ODDS AND ENDS.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 155, 18 June 1879, Page 2

ODDS AND ENDS.

‘Land and Water’ estimates that a couple of rabbits will in the period of four' years increase to the enormous total of 250,000. Edison has not yet completed Ids arrangements for superseding - gas. In the meantime the ‘Now York Herald’ is experimenting with the electric light in its composing rooms. Professor T. C. Archer, of Edinburgh, says that tire atlas of Colorado and portions of adjacent territory is one of the most masterly works in chartography which any country lias produced. The famous English colt Peter, who lias never been beaten but once, is expected to run next fall in New York against Keene’s Spendthrift, who has ne ver been beaten at all. The “ Poets’ Corner’’ in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, contains the writings of, more than eleven hundred Scottish poets and verse writers, of whom 930 are named, the remainder being anonymous. It is expected that the railway up Vesuvius will be finished before the close of the summer of the present year. Each train will consist of eight cars attached to a steel cable. The cable will be double in case of accident.

The treasurer of the City of Glasgow Bank Belief Fund has received a contribution of £302 13s 4d from the St. Andrew’s Society of St. Johns, Newfoundland.

Several students were fined at the Northern Police Court, Glasgow, for riotous conduct during a performance of the Italian Opera in the Prince of Wales Theatre on the Bth March.

Amongst those that are supposed to have been killed by the disaster at Porke’s Drift are Andrew, son of Alderman Mor ton, of Berwick, and a man named Lowe, of Tweedrnouth. Jewish residents of New York are organising extensive Hebrew colonies to be established in the far west. The. Duchess of Cannaught is the daughter of one of the most famous soldiers of the age. Prince Frederick Charles of Ilohenzollern stands out conspicuously as a successful general. At the Kildare Assizes, Ireland, on March 15th, John Griffin, for 33 years postmaster at tire Cnrrah, was convicted of stealing 30 letter’s, and was sentenced to five years’ penal servitude. All the poets laureate have been Englishmen except Nahum Tate, the murderer of the Psalms, who was an Irishman.

ISTo Scotchman has ever occupied the post. The operative joiners in Kelso have received notice that there will he a further reduction in their wages of a -|d hour, making the wage 6d. _ Mr Charles Dickens is compiling a “ Dictionary of London,” which aims at presenting, in a concise foimfcjm intelligible epitome of every kind of practical information about London. Heads in England are just now “worn small” The “ scag and topknot”—the knot brought down to the nape of the nec k—is the most fashionable coiffure in “ society.” In Paris a great effort is being made to revive came Has for evening wear, but white roses are preferred because of iheir most graceful appearance. The camelia suits .only a stately lady, and is not becoming to small people. The telectroscope is the name proposed for a new apparatus designed to reproduce, telegraphically, at a distance, the images obtained in the camera obscura. A blue sapphire of marvellous size has been recently found in the Island of Ceylon. It weighs two pounds, and was discovered by two boys, who sold it for a trifle. It is said to be worth £IO,OOO. Mr Walter Thomson has been forced to close bis oatmeal mill at Seaforth, Canada, owing to the duty imposed on American oats under the new tariff. There are six lepers in the Chinese lepor hospital, Ballarat, Victoria. The Californian authorities ship all lepors back to China. The fact that the light of torches does not diffuse itself in a cavern is ascribed to the presence of a mouldincss which absorbs all floating particles of dust. Mr C. O. Gregory states in the English 1 Mechanic’ that he has successfully used the gas and water pipes in his dwelling as a source of electricity for phone. It is now proposed to hold the contemplated international exposition in New York in 1883 or 1885, or several years earlier than was at first suggested. The Americans will soon have a second railroad across the continent. The Southern Pacific rail road, track has reached a point 830 miles east of San Francisco. Some Minneapolis millers are experimenting with machinery for compressing bran, for the purpose of shipment to Europe. A New York doctor declares that the walking exhibitions that are going on all over the country are not walking exercises at all, but sheer abuse of strength and open defiance of all natural laws. An English paper, referring to Dr Carver’s challenge to fire at glass balls with a rifle, says that an American Indian might as well invite an Englishman to a match of throwing a tomahawk. The earty Britons weie celebrated for their breeds of dogs, and of these the most remarkable were the large rough wolfhound. The mastiff has been preserved, and an effort is to be made to resuscitate the Irish wolfhound.

A genuine Irish wolf dog, owned'by Mr Lester Wallack, caused a sensation at a late dog show in New York. He was formerly owned by Mr Dion Boucicault, and-is said to be the only animal of the kind in America.

Snow has again fallen to a depth of several inches in Southerlandshire, in the end of March, and sheep farmers, who were beginning to congratulate themselves on better prospects, had gloomy forebodings for their flocks. An American, Mr de Hnis, American Consul at Alexandria, has recently made the tour du monde in the short period of G 3 daj's. He started from Alexandria, and reached New York in 20 days ; thence to Hong Kong in 20 days, and via Suez to Alexandria in 23 days.

According to Dr Richardson, hot water at 120 deg. Fah. will kill typhus germs, and soap acta as a poison to them. The remedy against typhus, then, is in every household.

Tf Stanley and others have gone farther and accomplished, more in the shape of actual result than Livingstone, it is simply because they have followed in his steps and completed that which lie so nobly began. London is said to be full of French and Germans. It is chiefly “ foreigners” who i are now manipulating the electric, light in ; that city. _ - Ou March 15th Mr Barry Sullivan con- j eluded a twelve nights’ engagement at the j Theatre Royal, the play selected being | the “ Gamester.” ( Mr Arthur Sullivan states that although ' 150 companies are playing “H.M.S. Pina/ fore ” in the United States, only manager has made any pecuniary ackuow-\ lodgement to the authors. I The boys the Hutcheson’s • Hospital Schools of Glasgow have commenced a course of instruction in swim- | ming at Greenhead Baths, and the girls j will begin to receive lessons soon. ’ America now sends Britain to the value of L 65,000,000 sterling of feeding stuffs each year, with about L 7,000,000 worth . of manufactured articles ; but that she takes from England only L 25,000,000 worth in return. Professor Chalmers, of London, states that about five per cent, of Presbyterian ministers proceed to the foreign field, which he thinks is a larger per-centago than can be claimed for any other denomi- < nation. i The committee of the Airdrie Slaugli- | terhouse lias resolved to levy the slaughter- j house dues ou all American beef imported I for sale into the borough of Airdrie. 1 The Leith Dock Commissionhave agreed | to instruct the engineers to prepare plans 1 and specifications for a new graving-dock j to be erected east of the Albert Dock. The cost is estimated at £25,000. The trial of the Bev Dr the Brooklyn Presbytery has not yet made, any appreciable progress in the production of evidence for or against the accused. The Whitehall Review says that the poor Tittle Duke of Newcastle is a cripple, one of his legs having - been amputated) through scrofula. His mother the Duchess! bought all the Clumber mortgages, and hej will come into L 200,000 a-year. i The rojml plate at Windsor is reported; to bo worth L 1,800,000. It includes a gold service ordered by George IV.j which will dine 140 persons, and one of the finest wine-coolers in the world. . The changes which have been made in the Canadian sugar duties have induced Americana interested in that trade to con-| sider the erection of refineries at Montreal. The Sydney Exhibition building is sc far advaac d that the number of men

employed is decreasing. A restaurant on the ground supplies meals at Gd each. A paragraph is going Qxc rounds respecting the replacing and transplanting of teeth, "which is quite incorrect. Teeth-re-placed very rarely succeed, and often produce unpleasant if not dangerous conse-

quences. A boy who Avas killed by lightning in South Australia Avas found after death to have a fig-leaf and geranium, Avhich he Avas holding in his hand, photographed on his breast.

The stock trade in Sydney is depressed. Owing to the breaking-up of the meat preserving companies there is no means of consumption for the surplus stock. There will bo a grand international regatta - at tlm time of the Sydney Inhibition. English, American, and intercolonial crews arc expected to compete. A p -eject is in contemplation to establish a Avorking-men's free reading-room in the’centre of Melbourne, Avith the A’ieAV of improving - the moral condition of that portion of the city. Preparations are doav on foot for the representation of Tasmania at the International Exhibition to be hold in Sydney in September next. A royal commission has been appointed. Tho r.opublic of Mexico has determined that an international exhibition of the products of agriculture, iudustiy, sciences and arts shall be held next y eai in the City of Mexico. Specimens containing, a nugget of /00 ounces of gold amongst others have been found in the No, 2 Lady Mary Claim, Gyunpie, Queensland.