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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 21, 24 January 1878, Page 2

The Morning Advertiser asks :— '• Who shall now tell us that the British army holds out no hope of advancement to the zealous aud deserving ; or that the ' Queen's shilling 1 is not now and then a taiismanjof success to the brave man who courts honor in the ranks ? In oue of last week's London Gazettes we read that Lieut, aud Adjutant Gerard Auriol de Visme, Bth Hussars, is promoted to a troop in the same gallant corps. Captain de Visme's career has beenafortuuate instance of what merit and hard work can achieve. This gentleman enlisted as a private in the ranks of the 2nd Dragoons (Scots Greys) about half a dozen years ago, and after a short period of service in that rank and the subordinate position of non-com-missioned officer was promoted to his first commission in July, 1872 ; thus, after five yeai s' service only, obtaining his grade of captain iu a crack cavalry corps. To all who know Captain de Visaie, the announcement of his success will be most gratifyiug, as his brother officers aud his superiors recognised in him a smart, intelligent, and industrious adjutant ; and his rapid advancement is a distance proof of the readiness of his Itoyal Highness the Duke of Cambridge to take notice of merit, and advance the interests of deserving subalterns." Hymen (says the Inangahua 'Times) is rather busy in lleefton just now, and having already during the past week or two consummated the happiness of several young couples, has yet much to do during the next few days in bringing up some more lambs to the slaughter. The demand for old shoes now is very great, but it is hoped that sufficient will be obtained to tide over the cry-sis. During a recent thunderstorm Mr M. Healy, who is forming Ifountaiue's road, near Prebbleton, Canterbury, left a loaded gun in his teut; simultaneously with a flash of lightning the gun exploded; fortunately no one was in the tent at the time. Broken hearts are excellent in theory and invaluable to the novelist, but in real life they are as rare as the iVIoa. A local live-sick swain was under the impression that his heart was clean broken, the chords fairly snapped asunder, and with that belief sought j refuge in the friendly bosom of the peaceful Wanganui. Rushing madly to the river bank j he— stepped in. The water was cold, the night dark, and he shivered. AuothPr step, and he shivered still more — one more, and with the water to his waist, his teeth chattered, and love evaporated. He hesitated, aud the usual consequence was reversed. He was not lost, but he changed front and I headed for the shore, very cold, very wet, and exceedingly miserable. — Wauganui Herald. I The G. R, Argus speaks in the following disrespectful manner of Mr Woolcock, the member for the Grey Valley:—" We do not wonder now that Mr Woolcock should express himself willing to support Sir George Grey under certain circumstances. Of course he would, support anybody to keep his seat with its emoluments, but his support is— except in the element of danger — of such an unknown value that it is doubtful if cither party would care to have him." A little boy who was riding on one of the fire engines towards Pipitea Point, on the occasion of the recent "Wellington fire, fell off, and a cab coming up just behind ran over him, and broke an arm and leg. The Timuru Herald has roused the ire of the Wellington press by decrying the works by which that city js supplied with water. It says:-T-f Wellington never had a decent water supply, and,' to judge from the present appearances, it never'will have. The existing fishpond, which isdignifiedwiththename of the reservoir, aud is fed by a trickling streamlet resembling the gush from a sodawater bottle, is too paltry for consideration. It is generally out of order, and when in full working is simply ludicrous. The new reservoir, now in course of construction at a cost of £30,000, is a large aud handsome basin. But it is only au empty basin, aud those who profess to know all about rain-fall, hydrostatics, and things like that, declare that no thing short of a natural convuls ; on, changing the whole configuration of the surrounding country, can po isibly ever fill it. Wellington has the good fortune to get plenty of rain pretty evenly distributed throughout the year. Were that not so, were droughts such as no experience here to prevr'l there, the fifteen or twenty thousand people who are crarumed into that malodorous city must of necessity die of thirst aud smell. Paying rates is a painful and depressing process j but it is is better to be heavily rated at first and to spend the money so raised judiciously than to drift into such a condition as that of the people of Wellington." The Fast indignantly denies that such a decriptiou is applicable to the Wellington waterworks, but at the same time takes the opportunity of admiuistering a severe rebuke to the City Council for its disgraefui neglegt of the drainage of the (o\tq.

The dense ignorance of banking matters displayed by some depositors is very amusing. One day recently (says the Ballarat Mar), a cheque for £5 was presented to be cashed at a bank here by a tradesman who bad obtained the cheque from the drawer It was handed back marked .«• not sufficient funds," and the tradesman promptly called on the person who had drawn it for ah explanation as to how he had given the cheque while nis;banking account was in such a state Ihe drawer merely looked at it, aud murmured faintly, « Well I'm blowed, the bank uot to have sufficient funds to pay that amount!" • • Song of the Baker.—" I Knead Thee Every Hour." The first note of the soug is dough.