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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 181, 29 July 1878, Page 2

A respectable-looking country woman, reminding one of the dames of English villages, (says the Auckland Star) was passing quietly up Victoria street yesterday afternoon, apparently meditating over the past, when a man, somewhat the worse for liquor caught the old lady round the waist. She immediately raised her gingham and struck him on the head, and a comical scene ensued. Several bystanders Van up, and amongst them an officer of the police. The man turned to the officer and said, " Friend, let us have a sherry together," when down came the umbrella on to his back. " I'll give you sherry, you rascal," 3aid the old lady. " Give it him," roared the spectators; whisk went the giughain, and away went the offender as fast as his legs could carry him. At an expense of nearly £10,000, the Duke of Norfolk has erected a house at Sheffield for the Viucentian Fathers. It is intended also as a spiritual retreat. His Grace is about so build new schools in the Heeley district, and a new presbytery for the priests of the principal Roman Catholic Church in this town, St Mary's, the cost of which will exceed 10 000. " JEgles " writes to the Australasian .-— The name of Heraghty is not, so far as I know, a very common one. It is, therefore, rather a coincidence, that whilst one man of that name has just been reprieved in Victoria from hanging for the crime of murder, another, of precisely similar surname, was, at latest dates, under arrest in Lifford gaol on the charge of being concerned in the assassination of the Earl of Leitrim. The British residents in California, desirous of evincing their respect for Lord Beaconsfield, the great statesman now guiding the destinies of their country, are about to forward to hiui a testimonial, ia the form of a silver brick, highly polished, swung on silver standards supported by gold lions, all resting upon an inlaid table of Californiau woods. Sir George Grey, (says the New Zealander) as is pretty well known, has a great reputation as a collector of rare books, manuscripts, and other literary curiosities. He recently addressed the following letter to Mr Woods, composer of the New Zealand National Anthum :— " Since I wrote to you thanking you for sending me the New Zealand Anthem, I have received your letter telling me you had sent the Anthem. lam very much obliged to you for your letter, which supplies what I wanted. Let me tell you something. Arndt, the composer of the German National Anthem, before he died, sent me the score, and the words of the Anthem in his own handwriting. This is now regarded by all Germany as a great and valuable curiosity, and I have had many applications made to me to return it to Europe It is now at Kawau. Could I get the original score and the original words of the New Zealand Anthem to put at the side of this curiosity ? I have also a copy of " Die Wacht am lihein," presented to me by the composer ; he, at the same time, wrote to say he was so ill that he had not strength to write the whole thing out for me, and he died shortly afterwords ; but even what I have is; to me, a very valuable reminiscence of a great genius. — Believe me, very truly yours, li. Grey. Keferring to the recent appointment of Mr P. Buckley, and Mr John Martin to the Legislative Council, the iV. Z. Times says:— Possibly, no one will find much fault with Mr Buckley's appointment, unless some professional man should be impelled to do so by the reflection that the legai firm of Hart and Buckley will be rather too fully represented in the Upper House. With respect to Air Martin, his appearance in public life is a novelty, for he hitherto has not shown that he had any burning desire to represent his fellow men in a legislative body,— in fact, having filled a seat at the old Town Board, he apparently thought that he had reached the top rung of his ladder. * * * * It is not easy to treat this strange Ministerial freak seriously. Surely the Premier and his colleagues must have been indulging in a little practical joking, for no sane man can suppose that any one member of the Cabinet believed that in advising his Excellency to call Mr Martin to the Legislative Council, he was securing an addition to that body to one who was more fitted thau his fellows to fill so responsible and honorable an office. Jf Her Majesty's Ministers have not been jesting, they have bungled sadly, for by their action they have slighted the Legislative Council, and have neglected many capable men, whose past career entitled them to consideration when any post of honor was to be conferred, and whose ability and experience would cause them to be "really valuable members of the Legislature.

PreTioU3 to the Mayoral election at Qamaru the merits of the riral candidates were f rSelf disciiasSti in tße local V r ess. According to a £6htemporary the evening paper gave, as.areasonwfiy ijffr Steward should not be v again returned, the' iac( tnafc he was already " Ctiairmau of i!he Oamaru School Co'itimittee, President of the Ijarly Closiug Association, member of the Hospital Cotrmittee, member of the Benevolent Institution, member of the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, VicePresidehfc of ths Acclimatisation Society, member of the Coursing Club, Member of the Jockey Club, &c, as well as being, ex nfficio, Vice-Chairman of the Harbor Board." To this the morning journal replied that Mr Sumpter was no better case, being, "Chairman of the Harbor Board, Director of the Oatnaru Stone Company, Director of the Oamaru and Dunedin Steamship Company member of the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, member of the Horticultural Society, Secretary for the Mutual B.eneflt Building Society, Secretary for the North O'fago Pernianmenfc Building Society, member of tite benevolent Institution, Captain of the Oamaru tt&ea, Churchwarden for St. Luke's faflsfa, atfd.Stfperin tendent of St. Luke's Sunday School." The English Anti-Tobacco Society, after the exertions of 10 years, numbers 708 members, " but 105 are in arrears with their subscriptions." This does not appear to be a very flourishing condition of things; and, if we may judge from the really small number of its members, when compared with the vast number of those who smoke, the indulgence in tobacco is likely to continue for a ) long time. The failure of the society is, nrbbably, dtie to the abstird way in which they often attempt to enforce their doctrines. To tell anyone tira'i tie should leave off smoking because it is " tincn'ristiatf/' is simply absurd, and we still maintain that the vices of society — if tobacco smoking i 9 one of them, it. too—must he eradicated by the higher education of the masses. Such stuff as the following does more harm than good : — " How can anyone ' deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,' and yet be a slave to this pernicious weed," The American Agriculturist states 'ha 40,000 trees have been planted in the avenues and streets of Washington, some thirty kinds being used. A Victorian exchange says ;— Typhoid fever is raging in Sydney, and is especially malignant in the stiburbs, The local papers state that there are strong suspicions that it has been spread by the poisonous milk supplied from some of the metropolitan dairies. The last feat accomplished by Bell's telephone is the saving of a diver's life". According to a report made to the Admiralty by Captain Arthur, of Her Majesty's ship Vernon, a diver engaged in receiving some ballast suddeuly fainted and called out "Pull me up." He did not signal with his rope, but was heard through the telephone attached to his helmet, and was at once brought to the surface. The man has recovered, and thanks the telephone for his restoration. j The Insurance and Banking Record draws attention to a curious fact in connection with the banking returns for the quarter ending the 31st March — namely, that the returns from Victoria and New South "Wales are practically equal in amount. They are as follow :— Liabilities : Victoria, £18,212,231; New South Wales, £18,042,494. Deposits bearing interests : Victoria, £11,521,705; New South Wales, £11,398,205. Not bearing interests : Victoria, £5,071,696; New South Wales, £5,197,707. Total deposits: Victoria, [£16,593,403; New South Wales, £16,505,912. A Manchester correspondent says : — The Radicals have somehow got a notion that what they call the war policy of the Government is not dictated by the Premier, but by even a greater than Lord Beaconsfield. This is no new impression, as may have been gathered from the tone of the radical Press. But it is now more openly talked abont, and I have even heard members of Parliament say that, belligerent as they believe the Premier's inclinations to be, Lord Beaconsfield has exercised a restraining influence on the Court party. I cannot profess to have any special knowledge upon this subject. I only repeat what is upon everybody's lips, but I think it should be done with caution.