The World.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2254, 18 December 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

The World.

[Tnu following 1 paragraphs are extracted fro n th* London society papers und other journals.] I have tl o highest authority for oon« tradioting ihe report of the betrothal of Prince Albert Victor to Princess Alexandra of Anhalt. The an- j noiineenient'is purely speculative. Princes- Alexandra was born in April 1868, and she is the youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess f>f Anhalt- Dessau, her mother being a princes of Saxe-Alton-bnrsr, and neice to the Queen of Hanover. The eldest sister (Princess Elizabeth) w.is m irried nine years ago to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklinburg-Strelitz, tho grandson of the Duke of Cambridge. A marriage between the Princess Alexandra and her cousin, Prinoe Frederick Leopold of Hohenzollern (only son of the Lite Prince Piederick Charles, and brother to the Duchess of Connaughf), ha* been talked of lately as likely to take place when he returns from his Indian tour, and rumourn have been current in German Court circles of a marriage between the eldest surviving brother of the Princess (Prince Frederick, born 1856) and tho Princet-s Victoria, second daughter of the Crown Prince of Germany. Tho eldest brother (Prince Leopold) died a few months ago, leaving only a daughter by his marraige with the daughter of the late Landgrave of Hesse. The Anhalt family possess large estates in Russia, in addition to their German property, and the Grand Duke is very wealthy. Lord and Lady Londonderry are patronising Irish manufactures extensively. Poplin finds much favour with her lady, ship, while his Excellency arrays himself in the tweeds of the country, cut and made in Dublin by Dubl>ners. The woollen trade was never, perhaps, half 80 flourishing in the " distressful country" as at this moment. I regret to see that the Bishop of Peterborough ia again invalided. Dr McGee's ailment this time is gouty inflammation of the throat, and he is under medical orders to forego public speaking of all kinds for the next few weeks. The episcopal visitation in Peterborough diocese, which generally produces some utterances worth hearing, has consequently been postponed till next year. I rejoice to see that one of those enemies of humanity who keep barndoor fowls in London back-gardens has been brought to justice at last. Now that it has been made known that the cock who crows in the morning thereby renders his owner liable to indictment at common law, we shall probably hear much less of this rustic music in the email hour*, when the London rooster begins his day's work. Lord Londesborough is progressing exceedingly well, and has been able to take carriage exercit-e. Tho sight of the uninjured eye is no longer threatened, and Lord Londesborough goes on Thursday to Brighton, where he will remain for some week?. The shot was not discovered by Mr Critchett behind the cheek, but in the eyeball itself, and the appearance of it clearly indicated that it had come in contact with t-ome hard substance before penetrating the eye. For a lady possessed of a strong sense of humour commend me to that excellent policeman's widow who, on having a grant made to her on her husband's deith, signalised her accession to prosperous widowhood by executing a fandango over her late husband's gn»ve. Wordsworth's churl who studied botany amongr the specimens above his mother's tomb fades into insignificance by the side of the saltatory relict of tho conntable. Lord Dufferin is very sanguine as to the future of Burmah. The pacification of the upper provinces, ho says, is only a matter of time, and that time will not be long in coming with the vigorous measures that are now being taken for the suppression of dacoity and disaffection in the newly-conquered country. When order i« restored, we shall be amply repaid for any expenditure which mny have been incurred. Such are the Indian Viceroy's views, and ho, generally knows what he is talking about, 'as all will readily admit. The millinery department of the War Office are once more to the fore, their latest effort being an alteration in the regulations as to the wearing of kilts. This garb of old Gaul has in future to be worn by mounted as well as other officers of kilted battalions. This surely ought to souud the death-knell of an antiquated I costume ; an undersized youth with skimpy legs was bad enough, but imagine the ridiculous appearance of a major or | colonel prancing about in a kilt and spurs ! | We might really take a lesson from Corea. Their Parliamentary institutions are far ahead of ours. They have party government in true perfection. When one of the leaders find* himself in a minority he redresses the balance by thinning out his opponents. The leader of the Opposition, one Kirn, recently tried this plan, but only with partial success. He killed a good many, but. not enough to place himself in a majority. Kirn is now bad'y" wanted," but he is believed to be safe in Japan. Strange as it mar sound, there is at least one borough in whin country that intends to replace the- gas consumed in certain of the street lamps by oil ! Taunton is the borough I refer to, and its I Town Council, I hear, has quite made up its mind to have nothing more to do with gas as a street illuminant. The leading thoroughfares are to be lighted with electricity, it is true ; but in the back streets it is proposed to burn oil lamps in future, the allegation being that, at Taunton at any rate, the oil lamps will give a cheaper and better light than gas. Strange though it may sound to the ears of the housekeeper, there has of late been a tremendous fall in prices in the wholesale beef market ; indeed, at Liverpool and in Cheshire prices are said to be lower than for thirty years past. This applies to both home and foreign meat. At Birkenhead last week, prime American carcases were selling at 4^d per lb, while at Chester first-class cattle are described as a drug in the market. Yet I do not suppose that a single butcher has sold a pound of meat a halfpenny below the prices of the last ten years Ban bury Cross is to be " restored*' in the form of a gas-pipe. This happy idea has occurred to the Gorhamites who rule over Banbury, and who bavo invited j tenders for the necessary lamp^ and fittings. Theidea, we suppose, is that anyJ one who rides a cock-horse to Banbury Cross to see the young lady get ou h^r horse may not be disappointed, whatever tho hour may bo. It would bo too bad to take so long a journey and not see the young lady after all for want of a friendly lamp. The Town Council, it is added, having invited tenders, are about to consider the execution of the project. We have not heard who is consideiing the execution of the Town Council. The proposal to build a •• Church House" as a memorial of the Queen's jubilee islooked upon with favour in high quarteis. Her Majesty has given her approval to the scheme, and his Grace of Canterbury has become president of a i committee for carrying it into effect. The Archbishop of York is second on tho liHt. Four duke* have joined, including the Duke of Westminster. There are also nix earls, three viscounts, at least a do/on barons, thirty- four bishops, seventeen deaus, forty archdeacons, and no fewer than a septuagiut of canons, major and minor. " What is a church house ?" I a«-ked someone the other day, and was told it was only another name for a clergy club. The Queen of Denmark is to arrive today at (xinuuden, on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, who celebrated the duke's forty- fin-t birthday (September 21) by removing from tho Villa Klusemann to their new chateau on tho Traun See, which ia the finest country seat in tho district. It in a splendid house, and stands in beautiful grounds, which command exfcencive views over tho lake and the mountains boyond. The princip.il rooms are hung with the fine collection of pictures of tho late Duko of

Brunswick, and there are several which belonged to tho lute King George of Hanover. Tho Duke of Cumberland's uold and silver plute weighs twelve ton** ! A correspondent, writing from the Grafton Club, gives the following amusinir result of the habit of a bi»hop dropping his surname and assuming that of his episcopate :— A Barbados dark gi-ntle-mun took his first-born to be christened at tho beginning of this year. The parion inquired what namo he was to give the child? "John Barbados and tho Windward Inlands," wan the reply. Although it was represented to the virtuouh parent that the latter portion of the name was a title, and not a name at all, he would neither believe the fnct nor alter his determination, saying, "Do bishop he I be bcry gwod man, he no nign name dat ! not belong to him ;" and ho, at present, there are in George Town two individuals revelling in the name of John Barbados and the Windward Islands. The 1 ite Master of Trinity was a quite unknown personage to tho general public, but by all scholars he was held in the highest esteem for his admirable editions of Plato, which have been standard volumes ever since their publication ; and they are likely to hold the field as long as Greek in studied. His critical writing were also of genuine value, and showed how exfcensivo and precise was his knowledge, and how discriminating his judgment The Mastership is worth about £2,700 a year, with residence, and it is in the >* ift of the Crown. Lord Salisbury will find it difficult to discover a thoroughly satisfactory man, as it is no easy worlt to succeed such Masters as Thompson and Whewell. Dr. Lightfoot, the man above all others who was best qunlified for this post, and who for years was regarded as the inevitable successor to Dr. Thompson, has unluckily been raised to the bench. I only bopo th»t Lord Salisbnry will be as happy in his choice as Lord Russell was in 1866. An idea of the value of British Columbia's forrest wealth may be gathered, says tho Journal of Commerce, from the fact that four logs recently cut near Vancouver contained 20.580 feet. The logs were as follows : —One log, 02 feet long, iO inches in diameter, 5.299 feet ; oue log, 53 feet long, 44 inches in diameter, 5,600 feet ; one log, 36 feet long, 54 inches in diameter, 5,625 feet ; one log, 24 feet long, 56 inches in diameter, 4056 feet. The Douglas pine has long been celebrated for its great size, but it has hitherto been, except found near the water's edge, comparatively valueless. Now that the railway can carry it to the sea it will become an important export. The Scotch colonist in Victoria, Australia, who sent home for some thistle plants, was a little extravagant. The receipt of the plants was made the occasion of Caledonian demonstration, but probably colonial feeling towards this enterprising Scot have modified ot lute. The plant increased and flourished exceedingly in its new home, and the thistledown appears to have floated to New Zealand, where it has also caused much trouble to the farmers. Many thousand pounds have been expended in trying to exterminate the weed. The Caledonian celebration will be long^ remembered and morulised about. The moral is» an easy one. It in a noteworthy fact that since the exclusion of American products, eases of trichinosis have not decreased in Germany. Recently the meat of twenty hogs slaughtered for account of a .sausage butcher was microscopically examined by experts in the "central yards" at Berlin. The meat of fourteen of the hogs was condemned. All was full of trichince. The authorities congratulate themselves upon the vigilenco of the public me.it inspector*, though the consumers become more convinced every day of tho fallacy of the theories which led to the exclusion of the American hog products from the German markets. The American authlctps nso the electrio sponge. The authletea may be profitably plagiarized. The sponge can be made by everyone, as it is not a sponge, but is made of crocheted silk. Upon being applied to the skin, first of all dry, then soaked with water, and on being wruny out partially dry again, it produoe.s a very enjoyable sensation. It not only gives the invigorating effects of the usual comncon " tub " sponge, but sterns to impart a delightful elasticity and briskness to the body. An enterprising American has reached a climax in perfecting ths umbrella. He has provided it with a patent window through which the pedestrican can see who is ahead of him. Another umbrella invention is a light reversible waterproof cover. In wet weather this can be .slipped over the umbrella, it being kept " taut " and in position by loops which pass over the projecting tips or ends of the framework. When the rain ceases the cover can easily be slipped off and the umbrella is perfectly dry. It is again rumoured that Mr Mackay, the American millionaire, intends to purchase the Houghton Hall estate, in the county of Norfolk. The property, which comprises several thousands of acres and a very fine mansion, was recently put up for sale, but as the highest bid was only 1,500,000d015. it was withdrawn. A Parisian contributor to the Court Journal says : The walking dress for the Boulevards of a lady of great wealth is composed of the cream-ooloured velvet, over which is a loose robe of the new laoe, into which diamonds are woven. The whole costnrae glistens with ten thousand rays of light. Mrs Langtry will produce early during her American season a new and original comedy in four acts entitled " A Ladies' Man," specially written for her by Mr Sydney GruDdy. 41 Sweet iron " is the latest novelty ; it is made by plunging hot iron into treacle — The object obtained is tho softening df the metal. Nearly seventy thousand barrels of American oysters were bhipped to E gland last year.

They were sailing off Mirgate in a little boat together, and she said, "Are we running before tho wind now, George?" "No, my darling," said he; "our boat is hugging the shore." "Ah," she exclaimed, "what a beautiful example you have hero !" Tnß following is said to answer admirably in giving to a new saddle a nice dark brown colour. Waah with a Bolution of soit noap, and when perfectly dry (atinoapherioallj ) rub in lightly horse's or bullock's blood ; by this means a uniform brown colour is produced, which'" in brought to a high varnish by the blood. The use of blood will bo found very advantageous after a saddle and bridle have been exposed to rain, it having the pro* perty of softening the leather and keeping it in a high state of varnish. In the year 1842 Hezekiah Northwest a farmer living in Orwell township, Bradford County, Pa., started two doers on what is known as the Sugar Loaf in Orwell township. He killed both deers with one bullet. After killing one the same bullet went twice around the hill before it killed tho other doer. Some may doubt this, but it is true. Now I will tell you how it was done, Hezekiah had only one bullet when he started, and after killings the first deer he stopped and dressed it, and found the bullet, which he loaded up again ; and then he followed the other deer twice round the hill, ami killed it. — "Forest and Stream." A kuxxy story has just been published by Mr Edison. The report wa« recently circulated that he hud invented a wondcrous shirt. It consisted of thin pieces of gelatiue, o.ich piece to be taken off when soiled, and one shirt was guarantped to la«t for a year. Tho story, after circulating 1 in miny places, at last found its way to Brazil. " Tho gullibility of the South Amei'ican may be appreciated,'' said Edison in a recent in + etvi«w, when it is known that soon after the story root thoir oyes the Brazilians began to send me drafts and cheques for shirts. An idiotic diamond dealer sent me a draft on tho Bink of England for £100. He wrote that he didn't know how muoh the nhirts wero, but he did not think they ought to cost over £100 a-pieoe.