MAIL NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4350, 27 February 1875, Page 3

MAIL NOTES.

~ The Pall■ Mall Gazette Bins .explains t|ie; origin of the quarrel .between Colonel Phayre and the Guicowar' or Gaekwar, of ißafcida,, which has had such sensational, results • ; “Not long ago.the Guicowar,took;to_ himself a; wife who had been previously, it is alleged,' somebody's rise’s wife—by name Luxmeebaee, a lady more remarkable, for her, personal tractions than for stainlessness of reputation. Luxmeebaee has lately "borne a son to Mulharrao, and his'Highness' . is impatient to have his offspring recognised by, the-suzerain of Hindostan as the legitimate inheritor -of .the principality of Baroda. Colonel Phayre, however, declined, or at least delayed to recognise the child as the lawful heir ; and the Guicowar consequently appealed to the Supreme Govern) ment. The grounds of objection to the,recognition are understood to be two ; first, that; as the marriage of Mulharrao with Luxmeebaee was bigamous, the issue cannot . be acknow : lodged; and, second," that Luxmeebaee-not being a Mahratta by race, her children could not be accepted as rulers :by the. people of Baroda. On the part of the Guicowar, the charge of bigamy is repudiated, and, the cavil at the purity of the infant heir’s blood is put aside as irrelevant and unsustained by precedents.” • ■' . ■

Tay bridge, near Dundee, Scotland, will be the longest in the world built over a tidal stream. Its total length will be 10,321 ft., or nearly two miles, or 1127 ft. longer than the Victoria bridge, Montreal, which has hitherto claimed that distinction. The cost of the Tay bridge is estimated at £350,000. It will be built in 89 spans, having a rise of 1 in 353, the centre one being 88ft. above high-water level. In its construction 7200 tons of iron, about 15,000 casks of cement, and 10,000,000 bricks will be required. The contractors for this gigantic undertaking are Messrs. Hopkins, Gilkos and Co., of Tees-side. They expect to finish the work in 1876.

'Die Frankfurter Zeilung announces that an official in the Bavarian telegraph service has succeeded in making an apparatus which, if found to be of practical utility, may effect a revolution in the present systena of telegraphy. The name of this gentleman is H. Becker, and the apparatus he has constructed, and to which he has given the name of “Electromagnetic copying machine,” appears to be a perfecting and improvement of Casrili’s invention. Tho proprietorship of the apparatus has already been purchased by the banking firm of Messrs. Oppcnheim and Weill, of Frankfort. Without any assistance from the operator it gives a fac simile of the original manuscript telegram in whatever language written, signatures, portraits, music, plans, &c., conveyed telegraphically to any distance, and in such admirable perfection

that in comparing the .original with the copy scarcely any difference can be discovered. “We, ourselves,” says the above-named journal, “witnessed the transfer from one apparatus to another not. only of the lines of welcome issued by the committee of the musical festival recently held in this city, profusely ornamented instruments, wreaths of laurel and oak leaves, as well aa symbolical arabesques, but also of bills of exchange filled up and signed, state despatches in cypher, telegrams written in Greek and Hebrew characters, police notices with the portrait of the person wanted, military maps, such aa a general might send to his subordinates to explain the situation described or mentioned in his written despatches or orders, together with the usual service communications as telegraphed from one station to another.” All objects intended for transmission by this apparatus are written or drawn with prepared ink, on silver paper, which is then placed on a revolving cylinder, and then telegraphed off to its destination, where it is received on clean tissue paper, and reproduced with most wonderful exactness.

A peculiarly shocking crime has occurred in Paris. It is thus reported - in the correspondence of The Times'. —“The body of Emily Maranne, eleven years of age, the daughter of a fumiste in the Rue du Fouarre, who left home on the 23rd ult. with 900 f. belonging to her father, has been found in the Seine. It has been ascertained that a youth of bad character, aged seventeen, named Eugene Henry, witli whom she had formed an acquaintance, induced her to steal the money. She gave it up to him with, the exception of a few silver pieces. Being afraid to return home, she passed the night in the public latrines. The next evening, meeting him near the river, she told him she could not remain in Paris, but intended going a distance, and asked him to return the money. He shook some coins out of his handkerchief and on her stooping to pick them up he slipped a noose round her neck, strangled her, and threw the body into the river. On being arrested, he attempted suicide. He has since confessed to the murder. Part of the money was found in the house of his mother. A pork butcher, in one of the markets, has also been apprehended, together with two of his companions. The Value of Property in London.—Mr. J. R. Fowler sold by public auction, in December, the freehold house No. 3a Clifford-street, Bond-street (a frontage of 18ft. by 53ft.), for the sum of £8230.

A CUNNING EXPEDIENT. There is a fable among the Hindoos that a thief, having been detected and condemned to die, happily hit upon an expedient which gave him hope of life. He sent for his gaoler, and told him he had a secret of great importance which he desired to impart to the King, and when this had been done he would be prepared to die. After receiving this piece of intelligence, the King at once ordered the culprit to be conducted to his presence, and demanded of him to know his secret. The thief replied that he knew the secret of causing a tree to grow 4 which would bear fruit of pure gold. ’.L’he experiment might be easily tried, and his Majesty would not lose the opportunity ; so, accompanied by his prime ministers, his courtiers, and his chief priests, he went with the thief to a spot selected near the city wall, where the latter performed a series of solemn incantations. This done, the condemned man produced a piece of gold, and declared that if it should be planted, it would produce a tree every branch of which would bear gold. “But,” he added, “ this must be put into the ground by a baud that has never been stained by a dishonest act. My hand is not clean, therefore I pass it to your Majesty.” The King took the piece of gold, but hesitated. Finally he said, “ I remember in my younger days that I often filched money from my father’s treasury which was not mine. I have repented the sin, but yet I hardly dare say my hand is clean. I pass it to ray Prime Minister.”

The latter, after a brief consideration, answered: —-“It were a pity to: break the charm through a possible blunder. I receive taxes from the people, and as I am exposed to many temptations, how. can I be sure that I have remained perfectly honest ? I must give it to, the Governor of the Oitadeh” -

“No, no,” cried the Governor, drawing back. Remember that I have the serving/out of pay and provisions to the soldiers. Let-flie high priest plant it.”; ... ■ ."i And the priest said, “ You. forget; I have the collecting of tithes,-and the disbursements for sacrifice.”

At length the thief exclaimed,' “Your Majesty,. I- think: it. were .better .for -society that all five'.'of .'us should be h?Hged, since it appears that not an honest man can be found among us.” -- - y ■ln spite - ' of -the ’lamentable exposure »■ the King laughed, ‘arid so pleased was he with ‘the thief s cunning expedient that he granted him a pardon.