GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 160, 2 March 1871, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

In a letter to the " Melbourne Telegraph," Dr. Singleton made the appalling statement that, " While the average mortality of children in England per 1000 deaths of all ages is 67|, the same mortality in Victoria is above 500, while in some of the suburban boroughs it reaches 700. The death rate for all ages for Melbourne and suburbs is above 30 per cent, higher than that of the remainder of Victoria." In fact, the mortality among children is five times greater in Victoria than in England.

In a paragraph published by us a few days ago, it was stated that Bishop Viard had been arrested as a spy by the Prussians. We have since been informed that his Lordship was arrested as stated, but was liberated after a brief detention. Bishop Viard is now on his way back again to Wellington, accompanied by seven sisters of charit y, most of whom will take up their residence at the Convent, Barbadoes street. A Wellington cotemporary is glad to be able to contradict the report concerning the arrest of Bishop Viard, whilst travelling on the Continent, The very first mail delivered in Wellington brought to the Catholic clergy a letter dated from London the 22nd of November, in which his Lordship said that both he and the Very Rev. Father O'Reilly had taken their passage on board the sailing vessel England, and that they were to sail positively at the end of November.

The agitation which has for a considerable time past been going on in Auckland in favor of a Permissive Bill, has at length resulted in the passing of the Bill without a division. Two-thirds of the adult population, including women in any place in the Province, will have it in their power to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors therein.

x^mongst the lute " fashionable events" iv Melbourne, may bo mentioned the wedding of the widow of the late Mr, J. P. Fawkner, the founder of the colony. His relict at the youthful age of 72, has unblushingly surrendered herself in wedlock to a bridegroom of the immature age of 90. A Sydney contemporary says that the progress of the telegraph lino to the Gulf of Carpentaria is being watched in that colony with great interest, as there is little doubt New South Wales will receive European telegraphic news by that line ere long. A telegram in a Brisbane paper, dated Cardwell, January 6, states that the telegraph line luvs be^n completed as far as Cashmere, the first station on the line to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and distant about 50 miles from Carpentaria. Mr M'Millan makes the line, according to the route just defined, to be 130 miles to the Etheridge, and 174 to Western Creek. The route is an excellent one. In view of the increasing interest attaching to the completion of telegraph communication with England, we may point to a paragraph in the Suez telegrams, which states that the new submarine cable was successfully working between Penang, Siugapore, and Bntavia. The length from Penang to Madras was to b: opened iv a few days after the mail left Galle. Consequently, long before this period Batavia has been brought into the telegraphic connection with Europe, and the end of the line has been advanced many hundreds of miles nearer Australia.

A bottle has been recently cast upon the shores of the West which presumes to throw some light upon the mystery enveloping the loss of the missing steamer City of Boston. Obviously, however, the relic muse be received with reserve, especially as we are without any collateral evidence of its authenticity. A bottle appears to have come in and been picked up on Cranstock sands, two miles west of New Quay. On being opened it was found to contain four or five pieces of envelope, upon which the following names and words are written in pencil : — [< O. Jones, E. Williams." "Seth — A collision; 403 Greenwich-street, New York." " Evan Evans, Cadinst, Landulle." "We are lost." " City of Boston — We are all sinking, good-bye. I should like my." Written in ink — "Michael Jones, Cariboo House, 212, Fulton-street, N. Y." There is some other writing in pencil, which one correspondent thinks is Welsh. Upon the envelopes there are two postmarks also. One is as follows :—": — " Ebenezer, A, Jy. 4, 70 ;" the other ringed mark reads, " London AC. Jy. 5, 70." The derelict bottle bears evidence of having been many months in the water.

The following is a return of the Customs revenue collected in the several provinces for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 1870:— Auckland- - - £40,001 Taranaki - - - 1,247 Wellington - - 18.408 Hawke's Bay - - 6,330 Marl borough - - 1,958 Nelson - - - 13,063 Wes.land - - - 23,653 Canterbury - - 24,912 Otago - - - 48,947 Southland - - 9,233 Total - - £187,752 The total Customs revenue of the colony for the year ending 1870 amounted to £765.030, as compared with £823,511 in 1869, showing a decrease of £57,581.

The total quantity of gold exported from New Zealand for the year ending December 31, 1870, was 544,880 ozs., valued at £2,150,525, as follows:— AncklanJ, 85,534 ozs.; Picton, 1804;

Wellington, 30; NelsoD, 12,292; Westport, 74,557 ; Greyraouth, 100,592 ; Hokitika, 99,857; Okarita, 4819; Lyttelton, 243; Dunedin, 162,694; Invercargill, 2458 ozs. ; The total quantity exported in 1869 was 614,281 ozs., valued at £2,362,995.

A woman at Maitland has been cured of the heart disease and cancer of the lip and throat by drinking a decoction of the native sarsaparilla. The medical men of the district had previously given her up as hopeless.

Mr. Lennon, Colombo-street south, Christchurch, has recently completed a very fine hawser for Captain Wood, of Lyttelton. It is nine inches in circumference, and is intended for mooring vesssls to the buoys in the harbour. As a specimen of rope manufacture, it could scarcely be surpassed, and it is probably the largest sized hawser ever made in New Zealand. Auckland is the only place where it may possibly have been equalled. The fibre used was all of Canterbury manufacture, and the total length was seventy-eight fathoms.

The following is from a Wellington contemporary: — Our attention was lately called to a new idea in the art of advertising that eclipses anything we have seen in this latter-day city ; in fact the " move " would do credit to the most gifted American puffer, and make Professor Ho'loway blush with indignation that he had hitherto over looked such a means of cheap and wide advertising. Some of our readers require no explanation, as they have already become involuntary mediums for the distribution of Mr. Jameson's advertisements ; and of course have been correspondingly indignant, or amused, according to their idiosyneracy ; but for general information we may say at once that this last dodge is no other than converting the reverse side of the Union Bank notes, which are plain, into a hand-bill, which informs the public that J. Jameson keeps a grocery store at the opposite side of the street to the Union Bank, and at the same time giving them ocular demonstration that he makes the Bank find him iv posters while he advertises on the " opposite side " of the notes. Surely the force of advertising can no further go — to make everyone in the community carry your placards, and the Bank 'find you in paper — is reaching the very acme of audacity.

The following is from a Nelson contemporary of a recent date : — We understand that Messrs. Curtis Brothers, have" received advices by the San Francisco mail that our fellow townsman, Mr. Lewthwaite, has gained his suit in Chancery against Messrs. Watorlow, and Sons, which has been pending for the last three or four years. Some seventeen years, or thereabouts, Mr. Lewthwaite invented a machine for printing railway tickets, and agreed with Messrs. Waterlow and Sons, in consideration of their receiving half the profits, to have the machines made and disposed of, and tickets printed for sale, ancl to take out a patent in their joint names ; and on Mr. Lewthwaite leaving England for New Zealand, he left power of attorney with that firm to take charge of his interest in the invention, and remit the profits to him. Mi . Lewthwaite neither h?ard from Messrs. Waterlow nor of the undertaking until about four years ago, when he ac cidentally heard that a machine of a similar character, bearing Messrs. Waterlow's name, was being exhibited at the exhibition in Melbourne. Mr. Lewthwaite immediately went to Melbourne, and, finding that the machine exhibited was really his invention, ancl that it bore a high number, proceeded to London, and from that time to this has been prosecuting his claim to share iv the profits. It appears that Messrs. Waterlow neglected, although duly reminded of the necessity by the Patent Agent, to pay some fees for the renewal of the patent, in consequence of which the patent lapsed. They then made a colourable alteration in the machine, and sold and worked it to a large profit as their own. The case, after being partly heard in the Court of Chancery, was adjourned to November last, when Messrs. Waterlow consented to a decree of the Court, giving Mr. Lewthwaite all he asked, together with five per cent, interest, and consenting to pay all the costs on both sides. We understand that the result will be that Mr. Lewthwaite will be entitled to receive between ten and twelve thousand pounds.

It is said that there is no hope of there ever being a large supply of female type-setters in the market. As soon as a girl becomes a proficent and valuable compositor, some male printer marries her, and that puts an end to her work in the printing office. So says one of our exchanges, and there is considerable truth in its statement. We have had female compositors in our office for several years, and like them very much indeed. They have proved sober, truthful, and faithful in the discharge of duty. It is true that we have lost some excellent girls in consequence of the greater attractions of matrimony ; but what we lost in this way was gained by the man fortunate enough to find so good a partner. We have found it somewhat inconvenient to tolerate much courting in. our office, but, this intrusion upon business hours done away with, makes us decidedly favour the employment of female type-setters. — " Scientific American."