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South Canterbury Times, Issue 2184, 18 March 1880, Page 3

HOME ITEMS.

An extraordinary billiard match was played on January 6, before 1,000 spectators, at Sheffield. The players were Joseph Bennett ex-champion, and W. Mitchell, the winner of the last two tournaments in London. The game was 1,000 up, and when Bennett had reached 360, Mitchell ran from 522 to 100 thus finishing the game off-hand. He continued his break and scored IS more, his total thus being 726 —the largest in a great match on record. All but three points were made by spot hazards.

There is a perfect fruit famine in the Grecian Archipelago. There lias been for some years back a falling off in the produce of oranges and lemons, with a simultaneous diminution of the rainfall. The inhabitant of Ehodcs, who formerly sent some hundreds of shiploads of fruit in all directions, are now unable to supply their own needs, and have to import lemons from Candia. This year there has been scarcely any fruit crop at the Archipelago. The trees have been assailed by a destructive insect which appears everywhere in myriads. The following story is related of an old maid who keeps a tavern ‘ out. West.’ one day a tramp walked into the bar-room, and representing himself as the champion rat-killer of the States, told the proprietress that, in consideration of a good dinner, he would destroy every rat upon the premises. To this she readily consented, as the house was indeed terribly infested with the vermin. The tramp was raai’shalled into the dining-room, and enough eatables were set before him for three ordinary men, which he went through in double-quick time; he then smacked his lips, and called for something to drink to wash the food down. The landlady gave him a flask of ‘ old rye,’ and by the time it was gone he declared himself satisfied, and said ‘ Now then, clear the room of everything, got me a club, and lam ready for business.’ Curious to know how lie was going to proceed and chuckling to herself as she thought how cheaply she was getting rid of the rats, she soon placed a club in his hands. He rolled up his sleeves, rubbed his hands together, and, holding the club aloft, yelled, ‘Now then old woman, trot out your rats ; I feel like annihilating a couple of thousand of them?’ The following note from an extensive and, so long as times permitted, highly successful Scotch farmer, speaks more eloquently than anything we have seen or heard of the rcality r and magnitute of farming losses in recent years ; “Forty-five years ago I commenced farming with barely £SOO, which, in the course of forty years I converted into £40,000 ; but during the last five years I have lost £20,000, and if times and seasons do not change, I will soon cud as I began.” An old man was charged the other day at Ectford, with having sold cigars without a license. His defence was rather odd —and cool, to sa} r the least of it. It was held, first, that cigars were not mentioned in the Act, bearing upon the offence ; and next, that the 1 cigars ’ sold by the man contained no tobacco, but were made of cabbage leaves. The Ectford magistrates were sufficiently impressed by the arguments for the defence to dismiss the summons, but notice of appeal was given. In order to show how greatly the pressure of agricultural distress has deepened during the byegone years, the European “ Mail” mentions that no less than 1,430 failures of farmers were recorded during the twelve months of 1870, as against, 810 iu 1878, and 477 in 1877. The rate of increase in these failures thus revealed is quite as serious a fact as their large numbers. The London hospital authorities were an December 27 the recipients of a splendid Christmas-box. A lady was seen to leave a letter iu the box at the porter’s lodge addressed to the secretary, which on being opened was found to contain £OOOO. The writer left, we unlerstand, no clue to her identity. She will probably turn up in the Lunatic Asylum.