GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 24, 16 March 1878, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

According to the ' Bendigo Advertiser' of February 12, some parts of Victoria have been visited by severe thun lerstorms and floods. The Inglewood ■district was visited by terrific thunderstorms on Sunday last. Early in the morning a very severe storm of rain, preceded by vivid lightning and thunder, ■occurred, bat this was completely •eclipsed by the storm which broke over the town about noon. The thunder seemed sometimes to explode on the earth, and each clap sounded not like a <canncm going off, but more like the sudden discharge of a whole battery of heavy artillery, striking terror into the hearts of timid persons. About half-an-hour after the thunder commenced the rain again commenced to fall, and is declared by many to be the heaviest, for the time it lasted, that the)' had ever witnessed. In fact it did not seem to raiti in the ordinary sense of the term, but to tumble down anyhow in cataracts, waterspouts, or sheets. During the height of it houses were undistinguishable a hundred yards off. The wind blew, but with no great violence, from four different points, so often did it change. Twenty minutes the rainfall lasted, and in that time upwards of 2 1 inches fell, causing sheets of water to rush down hillsides in an alarming manner. At 2 o'clock the weather cleared up, and •everything remained quiet until six ■o'clock in the evening, when another thunderstorm burst over us, hut resulted in nothing more than heavy thunder and lightning, and a little rain, less than a ■quartet of an inch.. It is a remarkable circumstance that the storms just described seemed to run in narrow belts. The 2J inches of rain just mentioned fell on the western side of the town, while only a quarter of a mile in the opposite direction the quantity was only j-inch. The storm in the evening, which was ■comparatively slight in Inglewood, bunt with extraordinary violence at Mr. Nixon's farm, half way to Weddcrbuni. The lain commenced at a quarter to 8 p.m., and lasted only till half-past 8, by which timo u groat stream of water nearly half a mile wide and three feel deep, was careering along, carrying almost everything befuro it. Mr. O'Kccfe's house, although on rising ground, was flooded, and lie made preparations for clearing out with his family to the ranges oloso by. A man named Coleman sad to fly to the roof <>f his house for safety, and remain there all night. A hirdcatcher, who had camped the previous night near there, also had to loavo his cart, into whioh the water was coming, and lash himself in the top branches of a aapling, into which ho had harried, and remained thoir all night

The good city of Sydney wan disturbed from its propriety on the ,'lrd of Fobrimry, by salvos of artillery, and expectation was rife as to the cause ; but the anchoring of the Italian war vessel immediately

under the guns of H.M.S. Wolverine aoon dispelle I aft feats of nil invading force having effected an entrance into our wellpefendol bftrbor. Tfce expenditure of powder was only caused by the usual salutes passed on the arrival of foreign vessels in our port, and truly the Cristofcro Colombo is one of the smartest. This vessel is on a scientific tour, and on her first voyage. She was built in Venice, in IS7U, und sailed from thence on 20th January, 1877, under tho command of Conte Xapoleone Canevaro. She is composite ia construction, with iron bulwarks, and has, since leaving the Mediterranean, traversed half tho globe, .'is ports having been visited. .She touched at all tho principal seaports in the Indian, China, and Japanese Seas, and from hence will proceed to New Zealand, the various groups in the Pacific, and finally make San Francisco, from whence she will make her way down tho west coast of South America, and raioh her original port of departure by Cape Horn. This slop is wore adapted for speed than warlike purposes, being fitted with compound engines, supplied by Messrs. Penny and Co., of Loudon, which at full speed can propel her at the rate of 17 knots per hour. Her fittings are most elaborate. She has steam stealing gear, which can be utilised in four parts of the ship—viz., forward, amidships, abaft, or below on the lower deck. She is also supplied with all the necessary appurtenances for the invaluable use of the electric light, which are so arranged that from cither quarter, right ahead or from the bows, darkness is overcome for n radius of a mile. Her armament consists of five Armstrong US-pounders breach loading, hut arc entirely different in their mounting to those ordinary seen in use. The gun does not traverse in a slide —the carriage being a fixture. From the trunnion an arm reaches to the after part of the platform, and a lubricated cylinder, also connected with the trunion, is carried forward to the bed of the platform, so that when the gun recoils it is as if it were lifted up by what may be termed an executive motion and thrown into a horizontal position for again being loaded. The prevention of fire has been specially attended to, and pipes for the ready discharge of water traverse the decks in all directions. As this fine ship will remain in port for some; fourteen days, doubtless the inquiring public will have an opportunity of inspecting her many improvements in ordinary ships of war. —" S. M. Herald.''

Tlio Rev, \V. 0. Lawcs has been lecturing in Melbourne upon New Guinea, and, according to the report of the lecture given by the " Argus," he described some of the characteristics of the island ns follows:—"The coast was bold and picturesque in appearance, and, except in the dry months, the hills were covered with verdure. The Well-fenced gardens, coeoanut groves, aud pleasant villages gave a pleasing variety to the view which was entirely wanting on the northern shores of Australia. The character of the country wits clearly Australian. The guintrees were numerous. Wallabies jumped up on every side, and the laughing jackass uttered his familar laugh from every tree. The climate was extremely trying, and in many places very unhealthy. ..The average maximum temperature in 1875 at Port Moresby was 8077, the minimum temperature being 73"5, There was usually a heavy rainfall, but in common with every other portion of the southern hemisphere the present season was an unexoeptionally dry one, and no rain had fallen for many months. The natural division of the climate was into seasons, marked by the N.W. and >S.E. monsoons. Fever and ague were common on the coast, also low remittent fever. The soil at Port Moresby was very poor, the well-cultivated gardens of the natives producing nothing but a few bananas and yams. The gullies and valleys in the interior were mom fertile, and in them sugar cabo, taro, ami tobacco grew well. The natives had never seen rice,.and the country was too hot f»r corn. Oocoaputa shaded all the coast villages, and were very plentiful about Hood Lay. Better cultivation, would, no doubt, make the soil more productive, but the climate would never admit of laborious cultivation. Tortoiseshell, in small parcels, might occasionally be obtained, but a dozen pounds weight in a month's cruise would be a large quantity. Pearlshell was not found on the coast. Some weapons at Orangc.rie Bay were made of ebony, and a species of rosewood was found at Port Moresby. Beehe-lp-mer was plentiful, and at the south-cast end of the island somo good sponges were obtained, and to these productions must now be added gold." Referring to tho recent gold discovery he said.:—"Any expedition going to that country would have to plaeo no dependence on the natives for obtaining a supply of food. They only got a bare subsistence themselves, and their plant*tations produced nothing that could be of use to a white man. The natives would not act as porters beyond their own district. A vessel would have to be kept waiting on the party, to be available for getting away in case of sickness, danger, or misfortune. The natives were gem-rally known as Papuan and Malayan. The latter were found all along tho const, and were uo doubt the descendants of settlors from a distance.. In tho interior there ousted a race entirely distinct from both Papauan and Malayan, which was no donbt tho remains of a powerful race that onco held the whole island. No largo quadrupedes had yet Ihjoii discovered in New Guinea. Pigs were plentiful, both wild and tamo, and every village had its hordes of dingoes, which had not learned to bark, nut howled

[fearfully, all night lung. Until the missiuii was established at Moresby Bay the natives were believed to be a most cruel bloodthirsty rare, lie found then a mild anil peaceful nee, They were Very suspicious, ijuick to take otleucc, and abominably thievish.'' Is it possible (remarks the " Argus ") that the following opinions placed by " Punch " in the mouths of Mr. Herbert and Lord Carnarvon represent the real sentiments of the personages in question ? "Her.—But in a despatch marked

' private and confidential' he (the Governor) describes the character and antecedents of his responsible advisers, explains their revolutionary aims, and points out with what busy malignity they are fermenting u war of classes, with a view to get the control of a revenue of five millions sterling into their own hands, and that there is the greatest danger of a state of things being brought about in Victoria compared with the spoliation by the Tuuuniny Sing in New York would bo honest and reputable. Car.—l cannot help that. As the people of Victoria have made their bed so they must lie in it. And, between ourselves, Herbert, the Cabinet agree with me that it would not bo a bad thing for England to be afforded an opportunity of seeing how completely a country, overflowing with all the elements of prosperity, may be i oiued and disgraced by cn.<aisting the conduct of its political affairs to unscrupulous demagogues, lifted into office by unlimited suffrage Gladstone, you know, is going in for a general levelling downwards, so as to throw the balance of power in (his country into the hands of the ignorant and the unthinking, just as has been done in Victoria; and it will be well for us tj have a shocking example, such as the state of that colony will afford, to point to as a warning of (he calamitous consequences of entrusting ' the residuum ' with the franchise. Her. —But in the meantime it will be rather hard upon the educated and propertied classes iu Victoria.(o be sacriried for our instruction. Car.—There are the neighboring colonies, you know, which will eagerly welcome any accession of enterprise, intelligence, and capital from Victoria, and which will speedily rise in wealth and numbers, in her political, social, and industrial ruin. But it is time I went to the Council. Get the despatch ready for tho outgoing mail, and we will run it over together and forward it without delay. (Esil.) The Moama correspondent of the

" Riverine Herald " sends the following particulars of a ghostly sensation near the border town: —"About ten miles from Moama, em the east side of the line, stands a dummy bouse. The house has been occupied by a party of dam-sinkers, and bark-ringers. These men aver that about a fortnight ago they were disturbed by knoekings on the iron roof, and that upon getting up they saw the figure of a woman, when one among their number put the question, ' What do you want. .Missus ?' to which the figure replied that she had been murdered near that spot, and that the bones of herself and her infant would be found near the end of the hut, where they were placed fourteen years ago by Morgan, the bushranger. One of the party, who possessed a whip, made a strike at the figure, which did not move. The following day the news spread, and the nextnight a large party .assembled when the apparition again made its appearance, and the whole of these persons swear most distinctly that they saw the figure of a woman, and nothing can induce them to think otherwise. Last night a detachment of the Moama police, under the command of sergeant Yaughan, wont out to see if there was anything to bo seen, and there is no doubt if any person had been ' playing larks' he would have received a little cold lead. Upon the return of one of the police this morning I ascertained that while in the house last night a terrific noise was made on the roof like the sound of a heavy hammer, whereupon the party, rushed out of the house but could see nothing. The noise was repeated several times, and many of the party, amongst whom wero men supposed to be possessed of courage, seemed very glad on the approach of the grey dawn. The mystery, however, remains the same, and another party is to be organised, who, together with the police, intend to go out again to try and clear up the mystery. The men who were living in the hut have left it to the ghost, and gono and camped near a dam. It seems remarkable that thirty men should become alarmed, and positively aver that there is something in it."

Ahouseontbeplantation of D.P.Sprawls, some three miles from Williston, South Carolina, was consumed by fire, together with the oceitpants, Stephen Knocks, his wife and two children. A few days since two colored men wore arrested, and they confessed to the wanton crime. According to their statement the object in going to Stephen Encck's house, was to steal a aunt of money which he was said to possess. Their first act was to murder Stephen and his wife, after which they proceeded to ransack the house ill their plundering Bcheme. This acoornpli.licd, they returned to their victims and r.ovored them with bedclothes saturated with turpentine, After tiring this moss they locked up within the house an infant and a little child to perish in the flunii'S.

A Lowell man had a lumso but no wife to care for it. In a talk with a friend it was agreed that such an appendage, was a necessity, and a bargain wai made under which lie was to pay his friend $l5O for procuring one. Tho broker introduced him to a emort New Uami>»hire girl, the courting sjk.il

well, a speedy marriage was the result, and the man concedes that it was a lucky match for him ; but he refused to pay the broker because that gentleman saw fit to reveal the matter. The broker lias sued for the money, the lower Chart has decided against him, and the case goes to the Superior Court on appeal. The funeral of Win. S. Pontin, the young man who shot himself on a Hoboken ferry-boat on Wednesday, was held yesterday afternoon from the house of his mule, Mr. Crofts, at No. 17i) Raymond-street, Brooklyn. Miss 11. 11. Plant, to whom young Pontin was to have been married on the evening of the day of his suicide, was present at the burial Service, having remained all night at the house of Mr. Croftus. .She sat by tho open coffin, and appeared to be almost crazed with grief. When any person ajiproaehed the corpse she would raise her hands to prevent them from touching it. Then she would caress the dead wee. and repeat over and over again in a low tone, •• My darling, oh, my darling!" When the"time came to close the coffhl, she gave away to violent soljs, covering the lace of her dead lover with passionate kisses, and relapsed into a fit of hysterical weeping, which continued until she entered a carriage to drive to Greenwood. Young Potui's father was also present and appeared to bo much affected by the seea—" N. Y. Tribune," January 12.

IKb Chinese leper has had his photograph taken (says-the " Uockliampton Bulletin",). The ailist was constable O'Sullivan, who, though an amateur, is quite an adept in photography. The leper was stripped to the waist, ami views taken of his faee, chest, arms, and back. The man presents a sad spectacle. The face and arms are well covered with dark red blotches; the body is also spotted, thought not to the same extent, but there are a few large blotches on the back. The limbs are also said to be seriously affected. The discolorations, or blotches, belong to the first stage of the disease; but symptoms indicative of the second stage have made their appcarauco in the left baud and wrist. The circulation seems to be stagnant, the feeling has departed, and the hand is seamed with the characteristic white lines. He speaks a little English, keeps himself and the place very clean, and is quiet and apparently contented. He thinks, howover, that if hi' were in China ho could be cured. His little house stands in the centre of the gaol paddock, and is surrounded by a fence. His keeper occupies a tent a little distance off. The leper can have as much fresh air as he pleases within the enclosure during the day, but .it night the door of his domicile is secured by means of an iron rod resting in. two staples. The keeper, never touches the door witli bis hands. The leper's food and water are brought to the fence, and left there; and after the attendant has retired the leper comes forward and takes what he wants. While the photographic arrangements were in progress, he dined upon rice and tea, the rice being provided, instead of the usual fare, at his own request, He seems to have a good appetite. There appeal's to be no such thing as infection in such eases. The only danger, if any, would be from inooulation by actual eontact, and as the man is effectually isolated the chance of the disease being communicated to any one else may be considered nil. As a place of temporary sojourn the authorities approve of the present location, but favor the idea of afterwards shipping the leper oil' to Hong Kong, if that Iw possible, or of securing for him perfect isolation on some one of the coast islands, which could be set apart by proclamation for such a purpose. The Lannreston correspondent of the " Hobart Town Mercury," says : —" it is a common incident in three-volume novels for bank notes and scrip to a fabulous amount to be found in old articles of furniture, just in the nick of time, by the poor but virtuous hero or heroine; but it is rarely anything of the kind occurs in real life. An instance lias, however, taken placo in Launceston this week ; a man who purchased some second-hand furniture at n sale having found concealed in it bank scrip to the value of £7.50, which had evidently been undisturbed for some years. He is now advertising an owner."

To confide too much is to put our lemons into another man's squeezer.