Miscellaneous.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 314, 29 September 1908, Page 3

Miscellaneous.

Bertha Schultz, a young dressmaker in Hamburg, finds herself in a difficult predicament owing to the fact that an uncle has bequeathed her £2OOO on condition that she never marries a man engaged in an intellectual occupation. She is already engaged to an accountant, and she and her fiance are now endeavouring to persuade the law-that the work is purely mechanical.

The “ Figaro ” states that, owing to the Constitution of Spain, King Alfonso will not be able to leave his country at the same time as the baby Prince of Asturias. It is probable, therefore, that' Queen Victoria Eugenie will be accompanied only by her two children during her stay with Princess Beatrice in the Isle of Wight. Queen Victoria Eugenie will stay a short time in Paris on her way to England.

The extent to which the North Sea is being depleted of fish by the steam trawler is illustrated by a report published by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. There has been a continuous falling off in quantity and in catch daily, notably in the case of flat fish. While the quantity caught by steam trawlers has decreased in the four years by nearly 17 per cent., the flat fish—for example, turbot, brill, soles, plaice, dabs, and lemon soles —show a decrease of nearly 42 per cent. The decrease has been most marked in the case of plaice.

An Adelaide man, who made a cheap grandstand for himself at a surburban football match, by standing up in his buggy and looking over the fence, was fined 5s and £2 6s costs by the local Bench. The offence was not moving on when requested by a constable to do so, and the outraged lover of sport took the case to the Supreme Court. But the Court decided that the proceeding was “ valid and reasonable,” and the economist now perceives that it would have been cheaper to take a season ticket.

A remarkable experience befel the barque Antrope, on a recent voyage from Newcastle with a cargo of coal to San Francisco. When in latitude 20deg. south, a large quantity of “giease” was seen floating on the surface of the ocean, and, a calm prevailing, the men managed to scoop up several bucketfuls of the stuff. The “grease” was found excellent, and it was used for slushing down the masts, the balance being used by the men on their oilskins and boots. The captain said that much more could have been collected, but thought the amount picked up by the men was enough. It was not until a few days after the arrival of the Antrope at SanFrancisco that Captain John Mathieson, master of the vessel, learned that he had let a fortune slip through his fingers. A small part of the “grease” had been saved, and this was identified by an Oakland druggist as ambergris. The sailors had greased masts, sea boots, and oilskins with ambergris, valued at approximately £BO a pound, and thus -wasted about £4,500 worth of the stuff.

Prince Meshtsher^kiy^-Hig-—kitr 7 ' mate friend of Alexander 111. of Russia, gives in his newspaper a typical example of corruption which permeates official Russia’s life from the most humble policeman to the haughty Grand Duke. An officer desiring to be transferred to another regiment presented his application to a high staff officer, who said he thought it impossible. In the course of conversation he recommended the applicant to buy a new pair of boots from a certain bootmaker. He then told the applicant to return in a week. The officer went to the bootmaker, him whohad recommended him, and thebootmaker said he should have theboots in five days, at £5O the pair. The officer consulted an experiened fellow officer, who advised him to pay half the sum immediately and half when the boots were ready, and he did so. On the seventh day be reappeared at the general staff, and found that the matter had been satisfactorily arranged, the bribe having reached the right quarter by the shoemaker.