CLIPPINGS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1870, 1 July 1884, Page 4

CLIPPINGS.

Dctrino the year ending on March 31, ]884| the revenue of England was £87, 205, 184, as compared with £89,00, 445G in the corresponding 12 months, the decrease being £1,799,272. There was a heavy fall in the property and income tax returns, and also in receipts from stamps. The item showing the largest increase was the post office revenue. In a recent number of Nature, Mr E F. llardman, Government geologist in Western Australia, reports what he regards as an instance of s>uicide by black sn ikes. A half-killed snake was attacked by black ants in the wounded parts, when " it instantly turned round and bit itself twice in the neck, with seeming determination." In less than one minute it was dead, poisoned, Mr Hardmau believes, by its own venom. His men reported this to be a common occurrence. In .South Australia the public debt was £566,830 in 18G3, £2.174,900 in 1873, and 1*13,908.700 in 1883; and tin iato per head lose in those years from £G 3s 6d to £10 19s 7d, and in 1883 £44 18s 21. Yet in May last they floated a 4 per cent, loan at over par. In connection with the Blue Ribbon Gospel Army there has been foimed a woman's crusade to organise and carry out aggressive work against intemperance in Sydney. The modes of operation are to be somewhat similar to those adopted by the women of America some few years since, when much real work was accom plished by what was then known as the " Whisky War." A band of earnest Christian women paraded the streets a recent night, and made several stoppages in front of the various publichouses en route from Pitt and Goulburn streets ttvo v the Temperance hall, iuvitirg the publicans, barmaids, and those drinking at the "bars to the meeting at the hall. W. FbLLOWS, Cleveland, Oino, after experimenting for two yeais, claims to have succeeded in inventing a way to take instantaneous and absolutely permanent photographs upon anything having a smooth surface by the action of electricity. The expense is less than one cent for each picture. If all that is here claimed is true, this invention Mill re\olutionise photography. In Texas, United States, one English syndicate owns 4,300,000 acies, and another has 3,000,000 acies. Sir Edward Reed owns 2,000,000 acres in Floiida. and other English capitalists and companies own very large blocks in vauous parts. The buyeis rarely pay moie than 2dol. an acre. At the present time a gigantic raihoad project is contemplated in Russia, and the Czar takes the livelisst interest in the matter. In view of the immense benefit accruing in agriculture and commerce through the completion of the network of railroads in the United States, the Rnssian Government and capitalists have been encouraged to undertake a similar work for their large country. The project is nothing less than a Russian Pacific .Railroad. The road in length will aggregate 11,700 English miless and the cost is estimated.it 1,000,000,000 roubles. It is judged that this stupendous woik will take twenty years to complete. It is proposed that dining times of peace the soldiers of the empiic shall be employed in the construction of the load. The Czar has decided to appoint a commission for the pui pose of investigating the piojeet. The Gbk vtßrew kr. — " One evening," says Mr George Augustus Sala, "dining the mayoialty of Alderman Combe, the great brewer, the gay chief magistiate — theie being presumably nothing 'on hand ' at the Mansion House — was occupied with the pastime known as • shaking his elbow ' at the hazard-table at Bi ookes's Club House, in St. James's street. Beau Brummcl was one of the party. He was, in the parlance of the gaming-table, the 'caster.' 'Come, Mashtuh,' he cried to the worthy Lord Mayor, ' w hat do you set ?' ' Twenty-five guineas,' leplied the brewer. 'Well, then,' continued the impudent ' glass of fashion,' ' have at the mare's pony' — meaning 23 guineas. Brummel continued to tluo.v until he had 'driven home the mate's pony ' no less than 12 times tunning. In tuttli, he had won 300 guineas from Aldciman Combe, and making a low bow he pocketed the cish and said, 'Thank you, my Lord Mashtnb ; for the futuio I shall never drink any porter but youis.' '1 •wish, sir,' retoitcd the brewer, ' that every other blaekguaid in London would say the same.' " Thk OldkstName. — Three commercial travellers, meeting at a West of England inn one winter evening, had a heat ty supper together. Supper over, the tlnee found some difficulty in alloting their respectne sliaics ot the bill ; but one of them at length cut shoit the dispute by proposing that whobover had the '' oldest name" among them should go fiee, the expenses being halved by the other two. This amendment being ptomptly accepted, No. 1 produced a card inscribed "Richard Eve." Then No. 2 trumped with "Adam Brown." Then No. 3, a f)ortly \etumu -with a humourous eye, aid down his card with the quiet confidence of a great geuciul making a decisive movement, and lemntked with a chuckle. " I don't much think you'll beat this 'un, gents." And he was tight, for the name was " Mr B. Ginning." Cjivrlks Dickkns — -On one occasion Mr Charles Dickens was upholding the theoiy that whatever trials or difficulties might stand in a man's path theie is always something to be thankful for. "Let me, in proof theieof," said Dickens, " relate si story Two men were to be hung at Newgate for murder. The morning anived ; the hour approached ; the boll of St. Sepulclne's began to toll ; the convicts were placed ; the procession was formed; it ad\anced to the fatal beam; the lopes were adjusted mound the poor men's necks ; there were thousands of motly s>ightseois> of both sexes, of all ages, men, women, and childi en, in fiont of the scaffold ; when just at that second of time, a bull •which was being diivcn to Smithfield bioke his rope, and charged the mob light and left, scattering people everywhetc with his hoi us. Whereupon one of the condemned men tinned to his equally unfortunate companion, and quietly observed: "I say, Jack, it's a good thing we ain't in that crowd.' " What Scienci: j.s Doinu for Us.— "Cleaiin' up?' implied the old .settler. " I hain't ben able to see no si»n c' any clearin' up yit. It used to bj that ye could go a little by the moon in inakin' ycr calc'lations 'bout things ; but fur all the use the moon is now iur that ye mowt jest as well scoop the in'ards out'n a skimmilk cheese, light a taller dip an' put it in it, an' han<* it up on a flagpole. I bon sayin along dm in' this damp spell, ' Wait till the moon changes an' this weather '11 flop roun' with a jeik an' we'll hey it dryer 'n a temp'rance picnic, an' colder 'n an icicle ofPn the North Pole. Wai, the moon changed t'other day, but 'fatid o' th« weather fetchin' up with a short jerk an' takin' the back tiack it just tuk to lainin' all the harder, an' gives me a durn nice record for knowin' a thing or two. I tell ye that these gastrominers that's a settiu' up nights, all over the countiy, pokin' their spy-glasses round, drawin' beads on a domet ev'ry little spell, an' wingin' a new star now and then, an' a gossipin' 'bout what they imagine they've found out, like a lot o' ole women at a tea party, is a playin' hob with things in this mundane spear. 'Fore we knew'd that they was mountains on the moon things worked all right We know'd jist w'en to pole our beans an' stick our peas; w'en to 'spect weather an' w'en we was gointer hey a drout ; w'en to go a iishiu' an' we'en to kill our pigs. But now we're gittin too smart, an' we don t know nothin'. 'Twon't b'piise me a durn bit to wake up some tiue mornin' an' find ev'rything drowned out. or burnt up, or knocked pizzle-jee-whang, by a comet gettin' on its ear. — New York Sun. BATg AXP. Mice.-— lf you wish to de stvpy tbemget a packet of Hu i/s Magic Vbrmin Killer in packet*, 6d, 9d, and Is, to be obtained of Alfytiitokecperi, or from T. B. Hill by en-