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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 42, 18 February 1879, Page 4

'Military inventions move apace,' observes an English contemporary, *as the Afghans aud others who may chance to be interested in the operations of bur troops will presently discover. Not only are rockets improved and mountain batteries perfected, but amongst the aids of warfare sent out to the North-West frontier are some curiously-contrived shells, which, when fired into the air on a dark night, will, by meana of a parachute and some magnesium stars, turn the gloom into light, and enable English artillery or infantry, as the case may be, to disturb at their leisure the repose of their enemy. Signalling, too, has received an impetus, and supposing that the Excellent system which has been invented by Colonel Yonge, R.A.,and which has been adopted by the Au.striansin Bosnia and Herzegovina, be finally taken iup by the English Government, a great step will be made in advance of the 61d fl g arrangement which, admirable so far as it goes, is all too complicated ajnd tedious lor the purpose of rap d warfare. Colonel Yonge, by means of 12 segments of a circle identical with" those formed by the space between the figures on a clock face, has contrived a series of signals, which are so perfect, and at the same time so simple, that their use ia possible after a few minutes' instruction, and Jhey are, besides, infalliply safe against either mistakes by'/frieids or comprehension by the enemy. If to this ingenious invention another be added, by the same clever officer) for finding the hours of sunrise and sunset at any given place, and also 'the latitude and longitude, enough will have .been said to show that for the moment we are not behind our neighbours in moving with the times. The conflict ,with Afghanistan wilj, in attprobabilifey, bring to the front many useful discoveries, of a practical and instructive kind, as vas the case in the Abyssinian and Aahanjee wars. Why, for example, should ;we not ere long have a captive ballopn, amply "supplied with an Edison light and the necessary reflectors, pourjug beams of electricity upon a discomforted foe? There-is ho limit to science,: as possibly the Ameer may discover before hia ipiSuadefsfcanding with England has been settled.' /' *V**T» fa A Danedio correspondent explains a cause celebre now pepding^n he Supreme Court there between the ion of the late Engineer-in-Chief, ]|fr Carrut&era, and a lady bar-tender, as follows : — The plaintiff is a young lady who formerly dispensed Hqaqija at Jhe bar of one of Duneiiin's most popular refreshment ealoons, and the defendant U (be aon of aa erstwhile Government engineer whose name ia associated with rossy great public works. Bother more tbab tf year ago the plaintiff was e,mplojed as barmaid at a fashionable hotel in Invercargill where the defendant was sojourniog at the time. Tfhe young man became smitten with the personal charms of the colonial Hebe, and shewed attentions and p*id his address to her. The couple seemed fot a time enraptured with each other, and marriage formed the burden of many loving conversations. As if to prove once more the truth of the ancient adage that " the course oi true love never did run smooth," an unexpected cloud obscured the sunehine of their happiness Adonis was called away, to other acepes. The farewell, of course, w ,^ s^3tifig in the ejitretnej b'fijt the lovelorn pair comforteSithemflelvefiT with the hope of a speedy reunion. However, it did not take place. Aa tiiue aped on its busy flight the ex-barmaid. gave token of an spproaohiog iotweefc

ing period in her life's hiitory. She fall ill, and one fine day awoke to the consciousness of maternal cares $nd rtsponsihilhieg. The distaot lover was duly made acquainted with what bad transpired, aud it is said that in his letters he did not deny the paternity, of the little stranger, but that he positively refused marriage to its mother, or a payment towards its support. An application for maintenance may therefore follow the action for breach t of promise of marriage. — bun The signs of the times are ominous, and terrifying to contemplate, the nations of the earth are on the watchtower, and all prophetic of a coming storm. It behoves every sensible person to be on the alert, for the day of action is fast approaching— Health iand strength will be the great desideratum. These can both be procured and then maintained by the timely use of "Ghollah's Great Indian Cures." They are the fipes 1 improvers of the constitution ever yet known in the shape of medicine.