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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 253, 24 October 1881, Page 2

A young man in Chicago was found dead in bed the day after- New Year's Day, and the supposition -was that he had committed suicide by poisoning; but, upon analysing the contents of his stomach, nothing but the following was found! in it :— Pickles, poundcake, lemonade, cold turkey, beer, fried oysters, cold punch, ham sandwiches, spongecake, beef-tea, mince-pie, champagne, lobster, , game pie, iruit-cake, tea, chicken salad, whiskey, coffee , Bologna sausage, port, cheese, sardines, pickled turnip, arid boiled crows. The jury returned a verdict of " Died through the visitation of friends." Electric iighting is in successful operation in more thaa sixty iteamen on the Mississippi river and its tributaries. It is believed to add much to the safety of that kind of traffic and travelling. The prospectus of a high-clasa literary magazine, to be called "The Sydney ÜBirersity Review," has been placed before the public. The prospectus fairly bristles with the names of illustrious intending contributors. Statesmen, bishops, members o; parliament, barristers, &c, are apnounced as ready to supply intelltctual pabulum to the expectant public, The Review is to be published three times a year, at the price of half-a-crowa a copy. . . . .~~_ ■>• A London hatter puts forward a claim to patronage on tbe ground of Lord Besccnsfield having bought his last hat of him. It is now becoming the fashion in Europe for ladies to be vaccinated on the intide of the knee instead of the Outside of the arm. The Dunatan Times states that the pheasants, partridges, Calif ornian quail, and other of the imported birds that were making their way up the valley of the CluthaV are all being killed by the phosphorised wheat , and , oats laid for the rabbits. • ■ ' ; . A man has patented a device for the purpose of effecting on the atages of theatres, the rising, sinking, rolling, and pitching motions of vessels at sea. So perfect is the imitation that— in connection with the sheetiron thunder, «alt-petre lightning anibellows wind — the actors are made sea-sick. g IThe Manawatu Herald is of opinion that the West Coast can take a front seat for eels. On Sunday laat two monsters were' caught [ in ! the Wairaea Creek, near Waikane, measuring sft Sin long, and about 18in in circumference. They weighed about SOlbs each. - Tne profits of Mborit;a mibe, Adelaide, for the lait half-year were £6000. Ore* £80,000 worth of ore wai raised. Tha pl«nfc and ore : on the land are estimated to, be worth £250,000. 1282 hands are employed en the mines. ; As maize growing may eventually become a profitable occupation in many parti of New Zealand, wa gife the experience of A.-.L. Mason, of the Maizena Works, New South Walei, as to his mode of harvesting; He •ays : — "The common method here is —the farmer usually has a slab birn with floors of saplings, aay, three floois in a 10ft high barn. The slabs and saplings admit plenty of ventilation. When the maize is ripe, if bis family is strong, or he has got bands enough, he husks tbe cobs in the field, and throws them into a cart, which, when full, is backed aguiost the barn, and tbe cobs thrown out of the cart on to the sapling floors, and there left to dry. The writer had aboat 50 acres this'year, and ; engaged some families to pull husk, and bag in the field at 4d per drawn bag (each bag would hold enough cobs to shell between one and a half to two bushels when dry). The bags of cobs are, of course, shot oat on the sapling floors and left the re. That is about the average price. Some gaDgs of Chinamen pull in f bediotrict for 3d per bag. The families Ihad husked the cobs on the stalk and threw them into , heaps along the drills, and a good man would do 18 bags a day. Some of the women were nearly as good, and the children werealways : able to do a little. In dry weather it is more like a picnic than work, but in wet or rather showery weather not quite so "awfully nice." If the cobs are slightly damp, ' the heaps on the floors require turning, to see that none are becoming mildewed. With regard to; shelling, the average price here for shelling; 1 bagging, and sewing the bags is 6d per bag ; the bag usually contains four bushels." I

,-& Reeftjdn papier says that complaint*. «re jhaadte tbiif tble Chiifese Irs taking tip attuvjiail plaims 4<j ; contrive sa peg their ground as td !<#ve blocks ietweffi the claims.. The spare gr6und -thti3xlbcked in is, of course, useless to othefsj beiiig protected to come extent by ragistef^difrighte for . T^hehjfcLe' proper times comes shares in the claim proffer are sold to another Chinamen, and the spare ground is barred from occupation pending the arrival of Chinamen from Otago. The Mongolian invasion to Inangab.ua is really becoming alarming. , ir The^premises about-tp Be vacated by this paper have been taken by Chinese, and will be converted into a store and restaurant, making the sixth business plaice opened by the Chinese in Keefton. . xh a lecture entitled '• Fiji under British Rule," delivered at the Town-ball, Pit^roy, Victoria, recently, the Hon Edward Langtoo made some pointed allusions to Sir | Arthur Gordon. He disapproved of the j policy of Sir A. Gordon since the islands were ceded to the British Crown. Ooe of the couditions on which the native chiefs ceded the country to Great Britain was that the rights and interests of the ceding parties should be recognised so far aa was consistent with British sovereignty and Colonial form of government. This condition has not, however, been carried out. Sir Arthur Gordon had not treated these people as human beings to think and act for themselves, but had reduced the common people to a condition of more complete* slavery than ever they were in before, and it seemed to him strange that after paying £20,000,000 to banish slavery from the jWest, Indies^ lhe \ Bathh Crown should now revive and " promulgate the system in Fiji. The present system was that the uchlefa revived tribute in kind from [the- common, people. Under cover of this system the native had no free labour. If he went out to work so soon as he brought back his earnings they #ere taken away fromibim by the chief of his class. It was utterly; impossible for people to acquire habits of industry if the motive for industry —permission to own and. use what was earned — was not allowed them. Under Sir Arthur Gordon's policy ttie people were absolutely required to obtain permission from the Government to work. Such a state of things, the lecturer tkought; could not possibly liisi. £It is proposed to hold a gathering upon the model of "Ye olde Englishe Fayre" in Melbourne at Christmas. Arrangements are already being made for the festival, which will be located in the Town Hall, and no doubts "seem to be entertained of its entire success. Mr Charters, of the Taieri, Otago, has been very successful in his efforts to destroy linnets and sparrows. Mr Charters has experimented with strychnine, and he is of opinion that if sugar is added the birds will devour the poisoned grain greedily. ! A monster sapphire, found in Ceylon, has been sent to London. Ifc is valued at £14,000.