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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 86, 11 April 1881, Page 2

According to the American Architect, over one hundred railway bridges alone have given way in the United States within the last ten years, and their fall haß in the majority of cases been accompanied by a disastrous loss of life and property. Last year's railway passenger traffic in New South Wales shows an increase of nearly £66,000 as compared with the returns for the previous twelve months. An aboriginal giant has been discovered in the Cohen district, north of Cooktown. He is eight feet high, and tbe imprint of bis feet are eighteen inches long. A correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, writing from New Caledonia, says: — 'An evade ' (escaped convict) waa lately picked up at sea, four or five miles beyond the reef, in % canoe he had cut out of a tree witb a tomahawk. He was en route for Australia, his sole provisions being 100 cocoanuts, with which liberal commissariat be begged those arresting him (civilians) to allow him to proceed. Had tbis poor wretch succeeded in his effort he would have well earned bis liberty. He tried the same mad thing last year, being picked up by a Government vessel at sea iv a pirogue (native canoe). Mr Macklin, the head master of the Blenbeim High School, having become bankrupt recently, a question arose as to the right of the trustee to receive his (Macklin's) salary from the Education Board. The following is the opinion of the Attorney-General on tbe subject : — «' lam of opinion fchat under section 58 of the Debtors and Creditors Act any money becoming due to au undischarged bankrupt belongs to the trustee, and therefore, whenever any money is payable for palary by the Board to the bankrupt, the trutsee is entitled to receive it. I do not ccc, as suggested by Mr Travers, that tbe Court has power to attach the Board's funds, but it appears to me that salary, as it becomes due, is a debt recoverable in the ordinary way, and payment to the bankrupt would be no defence tonn action.— Fbkd. Whitakeb." One farm was shown to the Otago Central Railway Commissioners which had been cropped far fourteen consecutive years, and tbe land bo cropped is now nearly as ferti'e as when the first plough was put in the ground, p v

The other Sunday evening the Key Mr Hammond preached from the text, ''Saul, Saul, why persecuted thou me ?. In the audience was an engine-driver, named baul who was accompanied by bis wife and a little ffirl The Bey. gentleman repeated his text fo often that at last Saul's daughter thinking tbat it had a personal application looked up itto the face of her parent and said-Don mind him father, h« has been drinking ! — Star, Christchui cb. Shilling deposit cards, uuder the new Savings Bank system (says the Westport Times) have been distributed to the children attending the State schools, and parents lives «re now made miserable by reason of the repeated application for a " shi ling to buy stamps to put in the bank/ This new arrangement is an experiment, but whether it will P^ve any practical use remains to be 8e The richest mine in Mexico is said to be in thZwhtt?o*. district, ft was o^nally sold for 3 dollars in silver, a m..v just, ana an old revolver, and is now sail to be wu.. 3 OOC.OOO dollars. In the East the reverse o this instance is the custom. Mines are bought for 3 000 000 dol'..ra which are not worth 3 dollars and a li.tle dust, saying nothing ot the revolver. The Melbourne teetotallers have a new driok called "vigorine." It is done up in champagne Lotties, gold topped, etc., and, when opened, has a head and sparkle thr.t cannot be distinguished from the fashionable wine. A bravo little hero was the seven-year-old ..»„» of New Or'eaus who aaved his little Bistei'a life the other day. The child'rf drew caught fire by the kitchen stove, and the courageous little fellow rushed to her assistance, and without a cry of fear extinguish, tl the flames, though not before tbe little girl, as well as himself, was severely burned. The calling of a gold miner is not (reports the Mount Bengcr Mail) always tbe " rosy billet tbat some people imagine. When on a run of gold it. may be well enough, but in case heard before MajorJ Keddel, R.M , at Roxburgh, a witness stated that a party of four woiking a claim at Waikaia washed np only an ounce and a half of gold for a whole season's worlc. A considerable reduction m the A.C. Force may be shortly expected. Already some of the finest of the men have been selected for the Police Force. There is some talk of the depot at Wellington being done away with.— Auckland Star. In Victoria the frauds on the revenue, as regards the evasion of the full amount of probate duty, have been somewhat extensive. In one case an estate worth £20,000, paid duty on £ 16,000. In another, an estate was said to be valueless, owiflg to tbe legacies charged upon it. An officer was appointed to watch the disposal of the estate, and he found that the " valueless " estate brought from £3000 to £1000. There is reason to fear that in New Zealand similar malprac--11 In connection with the recent scandal" (writes] ithe Wellington correspondent of the J. ljttelton Times) "it strikes me very forcibly that the Government should put its veto upon Citil servants appearing publicly as members of theatrical companies. There have been several cases recently in wbich Civil Sertahts have practically become membei's, for a time, of such companies ; have travelled with thera, and have been duly 'billed,' &c, &c. It is not consonant with ' the eternal fitness of things.' " "The authorities of the city of Paris, having resolved to teach the young idea how to shoot, practically as -well as figuratively, are actively carrying out the patriotic idea. The boys of the national schools are to be grouped into battalions of G6O, divided into four companies. Their equipment will consist of a small rifle, a belt, with bayonet, loose jacket, cap, and striped trousers. They will be drilled once a week and reviewed once a month. The experiment will be confined at first to boys of from eleven to thirteen years, of whom there are 23,000 in the schools. The co-operation movement is growing rapidly in the South Island. In addition to the associations started in South Canterbury and North Otago, a farmers' co-opera-tiVe society has been established in Southland with the head-quarters at Invercargill. In a lecture on his trip to England, the llev. Mr Buller stated tbat for £400 a man unencumbered with wife or family could go home and travel all over England, aud have a good time" generally. The roll Of tbe Lcrds for the present session has juat been mado up, tho total number of peers, spiritual aud temporal, being 511, Of these four are princes of royal blood, two are archbishops, twenty-two are dukes, nineteen are marquises, 138 are earls, thirtytwo are viscounts, twenty-four are bishop-?, and 270 are batons.