GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 88, 7 June 1879, Page 3

GLEANINGS FROM THE PAPERS.

Hard on the bookmaker. In the pavilion at tho late cricket match there were present a grandson of Seringnpatam's hero, and a leviathan bookmaker. Said the hitter, " I'll lay your lordship a century on Sydney." The reply, soft but forcible, was—" Mr, T, if you bet here you'll be turned out." Archdeacon Thorpe has preache<l a sensational sermon at Wellington, a Now Zealand paper says, charging tho banks with leading their officers to embezzle the funds by paying wholly insufficient salaries, and expecting them to keep up a gooil positiuu. He also hit hard at opponents of tho drapers' early-closing movement, and exhorted the public to take the matter up and compel tradesmen to do justice to employees. He asserted the question was quite in the hands of customers of the drapers. The hanks here are in the hahit of making their clerks work many hours after closing, and the archdeacon exhorted the public to do away with this crying injustice. He said young men when overworked took to stimulants to revive their drooping energies, and afterwards became habitual drunkards. The Legislative Council of New South Wales have thrown out tho Chinese Immigration Regulation Bill. One hundred and seventy carpenters have struck tit the .Sydney Exhibition building. The respect which colonists entertain for rank and aristocratic birth, in spite of ultra democratic tendencies, is happily hit off by the Melbourne correspondent of the " Canterbury Press," who says in reference to the Marquis ,>f Normanby:! —'" Dut besides being a man, mr newGovernor is also a Marquis, and that accident is in no danger uf being overlooked or to slightly regarded For it is something to hob-nob with a Marquis, or to dance with him. The Hon. Mr M'Nab, and Kitty, his wife, certainly never could have dreamt in their early life that any such favourable distinction would ever befal them, yet they aro now both in a fair way to enjoy them to their hearts content. For a Highland shepherd and a Tipperary peasant girl, neither of whom was ever subjected to the restraint of shoe-leather until full grown, to entertain lords and ladies at their own tables, is a jump up in life which almost eclipses the feats of the hero of ' Monte Christo,' but such things are now possible in Victoria, to the great delight of no inconsiderable per centage of our community."

In the year 1878 there were 1,132,525 births registered in the United Kingdom, being at the rate of :t4 per 1000 of the estimated population, which was 33,881,9(io in the middle of the year. The denths registered in the United Kingdom in 1878 were 710,105, or 311 per 1000 of population. The natural increase of : population by excess of births over deaths was 430,300, or +9,242 less than the excess in 1877. The actual increase of population in 1878 cannot bo ascertained, owing to there being no complete reco'ds showing the balance between emigration and immigration. The Board of Trade report the emigration from the United Kingdom in 1878 of 113.430 persons of British origin, being an increase of 2."> per cent, over the unusually small emigration of 1877. Tho increase in 1878 was 22 per cent in English, 34 iu Scotch, and 27 in Irish emigrants. Of the 113,43!) British emigrants of 1878 thore wore 54,005 who loft for the United Status, 30,057 for the Australian colonies, and 10,997 for British North America, each of these numbers showing a marked increase over tho preceding year. The mean temperature of 1878. as shown at Greenwich Observatory, exceeded the average in ■every one of the first teu months of tho year, but there was a marked deficiency in November and December.; theiiuiauof tho year was 4'.17 deg., or I'2 deg. above the lost 37 years' .average. The rainfall at Gruuuwich iu 1878 amounted to SlrL'-itieli., measured in J lili duys ; this rainfall exceeded tho average by nearly 4 inches. The number of hours of bright sunshine registered at Greenwich Observatory iu 1878 was 1230, or 28 per emit, of its possible duration, the lttH being above the horizon MM hours.

A iiuiulx!!- of (.'liim'se npplied to hnvo their USUI put »u l.liu NfW Smith Walvi l ill ■! tlW.il I nil, mil WOW oiliuitt.nj.

Chatsvorth, tli- aetataof tin l>uk« of Devonshire, contains 2IKX) «», wlii-ii ba retain* for hi* private park.-mil Sorergarden, besi lea ii lonaudx mora that are ranted for fanning, His park is founded on i!i tidea by bills, which cut 1 teres . world, and ltd tha ah tin seen from the window of bis Brand ii inslon Hi- t! >wer-i i al ma c i iipria ■■ s 102 lixi ■ lab i irers arc eoui keep it in order. Ibe remai . ■•• u tbe 3000 acres is all

uid woodland, and stocked with de< r. This is said to be the finest private residence in Europe. it is stated that the number of atresia made in Rome on November 21 and 22 is estimated at 20i>. The police seized a large quantity of placards threatening with death all who should join in tbe ovation to tho King. The authorities also caused the photographs of i'assannute, which were being sold, to be confiscated. The same telegram says that some Socialist, Republicans were arrested at Padua and San Tepoleto, nnd adds that the report appears to be confirmed that only a short time before the royal train passed some dynamite placed on the railway lines was removed by the authorities. On Enster Monday there was an unloosed for sensation, Henri Leestrangn, known 08 the Australian Bloudin, ascending in ii ball KM) from the Agricultural Society's grounds, Melbourne The inflation ta« perfect and the ascent most successful, but when tin) balioon attained an altitude of about, a mile it burst with a loud report, and the whole thing collapsed. Thousands of people witnessed the catastrophe, and the greatest excitement prevailed regarding the fate of the aeronaut, who was seen rapidly descending by a pnra chute, w'.twr kept the cor tjloi-dbiy steady Lecstrauge iiad tie: presence of imml !• throw .ut ill the bsllast but -In' our came down with frightful vel icity Fortunately, it flighted in i tree in Government House Domain, and with tht exception >f » few bruises, Lcestrange flas unhurt,. His escape was most miraculous The acoideht was caused by his own inexperience, as he did n ■'• a. ivv for the great expansi in of iir consumed upon his rapid .is cent

It is not often (says the " West Coast Times") that a man is placed in .-ucli a position as to he compelled to issue a writ against himself, even ill an ofHsial capacity Mr. (jriiuond, the country chairman, is also Mayor of Boss. In tin former capacity lie has found it necessary to sue himself in the latter capacity for payment ot the recent award in the arbitration between the Council and the .Municipality. A man in Wellington enjoyed the pleasure of reading his own obituary notice. The "Chronicle," in apologising for its little inaccuracy, remarks : —" Wo, as Well as our contemporaries, contrived lo write -Mr. Bowler's obituary notice on Monday 1a some accident. Air. Bowler was reported to be dead on Sunday—iu fact, was bulievet? co be so—but it appears. Ue rallied, and on Mondax morning was going about ipiite lively.''