ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1724, 24 July 1883, Page 3

ITEMS BY THE MAIL.

It may not he generally known by the average reader, but it is the fact, that the six leading agricultural productions of the United States, according to the P census report for 1880, were in the following order : Corn, wheat, hay, cotton, oats and potatoes. The value of the first was six hundred million dollars, of wheat five hundred millions, hay three hundred and thirty millions, cotton two hundred and forty-two millions, oats one hundred and -, thirty millions, and potatoes seventythree millions? The exhibit is an extraordinary and a surprising one. — St. Louis Miller. The London World says : Mr James Gordon Bennetts steam yacht, "Namouna," has had a very narrow escape from being totally lost at Villefranche. It appears that Mr Bennett, having ordered steam to be got up, put his captain and mate on shore, taking charge himself for the avowed purpose of showing them how to handle a yacht. Steaming out of the harbour of Villefranche she all but collided with the French gunboat "Hyenej"once outside the Mole, the •*Namouna " was steered straight for the railway station at Villefranche, and, in consequence, ran full speed ashore in a -very few moments. Fortunately, the beach where she struck was composed' chiefly of sand ; hence, after discharging BOiije forty tons of coal and stores, she was got off by some tug boats despatched from Nice, apparently without any Berious.damage. The gunboat " Hyene " r offered assistance, which, it is understood, was declined, Mr Bennett stating that he, ran the vessel ashore for his own Vmusement. Ths; punches of new vessel on the .Clyde,, Scotland, during the month of April 'amounted to thirty, of a total of ' , 32, y 9OO tons,' being the largest total, ever • s a known daring ' April in any previous 1 . vyear4j\w»d>daring»the four < months now *PMt tb^e-bftve beenr eighty- three tyessejs

amount of new shipping launched during the first four months of last year. It is stated that the value of the tonnage launched this year is close upon £3,000,000, sterling. Paddle steamers form a somewhat prominent feature in the launches last month, there being four such vessels put into tho water, one being a Clyde passenger steamer, another a channel -steamer, and the other two for foreign trade, The largest of the screw steamers was the Jioslin Castle, 4,300 tons and 4000 horse power indicated, built for the Castle line of South African steamers, owned by Sir Donald Currie & Co., by Messrs. Barclay, Curie & Co., Several very largo Bailing vessels were also included in the month's turn-out of new work on the Clyde. — Engineering. There died, recently, at Moore's Hill, Dearborn County, Indiana, one of the pioneer women who deserve a place in history, Mrs Dorcas Justice, aged 84. In 1818 she went with her family from Virginia. She brought to their chosen place in the Hoosier wilderness the fruits and grains of the Old Dominion. With her own hands she planted the seed and cared for the tree, now gnarled and venerable in the homestead orchard. She planted cotton seed, and raised, picked, carded, and spun enough cotton for her to weave many yards of cloth There are now at the old home several Hue and beautiful counterpanes of her manufacture, all tbe process from planting of the seed to the fine stitches in tho hem the work of her hands. Eighteen children were born to her, sixteen living to adult years. For over twenty years she made every yard of cloth worn by fie numerous family, and yet found time to be neighbourly, hospitable, a visitor to the poor and sick. In addition to this she brought up six children not her own. Hers was a quiet, busy, useful life, ono of the type that insures the stability of our homes and government. Though unknown to fame, she will be lone remembered and venerated as one who, as wife and mother, neighbour and citizen, did her duty well. She beiieved in the right, justice and wisdom of woman's claim for the ballot, and signed the petition for a women's suffrage constitutional amendment sent from her neighbourhood not long ago. — Overland Mail. "The Fiench Government," says Nature, "are steadily continuing their excellent work of deep-sea investigation. Their vessel, the Talisman, is now being equipped and fitted out with the most improved machinery and apparatus, and will leave the latter part of this month (June) for Morocco, the Canaries, Cape Verd Islands, Azores, and the Sea of Saragasso. Our last expedition of this kind, in the Challenger, although highly successful considering the great extent of area traversed by it, might be consideicd in one lespect tentative, and ought to have led to further results. Our own seas have never been sufficiently investigated, while the Americans, Norwegians, Germans, French, and Italians have, especially of late years, been indefatigable in thoroughly exploring their parts of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean."— Vanity Fair. The Jews, though now scattered through all the nations of the world, have preserved the original type of countenance, owing to the fact of their remaining to a great extent unmixed with the sin rounding people, through confoi ming to their customs, but shunning their leligion, in this latter respect being true to their ancient faith. The Hebrew face can be generally detected, no matter where it is seen, though it is not a little cm ions that though rarely moving with the nations among whom they have settled, fair-haired, blue-eyed, white-skinned Jews can be met with in Scandinavia (T have myself seen them) ; red-haired and red-bearded Jews in Spain and Portugal ; while in India (in Cochin and on the Malabar cost) Buchanan affirms that Jews can be found so black as to be luuiistmguishable, except in features, from the natives. At M attach eri, a town of Cochin, is a particular colony of Jews who arrived at a later date in that country, and are Jerusalem or white Jews. There is no evidence in support of Buchanans belief that the blackness of the Jews spread through India is attributable to intermarriages with Hindoos ; on the contrary, they seem to have a\ oided all intermixtures with other nations. In China the Jesuit missionaries describe a colony of Jew settled in Honan of many ages, who keep themselves distinct and intermarry within their own community. It appears that the Jewish inhabitants of Cochin were a people of the same migration with those of China, and it is very improbable that they differ from their brethren in the particular above alluded to. It is more likely that the fact of Jews now and then being found agreeing in complexion, etc., with the people among whom they are tin own is owing to the force of immigration acting on the mother, just as in tbe same way the lower animals can be made produce peculiarly nrniked varieties of offspring from contemplating during the season of pregnancy such marked forms. This fact is very familiar to physiologists. The character the Hebrew, as developed among the lower types of the race, is' everywhere much the same ; they are too often grasping and avaricious, following every pursuit where the greatest gain can be pot, with little regard to the honour or dignity of their occupation. They are always keenly alive to the " main chance," of excellent business capacity, particularly when the buying and selling of money is concerned, " clannish" to their own race, hospitable among themselves, i dignified, and benevolent. Property, except when it is profitably and easily realized, they do not care to accumulate. This habit of theirs is probably owing to the fact that their chief occupations are as dealers in coin, bullion, jewels, etc., and also to the persecutions and plunderings they suffered in Europe during the Middle ages, and in the Mohammedan Kingdoms— such as Morocco — at the present clay. An estate in land cannot be concealed, but the millionaire may hide his coin and avoid suspicion, as in Morocco, by crouching in a hovel in rags. Yet the prejudice against the race— owing chiefly to the rancour which is Christians in the more intolerant Middle Ages excited against them — is in many respects unjust. The Jews, wherever you find them, have many excellent qualities— more, I might add, than the people of any other race. They take charge of their own sick and poor ; they are merciful to each other in their dealings ; and rarely do their wives excite scandal in the courts of law, or is the spectacle seen of one merchant of that race calling in the help of the law to obtain his just dues from another. These are but a few of their qualities, and though they have others not so admirable, yet the same or similar charges might be brought against almost any other nation beside the Jews. — People of the World.

Messrs Gould, Waitoa, notify their intention to apply for a slaughtering license. Mr J. Pollard, Te Awamutu, advertises a heifer running on his farm. The Auckland Agricultural Company have for sale mangolds and carrots at Fen Courf Mr Gerrand, Rangiriri, offers a reward for the recovery of three horses. The Waikato Cheese and Bacon Factory Company advertise for a competent manager. Full information may be had on reference to Capt. Runciman. ' , Members of the Hamilton Band, and others holding instruments, are notified to hand them in to Mr J, S. Edgecumbe on Friday next, pending further arrangements. A notification of great importance to employers and employes on Government contracts is p blishedin. our business, <columns.ii It is Isigned by the Under- Secretary for public Works. ' ' Mr J. S. Buckland will' sell at' Ohaupo on Tuesday, August 14th. the farm of Mr Junes Hastie, at Hukanuj, consisting 1 of ;50 acres of first-clasi land. It is on the main road, ppposite the late Mr De Vere, Hunt's residence, „ , " I suppose," said a punning" 'lady to a sailor whom she saw holding the] rudder of a'boat, aa sbe t was sauntering ' on the sea-ihore 1 /"!' suppose "that your favourite