NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1556, 14 September 1886, Page 3

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Snow in midsummer is a novelty. Ben Nevis Has, however, received h coating in the middle of June, and on the longest day snow was still visible on the slopes of the hills near Penrith. During the past twenty years nearly £66,009 has been expended in the survey of the Holy Land by the Palestine Exploration Fund Committee. Mr Sala lately advertised for a lady secretary, age not under thirty, governess preferred, who must write a legible hand and hay© a knowledge of French. He received 435 answers, and the terms demanded by these ladies varied from 6s a week to 355. Such is the dearth of seamen and stokers in our honu ports (rftys an English paper), that trials of vessels have had to be postponed for want of a crew to take them outside the harbor, For instance, the number of seamen available for service at Devonport is now so small that the Fgetia could not proceed on a steam trial for want of men, and eventually this was

on'y carried out on Wednesday by taking ten nut of twelve seamen from the Seahorse, now in dack, and utilising their serv-ces for this duly.

An auxiliary to the rudder for steering aea-go'iig vessels has been proposed. It cnnrdsta principally of two discharging pipes, plaeed on each aide of the vesal’a stern as fur below the water-line as possible, and connected with a steam pump capable of forcing a powerful stream of water through the pipes, which, impinging upon the water in contact with the vessel, would force it to the s'de opposite that from which the stream issues.

At Windsor Petty Sessions, before the county justices, on July 17th, James Junior was brought up and charged with being a wandering lunatic. Inspector Savage, stationed at Windsor Castle, slated that ho had found the prisoner in the Upper Ward of the Castle, and the man told him ho was a private enquiry agent living in Melbourne Chambers, Hast Smithfield. He added that he desired to obtain a privats interview with the Queen, as he wished to marry her. He acknowledged having written a letter to Her Majesty, in which he addressed her as “ My beloved Victoria,” and subscribed himself “Your husband the Emperor.” He wanted to get an interview in order that he might have her answer “yes’! or ” no.” On being searched a large-bladed knife was found upon him, which he said he used for cutting his corns. In answer to the magistrates, ithe prisoner said he was a Scotchman, and strongly protested against being sent to an asylum. After reading a medical certificate, the bench made an order for the prisoner’s removal to a lunatic asylum. The Lancet declares that people who drink large quantities of tea first become “ wildly excitable,” and then “the sense of hearing goes.” Truth thinks this is had news for the Bishop of London, who is the greatest drinker of tea that has been known in England since the death of Dr Johnston. Now that we are to have an alteration in the effigy of the Queen upon coins, I sincerely hope (writes Mr Laboucbere), that some effort will be made to divide the penny into a greater number of fractions. In France a halfpenny is divided into five centimes, and many little articles are sold to the poor for one centime. If our penny were divided into ten centimes instead of four farthings, and a number of centimes were coined, many of the articles now sold for a halfpenny would be only charged a centime. Sir Julius von Hsast read before u meeting of the Geologists’ Association, held in the Conference Hall of the Exhibition on July 17th, a paper, on “ The Mineral Resources of New Zealand.” Sir, Julius described the various goldfields /.of the colony, and* observed that the total amount of gold extracted in 1884 amounted to 240,000 oz. He then referred to the deposits of silver, copper, tin, antimony, iron, nickel, platinum, and coal, the last of which, he said, was scattered over the country, and would become a source pf great wealth to the colony, when good harbors for its exportation had been constructed. Mr Warrington Smyth said that he thought the serpentine rock which existed in great quantities in New Zealand would turn out to contain large and valuable I masses of copper, as did similar rock ] in Cornwall. Professor Rupert Jones I said that Dr Hector’s geological explorations in New Zealand had in bis opinion thrown quite a new light upon geology. The discussion having been further continued, Mr Toplin moved a vote of thanks to Sir Julius, and the meeting then adjourned to inspect the mineral products of the colony in the New Zealand court of j the Exhibition.

Referring to the sale of Lord Oholmondaley’s Norfolk estates, including Houghton Hall, one of the most magnificent mansions in Great Britain, and which possesses an enduring fame from its historical associations, the World says “Houghton is haunted by two ghosts, who must have transferred themselves from the old house. Two brothers fought a duel here 300 years ago, and one was killed, and bis spirit haunts the billiard room. There is also the famous brown lady, who enjoys the credit of having scared George IY. out of the bouse. This is Lady Dorothy Walpole, wife of Lord Charles Townshend, who died mysteriously after aa unhappy life ; and she haunts the state bedroom. George IV., when Prince Regent, slept in this apartment, and after his first night at Houghton be came down furiously angry and much excited, declaring with many oaths that he would not pass another night in the accursed house; and presently he added, ‘ I have seen that which I hope I may never see again,' Months after, he stated that on awaking in the night he had found standing by the bedside a little lady dressed all in brown, with dishevelled hair, and a face of ashy paleness,"