NEWS FROM THE WAR.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2011, 28 May 1885, Page 4

NEWS FROM THE WAR.

Gaily the papei man Touched Inn gmtai, Wlnle he was leading the \o\vs fiom tho \iai. Kinging " hot vom booth Now theie'll ho fun ; We don't cue uho it shout-*, Wai ha-> begun." He '..injf as how he knew, Si\ ninntliN befoit , Thou 'tl hi\et»> be a l'JuKope.m w.u, In \\ ii tflticl to sec Th.it it had cuine, And his he.ut l.mglied at tho Kol] of the diuin. But when the C/.or at last, Aiming hi 1 * v»uth, Sent Pi'tio\laiMchia\st Over the Piuth, Wli°n Ibrainn uotchukus Mot Stehobielefstt, Sighed the newspaper man "Give us a rest." No re-^t ; for Kh.ilifatIi tM.lni'-koainoN-I>m ii|c-efiiahiiat riiistchigolo-t Met in the tield wh.-io (illlgll 1 \ollMgOltll-ri->tch, tU ' ' '■ Hooi.iv.

A Mjnsiv>iiti lady grows tSSO vaiietie-> of loses in lier garden ovcry summer. Inn K-sri(.ATio>s made by a Committee o* the British Association show that a man really glows in stature up to his fiftieth year although the growth is ve\> slow after twenty. Thl war in the vSoudan is a fortunate relief to British shipowner*. A recent nmnber of the Liverpool Mercury con tains a summary of the steam shipping trade, the status of which is still unfavourable. The total launched in 1884 was 730,839 tons, against 1.11C>,555 in the previous year In the Wear, Tyne, and Tees districts the total decline v\as 800,000 tons, while the Clyde shows, a decrease of nearly 119,000 tons, but as this was divided amongst fifty buildeis the loss has not been so severely felt. Very few steamers are now being built, except for special purposes, and the out put tor 1883 will probably show a considerable decrease against the past year. Of the tonuago lying idle, some is so helplessly in <l«bt to bankers and otheis that it will never .ipain be sailed by the pi emanaging owners. Freights show scarcely any improvement, and it is difficult to keep vessels employed in any trade yielding any profit. The Government has, however, already taken up some ,10.000 tons of steamers mostly consisting of the pick of vessels belonging to large companies, at a rate of 17s Jhl per ton and under. Tins rate, as compared with the Egyptian War of 18S3, is fully 5s less than the average on that occasion. Upwaids of SOO steamers have been placed at the disposal of the Admiialty, and the shipowner is envied whose vessels have been accepted. Builders have lately accepted very reduced prices to enable them to keop their yauls open, and several cat go vessels, carrying 3000 tons on a moderate draught, have been conti acted for at the rate of 18 to £S 5s per ton, dead weight capacity. Iron and steel tailing vessels of large tonnage are still in fair demand, and several order*, hive been placed at 1"9 10s to €10 os. A Gkjaxtic Railuav Station.— A new railway station at Birmingham, which is pronounced to be the most complete one in tin- world for passengers, is desciibed in the Birmingham Tiatle .Journal :— " The time occupied fiom the eounienceincut to the completion of what may be termed the new half of the station, but which is practically only the full realisation of tlie original conception, has been two years and half, to effect which 1000 artisans and labourers ha\e beon unployed daily for that period. The Hist coat of the station was a little less than half a million, the recent additions having rather exceeded another half-mill' ju ; and when it is added tha*. the total aiea of ground now covered by the ■ ■ ibir ' station is between 1 1 and 12 a ■>- - • an extent of 51,500 sqiuie yiid 1 - M < •!! be obvious that the a i >-<er tion th«.i ''"0 Birmingham station of th< London and Noitn-Wistciii Railway i-> the ldigeb*' p.v>sengei stttion in the woild is no ex.iggeiation. The new offices and plattoim elections have been constiueted and finished in as, perfect a manner as possible, and the refreshment looms, waitiug-rooms, and lavatories are unique in their arrangements. The total length of the platforms erected in the combined station exceeds one milo and a half. The new anangcineuts have neces> sitated the appointment of one chief station-master, two assistant stationmasteis, a complete staff of inspectors and foremen for each platform, besides the usual number of porters, assistants, &c. The total number of men engaged on what is called the usual stall foi all de paitments is 317, though this number will eventually have to he mci cased, the number of tiains passing in and out of New street station daily at the piesout time being close upon 300. On two occasions lecently the numbers have been taken of the persons w ho, making use of the footbi idge, h>\\ c passed in at the Newstreet enhance and stiaight out again at the othei side of the station. For this puipose a 'lhnrsday was chosen as being a most ordinary, and Satin day as an cxtraoidinary day. On the Thursday the number was "22,152, and on the Satmday 25,334. Balloons t\ tub Soinnv.— A new tenor, splinting from the science of infidel wai fare, rctmuks a London paper, awaits the Arabs under Osman Digna. For the fiist time in a British campaign the balloon is to be utilised as a means of observation. A regular balloon corps has has been sent out from Woolwich, and its object will be to picvcnt, in the Hist place, a Biitish surprise, and in the second, to indicate, for the information of the General commanding, the precise position of the enemy. It will be remembered that the cavalry experience at the battle of Teb and in the subsequent engagements showed that the uivalrj sword was no match for the long hpeais of the enemy. This fact so impressed itself upon the minds of our troopeis that they armed themelvos with the weapons oftheAiabs, and in this way became converted into a brigade of lanccis. The authorities at Home have so far ratified the wisdom of this tcmpoiary change of armament that they have bent out a regiment of Lanccis to cooperate with the linesmen. This will be a new revelation for the Arabs, who have hitherto prided themselves on the advantage of reach w Inch the spear has had over the sword of the i/utuiin,. Sovn. ir.onths ago, in the Berlin Gegenwait, the well-known philosopher Kdouaid yon Hartmann called the attention of his countrymen to the alarming diminution of German interest in good books. He thinks that Germany's scientific pre-eminence is in danger ; for although the Empne still produces more books than France and Kngland together, yet there is a steady decline in the demand for solid works, whether in scicuco or belles-letteis. JSeveial causes arc assigned for the gi owing evil : the diminished leisuie of the educated class, causing distaste for any reading that lequues concentration ; increasing absoiption in politics, which dines out of mind all other intellectual interests ; incicasiiigly fie<jncnt changes of residence in the cities, making th° possession of a libiaiy buuleusomc ; the increased wages of book compositois, with a consequent i iso in the pi icp of books; the multiplication of cyclopedias and other books of reference, cheap editions of the classics, gift books, novels of the seasons, &c, tendering it possible to make a show of being a lover of books and the ow ner of a libiary without really doing any read ing. Tiik Liie or an M.P. — An XI P. deploring the evil effects of London habits on the health, s.ud that were it not for the American CVs Hop Hitters he could not live through vvitli the irregular hours he was toned to keep. .Said he. "As soon as I feel weak and exhausted from lontf night sessions and meals .U irregular hours, I resort to my Hop Hitters instead of stimulants. They regulate my bowels and keep my appetite pood, my brain Hear, and my strength and health are preserved." See,