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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 224, 24 September 1877, Page 2

Of the 242 unemployed labourers (says the Otago Guuidian) to whom orders for railways passes to the Balclutha section several weeks ago were issued, 133 put in an appearance, aud were supplied work; 104 were on the works when the pay-sheet was made up at the end of laat month. Their earnings amounted on the average to at least 6s per day, several having worked overtime. After pay-day Balclutha and its hotels were made somewhat lively, and siuce theu only 54 have resumed work. The Hou. W* Fox, according to his own account, has had some " rum" experiences in Wellington. In the course of debate recently he said :— " Let me draw a picture of one of those houses which I was the means of shutting up. After a long day's travel I arrived with my wife aud v companion at one of those retreats for weary travellers. There were two buildings— not very promisl iug-looking— and a little stable for the horses. We asked for a bed aud something to eat, and entered. All round the bar and in the house there were 30 ov 4o roadmen Maoris, shepherds, roystering, drinking and shouting. And tbis was a hostelry for the accommodation of travellers ! Well, in due time the the dinner came, and absolutely everything on the table smelt of rum. The roast beef smelt of rum, the potatoes smelt of rum, the water-bottle smelt of rum and the very tea smelt of rum ; and the woman who brought the things into the room smelt of rum, and was so drunk that she could scarcely take them out again. When bedtime came we went to our room, the accommodation here was certainly the least in vitiug. The sheets were about the colour of the house, and the blankets looked as if they had never been changed. Tha room wa3 about 12ft. hy Bffc. ; the window would not open, aud the door opened into a room where a lot of men were drinking all night. All that oue could do was to lie dowu aud make the best of it. If I had had a dustpan and a brush, I oould have swept up a portmanteau full of fleas. When I got up in the morning 1 saw a poor; staggering drunkard come out of the house with black eyes, and his face covered with blood. At the same time the birds were singing in the trees and the sun rising in the sky. That was our experience in this house for the accommoda- I tiou of travellers." I

A Dunedm paper says:— At one of the churches yesterday ths clergyman prayed for the prisoners in our gaols, and for those who ought to be there but were not. Some time since another clergyman prayed specially for the members of the Press. We trust that no one will be so wilfully blind as to suppose there can be any connection between the two petitions. A cynic has suggested that the urfc mentioned prayer is of so comprehensive a nature that it might be substituted for the phrase, " All sorts and conditions of men." A young lady recently jumped from a railway carriage iv England under very remarkable circumstances. The only other occupant i of the compartment in the carriage— an inoffensive labouring man— closed some of the windows, aud pulled out and opened a knife, i and commenced cutting up some tobacco. \ When the preliminary operations were j finished, he turned round for the purpose of l'ghtmg his pipe, and immediately the girl jumped through the window on the opposite ' side. The man, so soon as he saw what had happened, at once gave the alarm, aud the train was stopped as quickly as possible. Miss Biggs wheu found was, vtith the exception of a few bruises, not much the worse for her startling adventure, but the prevailing opinion was wonder that sho was not killed outright. On beiug asked the reason of her strange conduct, Miss Biggs replied that she thought she would get out aud walk home ; but she subsequently admitted tbat she was frightened that her fellow passenger intended to murder her. John Bull, a Home paper, in an able article on « chaffing," goes ou to allude to " slang " used by ladies of the present day. It observes:—"Meaningless, foolish, and utterly objectionable in the mouths of men, how far more painful is it toa refined taste when heard from the lips of women. 1 Meaningless we say advisably; what can be more absolutely idiotic than the use, or rather the abuse, of the word 'awful,' which is {never out of the mouths of the slang young persons of the day? 'Awfally nice,' 'Awfully pretty,' 'I like it awfully,' greets .us at every turn, and, though far from being one of the most objectionable words in use, it ia aggravating to hear a word so constantly and so egregiously misapplied. Then if a young ady wishes to convey to you that an overdose of Princes followed by too many balls has been really too much for her, she confides to you that 'she isn't in good form,' and wheu a little rest has restored her, she avers ' she never felt more fit.' We take these expressions at random from those in daily use; the list might be increased to a portentous length did not space forbid. Now, really, in the case of young ladies we cannot help thinking that much of the ".blame lies with their parents. We presume that, having reached years of discretion, they can hardly approve of hearing their daughters imitate the language of grooms and costertuongers." A correspondent of the Manchester Guardian writes as follows regarding the recent arrest of some of the London detectives on a charge of being implicated iv certain turf swindles:— "The arrest of three of tha leading officials of the Detective Department of Scotland Yard on a charge of conspiring to defeat the eml3 of justice has caused immense excitement throughout the metropolis. For some weeks past secret inquiries have been instituted by the Home Offlce bearing upon the conduct of these officers in their pursuit and capture of the turf iwindlera. Till recently, however, the fact waa known to nons but the highest authorities that the Treasury had ordered a criminal prosecution. The order to arrest was given effect to at 10 o'clock, whenDruscovitch, Palmer, and Meiklejohn came on duty. At that hour Superintendent Williamson entered the detective room, and stated that it was with extreme regret he had to request the officers named to consider themselves in custody. Nothing could exceed the surprise with which the announcement was heard by their colleagues, whom many year's experience had taught to have entire confidence in the integrity and honor of the accused. The prisoners were then taken in cabs to the King -atreet Police Station, where they were formally charged with the offence indicated. Great surprise was expressed when the magistrate (Sir James Ingham) refused to accept sureties for the detectives, though a score of gentlemen could be at once found who were willing to fcecome bail. The exact grounds have not officially transpired, but it is believed that Benson the concoctor of the turf frauds, has since his convictiou made certain allegations of bribery to suppress evidence which have led to the present extraordinary charge." The Wellington correspondent of tho Christchurch Frets writes as follows of some of those whose names we mentioued ou Saturday as likely to be members of the new Ministry in the event of the proposed want of confidence motion being carried: — "Let me shortly enumerate those who are the movers in this uew Opposition, and their capabilities, in case the party should ever be called on to take office. Of Mr Rollesfcon, who can possibly lay claim to precedence among the ranks of this party, it is ueedless for" me to say anything. As your Superintendent for so many years you are far better accquainted with his administrative capabilities than myself; but if I may venture an opinion, and one which is supported by the opinions of others " whose judgment in such matters cry in the top of mine," he is not a mau to lead a party or form a Government. A want of steadiness of purpose and a want of tact, together with an almost superabundant amount of honesty, disqualify him from a successful career as Cabinet Minister. From Canterbury too comes vfr Montgomery, who has undoubtedly been attempting to assume a position ou the Opposition Benches by his criticisms on the Premier's finance, to which his merits can scarcely be deemed to entitle him. Mr Montgomery might stand with credit to a sculptor or artist as the personification of integrity; but really there is too great a disregard for her Majesty's English aud too faint a resemblance of a politician to entitle him to be spoken of —as has been freely done — as the coming Treasurer. Mr Travers, it is understood, aspires to the position of Attorney-General in any change of Ministry; but Heaven save the Ministry that places their trust in him. Though only returned to the House this year, Mr Travers has frequently occupied a seat in Parliament during past years, and always with the same result. Credited with great ability, capable ot taking and conducting the oflice at which he aims, and holding a high position in his profession and in society, Mr Travers is nevertheless terribly rash, without a following aud without weight in the House, and trusted by nobody. Shifty and unstable as the sand ou the seashore, ho would continually be placing his party in difficulties from which it would take all his ability to rescue them. Mr Gisborne, who next comes under review, may fairly be said to be hungering for office. His long and useful life has been Bpeut until within the last year or two continually in the service of his country. From the Civil Service to the Government Benches and from thence on the defeat of his party ■ back to the permanent staff, has he beeu tossed, and now, again weary of idleness on a pension, he lies once more among the breakers hoping that the wave that washes the present Ministry from their seat 3 may leave him high and dry on the shores of " office." You may think it hard to say this, but surely (i the time gives it proof," for Mr Gisborne, if elected ou auy principles at all, was elected by the people of Totara as a Government supporter. Au American journalist says thafc football will ue ver become a. favorite game in America until the Americau shiu bono ia shifted a little further hack.

A mau was convicted at the Middlsex bessions of stealing a purse from a lady's I pocket. In passing sentence of six months , imprisonment, with hard labor, the asaistant judge, after commenting on the opportunities afforded and the temptations offered to thieves by ladies having their pockets placed at the back, said that in the event of any cases of a similar nature coming before him the Court would have to consider the propriety of disallowing the expenses of the lady who prosecuted. Mr John Stuart, of Helensborough, sends a 6 .u r T,, Wh^ Ch W8 ( Live Stoc k Journal) take the following :-« There was a strand thing brought to my notice the other night when passing my friend, Mr M.s. He called me m to see what he bad got in a barrel; and on looking in, there was a cat with two kittens and a young rat suckling. Mr M. says the cat allows it to play with her like one of its own kittens. The strange thing is that not only is this cat known all round as one ot the most determined ratters about the town, but only the day before she killed (as is < believed) this very young rat's father and mother and four of the family; but this one she took to her nest beside her kittens The rat has now been five days with the cat, aud she must have been suckling it most of the time, or it would have died ero now, as it cannot get awsy to get anything."