GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 250, 14 November 1872, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

The most extraordinary of all culinary receipts is the following diabolical one given by Mizaid in his " How to roast and eat a goose alive ": — Take a goose or a duck, or some such live creature, pull off all her feathers — only the head and neck must be spared ; tben make a fire round about her — not too close to her— that the fire do not touch her; within the circle of tbe fire let there be set pots of water, wherein salt and honey are mingled, and let there be also chargers full of sodden apples, cut into small pieces. The goose must be all larded and basted over with butter to make her the more fit to be eaten, and roast the better ; put the fire about her, but do not make too much baste when you see her begin to roast, for by walking about and flying here and there, being cooped m by the fire that stops her way out. she will fall to drink the water to quench her thirst and cool her heart and all her body ; and when she roasteth and consumeth inwarJly always wet her head and heart with a wet sponge, and when you see her giddy with running, and begin to tumble, her heart wants moisture, and she is roasted enough. Take her up and set her before your guest*, and a'ie will cry out as you cut off any part of her, and will almost be eaten up before she is dead. It is mighty pleasant to behold.

The following marvellous coincidence is related by the Melbourne correspondent of the " Hamilton Spectator: — "A curious story of . misfortune that may happen to a woman in Victoria has just been told to me. Some six years ago a pretty Irish lass was wooed and won by an apparently respectable .engineer. He had property and money, and far some years they "lived 1 happily, and lovingly together: She had fnur children. an£ the husband died. He Bail kept his

secret well, for not even on his deatabed did he whisper a- word as totlio wife and. bairn? he had 'left behind in England. The poor girl was surprised one day, not long after the man's death, by the sudden entrance of a stout matron, with her five children, who proclaimed her name and her rights. She succeeded in establishing herself, leaving the deceived second wife in the poorest circumstances. Friends who knew the story subscribed and placed her in a nice boardinghbuse, where she maintained herself and her children comfortably for a couple of years. Amongst her boarders was a Scotchman, also an engineer. He married her a few months ago, but by the Northumberland, a day or two ago, there arrived a second surprise, in the shape of another wife and five children — the responsibilities of her second husband."

A truly scientific revenge was recently effected by a young chemist in Venice, named Orlando Farnerini, upon a pair of lovers whose mutual passion had disturbed the current of his own affections. He loved a young lady, but she loved a young tailor better. Orlando owed him money for clothes, and sent word that he would pay him, and make his betrothed a present, if they would both come to his laboratory. They accepted the invitation, and were politely received and slyly led in conversation to the subject of electricity, about which he had much to say, both ™ listening with astonishment, and were quite delighted when the Professor prd. posed that they should allow themselves to be electrified. He bade them give him their hands, put the one pole of a Rumkorf apparatus between the girl's fingers and the other into the tailor's hand, and then joined the current. A terrible cry broke from tbe pair of loves ; they fell to the ground in convulsive fits ; then got up again in the greatest torment, but Farnerini only laughed. The two wretched beings drew the apparatus after them, tumbled over the furniture, and almost broke their limbs in their frantic efforts to rid themselves of the mighty current, but in five minutes thoy had became) two distorted corpses. Then, and only then, Farnerini stopped the elictrie fluid, and went to relate the matter to the police, which he did with the greatest sangfroid possible. The " Wellington Independent," of the 16th ult., says : — " The privileges of members of the Legislative Council were most improperly infringed yesterday. At the commencement of the sittings of the Council, Wi Tako and Mokena, toe two native members of the Council, were sworn in, but during the afternoon a division took place, and upon that occasion the native members were requested to with' draw ! It is true that no authorised interpreter had been appointed, but the Hon. Mr. Mantell, who acted in that capacity at the ceremony of swearing in, might very, well have been requested to explain to the native members tbe nature of the question under debate, and thus enabled them to exercise their proper right of voting. The reasonableness of the the proposition is strengthened by the fact that the Council accepted the Hon. Mr. Mantell's interpretation of a speech delivered by Wi Tako." The Auckland " Star " says :— " A customer has written to us making a complaint against one of our runner boys, and wishes us to discharge the lad. He states that last night, while passing up Edwards-street, he saw the boy on the other side of the way. He told him to bring him over a paper, but instead of doing so he called out, " Oh, sugar me all over, you've got a better pair of boots on than I have." Our correspondent then crossed over to him, and found that the lad was barefooted. He tendered him half-a-crown as payment as he had no smaller change, to which the boy remarked, "Oh you want to do the bounce, do ye ? If you'll let me keep it till tomorrow I'll give you two and elevenpence for it." To this he dissented, so the boy answered, " I ain't the king of Japan, you know ; I don't carry the mint about in my pocket." Having thus . delivered himself he went off whistling. We promise our correspondent that we. will inquire into the matter, and if we find the culprit will talk to him like unto a father.

The Act just passed for amending the Protection of Animals Acts 1867 and 1868, repeals section 30 of the former, and substitutes the following : — "Every person who shall sell offer for sale or expose for sale, and every holder of a licence to sell game who shall have in his possession, or shall in any manner dispose of any dead hen pheasant or any dead tui, shall on conviction forfeit and pay for such act a sum not exceeding twenty pounds; and if such person hold a licence to kill or sell game such licence shall, on conviction, become ipso facto void." Section 5 of the Act of 1869 ia also repealed, and the following enacted in lieu of it — " Nothing in the eighteenth section of 'The Protection of Animals Act,1867,' shall prevent auy person m bona fide occujtafton of any land, not being waste, lands oorf r the— Crown,- or some one person appointed by him, from pursuing taking or killing garnet on such land, or subject any such person to any penalty for so doing." Tho^ fourth clause enacts that no birds shall be shot after the 30th June, and that no bird *hall- after the 7th of Jvly." Clausab& restricted thd bunting ana killing of seals to the month* ef-^oaeY July, August* and September.