HOW A CLERK MADE HIS FORTUNE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 200, 23 August 1880, Page 4

HOW A CLERK MADE HIS FORTUNE.

[San Francisco Newsletter, ,] The withdrawal of the Rothschilds' Agency from the city through the retirement of Messrs Gansl and Cullen, ; recalls an anecdote connected with the ; j house of Rotb.seb.ild, which will illustrate the prompt manner in which the bankers deal with the employees. "When the Rothschilds decided on establishing an agency on this coast, they were some time in doubt as to who should accompany Mr Davidson, who was detailed for that purpose. Finally, clerk number one, as we shall call him, was requested one morning to step into the manager's office. Presenting himself there, he was asked how long it would take him to prepare for a journey to California. He wished to know where California was, and how long he should be required to stay there. He was informed of the locality of the hitherto unknown land, and that his residence there would be indefinite; and to take time before answering. Pondering awhile, be replied that he would require a week to pack up and . Bay farewell to his friends. "Very well," said. the head of the house, "you i will be informed should we decide on sending you," and so dismissed him. Clerk number two was then sent for, and, the same questions and answers ensuing, asked for three days! He also, in like manner, was dismissed, and number three summoned. On being questioned as to the time he required to prepare for the long journey, his reply was, "I am ready now." " Very well," again replied the banker,. " tomorrow you will sail for San Francisco, where you will be junior partner in the house we are about to open there."

The clerk -who was thus ready afc a moment's notice to take a journey to the other side of the world was Mr Julius May, and thus he laid tbe foundation of the fortune he now so thoroughly enjoys.

AN UNPLEABANT PREDICAMENT — "Asmodeus'* in the New Zealand Mail says:— There mny or may not be a Bwamp on the Waimate Plains, but there is unquestionably a scamp there. Te Whiti may be a prophet himself, but he cenoot save other people from 1 lose. He can make his devoted followers believe in the millennium, supernatural agency, and things of that ilk,, but be cannot instil into them a correct creed of meum et'tuum. It is related; to me that; an officer of Constabulary, camped a short distance from the local Mecca, missing the morning bath of civilization was constrained to develop the natural resources of Ihe place, and went a ehort wuy from camp to l ablute himself io a pond. But alas! on emergiog he found the habiliments he had left had token wiDgrDnd flown, sothat, poor fellow, he was obliged to walk three-quarters of a mile on a bracing morning in precisely the same 1 extent of wardrobe as Adam owned in tbe pre-figleaf epoch, an achievement I for which the sympathetic remarks of the whole camp on his appearing; among (hem in this pristine atate.waa a } recompense only made sufficient by his : learning the next day that an athletic Maori was creating a sensation among the ladies of Purihaka by strutting about in a gorgeous uuiform. — Sic . transit, etc. Poe-Dae, Marion County, South Carolina, has lately been tbe scene of a ■ terrible conflict with rats, Mr Bostick, the owner of a flour mill at Pee-Dae, accompanied by one Anderson Wayles, imprudently visited a barn of his in which large quantities of wheat had been Btored awuy and left undisturbed for more than a year. Upon entering the barn the miller and his men perceived that swarms of rats had substituted themselves for the bushels of corn that had been garnered up. Before they had time to recover from their : astonishment they were fiercely attacked by the ferocious vermin. Bosfick and Wayles strove manfully to defend themselves; buf, unfortunately, in their efforts to get rid of their savage assailants, they contrived to upset, a huge ohest, which, falling, blocked up the doorway, and a few, minutes elapsed before their agonised cries for assistance brought them rescue. Meanwhile tbe rats had used their sharp teeth to such cruel [purpose that their viotimg, when dragged out of tbe dark bara into the light of day, bad suffered so severely as to be scarcely recognisable. The miller's left ear had totally disappeared and his face and hands were bleeding profusely from innumerable bites. Wayles was still more terribly mutilated, for the rate . had literally eaten off his noBB, eats; and lips,, besides, inflicting hundreds of wounds upon different parts of bis body. The Eussians who are in. London connected with the Embassy are of opinion that the Czar wwil y abdicate in. the course of a very few. weeks at most. Should, he do so, there js every pfoba> ■ bility that he will publicly marry .the \ Princess Dolgourouka, and. tliusinake .hey children legitimate. It will be remembered that soaie time ago the Czar wished to abdicate, but was persuaded to keep the throne on account of the Empress, who did not wish to lose the rank she then held. That consideration having now gone, it is ; probable indeed that the Emperor will give up the reins of power and retire to some place in the south of Italy, where he has very considerable property. Messrs. Grant and Foster, the Lincolnshire farmers, delegates, have , arrived safely in England. Mr. Grant, writing on the 14th of June to a friend in Auckland, says : — " We spent some time in America, and only reached Home on the 21st ultimo, after a very pleasant voyage. My son will put our report in the hands of the publishers in London some day next week. We retain very pleasant recollections of our visit to the antipodes, and I have no doubt that many will come out to the colony as the result of our favorable report. Of course there is nothing decided except in a few cases, but my time seemed to be fully, occupied in hearing and answering questions. 1 shall have to leave my sons to look after the farms, and devote the summer almost entirely to New Zealand matters. I believe that several will come to the land of sunshine and cheap land. If several farmers come out it is possible I may come out to assist them in the selection of farms. The farming pursuits here are rather better tban when I left Home, but still very dull — money very scarce, and farmers generally have lost heart as well as money." \ A strange and sudden sickness (says tbe Chronicle) has seized the crew of the Government steamer Hinemoa, and seven of the poor fellows are down in their bunks suffer- ; ing from very acute paih. Neither the exact nature of the malady nor its cause ( appears to be known as yet ; but it is sup- ! posed that they have eaten some meat that has become poisoned in some way brother Whatever has been the cause there is no doubt as to the sufferings of the men, and five new hands had to be Bhipped in tbe .' meantime, and Captain Eairchild is on tbe , look Jout for a couple more men to take the : place of those laid up. It is to be hoped due ■ inquiry wilt be made to ascertain the cause of bo extraordinary an occurrence. , The Standard's Paris correspondent states that a tragedy was enacted recently at Cachan, where a young couple bad been living together for. some tiine.-.Becently the wor:< an announced Her intentiou of marrying, and left her lover. The young man tried to dissuade her, and failing to do so he shot her in the heart, and then blew out W* own brajng, __..".

That Australia should contribute towards the population of South Africa (says tbe Cape Times of July 1) is a siugular episode in tbe history of our colony. The Northumberland, which arrived at Table jßay yesterday, briDgs over 100 passengers, who have come from Australia to try their fortunes at the Cape. They are mostly gold-diggers, who, finding gold-digging not so remunerative to the poor man as in the days of old, have been led to come to the Cape by the news that gold fields have been discovered ' here. We do not know on what representations they were induced to come to South Africa, but a passenger' by the Northumberland assures us that they are of a class who make capital colonists, for they are fully prepared .to do other work besides gold digging. We trust that this is so, for if these people were gold diggers, and nothing else, they are likely to be disappointed on their arrival. We may tell them that up to the present time the gold fields of South Africa have not been a success. A few people have managed, to live'at Pilgrim's Rest in the Transvaal, and there is a confident belief of paying gold fields existing in this land. But they have yet to be discovered. There is, however, the t satisfaction of knowing that any man of industrious and steady habits can at all times make more than bis living at the Cape of Good Hope. In reporting the debate on Mr Pyke's resolution censuring the report on the Railways Commission, the. Port says: — The mover endeavoured to show that the report was not valuable, and was unworthy the consideration of the House or the attention of the Gbvernmedt; that it was, in fact, so much waste paper, fit only for the waste-paper basket. Notwithstanding his. assertion as to the folly of considering it, Mr Pyke considered it for just sixty minutes, dealing with it clause by clause., A number of other speakers followed, most of them' objecting to the report of the Commission on various grounds. Almost 'every opponent spoke from a parish point of view, leaving its bearing on the colony at large out of the question. A Veruionter has invented a new and cheap plan for boarding. One of his boarders mesmerises the rest, and then eats a hearty meal — tbe mesmerised being satisfied from sympathy. Married couples resemble a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated, often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes between them.