General News.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4788, 14 May 1884, Page 2

General News.

Aaother cargo of moral sewage has, says the Argus, been discharged in the Fort of Noumea from the transport ship Loire, which has brought 373 convicts, of whom no less than two- thirds are officially classified as inveterate criminals, consisting of 33 assassins, 18 murderers, 24. homicides, 18 men who hare been guilty of criminal attempts upon women, 21 incendiaries, 9 persons convicted of stabbing and wounding, 12 forgers, ".-20 coiners,of counterfeit money, 1 bigamist, and 277 habitual thieves. Of these, 225 are old offenders, although by no means old in years; for it seems that those who witnessed their debarkation were struck by the youthfulness of the greater number of them. There were no less than 50 who are under 20 years of age, and 114 who are between 20 and 25. They are therefore full of physical vigor, which will qualify them to succeed in the efforts tjjey are sure to make to escape fro^ the penal settlements; and the; will have possibly a long career of crime before them in these colonies, towards which they will naturally, shape their course.

For exactly three «.nd twenty years has the lady'wfeoiiiH chooses to be known as I/Lisa Braddon been writing novels to the delight of millions, Forty.ont of her

novels are now before the public. Surely no living novelist has a'nytbing like her popularity, while her fertility must ran Trollope, the great machine-produced novel provider, very hard indeed. And the extraordinary thing' is that, unlike A. T., Miss Braddon loses none of her freshness and " go." " " Phantom Fortunes M seems to have all the enticing qualities of " Lady Audley's Secret," with the addition of that worldly wisdom which 23 years' worldly experience cannot fail to give a clever woman. And Miss Braddon is as kindly as she is clever, which is more than can be said of some of her literary sisterhood.

The capture of a thief under very exceptional circumstances is reported from Paris. He contrived to gain admission into a set of chambers during the absence of the lawful-occupant, and proceeded to lay hands on everything of value he could find. In the midst of this opera* tion it occurred to him that his wardrobe was in urgent need of renewal, and he therefore took off his clothes with a view of replacing them by o'hers he found in the room. Scarcely, however, had he reduced himself to the garb of primitive man when he heard a step outside, and promptly hid himself under, the bed. Someone, entered the room, and the thief lay noiseless for several minutes. At length the new comer departed, and he ventured to leave his hiding place. But much to his disgust he discovered that the visitor had been a gentleman in bis own way of business, for not only was everything in the chamber carried off, but even his own suit of clothes had disappeared ! He was therefore compelled to await the return of the owner of the property, who at once handed him over to the police. '

An American scientist considers that throughout the early geological epochs known as Archalan, Silurian, and Carboniferous, the sea covered North America, the British Isles, and Western Europe, while a large part of the North Atlantic area existed as dry land. He urges that if his conclusions prove to be well grounded, the doctrine of the permanency of oceans and continents, as tested by the case of the North Atlantic, must be discarded.