, and | several ofßoers connected with the 'ship Varnon,: /at Portsmouth. At I Woolwich the Royal Engineers gave him every opportunity of inspecting ifcheiarsenarrand' he iiaef made himself : familar with the latest improvements ; a.q,a inventions in torpedoes; both for 'offensive and defensive warfare more i particular^ those suitable lor the dei feojee -ofvthe- harbors of Fort Jackson, Newcastle, Botany, and Broken Bays. \ ..The Deaf Mother.— The following 'curious anecdote is related of the jCountess of Orkney, who died in 1790, jaged 76 : — " Her ladyship was deaf and dumb, amf mafried in 1753 by. sigdsj sha lived with: her husband, Marrough, first Marqais of Tom and, on the harbor' 'of Cork. Shortly after the birth of her first child/ ,thY nurse with considerable astonishment saw the mother cautiously approach the cradle in which the child ' was/asleep'.JeVidenily fall of some deep [design. The Countess having perfectly insured herself that the child really el'^ £ took out a large atoaa which she had concealed under the shawl, and, to the horror of the nurse, who, like all persons of the lowest order in her country, indeed in most eoantriej, was fully impressed with an idea of the peculiar cunning and malignity of " dambies," seized it with an intent to fliog it down vehemently. Before the nuraa could interpose the Countess had flung the stone — not, however, as the servant had apprehended, at the child, but on the floor, where, of course, it made a great noise. The child immediately awoke and oried. The Coitntesa, who had looked with maternal eagerness to the result of her experiment, fell on her knees in a transport of joy. She had discovered that the child possessed the sense which was wanting ia herself. 1 '