NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 93, 6 February 1875, Page 7

NEWS IN BRIEF.

1 Within six years, on the coast of Canada, ninety-eight new light* i houses have been built, four new lightships established, and ten new steam fog-alarms ; forty-eight more lighthouses, eight fog-alarms, and two lightships are in course of construction. A court-martial has dismissed from Her Majesty's drip Agincourt, Sub-Lieutenant John Campbell Mackenzie, for having been absent from his ship for one night. He was also deprived of six months' seniority. Two monks and nine workmen have perished in a snowdrift nerr the Great St. Bernard Monastery. While witnessing a game of base ball out West, a boy was struck on the back of his head, the bawl came out of his mouth. The annoiincemcnt is made that the memoirs of Talleyrand will j be published in a few months, when the 30 years, during which he directed by his will that they should remain in manuscript, will have expired. Temple Bar has now to be propped up ; so it will be formally taken away from its present position, where it is an obstruction to traffic, and re-erected as an entrance to the new Law Courts near by. There died in the Picton hospital- the other day a man named Philip Waite, who, not many years ago, had money sufficient to spend £900 in a spree in a fortnight at Melbourne. He was the first man to drive sheep from South Australia overland to Melbourna. | A private in the Royal Engineers, stationed at Chatham, deliberately laid his hand on the rails in front of an avancing train, and the member was completely crushed, A desire to quit the 1 service was the motive for this act of self -mutilation. \ Tiie veteran cricketer of England, Mr. C. Absolon, now over 70 I years of age, has performed wonderfully during the last season in the " old country," making 1066 runs, and taking 500 wickets. His batting average is 15, and his bowling average being six runs a wicket, these being secured in good matches. The largest plate of glass ever manufactured in the United States was recently cast in Indiana. It is 184 x9l inches. The ' Japan Mail ' describes the city of Yeddo as a miracle of cleanliness. " Notwithstanding the feet which tread the streets, they are as clean as the seldom visited parks of the aristocracy. No person throws paper or any refuse in the streets." The Pope gave an audience on November 23, to the Duke of ! Norfolk and his two sisters. | Verdi, the composer, has been created an Italian senator. j A wager, attended with somewhat unpleasant consequences, was lately made at Eton. An Etonian undertook to swallow a certain number of eggs and rolls in a specified time, and accomplished his object, but Las been dangerously ill ever since. Dr. Livingstone's camp equipment was lately sold by auction, and ' produced a total of £28 4s. The highest prices were £8 10s for the late traveller's fowling piece, and £5 10s "for his pocket filter and cup, 1 while a lot of five air pillows, gaiters, and one black glove fetched £4, and a couple of egg-cups sold for 17s. i A mysterious l>,t,.&et, addressed to the station master at Clapham Junction, on being opened was found to contain a living child. ' The station master declining the gift, a porter volunteered to accept it, and took the basket and child. On lifting the child ,£BOO was found in the basket. The story goes that the station master then demanded the basket and its contents, which the porter very properly refused to give up. One can hardly doubt to which of the two the mother would entrust her child. It is stated that a Swede has discovered a new explosive compound which exceeds in power aU knewn explosives, and is free from the dangers which, attach to most of them.