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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 125, 27 May 1881, Page 2

Mdlle. Sarah Bsrnhardi's share of tho receipts ftt her first 100 performances io America amounttd to £27,280, iv addition to which all her expenses were paid, Her Majesty has conferred a < medal witb clasps for service iv Afghanistan, The medal will be given to all who have Ber?ed irrespective of rank> but only those who took part in the following actions will be entitled to the clasp : — Ali Mujjid, Peiwar Kotal, Charsiab, Kabul, Ahn.ed X".el, and Kandahar. For the march from Kibul to Kandahar with General Roberts a special bronze decqration will be given. A Philadelphia paper vouches for the truth of an extraordinary story. A lady while in a railway car had her attention attracted to v diamond ring on the finger of a gentleman who wns sitting beside ber. On leaving the car she went to a store, and found that her purse had disappeared, but that the diamonJ ring was in ber pocket, it having beeu apparently stripped from the finger of the thief Tlje purse contained 1 Odols ; the ring is worth about five hiitldred. Very many who have become acqtieinterl with Dr- Gumming, either through bearing him preach or reading bis works, will regn-t to hear that that once popular prencher'.miod has lost its vigour. The Christian World say s: — " We regret to learn that Dt Cumming's mental condition is such that while physically well, he is practically dead t) the world." An amusing case was heard in the Dunedin R.M Court on Wednesday. Mr Fish, tht well-known City Councillor, sued four mem bers of the Suburban School Committee fcr an assault over a struggle to get possession of a micnte-bock. He ft!aimrd £00, bavin? h»d somo libs broken, and been confined t<, his house for ten days. The stories told bi the witnesses varitd a good deal, tbej evidently haviog been excited for the time. The Mogistrate reserved his decision. It is rumored iv Dltuedih (says the Auckland Star) that the portfolio of Minister ol Works will go to a Southland member. How is it tbat Auckland uever had a turn at this office ? Canterbury and Otago bave held it too long for the good of the rest of the colony. During last week.(cays ths Wairarapa correspondent of the JS.Z. limes) two men, accompanied by about twenty dogs—a mosi curious lot, hounds, sheep, cattle, half apauiel, aud terrier dogs, all under splendi i control-*-followed by two horses loaded wi h swaga and accoutrements, went north rabbithunting. At this season the furs ar heavier and ef more value than in thi summer time. The thinnest sh'et of iron that human inge nuity ever succeeded i\ manufacture p wa3 made in Wa!e?j and was indeed nothit g but a gojsather, cl which 4800 sheets weio required to make on j iuch in thicknesp. The following anecdote of Mr Gladstone is now printed for the flrst time: — "This great statesman had delivered an important speech in London* p.nd ill a report of the same in the Morning Chro»ic(e, a wrong word Avas printed — only oue — hut which gave a contrary significance to what the speaker intended. The error Avas passed by the reader. The proprietor was angry, and the mistake was traced to a young compositor in the establishment} who was ordered either lo quit his positi n on the paper or take an apology to Mr Gladstone and wait for a reply. The young man tremulously preferred the latter course, and went to Carlton Terrace AYith a letter. He knocked, and on hearing footsteps approaching, thought he should have dropped at. tke Premier's feet. He gave in the letter, and presently was asked to walk in and speak for himself. Mr Gladstone looked at him rather sternly, and asked him how he came to make such a terrible blunder. The ansAver was, "It. was very late, and I was so slcfpy that I could scarcely keep my eyes open." Mr Gladstone handing him a ha'f-sovereign, replied, "You should always keep your eyes open when you have important busiriess to perform."

'lir-irrV-r ...^-:\. .: ■ „ i.. i iT .1 .n 111 ■■ 1111 l A Dunedin telegram of Tuesday says :— A coaster arriving yesterday from Waikawa Waa found to have aboard a.lads'y cloak, &c, Value £60, which had been a portion of thp cargo of tbe Tararua. The police searched tbe vessel and took possession of the goods. The captain said be intended to report when be got to Dunedin. Mr Jobn M'Lean, of Wellington, contractor, is suing the Patea County Council in the Patea District Court on two claims for balance of contracts on the Mountain Road. He claims £15G6 5s on contract and extras for certain sections of road, admitting there had been payments on account, but claiming on the whole aud leaving the Council to prove a set-off. The Council's defence to this is a payment to the extent of £875, and a set-off showing cost of completing the plaintiff's incomplete contract, and a penalty for over-time. Mr. M'Lean claims £.500 on a second contract for a farther portion of the road. The Council's defence to this is a total denial of contract and of indebtedness. The New York Times says that over 4,000,000d013 is invested in peach orchards along the Hudson, and next season 5,000,000 tress will bo in beari g. It- is expected that this season's crop will be light. An old bachelor suggests that births be published under the head of " New Music." An idea of the extraordinary dimensions of "Big Ben" will be obtained from the following graphic account, given by Mr A. Grey, and will doubtless interest many of our readers The face measures 22ft Gin in diameter and 70 feet in circumference; the minute hand is 11 feet in length, and, being hollow and made of copper, only weighs 1$ cwt; the figures are 2 feet from end to end, and the minute dots are exactly 1 foot 6 inches apart from centre to centre. It takes five hours twice every week to wind up the striking part, but twenty minutes only for the going part, wbich is small compared with the striking part. The number of turns taken in winding up the clock every week are— quarter weights, 7400; hour weights, ?000; going weights, 420; total number of turns every week, 14,820. It reports its own time to Greenwich in each day, aud is kept So correct that it has varied less than o second in 80 consecutive days. The weight of the pendulum is 7001b3, and the shaft is 15 feet long. The weight of.the going train weighs \\ cwt. The visitor to this wonder of greatness bas to mount nearly 300 steps, and ia well repaid for bis trouble by seeing some very interesting views of London, &c The smallest of the quarter bells weighs 21 cwt, the third quarter bell 36 cwt, and the fourth quarter bell nearly four tons. Tbe hour bell of "Big Ben" weighs 13^ tons. Tbe weights fall a distance of 175 feet beneath the clock. The Russian newspaper, the Golo*, gives publicity to a terrible story of priestly and peasant barbarity, reaching that journal from Uschitza, in the Government of Podolia. Some short time age three horses were stolen from the popa of a village in the Uschitza district. Suspecting two of his parishioners of being concerned in the theft, he resolved to extort from them by force a confession of their criminality, and to that end invited them to his house, as well as several of the most bigoted and unscrupulous moujiks belonging to bis congregation. These he made half drunk with raki, and then set them on to administer torture to the unfortunate men who had fallen under his suspicion. After having crushed their noses flat to their faces, broken their fingers joint by joint, cut off their ears, and torn out their beards by handf ulls, the besotted instruments of priestly cruelty seared their victims' faces with redhot irons until their agony becoming intolerable, they admitted a culpability which they bave since strenuously denied to the officers of the law. These abominable proceedings having come to the knowledge of the State authorities at Uschitza, the popa and his brutal accomplices have been arrested and thrown into prison, where they are now awaiting their trial. The annals of the Holy Inquisition contain no more revolting narrative than that to which the Gobs calls the attention of its readers in terms of unqualified indignation. A New Volcano. — A description of tbe volcano which recently made its appearance in the midst of Lake Ilopango, San Salvador, has been crmmunicated to "La Nature " by M. Laferrif re, the French consul at San Salvador; -" Sepn at a distance the new crater which rises from the waters of the lake look? like a small island, yet ifc really ris^stoa height of at least 65ft above the Burfac* 1 of the water. An attempt has been made to approach it by a boat, but tbe waters in contact with the burning rock are io a state of ebullition, and give out clouds of steam. A great, column of smoke ascends from it into the atmosphere, and spreads so as to have the aspect of an immense feathery cloud, which can be eeen at v great distance, and produces on tbe beholder a grand and imposing effect. Earthquakes were felfc in the Republic of San Salvador duriug the first half of tbe month of January, 1881 . Tbere were only three shocks, and they were less violent than those of 1876: not a single house being injured. These earthquakes had their ceutre in the vicinity of Lake Ilopango, aud in the middle of this rose the new volcano mder consideration, and whicb consists of the united craters. The phenomenon was preceded by an exceptional increase of the l«ke, wbich was swollen by the copious rains of winter. According to an ancient tradition, the Spaniards assert that when ths level of the lake rises, earthquakes are to be expectf d. Tbe water of this lake is brackish, very bitter, aad almost viscid. Ifc occasionally gives out here ard tbere bubbles of bydrosulphuric acid. The lake isjoo less than fifteen miles long by ten miles wide ; its depth unknown. It is situated at about eight miles from San Salvador. According to a letter recently received from M. de Thoirsaut, the Erench consul at Guatemala, the waters of the lake are still at a temperature of 38deg. C. at the shores, and in lively ebullition around the volcano. All the fishes are completely boiled, and, with a large number of molluscs andaquaticanimals, are floating on the surface. The mountain is continually rising, and the level of the lake ifi progressively lowering."

In opening the Industrial Exhibition in Wellington on Monday last, Hia Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon said : — lam far from thinking any apology r/ , . . necessary for your request that I should be preser fc at the opening of this Exhibition. , p ..og,the contrary^ I =am grate- ., fu\,io Lc you for the wish that I should take part in the proceedings and he associated with you in your undertaking. Such exhibitions must always, in a nf w and rising country, be attended with a peculiar interest not attaching to tbe perhaps more dazzling displays of long-er-established' communities. We see in them the first tentative steps taken . to ascertain what are indeed the industries for which the locality is really suited, and which will eventually augment in no inconsiderable degree the wealth of the colony, and give employment to these of its population who are nofc engaged in agricultural or pastoral occupations. Before this can be effectually done however, feelers will no doubt bo thrown out in many directions with, out success. Tbis is inevitable, and it is important to remember that probably no industry can obtain, and that certainly none can deserve, success unless able to command ifc without permanent reliance on artificial aids. The existence of a manufacture which can only • 'be' secured by exclusion of all foreign r competition with the article producod /is a direct injury to the people at large, and a questionable benefit to tbe producer himself. Young, however, as New Zealand is, she aireadjr possesses ; industries which need fear nothing from . external rivalry, and I have ifc on good • ; , authority fchat htr woollen manufactories ' very closely contested with the vineyards of Australia, the Imperial prize awarded afc the late Melbourne, Ex- -.,!■• rhibifcion for the mosfc 'successful enterprise of colonial industry. The articles here collected will no doubt afford material for' thought and enqu ry, and I trust that their exhibition ,m|iy tend ;. >to promote fche development bf the vast * , resources of the colony. ' .'"- The excitement on the question of the Chinese, invasi ns (writes the Sydney correspondent of a contemporary) is still at fever heat. The '.Brisbane, with a cargo ot Mongolians, ..is. afc quarantine in the harbor, and another steamer, the Mtatb, has; just i* arrived with a further instalment Since my last letter was written we *" -have had two public meetings to consider the, matter. The first of these took place in the Masonic Hall, and was presided over, by the Mayor. The audience was a, dense one, the hall „r being._r being._ crowded to excess, though it ' can .scarcely, be . claimed that;; the intelligence, of.the community" was „ fairly Represented either in the auditory or on tbe platfoim. The gentlemen .who occupied the latter coign of vantage were, chiefly the mob orators of them parliamentary representatives), who are continually , thrusting themselves forward in every '„p ublic movement, and making speeches of the most, bombastic and sometimes revolutionary character. One of the ' chief speakers afc this meeting was a butcher, a member of Parliament, Mr . Pah O'Connor by name, who supposed he threw much light on the Chinese question by erudite references to Achilles, Homer, and Aristotle. Dan seems ignorant of the fact that he would nofc have had such rosy times of , ifc if .he had been an Athenian helot in the time of these historic worthies. The eecond meeting was held afc Newtown, and was both more moderate and respectable than the first. There is a general demand thafc the Government shall, afc the earliest possible moment, take" some steps to restrict or prevent the influx of Chinese, and Sir Henry Parkes is too astute not to bp 'dictated to; by; a strongly and widely expressed public opinion. There is little doubt, therefore, that one of , the first measures of the new Parliament, which -is .to aesemble next month, will be a. Bill on this subject. While all this agitation has been going on, the Inspector of : Nuisances has been making a tour by night through the localities in which the Celestials chiefly congregate. Of course his report discloses a. deplorable state of things, but nothing more tban we all knew before. Everybody with any knowledge of the subj ct knows that Chinese 1 " ;pftck themselves together like herrings, and' live /without any conveniences for domestic purposes, wallowing" in filth in which a respectable^ pig could scarcely exist, and yefr'grow fat and prosperous withal. The " Liverpool Mercury " of February 19th gays :~" A. polar expedition; by. rail, via Hudson's Bay and Smiths-S ound, is among the possible contingencies of future exploration. For. the first, time the io'ea of: making ice a traction bed for locomotives hes been acted upon in the Gulf of Finland. As usual at this period of the year, the r nß.yiCßtion of the great sea which stretches frcm Denmark to St. Petersburg is stopped by the. ice. Tbe setting in of the. first frost always lockp up vast stores of goods awaiting ship-, ment, and leads to a stagnation of trade, which is severely felt when the Winter is prctracted. In a flight of genius some' Ruseun engineer hit upon « a happy thought/ If chips could not plough the billows of the rGuti of Finland* in the winter months, why not the locomotive ? The idea waa seized upon, and a line of rails was laid down from the.islaqd of Cronetadt to Oraoienbsumj a port on the coest of the province of St .Petersburg,' tl c distancbetween the two places being some 15 najlefl. TM experiment seems to .have proved successful. Tb6 formal opening of the • line' took place on Sunday, February 13, a gulai party starting from Ornnienbaum. When half the journey to Cronstadt bad been accomplished the train was brought to a standstill whilst, in otr tie Russian faehion, a service of prayer was held. The jreg ular traffic wbs.lo have been opened on Monday, when an outlet would thuß be provided for an immense store of produce and other goods that had been accumulated at Cronetadt when navigation was so unexpectedly closed by the ice last yetr." „ _ - In the quiet little village of Cboleey, Berks, the following unuaually interesting incident occurred. The circum--8 top ces. are so romantic, that we give the paritenjaw.. "in toto." Miss Eovelock, a young lady of fpPQwlflt jpreposgeeertg appetrftnee

* had fallen in love with the young 3 curate of the village. Miss Lovelock's ' father had arranged that his daughter r should merry another suitor who wss I paying bis devoirs to the envied " spinafer, snd const quently the pro- ' poeals oi the poor young curate were ■- rf-jecied. He thereupon wrote a k desponding letter to the young lady, ia • which, he stated tbat all bis happiness ■ and food hopes bed gone. Even the 1 thoughts of the streams, the pleasant 1 walks they hod eDj'oyed together by Old Father Tbumes through the fields 1 aod meadows— all had grown painful to him. Life waa a bur Jen, ond not worth living for. The young lady, on perusing his touching epistle, was so overcome by its gloomy forebodings that s c immediately de:ermined to seek (he quiet seclusion of a Roman Catholic Convent near Reading, fearing that her rt j cted lover contemplated commiiticg suicide. She accordingly en~ terei the convent, resolving to shut herself from the world and all its. pleasures for ever. The young curate meanwhile had made a like resolution,, and retired to the came convent as a friar, litllo thinking that the cause of all his sorrows would be daily before him in the form of a virtuous peoiteof. One morning, while she was kneeling before him, he made hiuaeelf known to her, being unable to contain himself any longer. So overjoyed were they by ibis sudden revealment that they forgot the sscrednfc'B9 of their positions in the coaveut, and the following evening by the light of the moan they eecjlad. d the wjl!b and emerged once more iqto the world's buey strife, having determined to be united wiihout delay in the bonis of holy matrimony in spite oi ibe wisbeß of the young lad) 'a father. Exuberant animal spirits have seldom proved so baneful a gift to their possessor as in the case of a young Australian artisan of German extraction, whom patriotic aud loyal interest in tho marriage of the Heir Presumptive to the Germau throne prompted to travel all tho way froni Sydney to Berlin ih order to take part in the popular rejoicings with which, that auspicious event was celebrated last month. .. This lighthear ted enthusiast, tlie Daily Telegraph says, was joyfully promenading tho Linden Avenue on the Friday afternoon before •the wedding, inspecting with lively interest the preparations for Princess Victoria's state. entry into the capital, when suddenly he espied a German maiden of extraordinary beauty tripping towards him with elfin grace. In the fulness of his heart he. clasped this; type of Teutonic loveliness to his manly bosom, and imprinted a patriotic kiss upon her lips. The blushing maiden instantly gave him in charge, and he was led away to the Molken-market, where, interrogated as to his . motive for ..embracing a daughter of the city without the least provocation, he pleaded that " his' joyful impulse had outstepped his discretion, and inexpressibly stimulated him to salute an incorporate ideal of German maideiir hood.". This extenuating allegation, which might have melted a heart of stone, produced no visible effect upon the Prussian Poliezei-Lieutenant, who forthwith sent the youthful Australian to prison for five days. When he was released, all the festivities he had travelled twelve thousand miles to participate in were over and done with. In Great Britain, candidates for Parliament, after the election, are required to report the expenses they iucurred to secure the coveted prizes. These reports are then all published in a parliamentary paper. The one relating to the recent elections there has just appeared, and the London Times acknowledges that it makes " mournful! reading." Tho returns record only what are called legitimate expenditures, or what the candidates or their agents ', are willing to disclose. There is no pretence that the figures cover the whole amount of money the candidates are actually out of pocket. But enough is revealed to show that elections cost, on the average, a scandalous sum among our British neighbours. 'In one of the two divisions of the country of Durham the total expense of the candidates amounted to nearly £24,000 — one of them making a return of nearly £13,000, or £2 10s a vote. The defeated candidate in the other division, expended no less -than £10,664. The two successful candidates in the Lancashire district spent altogether £13,141, against £12,640, the sum expended by the two men who were defeated. Of course, none but themselves knew how much more they shelled out of their pockets for the same purpose. The Times says that as a rule it is Isafe to add from 30 to 40 per cent, to the returns, in order to arrive at tho real outlay. The reports. are numerous in which the expenses 'ranged from £5000 to £10,000 a. candidate; One man spent £1 17s 3d a vote ; another, £4 3s 8d ; still another, £3 0b ll^d a vote. A pyrotechnic display was made . on April 26 oh board the Japanase war vessel R-injio in .Hobson Bay/ and (says the Age), attracted no small amount of interest and. attention. The Japanese, like the Chinese, excel in this branch of art, and their reputation was fully , upheld by the specimen of their iskill given. yesterday. An exhibition of fireworks during' the day was hitherto unknown here, and the results secured were regarded as unique and

'--■ ■ ■ ■ ■ -I-I ... '.' I ' ' ' "' m I marvellous. The first display was i given at. about five o'clock in the aifter. " noon. The fireworks Were fired from i a wooden mortar on deck. After 1 reaching a height of about 300 ft they ' . burst into different shapes, some ass,um--1 ing tbo semblance of flocks of birds, 1 others of dragons, others of trees, and so on in inexhaustible variety. The |: representation of the birds was most jifelike. After the paper covering was burst a sound as of the discharge of a gun was heard and the birds fell as if wounded, fluttering about until reaching the surface of the water. Ihe colors were most vivid. In the evening another display was given, but the effect was scarcely so astonishing as in the earlier one. Crowds of people assembled at Sandridge and Williamstown to witness the sight. In 15 years (says the Neosho County Record; the nations of Europe havo added over 8,000,000,000 dols. to their indebtedness. Iv the. same time the United States have paid off over 800, 000,000 dols, or about one-third of its public debt. In 1865 the United States owed more than any other nation in the world ; except Great Britain. Iv 1880 it owed less thau either Great Britain, France, Russia, Spain, Austro-Hungary, or Italy. Well may the London Time* say that Jour financial position is an enviable one. And to the invincible Republican party is to be accorded the praise of accomplishing it. It is safe to say that the Democratic party, led and controlled by wild Southern vagar ries, could never, have made such a showing. ' ' ...