General News.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3895, 23 June 1881, Page 2

General News.

Mr and Mrs Davies, of Buninyong with their family, became seriously 111 a few days since after breakfast, the vatfse being attributed to having partaken of milk from a diseased cow, which /was mixed with other wholesome milk. ' A. couple of samples were, therefore, forwarded to Mr W. Johnson, Govern* ment analyst, and the following., is bis report on the subject:"—•" One fc& the samples of milk contains blood, evidently the result of some sort of disease. There does not appear to be any mineral poison present, and I am, therefore, led to infer that the poisonous substance presentis/of purely animal origin and not susceptible of detection by any chemical means that can be employed." "I

Fifty tars have taken ' French leave' of the Earl of OJanwilliam and the Detached Squadron. How are we to account for this singular circumstance ? Most people love to be in the presence of the nobility— if even for half-an-hour in a crowded .ballroom ; and here we have men living under the same roof, one might say, with the Earl and the Royal Princes, and yet they are not contented. They have actually the bad taste to prefer rambling about the purlieus of the city rather than staying at home with the Earl and the other titled officers. It is a curious world r indeedone set of persons running after the nobleman in season and out of s asbh, and the other set running away from them whenever they can get the chance; But, influenced by the most laudable motives, our Government has sent some ' gentlemen in blue' after these latter thoughtless persons, to endeavour to convince then of the propriety of returning to the bosom of the high society, whose members weifj and refuse to be comforted while iHey are away.—M. Herald. ...,,,

Here is the tale told by the " boots " of a leading Sydney hotel:—" I've been in this billet five years. When I started, I had £1 per week, and not a shilling in my pocket. In those five years I've made £3500 —and what's more, I've made it honestly, every shilling of it. Into tha bargain, I've got the title deeds of a £750 house. Men, big swells, who threw me half a sovereign or a £1 when I first came here, have since been glad to borrow a few pounds—or even to get a drink from me." 'Tis a mad world; my masters!— Sydney Bulletin.

Some of those whom the seductive advertisements of the •' JHodanow Watch Company" induced to speculate their money in the purchase of watches are beginning to receive replies to their communications, but the fortunate 'ones are only those whose letters happened to have reached their destination after the arrest of the swindler who designed the plan of operations. About the end of December last Mr B. Braun, of 83, King-street Sydney forwarded an order for a Bodadow watch, addressed to the Company, in Boston, and accompanied by a sum of money. By the last mail Mr Braun hrtA the satisfaction of receiving from the d&<L letter office the letter he had forwarded, together with its contents. His letter was returned by the postal authorities la America marked " Fraudulent."—Sydney News. ..,■;,

There is a melancholy consolation in hearing of a House of Commons worse even than our own. The House of Commons at Ottawa recently sat till eight o'clock in the morning, when the last of the twenty-five amendments to the Canada* Pacific Bail way resolutions moved by the Opposition was rejected by the. Governnment party, and the bill confirming the contract made with the original, syndicate of capitalists passed through its' first reading. The scenes in the House during the "all-night sitting" just before. the notes are described as having been of the most thrilling kind. Chorus songs were sung to the accompaniment of r toy trumpets, tiu whistles, and " dinner-born ;" while some sleepy members were used as targets, and pelted with wads of paper and blue books, The Government party let the members of the Opposition do all the speaking on the amendments, twenty of which were disposed of in the sixteen hours' sitting, but interruptions wei;e so frequent that no speeches in the ordinary acceptation of the term were in reality attempted. The night, it is stated* was "a memorable one in the annals of Parliamentary history."—C. Standard