Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 116, 16 May 1878, Page 2

In the Supreme C«urt at Dunedin in Bankruptcy, before Judge Williams, an order was made for the prosecution of a debtor named James Miller, a grocer, for fraudulent insolvency. From bis statement it appears that he commenced business four months ago with a capital of £4, and since that time got in debt £300. In giving hia decision, the Judge said of the debtor that "under ordinary circumstances he might be taken to be a fool, but the trusted says he is a knaFe, and I think it better the jury should determine under which category the debtor comes." In another case the Judge said it would be Tery desirable for the Legislature to make the not keeping of intelligible accounta an, offence,

Referring to the recent fatal accident at Wellington, whereby a servant girl was unfortunately burnt to death, the Evwing Post states ;— " The origin of the accident Appears to have been the exploding of a kerosene lamp. It would appear that the unfortunate girl, who was about to retire to rest, endeavored to extinguish the lamp by blowing down the funnel, as Mrs Benzoui believes she distinctly heard her, immediately before scfeamldg, trying to blow the light out. Innumerable accidents have been caused in this way, and it is to be hoped that this deplorable occurrence will operate a3 a waruing against the repetition of such a dangerous practice. To blow down the- chimney of a kerosene lanip is to tempt an explosion, and to risk an agonising death. The only safe way of extinguishing kerosene lamps is to turn down the wick partially, and then to blow upwards from the glass below. The ill-fated girl stated before her death that no one but her herself was to Mama for the accident. She said she was blowing out the lamp before retiring to her room, when the iianie suddanly leapt up, and the oil-exploded, covering her instantly with flames. She had always blown out the lamp in the same way, aud could not account for the accident.

The Thames Adoertisei devotes an article to volunteering in New Zealand, and suggests that the system should be placed ou a more solid footing, and that the momben of the force should be increased and rendered as efficient as possible by regular drills amistrict discipline. " They should," gays our contemporary, " have opportunities of working together iv battalion*, and should be encouraged by all meaus to spend a week occasionally uuder canvas. So important is the latter consideration that it would ba better to forego the desultory night drills demanded of them by Government and give them a week or so yearly in camp. More drill, and better drill, is learned in a week in camp than iv any number of isolated drills. It is a capital school for teaching subordination. A man there learns to respect his superiors in rank, and consequently to respect himself as a soldier. Mounting guard aud posting sentries in the middle of the night, in a downpour of rain, ia a capital method of disabusing anybody's miud of the idea of ' playing at soldiers.' Camp life is a first-rate cure for dyspepsia, and many other of the ills which flesh is heir to. We can only say to the existing members of the force, stick to your post like men bandad together for a noble cause, aud to those young men who have not yet shouldered a rifle for their Queen and country we have only to say the sooner thpy do 30 the better. It is a manifest duty, and one which ere long will, nay must, be exacted in one form or other."

The natives hare funny idea 3 respecting the services of professional men. Tae Maoris at Wairoa believe that Sir John Coode is a great medicine man, and that he has been asked to that settlement for the purpose of " charming" the river; that he will cast a spell ou the waters, and there will be no more bar. What a pity it is that harbor improvements cannot be thus easily acsomplished.

Discussion between a wise child and its tutor : " That star you see up there is bigger than the world." — " No, it isn't." " Yes it is."—" Then why doesn't it keen the rain off ?"

In a breach of promise case to be tried at Sydnoy this mouth a young lady named Maunsell sues Mr Proctor, a lawyer, for £10,000 damages.

Literary young man at.a party : " Miss Jones, hare you seen Crabbe's Tales !" Young lady scornfully, " I was not aware that crabs had tails." Literary young man covered with confn3ion : " I beg your pardon tna'm; I should have said, read Crabbe's Tales ?" Young Lady angrily-scornful : " And I was not aware that red crabs had tails, either." Exit youug man. Early on Monday morning (says the Lyttelton limes) three prisoners attempted to make their escape from the Lyttelton gaol. The plan had evidently been a preconcerted one. One of the men succeeded iv getting out of his cell, and endeavored to overpower the warder on night duty. The warder, however, managed to secure hi* man and hold him until some of the other warders came to his assistance, but not until he had received a cut on the head, which fortunately was not very serious. The other two men had managed to remore a part of the door frames of their cells so as to open theii doors, but the Bcheme was frustrated. An enquiry was held bsfore the visiting justices, which resulted in tha men being severely punished.

A Miss Graham, who was wounded at Lucknow whan an infant, and consequently receives a pension, seems likely, says the World, to be the belle of the coming London season

" Take my wife and children, but leara me this," said the proprietor of one of Mr Long's famous pictures, Avhen asked to send it to tha Paria Exhibition. The commissioners did not see it.

The shot thrown by the seven-ton gun is 113lbs 6ozs in weight; and the shell ranges, according to description, from lO6lbs 12ozs to 1461bs 12ozs. The 64-poundor converted rifle gun throws a shot o£ s libs, and shrapnel shell of 65lbs.

Money \% said to be scarce at home, and yet we read that a pair of china flower pots were sold at Christie and Masons' one day in March for £1070, that a dozen dessert plates fetched 36 guineas each, and that Barou Lionel de Rothschild has just given £35,000 for a house in Hamilton Place, London, and £20,000 for a cabinet of the rarest excellence.

The Napier Telegraph is informed on very good authority that the Racing Clubs in the South decline to support the decision arrived at by the Auckland Club with respect to the disqualification of Mr M'Gee as laid before them, doubtless considering that the Auckland Club acted precipitately and without all the facts being fairly put before them.

The following notice from the War Office appaars in the London Gazette of January 22nd:— "Eighth Hussars— Sergeant Frank Jame» Carandini, from the 16th Lancers, to be second lieutenant, vice L. H. Jones, transferred to the sth Lancers." Lieut. Carandini is a son of Madame Carandini, who has for so many years been known to uc as a popular rocalist. We have reason to know (says the Melbourne Argus) that hig promotion from a non-commissioned to a commissioned officer has been earned by genuine merit, aa may be gathered from the fact that in the official communication conveying the intention of the Duke of Cambridge to promote him, it is stated by the military secretary that the promotion was " with a yiew to the adjutancy of that corps."

The memorial, to which nearly half a million signatures of membeis of the Church of England were appended, was sent to the Queen of March 14, praying Her Majesty to use all the influence at her command " to repress the practice of auricular confessiou, which is so repugnant to the conscience and feelings of this Protestant country." Among the signatures are those 75 noblemen, 37 ladie3 of title, 39 baronets, 23 right honorable and honorable gentlemen, 93 members of Parliament, 4 sheriffs, 655 magistrates, and justices of the peace, 41 mayors and aldermen, v"3 bankers and merchants, 22 admirals, 46 generals, 203 colonels, 99 majors, 247 captains (army ani 'nary), 4 deans, 4 archdeacons, 3!) canons, 3786 clergy, 1628 churchwardens, 727 surgeons, 350 physicians and doctors of medicine, 138 barristers, 812 solicitors, 1194 school -masters, and 393,713 members of the Church of England not classified. Among the signatories is the Maharajah Dhuieep Singh,

A chief inspector of a French railway has found the means of putting trains, while in motion, in constant communication, by means of the electric current, with the stations on the line, and also with each other.

The Charleston Hrald thus dilates on the precocity of the Native Youth : —Skinny young whelps of boys, who a year or two ago were wriggling with a sugar-teat, have now the audacity to step into a bar and call for their oil and lap it up like any old whisky dog, that keeps his nose on the ground for that purpose. We do say that the Hotolkeeper who would eject from his caravansarie such embryo drunkards, would do only his duty to his fellow-men. It was only the other night we espied a batch of these sucklings drinking over a certain bar in this town, skitting,aud joking with the barmaid, with much as nonchalance as if they were old veterans, some of them smoking pipes large enough to twist their heads to one side. This is plain talk, aud may offeud some people, but the necessity of the case, in the interest of all, demands such a sacrifice of us. No man having an ounce of common sense in his head could blame us for attempting to improve the " morale*' of oar fastly increasing youths. If they continue to patronise whisky shops so early, the only hope we will have left will be to make Bank Clerks of them, and then we might rely on the fact that the game of Hamer-cum-Hogg would be played sff to a demonstration.

Writing on the prospect of the abolition through the agency of Mr Herschell's Bill of breach of promise of marriage actions, the London Times says:— It is not for any decent Englishman or Englishwoman of any rauk, high or low, that there exists the legal facility for exhibiting to the public the letters of maudlin sot 3or crazy dotards in the clutches of hungry spinsters or disreputable widows. These are the polite letter-writers of our period ; these are our Sapphics and Anacreontics. We caunot but be sorry to deprive some readers of their amusement, even though it only recur a dozen time* or 30 in a year. But good taate has put an end to many other amusements not more exceptionable. Cock-fighting, bull-baiting, and the prize-ring are things of the past in this country, and it is quite time that that the public trial of breach of promise of marriage cages should follow them.