MISCELLANEOUS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2794, 8 March 1882, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

A scheme for converting Vienna into, a seaport is the latest proposal.; A French engineer , suggests that by a system of navigable canals Vienna cun be connected with the Black anti North seas/ 1 The . cost is 'estimated 'at £11,000,000: ' ' A movement is on foot at Birmingham for erecting a national monument to Mr Bright. It is proposed, that the monument shall consist of a column which shall be the highest of its kind in the country, and that the foundation stone shall b 9 laid on August 10, 1882, when Mi Bright will have been a member for Birmingham fora quarter of a century.

When the Princess Louise reached England, she still carried in her car some fragments of broken glass, the result' of the accident at Ottawa when the horses bolted and she was thrown oht of the sleigh. An operation has been performed by which these have been removed, but the Princess is by no mpon* well, and il k-. ■ inoreibnu ovc. certain that she wL not again, see Cauaia—at least for s. me time to come.

of cats are kept by the London Docks Company in their cellars. The reason of this is that the celars are overrun with rats. The Company pays over £2OO a year for cat’s meat. The explanation of a Chicago man’s ;sleqpingj for'forty days, a sleep from wlncli they were unable to arouse him, is explained. The man was insane and imagined himself a watchman.

The United Service Gazette” states that .experiments have recently been m'adc- 1 with anI’'eldctrlc 1 ’'eldctrlc buoy in the Lower Bay, New York, which, if successful, may be the means of saying many a good ship from destruction. The old Courtney whistle buoy is com bined with an intermittent light by an ingenious contrivance, by which the motive power that blows the whistle also generates the electricity required to furnish the light. The motion of the wSv|s -fibmpresses the i|ir/ in side t£e buoy*, ana when'this pressufe reaches'-ii certain point it works a dynamo machine and burner constructed by the Edison Electric Light Company, The light is intermittent; in calm weather it ’doob hbt'appear, , *but the'fdore violent the waves, the greater the pressure on the buoy ; and the light under these circumstances shines with greater brilliancy.

The Rev. 8. McFarJane will this evening lecture in the Wesleyan Church on “ Cannibalism, Commerce, and Christianity.” r The chair will be taken by His Wbrshipttic Mayor at 7.30. There will be a collection in aid of the New Guinea Mission.

1 The. man Charles Geddes, whose attempted self-destruction on Saturday has been referred to has recovered. It is understood he gave his children some of the poison, and also endeavoured to persuade his wife to take some. No evil effects, however, resulted.,,. . ... .. One of the English society papers states that a novel society has been established at Exeter, under the patronage of the Bishop, its object being the of gbod manners, the members giving the sfollowing/undertaking T* promise, by help, to avoid cursing and swearing ’and all evil-speaking, to bear. no. gtudpjs, ,hnd to discountenance the same id ;otbeis, obey all laWfuli authdrity/'to hofifir ihe -JJueen, to study tp do goc/fi to jall/ita|n', and to picture of the character^-'bf'a I 1 gentleman” could not be drawn? cl '* At a meeting fifcthe CanterburyCdprsing 'Club held on Monday last, in Christchurch, the following, resolution was, .That the Secretary .telegraphMr/AVise, the -judge for the.jpast season, and that a'ineet 1 . irig of the Secretaries of the various''clubs held at'the GroaVtifidt'' IldtVV Satyi;day .next, at,l q’cjockj, to,; fihally settle the matter. t We have haditihebppoftunity of SnspeVtiqg a series of water colors by Mr Wilson, artist, of this town. Being unframed, they of course, not yet, ready for exhibition, bht we jyere much i pleased to note that they eVii|cd(considerabl| and af>mts • The light and shade alternation is in every - instance i.admirdfile, th? |s4rßpesJiVjj’ gpp|lj, and the objects in the foreground are not made to dwarf the general effect. There -ate vipys of Hokitika Eivey Dyskyßound,,, ‘Mount Cbdk t lomihe l TaSman 5 River, land ■Lake Wakatipq, which are specially interesting, and o’f these" Dusky 'Sound and Make Wakatipu are,, in. our opinion, ensiled to pre-eminence. It is satisfactory tb know that wesljavp] |0 capabjp an artist iq Timaru, and Mr Wilson should do well, ript only by the Vale of his pictures, blit by forming classed; Tor.-'instruction in painting and drawing. I The inhabitants of Sandhurst, Victoria, hkve been visited by a disease whicly hp caused a great deal of mortality. Suspicion ■pointed to the pork consumed by the good people as a probable cause, and a comniission of learned and illustrious igeiitlei men plocelfiedAn.’a of visitation of the various piggeries of the locality. j .'W'hat theyr saw/anfi smelt .horrified and convinced' .them/ * Pigs were discovered feeding on the toll putrid-yaicase of a’ihpfse, majority of oases pigs were found to be fid upon the most disgusting offal, whilst at a dam to which the animals were driven for water, blood and > fIUH bnd washings were-flowing :in vfrom, thei elapgbteriippfie.; In eh’oh ,: instance the .'stench Arising was sickening 1 and bvefpoweriiig,.' The -visit ’ disclosed A frightful state of' 'affairs. and will’ thb;; febling of uneasiness’ already existing ifi the 1 district' übbn thei question/ as to yrijether any of ,thq dipea_s?d meat hae been brought...lnto„ copsuMption.