FROM OUR EXCHANGES.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 112, 11 January 1879, Page 3

FROM OUR EXCHANGES.

A cricketer was lately killed at Sydney bv bciii'r struck under the ear with the bad. Fires originating from sparks thrown out i'V Joeojnotj vi--! destroyed on the 21st,

•24th, and 25fh December, L4OOO worth of property belonging to various settlers in ihe Napier district.

i Ll2Bl was taken at the gates at the j Caledonian game-", Dunedin, this year. 1 A public discus.-lon, extending over j three nights, has been arranged to take place between Charles Bright and Mr Green. The subject is the divine origin of Christianity. Mr Blair, engineer in charge of the Middle Island, accompanied by Mr Usher, j resident engineer, officially inspected the railway contract, Balcmtha to C.inton, on Tuesday 7 . They found the line generally in good order, and it, is understood the line will be opened after the minor works arc completed. The date of opening is not vet fixed.

The Rotorua has returned from the West Coast Sounds. The trip was a complete success, no accident • marring the enjoyment all through. Perkins, the Sydney wire-rope walker, altempted the feat of walking twelve miles on a wire rope in ten hours at Bathurst, and accomplished eleven miles in that time. His feet were severely blistered. There is for the present no intelligence whatever respecting the Mansfield murderers. As showing the feeling of insecurity which prevails, we (“Australasian’) give the following communication from our correspondent at Wood’s Point, dated December 20 :—“ The banks to-day sent away all g Id and money. They have stopped all issue, and closed for two or three days, until further notice. Tho business people are greatly distressed for want of the circulating medium. The correspondent of the ( Otago Daily Times,’ writing from London under date November 7, says “ Wars and rumors of Avars come unceasingly, and trade, already languishing, threatens to become altogether defunct unless the suspense is removed. They say things have never been so bad, and what with the violent reaction from the fever heat of seven years ago, and the failure of the Glasgow Bank and its crowd of more or less hishonest satellites, the outlook is very unpromising. Furnaces are cold by dozens, cotton-mills are Avorkiug. some half-time, some halfpower. hands are striking, and masters rather glad of it than othenvise. Hundreds of concerns are kept going in a halfhearted way at a dead loss, simply to avoid the greater evil of absolute stoppage. Merchants on ’Change salute one another gloomily, and wonder whether there Avill be many more years like 1878.” One of the most common subjects for paragraphs in coloniol journals is the “ servanfgalism” of the period, and in these the topic is invariably the cool im pudence of servants. We have heard (says the Auckland ‘ Herald’) of one instance, however, wherein an Auckland tranesman made a servant girl “toe the mark,” and no mistake, in a manner which few could have done. The girl was engaged to come home on the Th; rsday, which she did, bringing her clothes Avith her. Immediately after, however, she left, and did not return till the Saturday, Avlicn she said that she had been called away by telegram to attend to her uncle, who resided at Panmuiv, and who had boon taken ill. The trademan happened to find out that the excuse was false, and he said, “If I had not been prepared to take you avlicu you came to me after being engaged, you could have demanded a week's wages, and therefore I will not give up your things unless you pay me a week's Avages. ” Ihe girl was astounded, and refused, but after some time, no doubt wanting the contents of her box for the Christmas holidays, she sent Bs, which has been namied over to us for the Orphan Home, Howe-street. The mammoth ship Great Eastern is being fitted out at Milford Haven with refrigerators, for the purpose of carrying fresh beef and mutton from Texas to England. Thei’o are whisper’s abroad that the Colonial Treasurer is beginning to find out the utter impractibility of his land tax scheme, and that there is great trouble in the Land Tax Commissioner’s room in the big buildings an tho beach. From various parts of the colony come reports of the great difficulty of getting men who can assess land at its natural value, irrespective of improvements, and the almost utter ignorance of the valuers, Avhon appointed, to knoAv where to begin, Then there are great obstacles in the way of getting information in regard to land, and the County Council rolls are found to be of very little real assistance. The expenses too, are exceeding all computation, and leave little hope that the. Treasurer’s estimate of £90,000 will be realised this year. Poor Mr B dlance ! It is a pretty piece of business altogether. One effect of the existence of a secular svstem of primary education (says the ‘New Zealand Times’,) is that the conductors of Sunday schools are infusing more energy into their work, and striking out new methods of instruction. In one school, St. Paul’s, a system of standards has been introduced, and instruction is now being given Avith a view to an annual examination in all classes of religious lore, extending from easy questions about the Lord’s Prayer up to ecclesiastical history. The Land Tax valuation has to he made on or before the Ist day of February, 1879, although, by Avlia t Sir George Grey vould once have called the smoothing process of an Order in Council, the Governor in Council has power to extend the period. Wc hear that in many, if not in all, parts of the Colony further time will be needed, and that a proclamation in all probability will shortly appear appointing an extension of the time.

Tin; following is an analysis of the shareholders in the City of Glasgow Bank : Ladies, 323; gentlemen, 831 ; shareholders holding the amount of stock qualifying them to be directors, 185 ; bankers, 1C ; bank officials. 43 ; solicitors and other advocates, 35; ministers, 43 ; widows, 34 ; teachers, 7 ; paper makers, 9 ; merchants, 82 ; medical practitioners, 22; insurance agents, factors, Ac., 4v ; farmers, 24 ; executors, 78 ; trustees, 37 ; gentlemen whose profession is not stated, 335 There are 2G7 residents in Glasgow, 103 iu Edinburgh, 73 in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, 42 in Fifeshire, 27 in Inverness and the North, 21 in Crieff and Cumrie, 13 in Helensburgh, 12 in Stirling and its neighbourhood, 9 in Ayr, 8 in Elgin, 6 m Dundee, 3 in Perth, while the rest are scat‘ered over the southern counties and in the towns in the West, few reside out of Scotland. A late number of Mayfair ’ says, “Mr Archibald Forlx s, abandoning at an hour’s notice his programme of a lecturing tour in the United States, set out last week for Lidia, to describe the new

Afghan war. Telegraphing from India is no joke, and the ‘ Daily News ’ will have to pay pretty stiffly for its determination to maintain its pre-eminence in war correspondence. Each word telegraphed from India costs 4s 6d. Tims Mr Forbes’ communication to his paper will cost over LIOO a column for the mere charge of telegraph com mn nica tie n. The ‘New Zealand Tablet’ humourously remarks We are advancing steadily towards an epoch when the skulls that have fitted children hitherto, will be found to be much too small; they will not be able by any means to carry brains enough, and it is provoking to think that, unless some remedy can be devised, such fine prospects are in danger of being miserably crippled. We want a breed of children with at least three times the head-room so far required, and what seems quite as difficult to obtain, who will be willing to submit to ever so much additional study and intellectual labor. Tiie Bishop of Manchester, indeed, would have young men and women acknowledge themselves school-children up to twenty-one years of age. In sallying forth to seek for such, however, wc fear his lordship would to sensible folk, present the appearance of innocence presented by a little boy going to catch a bird by laying a pinch of salt on its tail.