GENERAL NEWS.

Western Star, Issue 4, 6 December 1873, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

l A wooixen factory is abrut to be established at Wbau by a well-known Auckland capitalist, Ak industrial and fine arts exhibition -will be held in Auckland during the Christmas holidays. • Hippophagy still makes great progress in Trance. A horse fit for eating is worth from £5 to £6. Good Templaeism is rapidly making headway in Aucklaud. At a recent meeting of the Pioneer Lodge 150 new members were initiated. The total number of adults shipped by the Agent-General to the colony from- the 18th November, 1872, to 30th August, 18/3, was 6,433. It is said that during the past four years Mr. VogeL has drawn over £4,000 from the public chest for “allowances,” exclusive of his salary of £I,OOO a-year. The “ Eeedsburg Free Press” employs women exclusively. It says : “We have a calico ‘ foreman, two dimity ‘ compositors,’ and the sweetest • little ‘ devil ’ in pink muslin to be found anywhere.” The six new ships now building for Messrs. P. ; Henderson and Co., of Glasgow, for the New Zealand trade, are to be named respectively, Wellington, Canterbury, Auckland, Nelson, Dunedin, and Invercargill. “ The King of Ashantee cannot, without violating the constitution, have more than 3,333 wives.” If the King of Ashantee indulges in this modest number, it may undoubtedly, in his incase, be said, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a ’ crown.” The Eev. Mr. Morris, Methodist Bishop of Ohio, who is in his 80th year, has just married a young wife, and the Book Committe of the Methodist Episcopal Church have reduced his *m 3,500d01. to 1,500d01. as punishconduct, which they consider and an octogenarian. id JMWspaper was sent for nine years to paid a cent for it. The other day returned to the patient ' and long-suffering publisher, with the affecting pencil note on its margin, “ Gone to a better world.” The publisher is a pious man, but it is reported that he strongly doubts the accuracy of the pencil statement. A very good story conics from the Mel 1 ' bourne County Court. A well-known moneylender ; had,xnade an advance on a bill of sale of Court that paid for. The latter frankiy ? not. “To make the security better, then,” said the moneylender, “ you had better get some more.” And more was got accordingly. ■ The acute commercial clementof the Americans —that part which we may suppose sent over the wooden nutmegs —has discovered that by the aid of flavouring, it is possible to dispose of mineral!' oil as champagne; and we are on tiaej testimony of those who may to! know—viz., American .aadf brokers that they_ champagne to be sweetened with does not answer, machine, and sold- for 'ball- It produces other evil effects. ■-hi of Auckland must be an extremely r of place to live in, if we may judge following observations of its leading and only independent paper, the “Star.” It says :—•“ If ever scandal flourished in any place rankly and luxuriantly it does in Auckland. No one is safe from its poisonous breath, and the more lofty the position the more virulently it is gossiperS under verandahs or at hotel true, this city is cursed with about the ] 0 iJopgt'Mllection of inhabitants that has fallen to aay city since the creation of the r»|Vwba in excellent condition the yea«i 1C temperature be fruit safes localities the neighbours a suitable building, in which is entitled a fixed share of the C. Shearer, a fruit farmer near Beacus2,'' : £|plyllvania, has a fruit safe fifty-five which holds, when filled, about 140 BjPoM®f ice and 400 bushels of fruit. Last S^ t placed in it 1,700 bushels bushels of Bartlett and.so bushels pears. Some of the solid as when —“ Scientific ' J on ’Change,” in the tills story In the cards a good deal, and to games of the for preface, be it of ])ious habiis , i shop (whether at I won’t say) in h 'Y h .' ■ \c ’> * £•’''Bpthday gift for his ' The Guide to '•/'YV h - \c'* ,v‘lus siiop ladder h' ’V * upon his . • ii,' 1 - 1 . ‘You this, sir Y/J \ e*2j‘ Vi*'/’* ’ <’ all a\ -* v V page

rural diskd by a Bp the

tenant to increase the carrying capacity of lus land. The agriculturist follows the railway, and as each station is erected further inland, the sheep, which comprise the former tenants, are rudely disturbed by an increase of double, treble, and even five-fold furrow ploughs, by steam machinery of all kinds, and by the constant rush of beavily-freigbted trains bearing the produce of 318,000 acres, which the Canterbury farmers have this year under cultivation. Nor do the runholders suffer by the invasion. The railway is their best friend, if the land they occupy is sufficiently good to produce grain.”

Horace Geeeley thus bits the nail on the head : —“ It is strange how closely men read the papers. We never say anything that anybody don’t like, but we are sure to soon bear of it. ■ If, however, once in a while, we happen to say a good thing, we never bear of that. We pay a man a hundred compliments, and give him a dozen puffs, make splendid speeches for him, and out of nonsensical harangues made on public platforms make him appear to say something brilliant, and he takes it all as a tribute to bis greatness, and be never thinks it does him any good. But if we happen to say things this man don’t like, or something he imagines is a reflection on bis character, see how quick be gets mad and flares-up about it. All our evils are duly chalked against us ; but we never apparently get any credit for what good we do.” A lady of a truly manly spirit, accompanied by a small poodle, is said to have once sadly failed in an attempted reformatory movement. She entered the smoking-car of a Western train, and solemnly refused to go into another car, observing that her presence would keep the occupants from smoking. One stony wretch, however, insensible to the claims of refinement and reform, began to enjoy his accustomed cigar, which was suddenly snatched from bis lips, with a remark in high treble, “ If there is anything Ido bate it is tobacco smoke!” For a time the offender was silent and motionless, then gravely rising, amid the plaudits of the assembled smokers, be took that little poodle and gently threw him out of the window, sighing, “ If there is anything Ido bate it is a poodle!” The “ New York Tribune” adds: “No mortal pen could describe the feelings of that reformer.” It has come to the knowledge of the Customs’ authorities that certain mercantile firms in Australia are in the habit of supplying their customers with two invoices, one showing the true cost of the goods purchased, the other showing a considerable reduction, for the purpose, it is presumed, of enabling the consignee to exhibit it to the Customs, and to clear liis goods at less than their real value. We understand that in all cases where the names of firms that act in this manner become known to the. Government, the Customs’ officers throughout the colony will be instructed to take especial care to have the goods' shipped by these firms properly examined, so that the revenue may not be defrauded by these spurious precautions that the Customs’ officfofe it necessary to take in of 5 but, both for •r^f*pifitek : i% the revenue, and in trader, we think the ’'fully warranted in adopting the i measures possible to put a stop to •xhe'practice referred to. Wire netting in plastering is being rapidly introduced to take the place of laths. It takes less labour to place on the walls, is more continuous, and will not burn.. Coarse netting, with one-inch mesh and made of strong wire, is found to answer best. For ornamental cornicework it is especially valuable, for it can be bent into any desired form. Secured to iron studding in a brick building, our greatest danger on account of fire would be removed. A still further application of this plan is to make round bags of wire, resembling barrels, and to coat them inside and outside with cement. When 1 it hardens they resemble stone ban’els. Filled with sand, and sunk in rows and masses, they make excellent building material for breakwaters. Another extension of the idea has been tried with success in England. It consists in making iron framed buildings, covering them with the wire netting, and spreading concrete on both sides. It is claimed that a house—walls, floors, roofs, doors, partitions, and all—has been built, that is strong, firm, and absolutely incombustible. History tell ns that one day during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Woo, a gentlemanly young man, dressed in Imperial yellow, and seated in a sedan chair covered with the same material, presented himself at the gate of the capital, and, in reply to the questions of the officer on guard, announced himself to be the eldest son of the late Emperor, whose death bad been publicly proclaimed and bewailed some years before. The news of the arrival of this illustrious stranger spread like wildfire through the city, and the manderins hastened to seek an audience that they might offer their allegiance to their rightful Sovereign. One of their number, however, more astute than the rest, took with him a pair of handcuffs and a detachment of police, and on entering the pseudoimperial presence walked straight up to the gentlemanly young man, and instead of joiniug in the general kotow, fastened the manacles on his wrists, and handed him over to his followers. His next proceeding was to introduce him to the torture chamber iu his Yamun, and there, we are told, the sight of the various instruments hanging from the wall produced a visible effect on the claimant, who, after some slight hesitation, acknowledged that far from having any right to the Imperial yellow, be was the son of poor parents, and that he bad been induced to personate the late heir apparent by reason of the strong likeness which he bore to him. This confession was duly reported to the Emperor Woo, who, after careful consideration, ordered the adventurous young man to be cut into ten thousand pieces.

There is no other work in the world, it is said, of which so many copies are printed annually as the Chinese almanac. The number is estimated at several millions. This almanac is • printed at Pekin, and is a monopoly of the Emperor. It not only predicts the weather, but notes the days that are reckoned lucky or unlucky for commencing any undertaking; for applying remedies in diseases j for marrying; and for burying.

The following, extracted from the “Australasian,” may prove interesting to our teetotal friends: —“Amongst the budget of ‘ Shah ’ gossip, we have met with.no recognition of his Majesty as head of the teetotallers, to which title he may justly lay claim. So averse are the followers of Mahomet to the use of intoxicating liquors that the culture of the vine is actually prohibited both in Persia and in Turkey. The business and its profits are therefore relinquished to the Armenians and Jews, who manage to produce enough for their Persian fellow-subjects as well as for themselves ; for, according to Julien, who gives a pleasing description of Persian vineyards and wines, not excepting the famous Schiraz, a large number of Persians drink that wine without hesitation, persuaded that the sin will be pardoned provided they do not themselves prepare the beverage. The Jews and Armenians, who endeavour, as far as possible, to respect the religious scruples of their Mahometan fellowsubjects, with a view also to afford no ground for prosecutions, avoid keeping large quantity of wine in their houses.” ■ ,

To rouse the attention of their hearers is the aim of most preachers, though the existence of such an object would sometimes hardly be inferred from their manner. A sermon lately preached by Erigham Young ter a congregation of which no inconsiderable portion consisted of his own wires must, we think, have been successful in this respect. Addressing Mormon women in general, the Prophet gave them their choice whether they would remain with their husbands or not, allowing them till the 6th of October to make up their minds, and adding the following remarks for the benefit of his wellfilled family pew : —“ My wives have got to do one of two things, either round up their shoulders to endure the afflictions of this world, and live their religion —that is, polygamy —or they must leave ; for I will not have them about me. I will go into heaven alone rather than have scratching and fighting about me. I "will set all at liberty. What, first wife, too ? Yes liberate them all. I want to go somewhere, or do something to get rid of the whiners; Ido not want them to receive part of the truth and spurn the rest out of the doors. Let every man thus keep his wives, keeping raiment enough to cover Ins body, and say to your wives, Take all that I have and be set at liberty, but if you stay with me you shall comply with the law of God in every respect, and that, too, without any murmuring or whining. You must fulfil the law' of God in every respect, and round up your shoulders to walk up to the mark without any grunting.”—“ Pall Mall Gazette.”