CLIPPINGS.

South Canterbury Times, Volume XV, Issue 2065, 5 November 1879, Page 3

CLIPPINGS.

Mr Errington member for Longford has taken a practical course of endeavoring to alleviate the present agricultural distress in Ireland. In a letter to his tenantry, in which he remits rents to the extent of from 10 to 15 cent, he declares that in his judgment the object of the reformers in Ireland should au extension of peasant proprietory, a habit of granting perpetual leases, a reduction of expense in the transfer of land, and some large changes in the laws of settlement and entail. He intends therefore to offer his own tenants leases in perpetuity, and will next session introduce a Dill “ for enabling limited owners to give leases in perpetuity,” Scotch landowners already can. These measures will, he believes, afford the “ fixity of tenure” at fair rents, “the necessity of which circumstances is now so evident.” In the current number of ‘Nature’ a suggestion is made that outward bound vessels shall take with them carrier piegeons, to he sent back at such points as may he determined on, hearing with them the report of weather observations likely to be useful at home. Birds were flown the other day from Penzance to London, and accomplished the distance of 270 miles in from five hours and a half to .sis hour'sj or at the rate of from

forty-five to fifty miles an hour. Storms in these latitudes rarely attain a rate of thirty miles an hou r , and sometimes do not exceed fifteen miles. On an average a storm centre may he said to travel at about 16 or 17 miles an hour,and a good carrier pigeon would, therefore, easily outstrip all ordinary disturbances coming towards us, and even in the case of the most rapidly approaching storm centres, if encountered at any _ considerable distance out at sea, the bird would get homo with an ample margin of time for the transmission of signals to the threatened districts.

Gentlemen practising at the bar in Tennessee (says a Home paper) will, no doubt, consider well the fate of Mr H. M. Bonham, with a view to determine how far in that land of six-shooters it is worth while to “abuse the plaintiff s attorney,” or adopt any equivalent course. Mr Bonham, having to defend an action against Mr Sam Slupe, called that person anything hut a gentleman, and some days after was waited upon by Mr Shipe for an explanation. _ Out of that interview nothing satisfactory arose, and a second took place, from which Mr Shipe retired with a severe caning. But even this did not settle the matter, and the late plaintiff sought a third meeting, taking such measures to make it conclusive as were involved in the help and countenance of his father “ a prominent citizen of Anderson County,” and Mr Queener, also a “ prominent and County Court Clerk to boot. ■ These three, rising at seven a.in., so that the whole day lay before them, and arming themselves with sticks, sought out Mr Bonhom, found him, and psocecded to give him an unmerciful thrashing. The lawyer objected; but failing to move the opposite party by words, drew his pistol, whereupon Messrs Shipe and Co. produced their revolvers, and the battle began. It seems that the “ order of the firing” could not be ascertained; but Mr Bonham was soon stretched on the ground, receiving four halls in the position. He was not idle, however. As ho lay he shot the elder Shipe in tho arm, put two halls into Mr Queener, and hit Shipe junior in the side—feats which appear greatly to have soothed his dying moments. The younger Shipe has since died also, with what confused notions of the justice of events it is impossible to say’. The moral of the‘whole affair is, that as lawyers’ tongues must wag, they had better he allowed to do so unheeded.