LATEST AMERICAN GOSSIP.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 110, 8 May 1880, Page 2

LATEST AMERICAN GOSSIP.

" Silverpen," the San Francisco correspondent of the Auckland Star, writes as follows :— THE CHINESE. There is a Bill before the House, which seems pretty sure to pass for the restriction of Chinese Immigration. The conditions of the Bill are that no vessel shall carry more than fifteen Chinese passengers to this coast, under penalty of 100 dollars per head. Indeed it becomes time to legislate upon this matter, as the Mongol absorbs many of oar trades almost exclusively. There are 7,500 Chinese shoemakers to 500 white men and ISO women j there are also 62 Chinese shoe factories, to 11 white ditto, and the slipper trade iis under the control of the Chinese wholly. In the large underwear factories John rßigns supreme, and it has come to this-— that ladies hire the Chinamen by the day to work in their own houses. The avenues of labor are filled and overfilled by China John, and there are no lees than 7,000 domestic servants in the city. Almost all- the washing is done by Chinese, and it is not a little singular that Kearney and his mob have their clothes washed by the very men they are trying (o drive out of the city. John knows bia value ; whereas two years ago you could get a very good China boy for two dollars a week, there is nothing now to be had under three and a-half dollars, and that a poor sort. Under such conditions can it be wondered at that the people rise? It' is pitiful to see the numbers of respectable men who call round after dark for "something to eat." These are not the Sand-lotters, who boldly aver they would rather "steal than work for one one dollar a day," but decent, respectable, and oftentimes well-educated men, who starve all day, and beg under cover of night, lacking employment. j , THE FIRE FIEND. ' A most terrible fire occurred a few days ago in- Oakland, the sister city, across : the Bay. At an early hour, while the world was still asleep, a night watchman discovered flameß issuing from a room in the Grand Central Hotel. The alarm was turned on not a moment too soon, for ; with fearful rapidity the fire .spread through the enormous structure, which occupied more than 300 feet of ground. A strong gale was .blowing at the time, and the buildings around being as dry as tinder the block was speedily consumed, and with difficulty the city was saved. . The scene beggars description. For miles around the landescapa was aglow, while the embers fell in ehowers, and were s carried by the gale all over the city, setting on fire house after house. The police went round to wake up the people, and presently every roof was covered with busy forms endeavoring to stay the conflagration. The streets were thronged with people and blockaded with household goods, including a score of pianos. Several loaded pistols went off, and a rifle, loaded with ball, varied the scene by sending its charge off within an inch of a man's htad. All the oocupants of the hotel escaped, but lost their effects. Emily Melville, |the singer, lost 5000 dollara' worth of effects, among them a piano and organ, while nine other pianos perished in 'the melee. The total amount of damage done amounts to 325,000 dollars. ; THE iENTON SEASON. ! Society is resting after the labors of the : winter visiting campaign, and there is little to chronicle, although there are occasional " teas," and "kettledrumB 1 ' going on. And, by the Way I can't help eayiog how ridiculous these names appear applied to eritertaiamenta bearing the striotest affinity to each other. At a five o'clock! tea you have cukes, fruit, bread and butter, ice-cream and tea. At a "kettledrum" you have tea, ice-cream, bread [and butter, fruit, and cakes., These inild entertainments, where nothing: is drunk save the cap that cheers andj not inebriates, have become very fashionable this season . It is such an easy way of paying off old society scores, and here the fashionable dame can; air with great advantage her costly satins and velvets, which she does with much ' pleasure. Only the men who arej pot engrossed in business, affairs attend

these teas, as at five o'clock ladies ean visit without an escort, and for the most part the gentleman prefer about that boor a beverage a little more satisfying than a cup of mild bohea, so the ladies have the pleasant gatherings mostly to themselves. 11AP-YEAB FBIVOIITIES. This being leap-year, the ladies have the blessed privilege of doing exactly as they think fit with the other sex.' Should a lady propose this year, as. is the regulation, and the gentleman declines the honor, he sends her a scarlet petticoat as a sop for her disappointment. Just think of it, a red petticoat in lieu of a live husband. Then, the ladies give parties to which they invite gentlemen, only ; calling for their respective, beaux in a carriage, filling their programmes, and attending to them just as they, are used to be waited on. The rules of a leap-year ball are that " each lady shall consider herself a gentleman for that night, attend to their partners, protecting them from draughts, fanning' them, taking them across the floor," &c, and these rules are printed on the programmes. No gentleman dare cross the floor without an escort. I have seen some funny scenes at these gatherings. For instance, some poor man who, had been invited by a girl who only gave him one dance, has been chained to his seat for the rest of the night, no one taking the least notice of him, until the poor wretch has begged some passing fairy to take him to the cloak room, when he has thankfully escaped, with a suppressed blessing (?) levied on all leap-year balls. WHOLESALE BOBBERY. With regard to the terrible lire which devastated Oakland a few days apo, and came near burning the city, a discovery has been made concerning one of the proprietors and an employee, who is hia brother. It appears that property/ such as clothes, jewellery, and plate had been stolen from the guests of the Grand Central Hotel (which \fAB destroyed), to the amount oi thousands of dollars, and it has further transpired that three fires were found in different parts of the building, which had burnt an hour before the alarm was given. A charge of grand larceny has, been preferred against the proprietor, who is out on 1500 dollars, bail, his brother in a like sum. It ia supposed now the hotel wns fired to hide this wholsale robbery. ? » A FEMALE FIGHT. ■ Miss Wise and Miss Downing are two young women who unhappily loved one man, by name Mr Young. The rivalry led to frequent ebulitions of anger and jealousy between the two, who even came to blows in the presence of the favoured swain, He, it appears, did not fully realise which he was the moat partial to, but temporising, he convinced each that Bhe alone enslaved his heart. One evening in a ball room, while dancing with Miss Wise, Miaa Downing walked up to the couple and insisted upon her rival giving up her partner ; this Miss "Wise refused to do, whereupon Miss Downing shrieked and fell in a fit on the floor. The next day Miss Downing wrote and asked Miss "Wise to visit her, which the latter did, and. upon entering the house Miss Downing took up a club and flew upon her rival; who, retreating to the yard, picked up a pitchfork, and returned Jthe salute. Blows on the head and shoulders from the club, and gashes on the hands and breast from the pitchfork, followed with terrible rapidity, until the two belligerents fell insensible. So they were found and picked up, and it is feared that neither will recover. Each calls for the delinquent Young, who has wisely made himself scarce in , the vicinity, and left for parts unknown. -The whole neighbourhood is excited over the affair. I THE, WALKING MATCH. The great match between O'Leary and Western closed last night. At first, little excitement was felt over this match, as there has been so much humbug and unfair dealing in these pedestrian feats, that the public : are well nigh sick of them ; but towards , the end the attendance improved, and the race terminated in the presence of 6000 people. O'Leary made 516 miles to, Western's 490, but O'Leary says he 'only won by taking advantage of Wes-

tons peculiarities. The latter had suffered from a sick stomach, and O'Leary had never slept since the first night. Another monster match will commence soon by male and female walkers, but these matches are about played out. j MABTHA MITCHELL' SUICipE. I Of late the suicidal mania has not raged so furiously as of old ; therefore this suicide came with appalling horror upon the citizens a few days ago. Martha Nitchell was a schoolgirl ,bf fifteen summers; she lived with hjer father and sister, and it appears that the habits of the family were, peculiar. Spiritualism reigned in that little household, across whose threshold no friend, or neighbour's foot ever passed. The two girls had no friends but their father, and he alone ' ever took them to any place of amusement or even for a walk. One day. the girls had been washing, when her sister asked Martha to sew, which she refused ,to dp. ; Afterwards the elder sister left the house, whereon Martha went upstairs, closed the shutters and shot herself dead. No reason! is assigned for the act, although people suspect a mystery. L One thing is "certain, the girl was weary of her dreary, life, without society or friends. , A^fter her death a "medium" was called jin, who went into a trance, and said 'the dead girl was, was with her mother, and happy in the spiritland, which perfectly satisfied the weeping father and sister.