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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 208, 25 October 1880, Page 2

The Wellington Chronicle says: — "Wanga- j nui has a redeeming feature after all. There arrived from that town, in the steamer Wakatu yeßterday, thirteen excursionists who averaged no less than sixteen stone a man. It gives us pleasure to record this fact, for it is a proof that Wanganui can produce something substantial. The fact is, doubtless, owing to the excellent beef for which Waugauui is famous." A fortune teller being called as a witness in an arson case at Eaton, Ohio, refused to testify, on the ground that what she knew on the subject had been confided to her as a professional secret. The Court ruled against her, and her testimony convicted the prisoner, who had privately confessed his crime to her in order to gain her advice. 1 Bicycling is a pronouueed success in England: and is, revoiuiionising the roadside life there. . • ; The Rev Mr Spurgeon's sermons are being translated into the Servian language by the Einauce Minister of Servia. Eive years ago barbed wire fence was only an experiment. It is said that no less than 50,000 miles of it will be built this year. The Wairarapa Standard says that young women and men who are minors and have no parents or guardians in New Zealand, and intend getting married, had better take heed how they go to work. They "have first to see the registrar- and give him half a crown. They have then to wait fourteen days and pay him another visit, and this time give bim five shillings. They are then at liberty to get married bow they please, but if they invoke the services of the registrar they have to pay him bis legal marriage dues. Should, however, the church be made use of to hallow their uniou, the cost will be a matter of arrangement. It is understood, that when the half crown and live shilling fees are paid to the, registrar, should the loving couple alter their minds and decide not to complete the contract, the registrar i« not compelled to refund the money. Mark Twain supplies the following recipe for making German ooffae: — Take a barrel of water aud bring it to a boil; rub a chicory berry against a coffee berry, then convey the former into the water. Continue the boiling and evaporation until the intensity of the flavor and aroma of the coffee and chicory has been diminished to a proper degree; then set aside to cool. Now unharness the remains of a once cow from the plough, insert them in a hydraulic press, and when you shall have acquired a teaspoonf ul of. that pale blue juice which a German superstition regards aa milk, modify the malignity of its strength in a bucket of tepid water, and bring up the breakfast. Mix the beverage in a cold cup, partake with moderation, and keep a wet rag around your head to guard against over-excitement. Borrowing money is a bad habit ; and borrowing trouble ia no better. Some people are always borrowing trouble, and in this way making not only themselves, but every one around them unconfortable. They have contracted the habit of taking a discouraging look at everything. What lime they do not spend in lamenting over the unalterable past they devote to the prognostication of evils to come. It is a most pernicious and disagreeable habit. There is no use in regretting the past, except bo far as 16 profit by its experience in the future ; while half the evils a gloomy-minded person is always predicting never happen. Cultivate a cheerful spirit, not only on your own 1 account, but for its happy influence on all with whom you associ-. ate. The following letter from Mr. Robert Dutton has been placed at our disposal by. Mr. Walter Williams, says the Inangahua Herald. Mr. Dutton has been some seventeen yeai-8 on the West Coast, and ia very widely known. He writes as follows under date Temora, 18th September :— ''There are 8000 to 9000 people here — many doing nothing. The lead is about four miles long ; the gold very coarse, but patchy ; and little or no water. A company arrived hero from Adelaide two days ago to bore for water. There are no creeks available for this ; diggings. A good deal of gold is being got |by breaking it out of the dry dirt, while 1 waiting for rain. Seven or eight flams are built, and more are going up. Puddling ; machines are also going iip. Ido not think imuch of the place. Miners can cone and : look for themselves, but I would not advise any to do so ; but if there was a good supply :of water it would bo a good diggings. Provisions are very cheap. In the be»t ! hotel you dine at a shilling. Beef ia twopence to threepence per pound, the Blb loaf sixpence, and everything in proportion. Public house-keepers are making a pit* at sixpenny drinks. It does not cost much to ; get here. The steerage passage from Weljlington to Sydney £6 10a ; from there you ■travel 260 miles by train for 35* to Cootjamundra; and from there to Temora is 35 '■miles, which you travel for Bs. Water is 2d per bucket. If we get a dry summer people ; will suffer mucn. I bottomed a shaft last might at 113 feet, biit no good. I have a .fourth share in a reef near the lower township, with a very good show of gold. We have eight acres of ground from the original selector on cheap terms. We are now down 20 feet on the reef." i Referring to the Qaensland proposed trans- continental railway, the Otago Daily Times says :— " It would shorten the route from Brisbane, and ultimately, no doubt, from Sydney by several dayß, but would not much affect New Zealand. Our great hope of future improvements in our connection iwith the rest of the world ib the Isthmus of Panama Canal, which would bring us within something like 80 days of England without transhipment. But we cannot be indifferent to the peopling of Northern Australia, as pur climate and productions are BUch as will probably lead to a future extension of comtnerce between New Zealand and that part of Australia, we taking in return semi-tropical products such as our climate cannot raise. We have often been surprised that so little Interchange at present goes on between New Zealand and Queensland." I Tho Bay of Plenty Times says:— We suppose the old adage, in vine veritas, explains the fact that the cheques of a certain well gentleman living not a hundred miles from Tauranga, are always refused by the bank as not containing lm proper signature, except those signed by hint when under the Influence of . drink. It appears that when \he gentleman recorded his signature to the bank books on opening his account he was more than half full/and the difference between his writing in his sober senses and .that when ih ; drink is so great that they would not be known to be by the same.perßon. This little matter has been productive of a good deal of inconvenience to those who have received that gentleman's paper. j An instance of what a friend can do (says the Melbourne Age, September 23) occurred to a man on Tuesday. He had just cashed an order for £1570, which he had received from England, and foolishly went on the '? spree " with the money on his person . He was meb by a friend while in this Btate, and knowing that the man's money would probably be stolen if kept by bird while in that condition, the friend managed to take from him his purse, and allowed the drunken man to go. On going into an hotel shortly afterwards the man discovered for the first time that his money had disappeared. The discovery of his loss sobered him in an instant, and he ; re ported the matter at once to the police. The detectives were soon busying themselves to find the supposed thief, and suspicion of course rented on several. Meanwhile, his friend, not knowing what had occurred, called on him in the morning, supposing he was sober,' and handed the money to him, much to the astonishmeut of the bewildered man, who bad given up all hopes of seeing his money again. There is a great deal of interesting conversation going over the telephone wires, if you leave the machine open and listen. The message of ;a fond Mother, vrhoße cherub had eaten a water-melon or bo too much, and a gentleman who had sent home a Urge redfish for dinner, got mixed yesterday. First, -V,oice : " What shall I do about the biby ?" Second Voice : " Scrape ell the saales off him, cut him open, and have him. dressed nicely for dinner with caper: sauce.' Aint he a'wtiopper?"; ; '•'■' -.

A cor espondont of the South'and Newt who evidently has a calculating turn of mind points out that the Exhibition number of th< Argus contained 140 columns of closelj printed matter— the largest daily publicatioi ever issued in the clonies. The number oi letters or separate pieces of type amount tc 1,250,000, which is considerably more letters than are usually to be found in three octave volumes, each containing 400 pages If the types were laid end to end they would form a line more than 143 miles in length, or, ii laid side by side, ihey would then form t line over twelve miles in length. If a person were compelled to count tbese types one bj one, and devoted ten hours a day to the work, and counted at a moderately rapid rate, it would take him six weeks to complete his task. If one compositor had to dc the mere " setting up " of these types, and worked ten houra a day at the usual rate, be would be nearly five months before hiß worl was done. General Ruggles, of Virginia, has a plat of prodncin"? a fall of rain at will. His pro position is to send up cartridges of dynamite in cheap balloons and explode them among the clouds. If this theory turns out to be correct it may lead to some alarmiDg complications. By-and-bye every farmer in the land will have his rain producing apparatus and will be bringing on showers at pleasure Smith, whose root crops need a shower, will make wet weather, while Brown, who is taking in hny, wants a dry ,spell. Tbis will lead to endless trouble in the country, and the new plan will not work much better in the city. Some malicious person belonging to a rival Sunday school will shoot off a wei day on the other school when it goes off oc an excursion. One political party will throw cold water on the out door meetings of the other political party, and as there v always some person who has a spite at some other person, we shall have a continuous period of wet weather. Congress ought U see to the matter. General Ruggles should not be allowed to proceed any further. Send him off to the Great Deeert or some place where he will do the most good. The Sydney Evening New* says that a most extraordinary phenomenon may now be seen at the Egyptian Hall, George-street. A youth of about 17 years i 3 introduced to the visitor, who, on shaking hands with him, ex periences an electric shock of great force, sc much so that the hand, once clenched, if kept bo until the lad opens his. It is said that the subject, after recovering from c severe illness, showed signs of being electrified, and anyone touching him felt the shock as from an electric battery. As time has passed, the magnetic power has become more intense; and now, by placing his hand in a tumbler of water, the current is conveyed to any one placing his finger therein Beyond looking somewhat pale, the youth shows no outward signs of his peculiai power, which has in many instances already performed some marvellous cures, similar to those performed by Mr. G. Milnei Stephen. A gentleman suffering greatly from rheumatic gout was introduced to this phenomenon yesterday, and he called on the manager of the Egyptian Hall to-day, stating he was perfectly cured by a simple shake oi the hand, and that almost immediately after touching him relief was apparent. We could also name others who have felt relief from similar illnesses. The sensations are various as the different parts of the body are touched. For instance, if the lip is touched by his ' fingers, there is a feeling similar to a little mustard being placed there. If the ear is held the magnetic shock is light, yet distinct, and if the nose is touched the shock is strong, while, as before stated, thehand communicates a smart and lingering shock.