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Patea Mail, 4 November 1880, Page 4

A Moscow correspondent of the Cologne Gazette describes the misery and starvation prevailing in the south and south-east of Russia as unknown in the memory of man. No food is to be got for the horses and cattle for any money, and the animals are consequently dying everywhere of starvation in the Tran sural Steppes and the Don Steppes. At the Exhibition. —Captious critics have sharply animidverted on the fact that the Hon. W. M. K. Vale kept his hat on while walking in ihe procession on Opening Day, and have even gone so far as to hint at ridically democrat!vc principles—or rather want of principles—as the reason. Let me hasten to relieve the honourable gentleman from any such imputation. The frozen truth, as Mark Twain says, is that Mr Vale, dressing in a great hurry on the morning of the Opening Day, mistook a bottle of gum for one containing oil, and hastily applying the liquid, did not discover his mistake until he endeavoured to raise his beaver at the sound of the the National Anthem. He eventually had to soak his head, intellect and all, in lukewarm water, before he got rid of its covering.—Cor,