Miscellaneous.

Waipukurau Press, 2 July 1908, Page 3

Miscellaneous.

Mr Justice Bucknill, according to an English journal, decided, at the Devonshire assizes, that a husband who stands by and hears his {wife slander person without stopping or trying to stop her is liabla, with her for damages. The New York “ Tribune ” states that Mrs Wade, a prominent leader of Boston - Society, engaged six doctors to perform an operation recently on her favourite dog, which was threatened with blindness. During the operation she had two trained nurses in attendance. The death is reported at Somersham, Cambridgeshire, of Mrs Holdich, in her 101st year. She was born in that village on 11th January, 1808, and up to the age of eighteen was so delicate that her parents feared she would never grow to womanhood. She attributed her long life to cheerfulness, industry, temperance, outdoor exercise, and to avoiding medicine. A curious case of an elephant which seems to have had a strange appetite for stones was laid before the Zoological Society by Dr. Smith Woodward. Out of the elephant’s, stomach were taken 168 stones weighing altogether 71b IBoz. They were chiefly of quartzite, and few of them were rounded by attrion,while none had any deposit on them. Stones, it may be noted, are often found in the stomach -of the crocodile, but this seems to be the first recorded case of their occurrence in an elephant. A school for burglars has been discovered by the police at Toulouse, and fifty-four burSlers and “professors” have been arrested. Classes were held there every day, in which the burglars practised gymnastics, and were taught the various details of their interesting profession by experts drawing good salaries. All the members of. the school are well known to the police, for one of the necessities of membership was a proof that the would-be member had committed at least five burglaries successfully, and had lived by his profession for at least three years.

The following amusing story is I told of Lord Lonsdale, who is a great friend of the Kaiser, and has acted as host to His Imperial Majesty at Lowther Castle. During the Kaiser’s visit, the august guest was always* attended at a shooting party by an escort of" mounted police. One day Lord Lonsdale himself drove the Emperor to the moors -with a particu-'-larly swift-footed horse between the shafts. His Lordship drove so furiously that the unfortunate policemen could not keep up with the carriage, and the more the “ bobbies ” urged on thmr horses, the faster did Lord Lonsdale* drive. Tn a very short time the men/TrT' blue were left far • behind—some of them helmetless and all in a state of panic—to the huge delight of the Imperial visitor. An interesting feature of the Swedish journals’ welcome to King Edward and Queen Alexandra is the publication, in at least three of the Stockholm newspapers, of leading articles in English (says the “Manchester Guardian.” The way in which speak of our King alMi