Toole, Sothern and the Greenwich Waiter.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3415, 21 January 1890, Page 2

Toole, Sothern and the Greenwich Waiter.

Sothern ia responsible for this story, which is told in his own words:; "Mr Toole and myself were breakfasting with a party of friends at aimjt inn at Greenwich. No sooner had the waiter left the room for an instant' than I proposed that should remove the plate from th* cloth and go under the table.' This ■we did without loss of time, tailing every arliole of silver ware from the table down to the spoons and throwing open the window. After a while tlm waiter re-appeared, " Hullo," he i cried, seeing tho, company gone, "here's arum go. I'm blest if they oren'trim away with tbesiJvpr! Here Dick (to a waiter) the gentlemen'as run away with tho silver. Help me to find the guv'nor I' With tot he made a hasty exit, whereupon the party resumed their places, after shutting down tho window and replacing tlie dishee, the knives, the forks, and tho spoons. When tho "guv'nor, appeared, breathless and cursing, he found a party of gentlemen m possession of his silver ware, quietly discussing tho fish. 'Eh, what ?' saidjie,' everything secure ? Why, James, you confounded rascal, what do you mean ?' 'So help me, guv'nor—' 'You're drunk, you idiot! Gentlemen, I beg your pardonji I will withdraw. ijl" An Engine Driver's • Extract' dinary Experience-

A Berlin engine driver, wboso vigilanco not, long sinco saved a great number of people from a terrible railway accident, has becomo the victim of a " railway disease" which is of rare occurrence, and which German physicians Only know under , the name of 1 ' railway spino," Driving a train round a ourve ho suddenly behold, about sixty yards in front, three red tail lights, belonging as was afterwards discovered,.toatrain that was standing still,' at < the station unoblo to proceed. Ho at once signalled to the guard to put on the brake, then turned off bis steam, and rushed to the. brake of his tender. He succeeded in bringing his train to a stand still before reaching the obstruction. In tha.. meantime a terrible excitement had taken possession of him, and the feelings of terror, and. responsibility m*compressed 1 into the space of a>'few. moments. Notwithstanding these violent emotions, he was, able to remniu at his post, and felt no otbor immediate consequences than a violent trembling in his legs. With great exertion he managed to get m. through his usual work for about* fivo days longer, until gradually all the symptoms of " Eailway spine" showed themselves. Though for. merjy a very powerful man, who had scarcely been ill ten days during his fifteen years of service he has become very lean, and his speech is slow and stammering. Among other serious consequences affecting the digestion, the memory, theability to sleep, &c., there is a remarkablo diminution of nervous sonsibility over the patient's whole body, so that he scarcely feels ' as a touch ,-tlio prick of a needle which brings blood. The legs are paralysed up to the knee.

MISCELLANEOUS. At a recent meeting of the Litmeau Society in England n most extraordinary fruit was exhibited, tho so-called 'miraculous berry " 'of West Africa, belonging to tho Sapotaceae. Covered eternally with a soft, sweet pulp, it, imparts to the ptlato asensation which rendors it possililo to partake of sour substances and even of tartaric acid, lime-juice, and and to give them a flavour of absolute swoetnoss,

AtSandhurst, recently,seven policemen were separately ordered toiV administer floggings toeevnral young- X sters who had been convicted for various offences. They, distinctly refused to obey the order, and tho matter was thercforo brought beforo the head office. Tho Minister in charge uphold tho men. in tho position they had taken up, and instructed the superintendent in ohargo of tho district that a mail wonld be engaged for the special work of administering chastisement to juveniles. Tho Taranaki butter, exporter? have secured space for 2000 kegs dn the Arawa, leaving on- January 19?; and space for 1000 .kegs oj. the Aorangi, leaving on January 23, . Herbert Wilson, an ablo iieamau belonging. to, Her Majesty's ship Constant, shot himself at Worcester a few days ago. He had recently conceived an aversion for the sea,

Tho New South Wales. Bailway Commissioners have reduced jfroighta by twenty per. cent, in order tc> facilitate the getting 'of produce in tho interior to tho large centres to port, Hitherto the inland farmers have beon unable to compete in Byd<

noy and other ports wilb imported (rrain. As an instanco tfio ratos for from Mudgeo to Sydnoy, 190 Itavo boen reduced from 22s 6d to 15s 9d por truck of six tops. _ Accordin? to tho gazetted scaleoffroigh's, tho chargo (says a contemporary) in Now Zealand for that quantity of grain distanco would bo £4 lis. Tho Rov Mortimer E, Kennedy, British Chaplain ut Costctjelle, Ilyerrs t writes " With rofcrouco tu the rccont anniversary of the Batllo of Trafalgar, Einanual Loui« Oarlignv, ofHyera, is supposed now to bo tlio solo survivor of tho engagement. Ho was n mousse on tho French ship lltidonbtablo, which carried a orovv of oight hundred men, of whom only a hundred and seventeen survived. Ho rcmninod seventeen years in an English prison, whorelw acquirod a knowledge of our language, which' ho still rotains. Sinco tho death of Chevrmiil last year ho had boon tho doyen of tbo Legion d'llonnour. Ho is in receipt of a small pension from tho French Government, and ho is also assisted by an Englishman who takes an interest in

him. Notwithstanding his gront age dW of ninoty-nino years, his health and faculties aro good, lio may bo seen on lino days talking his prouionade unaided on tho Boulevard des Palmier# at Hyeres, and ho is still ablo to describe his recollections of tho memorablo battle." From the New Year tho salo of

«,alcoholic liquors at tho railway roJBfresbment rooms at Melbourne and stations within tho radius of twenty miles of Melbouroo was discontinued. , Tlio losses of tho railway refreshment rooms having expired, the twentyfirst section of the Licening A ct, 1885, provides that they should not bo renewed for the sale of intoxicants within tho area referred to. Temperance drinks will bo sold at Spencer street station, at the Port Melbourne end of Flinders street station, at Williamstown, and at Brighton, but the refreshment room at Port M»l----bourne will be closed. This change will cause a loss to tlio Railway Department of about £3.000 a year. There aro three Protesuntchnrches in Lisbon, Portugal, and the pastors of all three were formerly Roman Catholio priests. Sir Honry Isaacs, tho Lord Mayor

. bas been unanimously olec'.ed master of tho Drury Lane Lodgo of FreeJBmasons for the present year. There i 3 to bo an international

exhibition of postage stamps held in Vienna next year in commemoration /of tho 50th auniveisary of their introduction.

A conservative membor will, it is said, next session prusont a Bill empowjring county councils and town councils to imposo a tax on bicycles and tricycles. The official estimate of the population of the United Kingdom in tho middle of 188SJ is 87,803,892. Of this number England and Wales contains, it is presumed, 29,015,613 persons, Scodond 4,077,070, and Ireland 4,746,203. Arrangements have been perfected, as far as necessary, for tho commencement, early next year, of a Canadian Atlantic cable; and tho work will be pushed forward vigorously, The capital expenditure of the company iu ' estimated at £320,000.