GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 151, 29 December 1870, Page 7

GENERAL NEWS.

A monumental pillar, erected by the voluntary subscriptions of seventeen hundred boys and girls, was unveiled in Bunhilliield Burial Ground, London, over the grave of Daniel Defoe. In digging for the foundations the body of Defoe was found at a depth of 12 feet from the present surface.

Dr. dimming preached on Sunday night, 18th September, a sermon on the war. He sought to prove that the present crisis was in accordance with prophecies in the Book of Revelation, and contended that Prussia was an instrument in the hands of God, and a means to the working out of the revelation as to the overthrow of the Papal power. -

A terrible tragedy occurred in Greenwich on Sunday morning, September 18th, at about half-past one o'clock. A dealer in shrimps, having finished his Saturday night's peregrinations, had arrived at horne — a wretched cellar, where he lived with his wife and five children, the eldest a girl cf 17. He began to eat his supper, when his wife, who was in bed, sat up, and began to complain of the " saucy " behaviour to her of one of the boys. The father upon this threw the knife he was using at the boy, but it missed him and entered the body of the mother, inflicting a wound of which she died in an hcur and a half. The father ran out of the house declaring he would commit suicide, aud has not yet been heard of.

On the 25th August, the doors of the Grand Central Hotel, situate on Broadway and facing Bond-street, New York, were thrown open for the first time. This immense hotel will accommodate 1500 guests in its 650 rooms. Over 35,000 square feefc are the superficial area of each floor, and the top floor surface dimensions of the interior amount to 350,000 square fee 6. Ther? are two. courts in the centre, 20 feet wide by 160, affording light and ventilation. These courts are bridged by the main hall on each floor, fire-hose is conveniently located on every floor, while two large tanks, each holding 10,000 gallons of water, are sitnate on the top of the hotel. There are four entrances on Broadway, and two on Mercer-street. The building is heated by 30 miles of steam coil. The price of board for transient customers is 3 ciols. 50c, and 4 dols. per clay, accord-ing-^to location of room, while permanent boarders are allowed a considerable reduction from these rates. In the statistics of the hotel we find the number of bricks 4,000,000 ; cost of building and ground, 1,500,000 dols. ; cost of furnishing, 500,000 dols. ; water supply in tanks (in gallons), 20,000 ; number of chairs, 5000 ; number of doors, 2000 ; depth between Broadway and Mercer, 200 ft. ; height to top of flagstaff, 197 ft. ; length on Broadway, 175 ft. ; number of halls, 50 ; carriages, 15 ; ceilings, averago height, 12 ft. ; numbpr of storeys, 10 ; acres of carpeting, 7 ; steam-engines, 3 ; elevators, 2 ; acre of marble tiling, I.— "New York Times."

At the Matriculation Examination, October Term, Melbourne University, the names of the following eleven gentlemen are recorded as having passed with credit: — Messrs. G. Bell (son of Mr. George Bel], editor of •'Evening Star," Dnnedin, Assistant Shorthand Writer, Victoria), W. H. Byrne, J. Chalmers, 11. B. Higgins, E. H. Irving, J, A. Kennisou, J. M'lnerheney, W. F. Mooro. S", G. Pirani, R. F. Russell, IL J. Wallace.

" D_o you sing 1" says the teapot to the kettle. " \es, 1 can manage to get over a few bai's."

A kiss, says an ingenious authority, is like the creation, because it is lua'de of nothing and very good.

An Irish paper says that "la the absence of both editors, the publishers have succeeded in seeming the services of & gentleman to edit the paper this week."