GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 134, 1 September 1870, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

The " Observer " understands that Sir Charles Mordaunt intends to appeal from the decision of the Court of Divorce to the House of Lords at the earliest opportunity, and thus to endeavour to obtain a hearing of his suit against Lady Mordaunt.

In the environs of Paris we have a Spurgeon-priest. While his parishioners slumbered during the sermon, he suddenly exclaimed — " Fire !—! — fire!" "Where?" said the panic stricken sleepers. "In hell !" replied his reverence, "where all those who sleep during sermons go to." — Paris letter.

The managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital have adopted the following plan, recommended by the medical surgical staff of the Hospital to provide for teaching female students :—: — The clinical term shall be for six months, from October to March inclusive. Medical teaching shall be given once a-week in the women's wards. Surgical teaching shall be entirely at the option of the surgeons on duty, and if given by any members of the staff the lectures are to be confined to the women's wards.

A handsome young lady, with a clashing young gentleman, stepped out of an elegant brougham on the Boulevard. Hardly had the lady time to shake her dress into the flowing folds when her cavalier took to his heels, and the lady commenced to feel the effects of a cane. It was her husband, who had found her in Jlagrante delicto. The crowd desired to interfere, but she requested the Messieurs to hold back. She admitted she deserved the rod. Better it than six months in the adultresses' ward at St. Lazare, with a shaven head. — Paris letter.

The imports of Australasian gold into the United Kingdom in the first three months of this year have been on a very considerable scale, having amounted to £1,727,854, as compared with £1,000,420 in the corresponding period of 1869, and £934,80 i) in the corresponding period of 1868. In the whole of 1869 the imports amounted to £7,892,757 ; this total shows a considerable improvement upon that of 1868, which was £6,989,594, and also upon that of 1867, which was £5,801,207. In the preceding nine years the value of the Australasian gold received in the mother country had beenasfollows:— lßsß, £9,064,763; 1859, £8,624,568 ; 1860, £6.719,000; 1861, £6,331,225 ; 1862, £6,704,753; 1863, £5,995,368; 1864, .£5,656,971; 1860, £5,051,170; 1866, £6,839,674. The rally which the returns for 1869 and 1868 indicate in the production is due to the opening out of further goldfields in Queensland, South Australia, and New Zealand.

Thirty bachelors in Lansing, lowa, have sworn a solemn oath they will marry none but widows. At a premium at last, for the bachelors have all turned sixty-five.

There is now on exhibition in New York a " steam man " which actually walks — not merely performs with the legs the movements necessary for walking, while the body is suspended on a fixed support like the old " steam man" which made so much noise about two years ago, and which, we suppose, is now defunct. It was claimed for the old steam man that it was to be used for traction and other useful purposes ; but the new one commences its career with no such pretensions. All that is claimed for it is that it makes an interesting exhibition. It has the same walking mechanism as the clockwork walking dolls patented some years ago. The mechanism is driven by one of Behren's rotary steam engines, which has been found better suited than any reciprocating engine on account of its producing less vibration, and consequently being less liable to disturb the equilibrium of the man in the walking movement. As an ingenious piece of mechauisin, the walking steam man is an object of interest.

A Maine Yankee has invented a five-dollar sewing machine, which is about as large as a four-bladed jackknife, is self-feeding, and knits a perfect elastic seam. It looks like an apple-parer or a nutmeg-grinder.

Two boys in the employ of the Erie Eailway Company having swindled that company out of 270 dols., the "New York Herald" heads the notice of the case, " The Force of Example."

On June 13, it was announced that the President of the United States had ordered the release of the Cuban privateer Hornet, that was seized last year at Wilmington. The owner gave bonds to the amount of 50,000 dols. that he would not sail against Spain.

After having been detained in the Mersey for several days in consequence of adverse weather, the City of Ragusa, a little boat, only two tons burden, and 20 feet long, left the Mersey on June 8, for New York, having on board only two men, namely the Commander, Captain Sir J. C. Buckley, and a Genoese sailor, Peter De Costa. The little boat is well provided, having stores for three months on board. She is fitted up as a yawl, and covered over with a small poop amidships ;-and she has also got an auxiliary screw, which can be either worked by hand or by a kind of windmill, fitted to the mizenmast. She can spread about 70 yards of canvas, and Captain Buckley expects to make the voyage in about fifty days. Before leaving Liverpool,

Captain "Buckley saw some of tho j agents and owners of the Liverpool, ! and New York strain ship*, w'io promised him that the commanders of their vessels would keep a good lookout for the City of Ragusa, and report her. The little craft put into Queenstown on June 12, owing to stress of weather. During the first days of her passage she experienced light winds, but on June 9 and 10 strong northwesterly winds set in with a heavy sea. The vessel bahaved admirable, but the gearing of the propeller is leaking, and it will be necessary to remedy the defect before she proceeds on her voyage. The Belgian papers record the trial of an Englishman at Brussels for swindling. The prisoner, a venerablelooking old man with white hair, arrived some time since at the Hotel de l'Enrope, accompanied by a young woman, who he said was his wife. He gave the name of Richard Conway Seymour, and, after staying at the hotel for some time, attempted to leave the city without paying any of the bills he had incurred. The " Etoile Beige " states that the prisonei*, under the name of Horace Belmore, was condemned to hard labour for life by the Assize Court of the Seine in 1828; under the name of Amyas Deane he was sentenced at Brussels to ten years' hard labour; and in the name of Williams he had been sentenced by the Assize Court of the Pas de Calais to five years' hard labour. It appears that he was pardoned in IS4B, and in 1851 or 1852 he was arrested at Calais when about to embark for England, and under the name of Cavendish he was condemned to fifteen years' hai-d labour. While in prison he declared that he wus the rightful Puke of Devoushire, and having succeeded in corrupting one of the prison officers made his escape, disguised as a woman. He was, however, recaptured at Havre, and sent to the bag n e, where lie fulfilled his sentence. In 18G7 he was charged at Lambeth Police Court with having committed bigamy, and underwent a term of imprisonment. At other times he has been convicted at Calais, Boulogne, Havre, and Naples under the various names of Seymour, Ponsonby, Duke of Devonshire, Bentinck, and other arhtocratie stipulations. His marriages were frequent, and it is certain that three, at least, of his assumed wives are still living. The Brussels Court upon this last occasion ionvictc»l the prisoner of swindling and passing by a false name, and sentenced him to twelve months' imprisonment.