Railways in Palestine.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3527, 4 June 1890, Page 2

Railways in Palestine.

It appears after all that the long talked of Railway in Palestine ia jf likely soon to become an accomplished fact. Mr J G Prudhoe, of tliiscity, received yesterday a letter from a doctor in Jerusalem, in which it was stated that the first sod, or perhaps more correctly speaking, the first shovelful of sand, of a line from Jaffa to Jerusalem, was turned on the Ist of April last, Matters in connection with tbe railway must have developed rapidly of late, for when Mr Prudhoe was in Jerusalem £ . some six months ago there appeared p* to be no immediate prospect of tho ' - line becoming a reality. Thedistancj - from Jnffn to Jerusalem is'about 40 • .

miles. Tho country to bo trayorscd by the railway is chiefly the plain of Sharon, but for some miles tlio hills of Judrca will have to bo ascotidcd, Jerusalem being situated at an altitude of 2500 ft above, tlio level of tho Mediterranean, The. effect of the rai'way will probably be to of en for settlement a considerable tract of country, and should the Railway Syndicate also undertako the work , of converting Jaffa into a safe Htfßarlour, it is almost safe to predict r. largo increase of the population. Certainly tlicro would bo an influx of tourists into • tho holy land, for hero is a prevalent idea at present hat travelling is not altogether safe, lthough not homo out by tho xperience of recont visitors to tho (jOuntry.—Cbristchuroh Pross. MISCELLANEOUS. '' Aro there any reporters in tlio 1MB?" inquire! tho medium. '• Six ■Wr # tho reply. "Six! Six reporters would delay tlio coming of tho millenium another thousand years let alone the appearnnco of one or two_ disombodied spirits. Tlio audionco is dismissed. Money will bo retarnod at tho door."—StPaul Pioneer Press. Among tho most blessed of all contrivances of Natnro is that which prevents a man from being disturbed by his own snoring. Now it is stated that Eider Haggard I jWHI soon visit Mexico ior a long ffijtfurn there to collect materials for a new novel; The following is said to be the shortest sentenco which contains all th° letters of tho alphabet: Pack my bo*, with fivo dozen liquor jugs, Missiais building one big ironclad to e called the Throe Patriarchs, and another which will do battle under the name of the Twelve Apostles, A Texas debating society recently had for a subject," Js it proper to sound the " r" in dorg ?" Tho nojit annual conference of tho Evangelical Alliance is fixed to bo held in Manchester, England,

In January deaths wcro recorded iifthc Melbourne district of 40 persons tint the age of 75. Eigbt of these persons were over 80, and four over 30, the whole of the latter being female?.

In connection with tho women ' suffrago question, a correspondent points out that there arc 40 lady clerks in Chicago post office, and afcls This is the true sphere of Wjmen—looking after tlio 1 males.' A Hebrew convert to Christianity is laboring with success among the 30,000 resident Jews in Jerusalem. A short Creed.—A sceptical man convoking with Dr Parr, observed that he would believe nothing he did not understand. • Dr Parr replied; " Then, young man, your creed will bo the shortest of any man I knew." Tho wife of a politician, who had en eye for the main chance, keeps a scrap-book of all tho uncomplimentary things printed about her husband, which is an index for ready reference in seasons of domestic unpleasant' ness.