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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 70, 22 March 1877, Page 4

Mtgegcsß 1 — . i .< * *' 'i'i The Argus says :— *' No language can exaggerate the import ince of arresting the denudation of our forests; aod if we stood in need of aoy warning against so criminal, a.. proceeding, we should find it in what has taken place in Mauritius within less, than the lifetime of a single generation.: Twenty years ago it was a sanitarium for invalids from India. To-day it ia one of the unhealtbiest islands' in the world. To what cause is tbis remarkable fact attributable? The question is answered in the Farmer by Mr H. Rogers, senior assistant surgeon, civil hospital, Port Louie. He states that it is due almost exclusively to the denudation of the forest lands in tbat island, which has resulted in a diminished rainfall and an increased temperature. On high, lands the sun-baked earth is im- 1 penetrable by ruin, and the water is shot off into the valleys. Tbere in permanent depressions it stagnates and gives off noxious exhalations. The scores ot streams and rivers bave dried up, droughts are frequent and excessive, aud these alternate with floods. Thunder is seldom heard, and lightning rarely eeen. * Vast tracts of land formerly productive are now barren and desolate, and districts once noted for salubrity are now notoriously unhealthy.' When the rain descends it does so with frightjut violence, and very little of it is absorbed by the denuded soil. The low lands ttre inundated, and a period of complete dryness succeeds. This is followed by the outbreak of low {ever of a malarious type, which sweeps off its victims in a few hours and threatens to become endemic. ' The oase is urgent/ exclaims Mr Rogers. 4 Sanitary laws must be rigidly enforced, and the plateaux and high lands of the country must be replanted/ Are

jwe to go through the same experiences jfor the sake of a few splitters, even though they have votes and can bring a certain amouat of pressure to bear upon [their local representative; or shall we jresolutely set our faces against any iconcessioos to their importunate rejquests,.and widen instead of contract. ; t^^ ay^'a '.pC'YduV /f orjg^t) rbaery es ? iDyq le^W_ \we are perfectly demented we Bball 'adopt the better course;'' 1 The death is recorded in a French jpaper qfya ipao:;7pajmed-.l^qham_e!,~:aD-. •inmate of Bicetre, better known as tlje ■• ' Mort; Vivant ,'' he : baying 7 for several Cyears labored uuder tbe idea shat he j was a corpse. His monomania dated from the battle of Buzenval, on which ioccasion he received a tevere wound in the head. The wound healed in- time,' Ibut the man's brain was hopelessly dis'eased from the effects. A curious'cir'.cumstance connected with his case was ithe entire absence of Sensation on the :part of the patient.: Medical man j watched the malady with interest, aod lin order to Cassure themselves there waß no shamming, bad on one or two occasions caused the man to be : sharply (pricked in the back whilst talking Iwith him, but not : a mosCle of hid T -face' 'moved. It was with the utmost |difficulty he eouldbe 'persuaded to eat, as he stoutly maintained he was dead land therefore -could not require 'sustenance. He frequently spoke of jhimself but always any the past tense, jand when visited by friends would re* jlate them instances in' the life of that jpoor fellow, Duhamel, " was killed jon the battle field." Except on this topic, the deceased was perfectly. Baue, !it was said, and to the day of his death 'would converse intelligently upon any other subject. j .The, Marquis of Salisbury. and.Mr (Parjeoti have recognised the inerit of Ithewriting machine, but we should like > ito know Mr Carlyle's opinion of the ;newly invented talking machine. Wehear that after thirty years, which the ihistoriau of the Great Frederick will properly think might have been better employed, a clever gentleman has succeeded in producing an apparatus con-' "listing of a table with pedals, an organ bellows, and a keyboard. In the centre is an elaborate arrangement represeotjinsc theY human lungs, larynx^ glottis, and o ton*g_e; At the conclusion of the exhibition, |o tbe Grand Hotel at Paiis, it ajlojca _'^pi«sj> " as follows:— " I waeborn in America. I can speak all languages, and I am very pleased to see you. I thank you for your visit." There is already too much talk in the world, but yet this machine might be made useful. It would, for instance, be invaluable at railway stations, where porters roar out the name of a place equally loud aod unintelligibly. A good talking machine would be a vast improvement on the inarticulate porter. Iron. A Moscow correspondent of Lloyd's Weekly telegraphs tbat Madame Patti's benefit .qn December 14 was a treuieo dous success. Signor Campajne's Esmeralda was the opera. There were 60 calls for the beneficiair'e during the" performance, and more tbah- 300 bou* ,qnets were showered upon her, besides which she w'as preseoted with a beautiful pair of diamond and sapphire ear- , rings: f : Y'y ■ . .j": '' '■.