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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 36, 11 February 1878, Page 2

Sir Edward Osborne-Gibbes, Bart., is appointed to be chief clerk iv the Department of Education. Joseph Giles Esq., J.P. is gazetted a Commissioner of Crown L-iuds for the Provincial District of Westland. Some of the coramou lodging-house 3in Sydney must be as wretched places to live in as tbe dirty aud overcrowded dens to be found in the old country. The SM. Herald o_ Jan. 26, says :— -" The circumstances of an inquest on the body of a man who had commuted suicide in a common lodging-house drew from the jury and the coroner a strong condemnation of the state of the house iv which the man had lived. One juryman .said that the state of the house was of itself Huflicionl to induce the man to commit suicide, and the coroner declared that it showed a turiiblc slate of affairs, when ft lodging-house keeper was allowed to pack live men in a small attic which was covered wilh cobwebs." Tim Bruce Herald is responsible for the following:— One good turn deserves another. A gentleman residing in Milton, wending his way homewards ou a certain ni»ht tbis week , overtook an unfortunate clinging affectionately to a telegraph post. The hapless one was almost speechless, and his legs refused duty. Tho gentleman acted the part of the good Samaritan, and kindly took hold of his friend by the arm and saw him home. On his arrival at tho gate tho wife of the inebriated individual poured out a volley of abuse on the sober one, demanding in indignant tones what he meant by keeping out her husband, and inducing him to driuk. The husbaud made a dart for the door, and then coolly asked his friend if he thought he could find his way home.

Forty-seveu applications were recived by the Wellington City Council for the office of City Engineer.

The Kanieri local School Committee has adopted the compulsory clause of the Education Act.

A writer in the Melbourne Leader says : —The change that has come over the mining industry in Victoria during the past year is remarkable. The dividends declared for the 12 months show a falling off of no less than £275,000 as compared with those of 1876. There is a reverse, however, to this dark picture. This year in round numbers the increased yield of our wheat fields has enabled us to send away some 10,000 tons of breadstuffs, valued at £12 per ton. This represents no less than £120,000, whilst, again, if I add the value of the wheat and flour imported iv 1876, 1 bring up the total to something over £215,000, an amount which will go a long way to compensate for the loss in our gold yield. A case of melancholy suicide has occurred on board Her Majesty's ship Boscawen at Portland. A few weeks since Lieut. Lowe, the second lieutenant of the ship, retired to his cabin in good spirits. In the raorniug, when his servant went to call him, he was in bed ; but about an hour aod a-half afterwards, when he was called for breakfast, his servant received no answer. On going into the cabin the bed was then found empty, whiie his wearing-apparel was left behind. On searching the cabin some letters were found, one of which Lieut. Lowe had written to his fellow officers telling them by the time they received it he should be dead. On making a further search an end of rope was found hanging from his window, and the supposition was that Mr. Lowe must have descended into the sea and drowned himself. His body has since been found, which removes all doubts in the case, as several dumb-bells were found fastened around it, evidently by the deceased himself.

Another highly interesting series of experiments was made by Mr W. J. Thomas, at Geelong, bringing out new and still more wonderful powers* of the telephone, showing that many messages may be simultaneouslytransmitted along a single wire, each perfect in itself, and in no way interfering in passing and re-passing with other messages transmitted in the contrary direction. Two instruments were placed at each end of the line, both connected independently with the earth, both also connected with the line ; a listener and speaker were at each end. Recitations, reading, speaking, singing, successively, were carried on at each end of the line at exactly the same time ; and the listener at the north end heard the singing, talking, &c, at the south end at the same time as the listener at the south end heard distinctly all the performances at the north end. The waves of electricity traversing the line in contrary directions did not affect in the slightest degree the instrument through which a person was speaking, whilst at the same time every word and every note from the other end was distinctly heard by the listener at the other instrument. Truly, as Professor Bell says, the telephone is yet iv its infancy.

A new article of commerce has been produced by preparation from pine and gum trees. It has long been known that the Eucalyptus globulus, or blue gum tree of Australia, is highly efficacious in.combating malaria. Localities so fatally unhealthy that human beings^ lived iv them at their peril, have been rendered habitable by plantations of this tree. Thus in Algeria and Portugal certain deadly valleys have been quite transformed in character, and in tbe Roman Campagna a monastery of Trappists, which was for years perforce deserted, has been again occupied, because now surrounded by the Eucalyptus. The valuable antiseptic qualities of the gum tree, which it enjoys in common with the Norwegian Pine, set chemists to consider the causes which produced these effects, and now a Mr C. T. Kingzett has discovered that the hygienic principle they contain is due to the evolution of peroxide of hydrogen aud camphoric acid, lie has set himself to produce artificially what nature gives on a grand scale, and the result is a new disinfectant, which he has ■christened " Sauitas." It is colorless, innoxious, almost without taste or smell, and seems peculiarly well adapted fo; household

Mr. Hodder retiring from the firm, T. R. Hodder and Co., have decided to relinquish the Trafalgar House business, and to reduce the stocks in tl'eir general stores at Richmond and Spring Grove. To effect this they will offer immediately the whole of their varied 3tocks at very greatly reduced prices. This sale is exclusively for cash.— [Advt.]