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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 217, 22 October 1878, Page 2

■ *—» The following are extracts from a recent letter of the Wellington correspondent of the Christchurch Press:—"lfc takes me all my time," said one who, at the commencement of the session was amongst the staunchest of the Government supporters, " It takes me all ray time to keep the present Ministry iv their seats, I have no desire that they should he allowed to go to the country jusfc yet, before people have had time thoroughly to appreciate the humbug of their policy, and to recognise the way in which they have persistently broken their promises."—lt is confidently expected that at the close of the session Air Stout will for many and divers reasons find it necessary to resign his seat in the Cabinet. The main reason for this of course is the great dislike to him that exists in the minds of the greater number of the members. His manner in the Hoase, and his want of tact, has the effect of producing a deep and wide spread sense of irritation. The writer of " Science Gossip " in the Melbourne Herald says with reference to the phonograph:—The p > is the most distinct of the consonants, but it is impossible to distinguish " a ha'p'orth of peas pudding in a piece of paper if you please," from " Peter I Piper picked a peck of pepper." No doubt greater proficiency in the analysis of sound I mar&s will gradually be attained. The Ballarat Star s^ysi— '* The squatters near Mount Elephant way have hit upon a new method of getting rid of the rabbit pest, but a question arises respecting its application, and the danger arising to those persons who use ifc for the purpose stated. The compound, is $ sort of liquid, imported from England in bottles. A small portion thereof is used to saturate a ball of cotton the size of a pigeon's egg. This is next placed in the rabbit hurrow, and the holes hermetically closed up, after which, on digging it is found that several scores of rabbits have been destroyed. So far so good, but one of the two gentlemen who tried its efficacy ou the rabbits is not likely to essay i another trial thereof, as after openiog the huprows to spe the effept qf the qppciflp, the whole atmosphere in the immediate vicinity was poisoned, and he had to be taken home suffering from the effects, and has not as yet entirely recovered. Some months ago (writes "iEgles" in the Ajislrqtasian) it waß mentioned in this column that a young fellow of nohle birth wi*s earning an honest living as a gardener, his experience having been obtained in his father's plant houses, &c. This was Mr W. Sackville Gordon, son of the late Lord Henry Gordon, and cousin of the Marquis of Huntley. He died last week, having lately served the State officially as a letter-carrier. I believe the last £100 he .'possessed he some time ago invested in tbe goodwill of a small Jpublichojise in Fftzroy. He came out t}f tfrq,fc speculation in'about four months' with £5 generously presented to him by the patron brewer. He kept the place respectably, bis fa-uily connections being known to but one person in the neighborhood, to whom he sometimes said: —"lfc does seem a little out of joint that a Gordon shonld be serving ale at 3d a glass to Collingwood larrikins." })og stealing would appear to be a remunerative business in In a, case of this kind recently before que of the Courts, in which the prosecutor did not desire to proceed further with the charge, as he had recovered his dog, Sir Benjamin Phillips said the practice of dog stealing was carried to such a great extent that it was absolutely nepessarv that some steps should be taken to pijfc a stop to ft. ty was qnly the other day a lady told Ijim that stje hq.d had her dog repeatedly stolen, and tbq.t in qrder tp get it back she had paid at various times in rewards and in other ways between £80 and £90. The stealer, contests in Sydney harbor (according to ttye Hprald) reached a climax on a recent Sunday, which may pqssifyly prove the means of their suppression. It would appear that a race took place from Watson's Bay to Syduey, it is said by previous arrangement. When near Fort Denison, no less than three distinct collisions took place, and the sceue is said to have been a i))6st pitiable oup in the extreme. Ladies and children faipted, tine] cyan sfcrqng men stood aghast, put the foolhardy pi^ptaius or steersmen, or whatever they call themselves, continued the contest aa if life or j death were the issije. j

In a recent review of the corn trade, the Mark Lane Express speaks oi wheat grown in New Zealand as " a class of wheat which should command a ready 3ale, being held in estimation on the Continent." We take the following'from the Dunedin Herald :— The news of the failure of the > Glasgow City Bank calls to mind the greatest parallel to this event— the failure ol the Western Bank of Scotland,— which closed its doors on Nov. 9, 1857. This disaster, which plunged so many Scottish families iuto poverty was reported at the time to be owing the disarrangements in American commerce, and the consequent absence of the usual remittances from that country. Subsequent enquiries, however, showed that the Bank had been iv an insolvent state for many years, although in the annual reports the profits were represented as being £146,826 5s 6d, and a dividend of 9 per cent had been paid. This report was issued on June 24, andon Oct 17, the directors, finding it impossible to carry on their business without assistance from others, applied to Edinburgh, but the answer beiag unsatisfactory, the Bank was forced to close its doors. This failure was bnt the prelude to a series of commercial disasters, and it may be noted that on this occasion the Bank, the failure of which we have jusfc received intelligence — the City of Glasgow— was the first to succumb, being obliged to suspend payment for a few weeks after the Western Bank had gone. Then came a number of failures of a magnitude up to that time unheard of— ao less than 146 firms and five banks being declared insolvent. The total liabilities were set down at £41,427,569, and the deficiency at £7,754,900. ■■ Indeed, so great was the crisis that, for tbe protection of the credit of the'eountry, Lord Palmerston, then Premier, determined to suspend the Bank Charter Act of 1844, and by this means £2,000,000 in excess of the statutable amount was drafted into the Bank from the Issue Department— a measure that went far to restore public confidence. Should the statement contained in the cablegram, that the effect of the new disaster will eclipse that of the Western Bank, be true, the issue is fearful to contemplate. The Lyttelton Times has hitherto heen one .of the warmest as well as one of the most influential supporters of the present Ministry. It is, therefore, an ominous sign when we find that journal writing as follows :— We cannot say that the Government have streugthened themselves since the commencement of the session. They have had serious difficulties to contend against. But for some of those difficulties they are themselves, to some extent, responsible. Some of their administrative acts during the recess appear in the light thrown upon them by the session open to grave question. Ministers between the last and the present sessions have been far too much away frcm each other and from the seat of Government. The result has been too often desultory, spasmodic, and inconsiderate action. That want of combination and unity in the body ministerial has also acted unfavourably on their legislative conduct. They have been divided when they ought to have been united, and weak when they ought to have been strong. They have not, in the opinion of many of their friends, been as earest and firm as they should have been in fche assertion of some definite principle of real local self-government. The proclivities of some of them have tended too much to central and personal government. They have not been thorough in the practical development of the policy winch brought them iuto power, and the statement of which from tbe eloquent lips of the Premier in his political tour throughout the country met with almost universal popular approbation. Their measures savoured too much of timidity and injudicious compromise. The exemptions of improvements in the Land Tax Bill may be good in theory, but we fear that the " sea of troubles " whioh it will raise in practice may do much to injure the operation of the Bill. Ministers have, during the session, encountered special embarrassments from the absence of any organised Opposition, and they have not met the disorganisation of their opponents by the organisation of their own supporters. They have been content to drift with variable currents. The Treasury Bench has been like the floating island of Delos: and it has been difficult to determine at any time its exact latitude and longitude. ' As tacticians, Ministers have not been successful. Fortunately for their tenure of office, and fortunately, we must say, for the polioy which is at stake, the Opposition has been more disorganised gtiU. ft consists oi leaders wjthqnt q fqllowing. It can combine to construct, but for innate coherence and strength it is a mere rope of sand. So far as principles and policy are concerned, it is without visible means of support. It begs for scraps of opposition from the other side of the House. This demoralised state of the Oppqsitjoq has gone much to maintain Ministers in office. The House thought that we should " rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not bf."

The New York Sun says:— When, in 1876, Benjamin Disraeli was advocating the passage of tlie bill making Queen Victoria Empress of India, he spoke of the day when " a chain of fortresses would bind the Ganges to tho Thames." A little while ago Cyprus was added to that chain, and now the cable brings the rews that the Island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean has become an integral portion of the Empire upon which tlie sun never sets. Socotra is a bold, picturesque island, equal in area to the State of Rhode Island, and containing mountains which tower to tho height of 5,000 feet above the tropical seas which surrounded it. It lies 100 miles to the eat ward of Aden, another British station, at the mouth of the Red Sea, and, like the latter, occupies a commanding position in the track of the vessels going from Bombay to Suez. It contains but a few thousand inhabitants, and is chiefly celebrated for its aloes and the gum of the dragonVblood tree mentioned by Sinbad the Sailor. The English Government contemplated its occupation as early as 1833, and even went as far as to land troops there, but abandoned It for Aden. Now, however, tbey have taken {possession in earnest. Socotra was originally colonised by the soldiers of Alexander the Great, and is famed as having been the scene of Francis Xavier's missionary labors in 1835. Rkliaule information upon all the great and passing events of the day is at all times eagerly sought, and there is no one subject greater than the welfare ot the body. If we would preserve ourselves from premature decay, we must mark the admonishing symptons of disease, and by timely administration of good and reliable medicine, check and ward oif any sickness that might interfere with the wonted course of perfect health. "Giiou.aii's Gukat Indian Cores," whicli can be had of all chemists, are the most reliable nicdiciues known.