FROM OUR MAIL FILES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1762, 20 October 1883, Page 2

FROM OUR MAIL FILES.

tember, and the last on the 28th of January, and during the interval of four months sixtyfive galloons, carrying 104 passengers, 381 pigeons, five dogs and ten tons of letters and newspaper*, left the ,city. Seven of these were captured by the enemy and two have never sines beau heard of. One of these, tho J acquard, left Paris on the 18th of November and was seen above Plymouth the following day. All trace of it was subsequently lost. Out of the 381 pfcreona started norn the departments all but (il reached their destination, find one of them made their voyage four times. M. Steenacher describe in some detail the efforts made to steers balloons, all of which were entirely unsuccessful. A scientific comuiision on board the United States ship Washington is to examine the ba^in of the Meditei ranean, ascoi taming the depth, temperature, density, and chemical composition of the wator, the geological natuie of the bottom, the velocity and direction of the marine curlents and tlieir action on the coasts ; and also to study the duep sea plants and anim.ils. — Cont. (razette. A sea m mater was lately caught at Homnoku, Yokohama. It is a laige fish, with the head of a monkey and face of a man. Its body is covered with short, black hah — Hochi Shim bnu. A very remarkable story comes to us from a watering place in France. M. Gration was about to make an ascent in a hot-air balloon. A young woman who was to ascend u tth him was seated in the car, and tlic n?i on.xnt, with his right hand held a coid whicii wa? attached to the balloon ; Muldiv.ilv the iciostat broke away, the cord in M. (.TiatienS hand bjcamo entangled around two of his fingers, and he was snatched from the giouud .md carried to a hight of sonvi eighteen hundied feet. V.mdv he tried to haul himself up and loop the cord around his arm, but he became exhausted and hung Jimp by the two fingers while the billoon w.vs blown along for a distance of about foui miles at that groat height. Tho young woman in the basket fainted. As tlie air in the balloon cooled the en descended till M. Gratien's body touched the gioiind, and, still held by his fingers, he was whisked over the rough country for half a mile through thorny bushos. The yarn has it that the aeronaut sutt'eicd no internal injury and will prob ibly lecover. Tho Fiench Royalists of all factions appeal to hiiMH cached tho conclusion that tho .safest and most promising policy for then cause lies in uni e-survedly giving their adh'nenco to the Count do Paiis. The pimciple inculcated by thatimmeinorial old gentleman and his bundle of sticks, of whom wo have all lead in fable, the Koyaii.sts are undoubtedly light, but it must have been a biltm pill for some of them to swallow. The piincip.il uioup-, of Royalists \\ hich have as yet foimally tondcicd then allegiance to the Count aie those led by Count Rochefoucauld, B.uon Ltirciuti, Count do Mun, leader of the Vondomo Royalists, and, (icnoial Chaiette, former cluef of the Pontifical Zouaves. With this following assuiod, tho Count need have no fear about gaming tho undivided suppoit of the entire Royalist paity, and to judge by tho piesent state of La Bello Franco, it is likely that they, as well as all tho other political factioiis now contending for power in that distracted country, may soon have an opportunity to tiy final conclusions. A Nor vßLr.TicEii Hunter.— The death of Major Piobyn, formerly ot the East India Co. 's army, has been lecorded. While on acth c sei \ ice ab Sholapore he met with a accident, which deprived him of his right hand and one hnger of the left haj^^lo was thus incapacitated from servj^^BjHi his legmient, but tho Oovernmenj^^^^A tod hun to tho Bhoel Agency in whoie foi twenty-live years' of his Tiie ne distinguished himself for his courage, vigour and tact, and wheiohewou tho confidence and icspeot of the wild puoplo of the countiy. Notwithstanding the gioat physical disabilities under which hu laboured, single-handed, ho almost cleaied the countiy of tigois dining tho toim of his administiation, and ho was known to have killed Imiisolf o\oi one hundied tiger*. Tin; Pakcm Pom I.—Dunns'1 .— Dunns'- the first four dvy-i that the paicels post was m operation neaily 30,000 paicols wore delivered in London alone, the number collected m tho motiop >Hs during tho same penod amounting to about 70,000. The dolivoues on tho second day showed an inciCcise of (j,OOO packages on thefhst day. On tho thud day tiioio was a fmther incieaso of 2,000, and on the fomth day a fiuthoi liicio.iso of 1.000. Tho mimhci of paiccls dolncied on tbo fomth day wa.s ab ut 10,000 Tlio J'j.iatcin Cuntial is tho distuct which ontubutes paicols in the gieatot nnmbiMs, tho Western Cential connii" next, and being closely followed by Paddnujtmi. The hmuothuo-s with which tlio aiiangouients for leceiving and tiansmitting tho |iaicols have woik- % d testifies to thoii thoionghnuos, and gieat .satisfaction has I>l'imi e\pios,ed as to tlie gonoial working of tlio now soi v 100. Tho a% oi ago weight of tho package-, foi w aided for tiansnnssion has been about 3 pounds. Theie woio lujoioings lecently at Nntwell Comt, Dovcin, J'jiig". , to cclebuite the nia]onty of Mi.ss Uiako, only daughter of Sn Kiancii and Lady Diako, (the name of " IJiako's Inlet ' isdouvcd from the Jjiitish Admiral JJiako, whose vessels of wai woio the hut to vi,-,it tlio Gah foi nia Coast), and heiies-, to tho extensive family estates, which include not only the beautiful old heat and demesne of Nutvvoll^but als > tho minor of BucUud Monachorum, near TavisLock, and the large piopeity of Yai combe, neai Chaid. The tenants piesentod Miss Uiako with a massive silver bowl of antique workinanshi]) : and the tradosnian gave her a haiuKome bi.icelet. Tho coni])any weio afterwards entei tamed at dinnoi, in a maiquee which was elected on the lawn, and befoie leaving they woie conducted, mpaities, tlnough the hou.se, and were shown tho Hags winch were boine on Sir Fiancis Diakes shi])S, and plate given to him by < v hiocn Jsh/.al)eth and the fine collection of old pictuies, china, and ai tides of vn tu. Tiik Kmitikjuaki: in Ihchia. — " No pea can desetibc," says the Times, correspo dent, " tlio .state of ruin to which this once lonely spot is l educed. The vciy topography of Caaainiceiola, ■with its suiroundings coveiod with pretty villas and hotels, is absolutely obliterated. It is scarcely possible, even for one well acquainted with the place, to indicate the lines when- the roads, the pleasing walks, the paths through the vineyards once ran. The ground is lent in long, deep fissures several inches in width. In one place only have I come on any tiace of a pavement. That is a small poition of the main road leading upwards, where it skirts, cornice fashion, the side of the hill. The outer half has been swept away. Here and in other places there have been landslips, and laigc trees, carried half way down, are barging horizontally from their aides, with telegraph wires still extended fiom them. Slight shocks contiuue to be felt almost daily, sometimes several in one day. It is noteworthy that the sismographic instruments on the Vesuvian Observatory indicated perturbations dining the earthquake at Casamicciola, and also during the severe shock at Porio, while during the earthquake in 1881 they remained perfectly quiet. The activity of Vesuvius and the flow of lava has almost ceased. The telegraph service is being performed in huts which have been erected on the shore for the accommodation of various public officials."

«l Ax University for Wales. —^^mt 170 yeais ago an Italian noble, the Piinee of Mantua and Montserrat, left a sum of money (£oOQ) on trust ; this has now accumulated through compound interest to the enormous sum of £750,000. The money was left by the Prince to be devoted to educatien. and five trustees were appointed. No effort was, however, put forward to give effect to the will, but the present trustees have determined to use the money for the establishment of an university. Applications have been received by the founders from America, Switzerland, Austria are other covntries, but as two of those who have authority over the fund and natives of the Principality, though not at present residing there, they incline to give the university to Wales, should their fellow-country-men desire it.

Life in the Bush— Then axd Now. — It is generally supposed that in the bush we havo to put up with many discomforts and privations in the shape qt food Formerly it was so, but now, thanks to T. B. Hill, who has himself dwelt in the bush, if food does consist chiefly o( tinned meats his Colonial Sauce gives to them a most delectable flavour, making them as well of the plainest food most enjoyable, and instead as hard biscuits and indigestible damper his Improved Colonial Baking Powder makes the very best bread, scones, cakes, and pastry far superior and more wholesome than yeast or leaven. Sold by all storekeepers who can ob« tain it from any merchant in Auckland.