OCTOPUS AT LYTTELTON.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 519, 13 May 1880, Page 3

OCTOPUS AT LYTTELTON.

A young man was gathering mussels on the rocks nearly opposite to the Lyttelton Orphanage, and was in the act of breaking some of the shell fish off the side of the rock, when a boy standing behind him drew attention to a| peculiar fish close to the rock on which the young man was standing. Turning round, the gatherer of mussel-bait beheld what appeared to be “ a head as big as a bullock’s,” having monstrously large eyes. These orbs of vision seemed to be glaring wildly at him, siimdtaneously several arms were extended towards him. Each appeared to be several feet in length, as near as he could judge during the very brief examination held. Before retiring from his position on the rock—which it is needless to say lie did hurriedly—he observed that there were rows of suckers, resembling egg cups in shape and size, covering the unfrienlly arms of tlie stranger. The moment he stepped back from the rock the octopus coiled itself up and sank. The spot at which this occurred is adjacent to the. bay frequented by bathers at the port. THREE BELLICOSE EMPIRES. It has been a pleasing fiction with the poets that as civilization and the humanizing influences of Christianity advanced, the tastes for’war would grow gradually less and loss, till it at last died out altogether The day, when “ the broad falchion shall in a ploughshare cud, ” scorns just as remote now as it was in the days of Pagen Rome. War has been reduced to an exact science, and standing armies arc maintained by all civilized nations. The gi eat nations of Europe arc ever on the quivive lest some of their neighbors attack them unawares. The air is full of suspicion. Rumours of dangerous complications which might at any hour set Europe in a blaze, are continually afloat. The ancient Jews were scarcely in a more continuous condition of alarm than are the people of Germany, France, and Russia. The last named Empire has an armed force of a million of men, though the mass of the tax payers who supply the money to support this vast force are in a miserable state of poverty. The War Department is as insatiable as a horsc-lecch. When the Empire can raise no foreign loans owing to the instability of her credit, the unfortunate Russians arc compelled to advance money to the State by way of loan. France has a force of ncary 5,000,00) men, and is armed to the teeth, ready at any moment to make a spring on her rival. She is burning to avenge the disgrace of Sedan just as Prussia used to be to wipe out in French blood the stains cast upon her escutcheon at Jcua. Despite the pol’te assurances of Ambassadors and the sugared words of Ministers of State, there can be no reasonab'e doubt that France and Germany will come to grips before many years are over. Germany evidently distrusts her neighbour. She has determined to augment her already huge army by GO,OOO men, to bring it up to France. — Post.

STOPPING, CATTLE IMPORTATION. The Geraldine County Council have passed a, resolution requesting the Governor to issue an Order in Council prohibiting the importation of catt'c to the South Island, whether from the North Island or the Australian Colonies. There seems to be no good reason for such a measure of protection. The colony is divided into a large number of cattle districts, in each of which provision is made for the inspection of stock, and until a district has been declared infected, owing to the outbreak of disease, it would.be unwise and unjust to carry out the suggestion of the Geraldine County Council. There have been changes made recently in the. boundaries of some of the largest cattle districts in this Island, and it : is reasonable to suppose that the Government, before the alterations took effect, satisfied theinse'vos with respect to the most convenient lines of demarkation. The settlers in the Auckland Provincial District are suffering severe loss and annoyance from the plague which has made its appearance in their herds, and although we think that at first there was an indispostion to admit the magnitude of the evil, if not to entrely deny its existence, that stage is passed, and the Cattle Boards in conjunction with the stock owners, ere doing their best to stamp out the disease. We may rest assured that stock owners in other districts.will do all they can to guard against the admittance of cattle from localities the disease has already made its appearance, and in their efforts towards that end the law renders them the fullest assistance. The chances of the introduction of the plague into this part of the colony are very reinotc.—Wanganui Chronicle.