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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 107, 6 May 1879, Page 2

Paddy went into a shop one day to buy eggs. " How is eggs to-day ?» "Eggs are eggs to-day, Paddy," replied the shopman, looking quite triumphantly at two or three young lady customers who happened to be in the shop. " Faith, I'm glad to hear yez say so," replied Paddy, " for the last onea I got herejwere chickens." j

, The Yen. Archdeacon Thorpe (Says the jVew Zealander of yesterday . morning) preached a sermon having tor its cHief thetiie Depression of Cotitmer'de. The fcevereud gentleman predicted that after a continuing se^ v Jl l,'^.^^ commercial Calm would prevail and bnsiuess again prosper. Tribulation though does not show any present feign ttJi Keasihtt. 'the eomiflerckl fourth day b'f the niontfi was a Uaf of flgoitf to tnanjr; andj if runitfrs are correct, yesterday was a day-tit tteigbiy co'n'sa'ttatidn m ttailfc parlors. Ten more martyrs io ctrbUiHsiakcei are reported aa being in the doldrums, and toM&y or to-morrow, so rumor says, will show uHj among these #11) goby the hoard.. v Dmiedin costumiers have struck Gift ft' new line to enhance the attractiveness of their wares. The Morning He> aid says the Stad Haarlem brought ont for a George-street firm a number of life size wax models for the display of ladies' and children's dresses. Of the former, the figures representing the exEmpress Eugenic, the Princess Metternich, the Countess Dudley, and Mrs Gordon Langtry are really fine specimens of the wax modeller's an, and such as would not disgrace the famous exhibition of Madariie Tussaud herself. The figures of childrett are likewise welt executed, and the whole form quite an attr active show; The Havelock correspondent of the Pieton Press says :— On Friday evening last the Annual carnival} the Foresters' Ball, was well attended, there belHg between 4o and 50 couples present, and everything would have passed on: satisfactorily but for one ciretiffistance. Some persons, actuated by malice and petty spite, introduced a noxious substance into the ball room, which proved very offensive to the dancers, and caused the party to be broken up much earlier than it would otherwise have been. It is to be hoped the guilty party will be found out and exposed. A new invention (says Nature) of a real practical character has just been made by Mr E. H. Cowper, the well-known mechanical engineer. It is a real telegraphic writing machine. The writer in London moves his pen, and simultaneously at Brighton another pen ia moved, as though by a phantom hand, in precisely similar curves and motions. The writer writes in London the iuk marks in Brighton. We have seen this instrument at work, and its marvels are quite as startling as those of the telephone. The pen at the receiving end has nil the appearance of being guided by a spirit hand. The appara tvs is shortly to be made public before the Society of Telegraph Engineers. Who would not be Mayor of that wonderful city? The following advertisement appeared in the Christchurch papers:— "An indignation meeting will be held at the Colombo street Bridge this evening at eight o'clock to consider the necessity for the immediate removal of the present unnecessary obstructions. The Mayor is invited to attend." The Mayor did attend, and has, unfortunately, never been seen since. It seems that he was the "obstruction" referred to.— Sun. A correspondent of the Ezpress writes :— "A report from the Pelorus says that the depression in the timber trade is so seriously felt in that district, that some of the saw millers are discharging their hands, and many of the mills are likely to be at a standstill before long. Our informant gives several reasons for this slackness. The withdrawal of the duty on timber and the dull times so prevalent throughout the colony are amongst the alleged causes, and no doubt they have a good deal to do with it." A civil case of considerable public interest is set down for hearing at the Resident Magistrate's Court at Temuka, and it is rumored that the best legal talent is retained on behalf of the defendant. It appears that a gentleman who owns several greybounds sent some of them in charge of the trainer for a morning's outing, and during the day the dogs espied a domestic cat some distance from her home: but, unfortunately, the dogs, which were in the mbit perfect condition, mistook her ladsbip for a hare, and accordingly gave chase. The course was a short but most exciting one, and resulted in a kill. The owner of the cat riot beiug of a sporting turn of mind, proceeded to the residence of the owner of the dogs, and demanded compensation. His demand was met by four live cats being offered for the deceased one, but the offer was declined, and no settlement being come to, a summons has been taken out by the aggrieved party. The plaint contains two counts; but damages are only claimed upon one of them. The particulars of the claim are as follows : " Mr ,Dr to . To killing my cat with your dogs at my house— Value of cat, £5; also, frightening my wife to risk of her life. Total, £5.". On all sides of the district, says the Wangaoui Herald, we hear of the scarcity of fat beef. , , The same complaint is being made io Auckland and Canterbury, so that before the winter is over beef will realise a price hitherto unknown. Good judges who are acquainted with the resources of this district state that fat stock will be sold by Mr F. R. Jackson for £14 and over before the spring; grass is up. In contrast to this scarcity of beef we find the market overstocked with mutton to such an extent that good sheep can be bought for 43 and 5s per head. In the list of those newly decorated (says the Military Gazette) with the Order of the Indian Empire we notice two names eminent in Indian journalism, namely, those of Mr George W. Allen, of the Pioneer, ond Mr William Digby, of the Madras Timei. We can call to mind no similar instance of the bestowal of distinctions of this kind on members of the newspaper Pres3. But none who are aware of the influence which these gentlemen have exercised on public affairs by worthy labor in their vocation, will either question the propriety of thus distinguishing the profession, or the fitness of the selection of the recipients of these honours. People who cross City Hall Square at night have (says a New York paper) noticed a little old woman dressed in an old brown gown, tight sacque, and a white trilled cap scrupulously clean. She walks the square from 9 p.m. till past midnight to and fro, scanning every man's face, and after many disappointments every night goea slowly, very late, np to her home in Mulberry-street. About four years ago John Reilly, her husband, was employed in the press room of the Herald. About nine o'clock every nigbt be met his wife, who brought down his lunch and carried back the dishes. One cold, dark night he did not meet her, and as she did not, kuow the way to the press room she waited some time and then went home. In her room she found his dead body upon the bed. He had been killed by the fall of a roll of paper. She did not die, although she was near dying, and she still waits every night to meet her husband. . Winter and summer are alike to her, and no weather delays her, though she is 60 years of age. A Christchurch telegram of Friday last says:— -Mt Blair has .returned from his inspection of various railway routes between Cnristchurch and Westland and Neison. He has had five weeks travelling, and crossed the main range four times. The country was i very rough, and the party— five in number — had hard times occasionally, once being upset in the Kopia river, out of which they had to swim. Luckily there were only three wet days the whole time. Mr Blair will report to the Government at once. His Excellency the Governor has intimated hi 3 intention to the citizens of Dunedin to again visit their city in the course of a few weeks, probably about the date of the Queen's birthday, on which occasion be will accept | tfeeir hospitality aacl attend a banquet.

A farnier up North lately threatened the' Municipality of his district that if he got more thata a certain number of police sumflioosea per" weefe for stray horses, &c, he I would keep all his stock fn Ms paddocks, and I "then," said he, "how will you* blessed • l^:9ugh do for funds ?" Thittia the queatioo. A rumor is circulating in the columns of Southern contemporaries that the representatives o! the late W. E. Rhodes intend to prosecute ft dormant claim to some million acres of land on the We3t Coast of the. MMdle island,- to which the deceased is said to have freea entitled by purchase from the natives many yeafg ag& Business is said to be itf a *cry depressed ala'te at Napier, and building operations are nearly ail Busjiecded; During the ye&r 1877, 648 declarations of insolvency were filed in the S«preme Court, and 346 in the District Courts, a total of 394, being an increase on the number of declarations and statements filed in *'"* previous year of 452, the increase having l>een at the rate of 83 per cent The aggregate aiu°unfc of assets, as shown by the statements fileu, amounted to £381,027 3s 2d, the liabilities | having been in excess of the assets by jG2fiS,7SS 17s 4|d. The Canterbury Times says ;— By the s.s. Albion I©s pure merino sheep, consisting of ewes atid rams y were shipped by Mr Thomas Dowting, of flafcaia, to the order of a Victorian sheep owner, these sheep having been bred front Tasmanfan and other imported blood, sfnd feared Upon good country, are of great size and symmetry, with a heavy deep staple of wdo), and are fair specimens of the type of merino the Climate of Canterbury will produce. The Timaru correspondent of the Canter' bury Times writes: — In common with other parts of the colony, Timaru is now suffering rather acutely from the reaction which has taken place on the land mania, and as the Banks have put on the screw tight, cash is exceedingly scarce] and several probable failures are spoken of i but trade generally is in a sound state, and with reasonable assistance from the Banks nearly every one in business caa pay over 20s in the £. It was quite beyond the range of probability that things could go on long as they were going six or twelve months ago a collapse taking place, and it id well for the ultimate success of the colony that a atop has been put to rash and indiscreet land speculation. Those of the land speculators who were under the impression that fabulous prices for land were likely to hold in the teeth of a falling wool and grain market, have now lots of time to repent their folly. The 10 per; cent deposit business is now, in a good many cases within my knowledge, going to enrich . : the original sellers of the land, the purchasers ; having unfortunately been compelled to forfeit. The Banks themselves are greatly to blame for having encouraged over specula- , tion by inducing people to buy land under promises of monetary assistance. Alas | . for such promises ! they have vanished into thin air, and many of the " deluded victims " are now taking shelter under the protecting wing of the Bankruptcy | Act, and mentally resolving never again to place dependence in the bland smiles, oily tongues, and invisible soap of the gentlemen who rule the destinies of the various local Banking institutions. It should be remembered, however, that Bank managers must be guided by the mandates of their General Manager, Inspector, and Board of Directors, ■ although they are aware that their instructions may inflict harhship.