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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 227, 6 October 1879, Page 2

Of the House of Commons at the Queen's accession, only eight members survive, of whom Mr Gladstone is one. Two were members prior to the Reform Bill of I§3l. Mr Maosel Talbot is, we believe, the senior, and the father of the House. He has sat from the age of twenty-two, for Glamorganshire, of which county he is also Lord Lieutenant, and has seen his property quadruple in value through the extension of colliery and other mineral enterprises in the principality*

Sir George Grey'a speech in reply to Mr Hall does not appear to have created a very favorable impression if we may judge from the following extract from the Poat a comments on the debate :— All the stale and dreary old platitudes were told off with wearisome reiteration, bat had only the effect of exciting the unrestrainable merriment of the House. Whenever Sir George Grey became pathetic, or brought out what he imagined to be a particularly telling point, the House "laughed consumedly,.' to his manifest astonishment and indignation. His speech throughout, indeed, was recaived with derision, and certainly a more miserable, lame, and impotent effort never was heard from a Prime Minister, even from Sir George Grey himself. It had not even its usual merit of eloquence, the Premier being evidently disconcerted by the constant tittering which could not be suppressed as he reproduced one by one all his old truisms aud platitudes. It was, indeed, a signal failure, and hardly needed Mr Saunders' able and incisive reply to make this fact apparent. At a wedding which took place a few days ago at Waimate (saya the Lyttelton Times), a fair friend of the bride, possessed of more muscle than sense— or at least more zeal than discretion— threw an old boot at tbe bride, with such force and so true an aim at temporarily to stun her unfortunate victim. The bridegroom was a fortunate man who came recently into a handsome fortune in a most romantic and un-niueteenth century-like fashion. Some yeara ago Mr — — was working on a goldfield with a partner, and between the mates a more than usually warm friendship sprung up. When they parted they pledged each other to make wills, by which, in the event of the death of one, his property should be left to the survivor. In due course Mr , who is a German, came to Waimate, now some years ago, whilst his Damon went to Sydney, where he accumulated a handsome property. A few months since the latter died, and advertisements inquiring for the whereabouts of his legatee appeared in some New Zealand paper, and at length attracted the attention of a friend of Mr . The latter at once went over to Sydney to claim possession of his romautically acquired fortune, and his claim has been duly recognised. It ia said that he has been offered £5000 for a portion of the estate, situate in Georgestreet, one of the principal throughfares in Sydney. To give an idea of the weather experienced at home, we make the following extract:— " Writing from Twickenham, a gentleman states that during a heavy storm in July over 900 panes of glass out of about 1000 in hi'6 vineries and flower houses were broken. On the balcony of the house every pane of thick, rough glass in the roof was destroyed, and a stained-glass staircase window shared the same fate. He picked up hailstones over five inches in diameter." On the subject of the losses made on American mills, the Chicago Daily News, of June 21, writes :— " Here is the manner, in which we prosper, at a time when it is claimed we are successfully competing with Eoglish manufactures iu their own markets: Border City Mills, capital 1,000.000d015., have lost every cent of it. Sagamore Mills, have sunk 500,000d01.— a1l its capital ; 200,000d01. more put in— that is also lost. Union Mill, with nominal capital of 170,000 dol., but property worth 800,000d01., has lost everything. Tecumseh Mill, with a capital of 260,000 dol., lost 156,000d01. Fall River Print Works, capital 100,000d01., all lost. The actual loss in all the above mills is 4,500,000d01. Of this the people of Fall River (Mass.) and vicinity lost 4,000,000d01. It is by makiog such losses as these that the cotton manufacturers of the United States are competing with those of the rest of the world. In otber words we are furnishing manufactured cottons abroad almost for nothing, and agreeing ;to find ourselves at the same time. If there is any money in this sort of business, we certainly fail to see it."