General News.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7875, 18 July 1905, Page 4

General News.

A correspondent sends to the Field a description received from Florida of a remarkable yachting incident : "A tarpon 6ft in length, weighing aluut 1301b, jumped and hit the side of the boat, fell in the cockpit down ion to the engine, bvnl pipes, etc., 'broke through into the cabin, and sla.-hed round for about twenty niinu'c :. Mr Van Ktten, managed lo put a rope round him, and pulled liim on to the deck, where he reposed peacefully. We had lo anchor, and it look the men nearly two hours to clc.in up ;, the cabin was covered with scales and blood away up lo the ceiling. Some people will nol believe ilial he jumped on board. I certainly thought we were wrecked."

It is almost incredible that the ■ victims of the frauds practised for the extortion of money should be. cheated over and over again. The London Daily News lias been explaining that the enterprising xwinJ- \ lers who live by these dishonest means purchase the addresses oi iliose whom they victimise through | the post. "These 'American' practtItioners," says the London paper, j •]■•;>■ from one another the innocents who have already been plucked. When one man has made a fortune, we will I say, by selling seven-roomed houses for 7s lid apiece, another, who intends to give a £lO prize to every one [who successfully spells 'cat; buys the addresses of those the first has swindled. They thro Walk into the new spider's parlour. On one morning a number of these credulous people receive an announcement that by no ■effort of their own, they have been selected by some benevolent but illiterate firm as the lucky recipient* of grand pianos or motor-cars Some slight expense will be necessary, say, the cost of a music stool tit one case, or an extra tyre in the oilier, and then the marvellous gift is at the service of the winner. So I w game goes on, the victims being I" Hot again and again before thev become thoroughly shy. The case of the Spanish hidden treasure has shown the vitality of a swindle. Ii is one of tire most serious reflections on the national intelligence that these oft-tried dodges for the extortion of money should succeed again and again, not with an cverircsh list of victims, but with those whose addresses are bought, by the hundredweight by to-day's swindler from him who was found out yesterday.

In L'lmlependence Beige o[ 10th Alay last there is published a long letter from Mr George Robertson, of the Government Life Insurance Department, giving an interesting account of the attempt made to colonise New Zealand by France in 1838, and ol how that effort was frustrated. Mr Robertson points out that though France could not have, her colony at Akaroa, she had (lie honour of introducing the Roman Catholic religion in that part ol New Zealand. "When the Aubc left the Bay of Islands, Bishop; Pompallier, who was probably aware of the intentions of the Nanto-Hordelaisc Company, and those of the French Government, sent two priests to Akaroa, wheic a Catholic mission was established. In 1810 the Bishop himself visited the locality, and that was the commencement of the present prosperity of the Roman Catholic Church 'in the privince of Canterbury. Notwithstanding enormous difficulties, the. Catholic religion progressed in a sure and remark'ablr manner, but it was not possible to erect a church in Christchureh until IXfiO. At present there are 25,0110 Catholics in the dirtcc.se of Chrislchurch, awl they are proud -f twv having, thanks to the unceasing efforts of their present Bishop—Bishop Grimes—a magnificenl cathedral o't their own, which cost nearly 1500«0U francs.