THE COMET.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1611, 31 October 1882, Page 4

THE COMET.

The comofc is still a prominent object in the early morning sky, though at present the moon robs it of much of its brilliance. It can been seen now shortly aftei^onc o'clock. The following information concerning the comet's movements lms been supplied to a Southern paper : — Although tho comet is rapidly leaving the solar system, in an orbit, tho pl.uie oi which is inclined to that of the e.uth's in an angle of 3Sdcg M tlic eaith is tiayelling to a point in its orbit over which, or south of which, tho comet traverses ; so that the distance between the e.uth and the comet is not increasing, and the comet will probably bo a very conspicuous object for several weeks, rising earlier every morning. It will, moreover, fiom its increasing south declination, soon pass into that part of the heavens that is perpetually above our horizon, and be visible throughout the whole night. It will remain thus in view probably till the close of the year. To those curious in cometary matters, the following by Professor lloscoe, regarding the constituent parts of comets will be of interest. The knowledge displayed has been acquired by means of the spectrum analysis :— " We can scarcely doubt that carbon is really the cause of these bright lines in the spectra of comets, but whether the carbon is present in the free state in the comet or in a state of combination cannot be as yet definitely decided ; nor can we explain how carbon can be transformed into the gaseous state or heated so as to become luminous unless indeed it be piesentin the form of a hydro-carbon, which becomes ignited or enters into combination with some other constituent of the comet by the action of the sun's heat. That carbon is an element widely distributed throughout the universe we learn fiom the fact that it has been detected in considerable quantities in the extra-tcrres-tial matter of meteoric stones. This observation gains a further interest as it appears probable that the orbits of many comets are identical \\ ith tiie paths of the recurring meteors. Hence an intimate connection doubtless exiiste betas ecu the comets and falling stars, j>o that meteorites .may perhaps conbibt of condensed cometary matter.

Jlks Himiem'UN, on hearing of the recent assassination in Ireland, ami that it was attributed to the Iri-,h, exclaimed " Miibsy Stikes ! You don't tell me the Tribh liavc got into Ii eland? Well, well, I believe thoy'ie everywhere ;" An Amor, vriu Vi(M,i.sibT. — There is junv in Tiiestca musical wonder who is astonishing the gieatest artibts and musical connoisseur. His name is llerr Nathan, and he av<i& bom without aims suul hands, and he is now giving concerts, playing on the violin with his toes, and ■when hearing him one is solely puzzled to know whether those exquisite tones aie really brought out by the toes and not by the fiiigcis When the young aitist comes on the {ilatforni and has taken his position, lie opens his violin ease and takes out the instalment, seizes the bow , tunes the violin, and at last pulls a handkeiehief fiom his coat-pocket and wipes his face, all w ith his feet. .But the astonishment oi his listeners reaches its highest point when w itli his left foot he gracefully holds the bow. and, placing lns> light foot on the stiings of his instalment, begins to play. His expressive 2>laying, together with his shakes and mi)!] and his modulations fiomthe .softest j)kihi"liho to the greatest/"?/ /<, is beyond deseiiption, and is the wonder of the ■whole musical \unld and tlio.se fortunate enough to see and hear him. Heir Nathan intends to give conceits in the lanous European capitals. "SCKNJ;" ,\T THK S\U:OF V LlMVfi. — Thctc was a di&oi'dei ly scene at the Auction Mart, Tokenliousc Yard, when Mr TewsOii attempted to sell the advowson and next presentation to the living of the .Fish toft, Liucoliishiie. The Rev. (t. Hennessey, of St Augustiu's, B.igKeiston, protested against the sale. Mi Tew son &aid that this "mdi\ idual"' — he w ould not call bim a " gentleman" — was a member of the Curates' Alliance. By the bioguc it was evident he was an liisliman, and he was seeking to intioduce on this side St (reoige's Channel that system of teriorism and obstruetinn which pievailed in lieland. Mr Tew .sou was tlieie to peifoim a strictly legal duty, and lie "was not to be intimidated fiom di»chaiging it. If the law was objectionable, then let Mr Hennessey and his friends seek to alter it in a piopcr and peaceable way. Mr Hennessey then inquired the correct age of the picsent incumbent, as it had been variously stated. Mr Tew son : you kindly leav e the room '! Mr Hennessey : No, 1 will not leave the loom. The question is, "What is the age of the leotoi / Mi Tew son : It is in the catalogue. Lea\e the room. Mr Hennessey : This is a public auction loom. Mr Tew son : It is not a public loom ; it is my 100111. Mr Hennos&cy ; I bid (id. In vain the auctioneer asked Mr Hennessey to leave the loom. The cuiato, who lias been de•soiibud .is a stalvvait, stiong nrin, ioplied that he would lemaiu to listen to the bidding. (Cik-s of "Have him 10inoxed.'") Mr Tewson (deci\i\ety): "No I will put him out mjself." Heie the auctioned descended fi oil' his de^k, and, allied b) his ( Icikj, pioceedi-d to foioiblj eject tlic ciuatc, amid .1 scene of ijieat confusion. Mr llennes-bej 1 existed, butwas eventually turned out, In the scullletluauctioneer's coat was toin. Returning to tlie lostrum, amid the applause of those piesent, MrTi-wson s.ud that English - lnen weie not to be tei roi iscd by a "party of blatant luslimen." He then invited bids for the "lot." In the lonlt, i; 2000 boing the highest bid made, the auctioneer announced tiie withdiawal of the property. Forni'iANY pieces ate disappearing. The Association of England County Bankers recommend that all coins of this denomination coming into the hands of bankers should be withdrawn by them fiom ch dilation, and sent to the Hank of England. The Mint has ceased to issue these coins, and the Bank of England leceivcs them, no matter how worn, af thcii full nominal value. Those withdrawn in ISBI lepresented CIOOO. The similaiity to the thiecpenny pieces rendf rs the fourponny coins undesirable, and the sooiu-r it becomes obsolete the better. None have been minted since 18.") G. The principal suffoms are the churches, which, tlnough the supplanting of the coin of laigei value by the tlueepenny piece, have lost about 2."5 per cent, of their offertory collections. Wni'A' Miss Todd became engaged to Abraham Lincoln, she wrote to a daughter of (rovernor "Wickliffe, of Kentucky :—: — " I mean to make him President of the United States ; as I always told you, T will yet bo the President's wife." This letter is now the 2>ropi j rty of (4eneval Preston, of Lexington, Kentucky. Ix the Alexandia Palace .Station, London, exactly over the place where the locomotives stop and belch forth their smoke, sspanows have built their ne&ts. The station jnastrr recently abstiacted the eggs in one ot the nests and replaced them by canaries' eggs, with the lesult that canaries have been batched. i< <»reat changes are talcing placp in Auckand, new busin<".i> piomibcs of v.iriuus> Kinds are rapi'l!} improving the .ippciininrc o\ the city; Several firms arc e\tcn(lin(j their picmiscs, and the keen competitive spirit of Jhc Old Country ii> j}OW apparent amongst the city tradesmen ; the ■wholfs-ile warehousemen, ironmongers, and ban)»sj ar . c oxtending their boundaries : and not thW'lcast important amount the local industry cstftbW' mc "ts is the completion of a large concrete bui/ding three storeys high, 75 feet long, amf 5d wide, erected in Lorne-strrct, as a cabinet fact<jry for Messrs. Garlick and Cranvvcll, who hayoWcctcd machinery with the latest improvejrienta.f enabling them to turn out their work economically and eÍious!y. 'ihis firm arc now giving up their drapery and clothing business in order to secure more space as show rooms for their furniture, and, to eflect a. speedy clearance, have reduced to a very low price all their drapery asd clotbin/g> whirh will be sold (for cash only) for. one irionth. This is a splendid opportunity for thrifty housewives not only to secure clothinebut all kinds of Manchester and furnishing kQss&l¥%& $»*, will pay to lay goodn by tifi