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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 43, 19 February 1879, Page 2

The footpaths in Auckland appeal' to tie in a dangerous condition. On the day previous to the regatta uu old gentleman named Horue slipped on the asphalt in a stsep part of Grey-street and fell heavily on the back of his head. He was taken up bleeding profusely and carried home. He died next day from the shock to his system. It is suggested that the asphalt paths should be occasionally tarcoated and satided to keep them rough. Says the Dunedin Star:— Just before the Resident Magistrate's Court rose last evening, Mr Bathgato, in reserving judgment in Largrie v. Hayes expressed the opinion Mint the defendant's conduct was " shady." This brought Mr Howorth to his feet, who, in justice to Ills client, submitted that the remark was not justifiable, ilia Worship replied that he would not hear tile learned counsel, whereupon the latter, throwing on the table two large law books, from which he i had beeu quoting, said, "If I never come • into this Court apiin, I. denounce the justice Of the remarks of the Bench. Your Worship mny decide what you like — " What looked very much like an approach to a "scene" was abruptly ended by the constable in attendance hastily announcing the adjournment Of the Court After three years?' faithful service, a shepherd changed his employment, leaving his savings— some £70 — in the hands of his late master, Mr Splitemtealeaf, the well-known and wealthy owner of 100,000 ewes and wethers. Some two years elapsed, and then old Macleod wrote for his money. In the absence of Mr S. his manager referred lo the books, and finding that the demand Was a , just one, forwarded a cheque for the amount, not, however, adding any interest. When the master returned, and was regaling himself with an inspection of accounts, he observed the spepherd's account squared, and inquired, " lias Macleod been here '{" " No," replied the manager; "he wrote for his money, and I sent hint a cheque in a registered letter." "But," said Mr 8., ' that would cost Gd, and I do not see any deduction from him." Oh, I charged it to the station account," rejoined the manager. •' Charged it to the station account, sir ! screamed Mr S? " why the devil did you do that ? You ought to have known better. This sort of | thing accounts for your infernally heavy expenditure, sir." Several years ago a leading New York house imported, through a blunder, a large amount of a certain very ugly material which would not sell and lay dead upon their bauds. Something had to be done. The proprietors of one or two fashionable papers were interviewed The next week their columns told thousands of eager redden! that there had recently been shown a new and stylish fabric which promised to be very fashionable, and the statement was widely copied by the daily Press. Retal dealers found their customers enquiring for it, and sought it of the jobbers. The jobbers in turn sought it of the importers, who quickly unloaded their whole stock at a handsome profit. The goods were voted "beautiful" and "stylish," and the fabric in question was " the rage" for a time. Just how much the fashion papers were paid was never divulged. All of which shows how one fashion was •' set," and " what fools these mortals be" — Boston I'rahtcnpt. The so-called Colonel Koseuvelt, late American Consul at Auckland, shook out his topsail sheet the other day from' that port. His [departure, says a local paper, was iiuexpected, and several of : bis neighbors and friends were unaware of his intended trip to San Francisco. It was understood that Mrs Ro3envelt was about to visit the States, and the gallant Colonel led those around him on the wharf to believe that iie tvas only going down the harbor, no doubt like all devoted husbands, anxious for the society of his charming wife to the last moment. He asked Captain Burgess for a passage back in th.e pilot boat, and this was agreed to; but when Captain Burgess jumped into his boat off the reef, the gallaut Colonel was enjoying himself in the smoking room of the City of New York, and when informed that the pilot was waiting for him,|he looked over the side of the vessel, and kissing his hand to the occupants of the pilot boat, said, " Not this time, captain, lam bound for the States." And that was the last seen of Colonel Rosen - velt. Major William Gordon (says the N. Z. Herald), so well known in connection with the Volunteer affairs of the Northern District, died at his residence in Onehunga yesterday, having been ill since October last. His first military experience was gained while serving as an ensign in the 73rd Highlanders, which regiment he joined in 1854. He served for a time in the Crimeuu war, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 1858. He occupied the post of adjutant to the 73rd for seven years. He was remarkable for knowledge of military affairs, and during his connection with the Imperial forces was much loved and respected by both the officers and men of the regiment. Having left the Imperial army he was appointed commander of the Militia and Volunteer forces in this district. Here his talents as a military man were brought into full play, and the result of his experience was soon seen in the increased efficiency of the force he controlled. A strict disciplinarian, he won the esteem of all by his impartial administration of military affairs. He was highly esteemed by both officers aud men. On the formation of the Auckland Rifle Brigade he was appointed to the command of that body. About two years ago he retired from the military offices he held in this district, but was appointed Inspector of Volunteers about six months since. Shortly after this appointment, he was attacked by the illness which terminated fatally yesterday. In private life Major Gordon was a thorough gentleman, and greatly respected by all who knew him. — N. Z. Herald. A correspondent writes : — "Mr Alfred Brady, late of Newtown, who died in the hospital a few days ago, met his death through a very simple circumstance. A short time back, while plucking gooseberries, a thorn ran into his thumb. He at once succeeded in extracting it, but a particle remained and caused him great pain. It then became worse, aud festered so much that he went for advice to the hospital. Unfortunately, however, it was then too late, for mortification had set in, which extended to the hand and arm. He was so weak as not to be able to endure the amputation of the arm, so he gradually, as the mortification spread, sunk aud died in great agony. Mr Brady was the sou of an old settler, was a native of Wellington, and was only 37 years old." A man named Cassidy, who lives near Bladensburg, Maryland, was probably the most surprised of men. There having been many stories of people whose hair turned white in a single night, but the cause was never what Mrs Cassidy has now given for a transformation of that kind in her husband. I The Washington Post of August 5, distinctly records that Mrs Cassidy "has just given birth to five children-, 3 girls and 2 boys, aud all of them are remarkably well. They are very small, but still perfect in their organism, and may live. The mother is out of all danger, aud able to receive the congratulations of the neighbouring friends." But the state of Mr Cassidy's health is not stated. New discoveries of gold have^been made in Siberia. An ingot weighing jl 47 pounds was found on the banks of the Toungousha River,

Frank Fudge tells the following story in the Saturday Advertiser about a certain city councillor j— " Our councillor put up, it seems, at a certain hotel in the City of the Flats, in which a charming young lady presides as priestess at the shrine of the rosy god. Having become suddenly enamoured of this fair charmer, he paid her a number of flowery compliments, and eveu went so far as to compose a sounet to her eyebrow. She gave hhfl for his pains ♦ a world of sighs' and several whiskies hot,- which, however, he paid for like a brick. Well, as our gay Lothario was retiring to rest for" the night, he whispered softly to the Bacchannalian priestess, ' Ah ! sweet one, tell me the number of your chamber, so that I may say Good morning through the keyhole. I start by the early train for Dunedin and I shall not have an opportunity of feasting my eyes upon that exquisite face again for some time.' The bewitching syren amole an affectionate smile, aud replied, 'Number nine, lore.' Well, the hour of midnight vanished and the ' clock in the steeple struck one/ This was followed in due time by two, three, and four T aud our friend happened to wake as the last named hour struck, jumped out of bed and dressed himself. Then stealiug gently along the passage he came to number nine, and placing his mouth to the keyhole he whispered 5o c t!y — •' Good morning love, good morning.' The words were scarcely out of his mouth when the door was opened aud a water jug whizzed by his left temple with the velocity of a caunon ball. Ten seconds more found him at the bottom of the staircase, and in one minute's time he was promenading Deestreet, ruminating on the mutability of human affairs, and the deceit of Invercargill barmaids. He has since learned that the cook occupies number nine, and that the fair but false one who betrayed him has a room in another passage. Shakespeare tell us that " women's weapons " are " water-dropa," but our friend of the Corporation swears they are water-jiiga. The London correspondent of the Auckland Star says that Sir Julius Vogel is horribly disappointed at not being made Governor of New Zealand. All of his friends though him safe for the appointment to the Island of which he was Colonial Treasurer and for which he has been Agent-General for two year9. The Home News, referring to the recent shuffle of Governors, says that ' Sir George Bowen, having only a couple of years' more service to complete before becoming entitled to a pension, can do that as well at Mauritius as elsewhere. Lord Normanby succeeding him, will find work cut out for him. It is a promotion to Sir Hercules Robinson to go to New Zealand ; and a man of Sir Hercules' persoual vigor will perhaps do more for New Zealand than Normanby. An English exchange says : — We mentioned a short time since that the Channel Tunnel Company had ceased their operations at St. Margaret's Bay. We have since learned that when the reports as to the soundings between Sangatte and St. Margaret's Bay Were handed in by the surveyors, it was found that to cut a tunnel between those points would entail an enormous amount of work in sinking, and it is for this I reason that the site in question has been : finally abandoned. The scheme now before the company provides for the sinking of a new shaft at or close to Dover. The 3ite on the French' side at Sangatte, near Boulonge, is still looked upon as the best that could be chosen for the commencement of the tunnel. The shaft sunk there is already 70 metres in depth, with a diameter of two metres ; and the engineers consider that when they have got ten metres farther down, the horizontal cutting may be commenced. We may add that the engineers of both countries agree that the French opening of the tunnel is the most difficult part of the undertaking, as a clayey soil has to be dealt with instead of chalk, and the incursion o£ water causes ; much trouble. | Commenting on tbe conduct of the inhuman wretch McGratb, who sent his child, without food or shelter, to tend cattle in the ! bush, and of which we have telegraphic intimation, the Lyttelton Times says : — " There is no punishment for such a man, unless the punishment of being compelled to support his child for two years is a punishment. A sordid wretch, who exposes his child to death and worse, ill-treating her with callous cruelty in order that he may scrape together a few miserable shillings, the fruits of her labour, is certainly the only creature that can feel this to be a punishment. This is" a crime of commission against the feeble and defenceless, and of omission to shelter and train the soul committed to his keeping. Yet it is a crime which the law recks not much of. If he had committed the paltry pilfering thef t\ of a few rotten apples, the law would have promptly interfered to punish the scandalous invasion of the sacred rights of property. If he had taken a ragged bank-note from the pocket of the robust companion of a drunken debauch, the strictly guarded interests of property would have sent him to prison for a term of years. As he had only committed a crime against a child, for which the cat-o'-nine tails would be a light punishment, he is merely condemned to do his duty. Cleopatra's Needle.— The following is from a newspaper of 1822:— "This celebrated monument of antiquity has been presented to his Majesty George IV., by the Pacha of Egypt, and is expected to arrive shortly from Alexandria It is intended to be set up in Waterloo place, opposite to Carlton Palace. The weight of the column is about 200 tons; the diameter at the pedestal, 7 feet. This magnificent column was obtained through the influence of S. Briggs, Esq., the British President at Cairo, with the Pacha of Egypt " Half a century Avas a rather long period of expectation. The Schoolmaster abroad. — The following is a literal copy of a letter sent to a medical gentleman not far distant from Blackburn : " Cer, — Yole oblige me if yole cum uu ce me I hev a Bad cowd am Hill in my Bow Hills and hev lost my Happy Tight." Paris, January 2nd. — La France states that an ultimatum was despatched to the Bey of Tunis on Saturday. The German Consul [ at Tunis refused to countenance the Bey's hostile attitude towards France. The Consul has been instiucted to further the wishes of the French Government. La JLiberte says that the conflict between France and Tuuis will soon be settled by diplomatic means. Tunis, January 7th.— Tbe French Government is not satisfied with the Bey's action in sending a Plenipotentiary to Paris, and demands an apology to the French Consul, the dismissal of the offending funtiouaries, and an enquiry regarding the despatch with M. Desany. The Rothrchilds hold; about £1,000,000 of the acceptances of the smashed Glasgow Bank, or almost half of the whole. They will not lose anythiug, as they do not live to lose.