MISCELLANEOUS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4320, 25 January 1875, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Mr. Maciver, Conservative, has been returned for Liverpool by a majority of 947 over Mr. Still, Liberal The Duke of Connaught has been visiting Sir Edward Kerrison, at Oakleigh Park, near Kyo. He starts for Palestine in January. It is reported that the ex-Queen Isabella of Spain is ahout to sell her diamonds, estimated at a value of twelve millions of francs. They will bo disposed of by auction in London. Murillo's celebrated painting of St. Anthony has been stolen from the Seville Cathedral. The municipality offered 50,000 f. reward for its recovery. The Government have announced that they have no intention of purchasing the Atlantic cables. The announcement sent down the Anglo-African shares. The Liverpool Autumn Cup wa« won by Louise Victoria, Thunder being second, and Pageant third. Twenty-one horses started. The betting was 11 to 1 against the winner, 20 to 1 against Thunder, and 25 to 1 against Pageant. Earl Grosvenor, tho eldest son of the Duko of tcr, has been married to the Earl of Scarborough's eldest daughter, and Lord Richard Grosvenor, the Duke's brother, has been married in Westminster Abbey to the daughter of Viscount Do Vesci. The whole of the wood-choppers of London are now on strike. In 1572 and 1873 there were strikes in the trade, and their wages were advanced BO per cent. They now seek a further advance of 30 per cent. Fresh evidences are continually occurring of the shipping disasters during tho late gales. Among the vessels supposed to bo lo3t are the Newcastle steamer King Leopold, with a crew of twenty-four men, and three Hull steamers —the Helene, with twenty hands ; the Viceroy, with twenty-five, and tho Stadbragg with her crew.

At an inquest held at Sheffield recently with reference to the death of a woman whose body had been found in one of the water company's dams, the unpleasant statement was made that the keeper had in hia time taken more than ninety bodies from tho dam —"the water of which people used." An Austrian lieutenant, Count Zubowitz, who undertook for a wager to ride from Vienna to Paris on one horse in fifteen days, accomplished his task in twelve minutes within the time. The bets exceed £200,000. The winner has been lionised in Paris, and has dined with Marshal MacMahon at the Elyseo. The horse is crossed strain of English and Hungarian blood. A York cabman, named Blair, in he employ of Mr. Johnßon, cab proprietor, of JBootham, York, has just fallen into the handsomo inheritance of over £17,000. Blair resides at Fulford, a village adjacent; " k,

was formerly of Newark, and he is one of a family of eight, amongst whom is shaved the handsome sum of £150,000. M. Avigdor, the great banker of Nice, out hia brains at 3 o'clock on November'4. 'Financial embarrass .nents are supposed to have been the cause. The Council of State by a large majority has adopted the principle of obligatory civil Tho°followii)g incident is related of the recent tire at Fall lliver, XT S. It is said that a little fellow, scarcely a dozen years old, jumped from one of the upper wiudows to the ground, and when the spectators rushed forward to pick up the mangled body, they were astonished to see him spring to his feet, apparently uninjured, and start on a run for his home. Bursting into the house in breathless haste, he shouted to his mother : " The mill is all on (ire ! " and then he suddenly dropped to the floor lifeless, the fearful sixty feet jump having resulted in fatal internal injuries which tne excitement of the moment prevented his feeling. A match for .£SOO wa run on October 31, between Mr. Dawson's Prince Ch irlie and Peut-etre, the winner of the Cambridgeshire. Never, perhaps, before has so much enthusiasm been evinced at Newmarket as was evoked by the victory of Prince Charlie. The old horse, grand specimen as he is.of the English thoroishlired, is not undeservedly the idol of the public, and his victory was greeted with an amount of cheering seldom witnessed. This is his last appearance on the racecourse, and after hi 3 success he was mounted by Mr. Jones, his breeder, and headed a procession through the town, the breeder, trainer, and jockey being lustily cheered in their progress. Peut-etre ran well,'but the son of Blair Athol won in a canter.

Headers of Dicken's last and unfinished work, " Edwin Drood," will be interested to learn that the female opium smoker depicted by our great novelist, and who went under the euphonious cognomen of " Lascar Sal," died miserably a short time back in a court in .Bluegate Fields, St. George-in-the-East. She was attacked with scarlet fever, now prevalent in the parish, aud her low vitality soon succumbed to the disease. In her room were found several hundred white mice. The apartment itself aud its belongings were in a most disgusting condition, necessitating the immediate burning of several articles of raiment and furniture by the sanittti-y inspector. In this connection we may state that the effects of opium-smoking are by no means infrequently ooserved in all their hideousness by some or' the medical officers of institutions in the Fastend, and by many of the busy, hardworking practitioners of the quarter. A Cool Bukqlah.—Policeman Badger, o\ the Tenth Station, in New Haven, had a bit of experience the other night, which he is not foiid of talking about. It was past midnight, as hte was leisurely pushing his beat through Jessop-street, and as he came opposite Drayton and Fogg's jewellery store he observed gleams of light through the chinks of the snutters, and he rapped at the door. "Is thai you, policeman 1" asked a voice within. "Yes," answered Badger. "Well—it's onh me—it's all right. Kind o' chilly out, isn't it?" "Yes." "Thought so. I was just fixing the fire. Good night." Badger said "Good night," and pursued his way. An hour afterward Badger passed through Jessopstreet again, and again he saw a light in the jewellery store. It didn't look right, and he banged at the door loudly. "Hallo!" cried the voice within. "Is it you, policeman?' " Yes." "All right. Won't you come in ami warm you ? It won't hurt you to slip from your beat for a few minutes." The door opened, and Policeman Badger entered, and he found the inmate to be a very gentlemanlylooking man, in a linen duster. "Come rigln up to the stove, policeman. Excuse me for a moment." The man took the ash-pan from the bottom of the stove and carried it down into the cellar and emptied it; aud when he returned and wiped his hands, he said, with u smile, "Chilly night, Isn't .it?" "Yes." " Chilly outside aud dull inside. (Another smile.) New goods for the spring trade, and have to keep our eyes open. Lonesome work this, watching all night; but I manage to-find a bit of comfort in this. Won't you join me in a nip ? You'll find it the pure thing." And the man produced a black bottle and a tumbler. Policeman Badger partook, and having wiped his lips and given his fingers a new warming, he left the store and resumed his beat, satisfied that all was right at Drayton and Fogg's. But the morning brought a new revelation. Drayton and Fogg's store had been robbed during the night of §6OOO worth of watches and jewellery, and although Policeman Badger carries in his mind a complete daguerreotype of the robber, the adroit rascal has not yet been found. San Francisco is reported to have been much agitated about the anticipated annexation of one of the Navigator Islands, in the Pacific, by the Germans. A meeting of the Chamber of Commerce has been called to consider the matter, the intention being to ask the United States Government to take measures to prevent the German Government from obtaining possession of the island in case the indemnity bond is not paid when it falls due. It is estimated in New York that the Democratic party, owing to its recent gains at the elections, will have a majority of fifty-six in the Congress which meets in March next. The New York papers of Nov. 5 received at Plymouth by the Hamburg-American steamer Thuringia are engaged in the contemplation of the astounding results of the general election which had been completed the previous day. The success of the Democratic opposition had been quite as complete as the Conservative success in Great Britain this year, aud the results in America excite much more intense interest, as the posts of the whole of the officials throughout the States, even to postmasters, are dependent on the issue. The Tribune, exultant in the overthrow of President Grant's Administration, tersely asks, " Was it second term, or third term, or a little of both," that produced revolution?' The New York Herald, in a wonderfully moderate article, reviews the situation. It says :—" Upon one side we have the ecstacy of success, the realisation of hopes so long deferred ; ' land, land,' at last, after so many years of tumbling on the lonely seas of what seemed to be an endless opposition; upon the other we have the dismay of sudden and unexpected disaster. The Democrats will exaggerate their victory, the Republicans their defeat ; we shall be told temperance issues in one place, and gin issues in another, effected a movement which is political and national, which means not merely isolated dissatisfaction with the measures of the party in power, but a groat change in the management of affairs above all else. And for this we fervently thank the God of peace. There is an end of the war and its bloody instruction's."

The Paris Libcrti publishes a despatch from Monte Video stating unreservedly that a compromise was effected on November 11 between the insurgent General Mitre and President Avellaneda, the latter resigning power, and that fresh elections are to be held at an early date.

In Pern, after a trial which has lasted twenty-Bix months, three military men have been found guilty of murdering President Baltain July, 1872; at the instigation of the brothers Gutierrez. The sentence is extraordinary, but in strict accordance with Peruvian law. Najar and Patino have to draw lots for life, and ono of the two must suffer capital punishment by being shot. Espimosa is sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment.