Untitled

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 173, 22 July 1881, Page 2

The estate of the notorious George North of Wellington has paid 4s 4d in the £. The fine old bymn, " Rock of Agea," was translated by Mr Gladstone into Latin, and fell into the hands of etime monks, and was ! sung in the convent, they never dreaming that it was a Protestant hymn, and never* haTiDg beard of Toplady. Says the Central ■ Baptist -—While many tremble at the 'prospect of discomfiture to the Bible from the criticisms and trials to Which the age is subjecting it, others, with better reasoning, see that these unavailing attacks are otily demonstrating the security of the only renting place the soul has ever foUnd. If the Bible outlives these trials, as it is certain to, it will itself: be a "scientific '* fact. During the discussions on the sparrow; question which have taken place in Oamaru a gentleman instanced a case in which the sparrows had declined an attack on a colony of caterpillars, and in place bad given their undivided attention to the fields of wheat and barley in the neighborhood. We hay« now been informed that the colony of caterpillers in question were devoured by a flock of starlings, who spent several daya over this gastronomic feat. : " Ogles' 1 in the Australasian writes •—•'A wild scion of an excellent English county family has been, for aotne time roving about Queensland. He has a good quarterly allowance from Home, which is transmitted from place to place af ler him. He found himself the other day in one of the coast towns without funds, and went to the bank. Inquiry showed that there was a sum at his disposal, but the manager required some iodentification of him as the proper recipient. Here was a fix. Ha walked round the township in the hope of meeting some one who knew him, bufe in vain. Just before three o'clock be again entered the bank, and placed his case strongly before the manager, who continued obdurate. ' Then 'said Me De Vere, ' will this do ?' as he withdrew frdm beneath the waistband of hie trousers and placed upon the counter a portion of an under garment marked with his name and crest. The manager feonsidered the identification perfect, and Jet him have his money." On June 22nd the H«n. Mr WllsoH asked in the Legislative Council whether it was a fact, as reported, that the Government had received despatches from Sir Julius Yogel and had from their character, returned them. Mr Whitaker, in reply, stated that one despatch was couched in such terms that the Government had declined to place it among the records of the colony, and had returned it to Sir Julius Yogel. Owing to this answer a number of member* recently subscribed among them a sum sufficient to telegraph to Yogel, stating what .had been said about the despatch, and a telegram in answer has now been received from him stating that he has posted a copy of the letter in question for publication in New Zealand. It is expected that . the letter will reaphhereby the mail due on the 24th <5f August. ..'.'.*' Chinese in Sydney have rather a bad time of it just now. Recently a poor Chinaman was discovered lying on a kerbstone, bleeding from the nose and mouth and crying bitterly, and surrounded by a band of ten or twelve ruffians, who had bounded him, down, and were engaged In the playful pursuit of kicking and shoving him aa if he were a football. A European interfered, and the gang slunk away. An attempt was msde to ascertain the names of the ringleaders from one of the bystanders, but (says the Sydney Evening News) to no avail, the enquirer being laughed at for his trouble ; and it ia pitable to tbink that women (so-called) were rather abusive for any interference in the "fun," as they called it. It was ascertained from the. Chinaman (in rather, broken English), when be bad sufficiently recovered himself to give an explanation, that he got a livelihood by gathering rags. He had been maltreated about a week previously .so much so tbat'he was afraid to ventura out till the small-pox scare bad : partly died away. This was the first time since hig previous assault, and this is the treatment he received. He was so weak and exhausted that he conld hardly walk. An American correspondent of the Otago Times says •— I perceive from the Daily Times that you have the plague of leprosy ia~ Tuapeka. Leprosy follows the Chinese everywhere. It is congenital. Experience demonstrates that it is infectious, but it is so slow in deTeloping that the ill effects of contact with one of the diseased is not apparent for several years. When it does develop its progress is rapid. The Sandwich Islands bid fair to be depopulated of the native inhabitants by this Chinese plague, and Europeans are fast becoming victims to its ravages. Especially is this the case with children of tender years, owing to their handling by Kanaka nursegirls, and quite a demand has risen for European female servants in consequence. Leprosy is in every city, town, hamlet, and mining camp in this State, and nothing will get rid of it but strict; isolation and fire. You cannot be too careful or too watchful against its ravages. The popular medical idea is that it 13 not contagious, but, as I have said facts incontestibly prove the reverse. The barmaids (says the Dunedin Star) may well join in a chorus "Preserve me from my friends " when th« restriction of their working hours by legislation bids fair to abolish their occupation altogether. Ten hours was a reasonable maximum, but the reduction to eight and extending the rule to the wives and daughters of the licenses of hotels is carrying the thing to an absurdity, which possibly may be the intention of the pro moters. It is not a pleasant prospect for those who occasionally refresh the inner man at the various city bars that " the sweet girl graduates " are to be replaced by mouldy and not always odoriferous waiters. True there remains the Coffee Palace with the bevy of charmers in Norman caps, who, in the interests of temperance, will, it ia to be presumed, be allowed to work just as many houra as the manager may choose,

In Mr Whitaker's garden at Lake Takapuna this season there is an abundance of fine oranges, which are proDoorictd tquftl in size and flavour to South Sea Island oranges. The New York Hernia states that a bill is now under consideration in Indiana requiring, that any man desiring to drink shall take out a yearly license, price £2, the money to SO to the support of inebriate asylum?, and the license to be cancelled the first time its holder is fonnd drunk. The Dtinedin Star says : — lt was rather a funny proceeding' of the City Council to hold a special meeting in regard to the Licensing Bill, not with the view of Strengthening the hands of the Government in their endeavors to restrict the liquor traffic within more reasonable limits, and so promote the well-being of the community, but " for the consideration of those clauses which affected its "pecuniary in te vest!" The bottle license would seem to have been some-! how at the botioot of this business, for it never could hate beea seriously contemplated that the Government would propose to colonialise tbe licensing fees, there being nothing to that effect in the Licensing Bi 1, which has been public property for nearly three weeks. The Mayor was so warm on! the subject that his arithmetic was sadly at fault, for he stated that " the abolition ofthe bottle licenses would result in a loss to! the citizens of £1,500 a year." There are; we believe, about forty of these licenses in' force within the Borough at present, and as the ( fee is £5, the total loss will be £200, which will be recouped ten times over from the increase in publicans' aud wholesale licenses. ; A contemporary quotes' the following anec-: dote in support of the theory that dogs learn; to acquire some knowledge of time. Mr! Southey in bis " Omniana," relates two! instances of dogs which, were able to count the days of the Week. One of these, he says, belonged to his grandfather, and was in the habit of trudging two miles every Saturday to Cater for himself in the shambles! " I know," he adds, ''a more extraordinary; and well authenticated example. A dcg : which had belonged to an Irishman, and was; sold by him In England, would never touch; a morsel of food on Friday." We (Glasgow : Herald) baye heard of a dog which was in the habit of attending cafirch with a bailiff of a gentleman in a parish soffite distance: from Edinburgh. When the family resided; at Edinburgh, the dog being then with them, he would start off on a Saturday to the bailiff's house, that he might not lose his; privilege, and would punctually return. M Blaze says that a dog belonging to M. Roger: set out evsry Saturday at two o'clock precisely, from Locojarne to go to Hennebon (about three miles distant.) On arriving, he went straight to the butcher's because they killed on that day, and he was sure of having; a good dinner of offal. At this same gentle-! man's, family worship was conducted every evening, and the dog would listen very! quietly to the Paternosters, which, however, did not seem much (o edify him, for the moment that the last Paternoster was begun, he would get up and place himself at the door, ready to go out as soen as it should be opened. It was evident that he knew how; to count the number of prayera which were ordinarily repeated. Many instances of a similar nature-might be collected; but the repetition of such, in proof of a point which' I few acquainted with dogs will contest, is not requisite. : The Rev. J. E. Clongh, a Baptist missionary in India, in a letter dated February; 18th, at Ramapatan says : "Last Sunday over 1000 came to camp. In the afternoon we baptised 273, on Monday 192, and yesterday (Thursday) 177; making 726 baptised since we left Ongole."