All Sorts

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 46, 14 November 1907, Page 38

All Sorts

The following curious- advertisement ,- appeared- - the other day in a Dunedin paper :— Wanted, under gardener ; must be able to milk and groom a- horse.. - In Sweden the saloons are closed on Saturday—payday—while the savings banks are kept open until - midnight. No government can. force a man to save his money ; but this" Swedish system" at least encourages him to deposit it where it is most likely to be of use. ' Your honor,' said the arrested , chauffeur, * I tried to warn the man, but the horn would not work.'

"Then why did you not slacken speed rather than' run • him down ? ' A light seemed to dawn upon the accused. ' You have me there,' he» said. 'I never thought of that.' In the household department of a farm magazine we find the following advertisement : — ' lam willing to exchange a well-preserved copy of Browning's poems for some geraniums. I have a complete edition of _Byron, containing all his poems and letters, which I shall be glad to exchange for some nasturtium seed.' The ' seals of office ' which are delivered by the King to the members of a. new Government are smallmetal discs, engraved with some device, enclosed in a velvet case, They are, of course, never ' worn ' ; in' fact, Ministers generally put them away and forget all about them until the time comes to surrender them to his Majesty.- ■ " -•• The pitfall, much used in Africa and South -America

as a means- of catching large game, is an imitation 1 of the device employed by the ant-lion to entrap his prey. This curious insect digs a conical hole in the I , sand and lies in wait at the bottom. When an' incautious an£ approaches too near the top the sand gives" way and he slides' down into the jaws of his enemy.

Salt is the greatest luxury known in Central Africa. In some sections among the 'poorer inhabitants salt "is nej|er used. Ji'yen among the better classes, a man who eats salt with his food is considered- a rich individual. In some tribe's . where salt is not so scarce children are so fond _of it that they may be seen eating it just as our children would eat pieces of lump sugar.

The actual invention of balloons is due to two brothers, Stephen and Joseph Montgolfier, sons of Peter Montgolfier, a paper manufacturer at- Annonay, near Lyons. It was on June 5, 1783, that they gave their first public exhibition. A linen globe 105 ft in circumference was inflated 1 over a fire of straw and wbod. When released, it quickly rose to the height of about '6oooft, and descended about ten minutes later one mile and a half from\the starting point. The first aerial voyage took place on October 21, 1783, when two Frenchmen made an ascent near Paris. Their names were M. Pilatre de Roziers and Marquis a Arlandes ; they were in the air twenty-five minutes, "and rose 3000 ft, and came Sown safely. . . - "

• The great Cullinan diamond recently found in the Transvaal, and which is to be presented to King Edward VII., will -greatly increase the -weight "" of the British crown. The crown is already very heavy— 39oz and sdwts.— no light burden for. the King- when' he performs the ceremony, of opening Parliament. To add to it the Cullinan diamond would increase this weight by about three-quarters of a pound avoirdupois, which, it is estimated, is what the jewel will weigh after it -is cut. The- crown, as it is seen to-day, in the Tower .of London, contains 2818 diamonds,. 297 pearls, andmany other exquisite jewels.- Its" "chief gem is the •7?£&«& c value of which has been - estimated at £100,000, which was given to the .Black' Prince in Spam in the year 1367, arid was worn by Henry V. in his helmet at the battle of Agincourt.

The most patßetic of all monkey stories is one which- Grant-Duff has somewhere- recorded. The Dublin Zoo had . a famous ape, whose delight was the friendship of the 'principal of the" establishment. He never passed .the cage without a handshake and a friendly chat— until once a meiriber of the Royal Family went visiting. That day the principal, too engrossed with the duties of showing the august guest, round the place, overlooked his poor relation. The ape grieved and sulked, -j and when he went again to : its cage turned savagely upon him. The human friend was sent absolutely to Coventry by Ivis humble admirer. And strairfxt}o a d e ci?nV hea nn h f ?! + S - vIk > g ' ' So ™™S animal tifan iwf\ J 1 f ? 1 V lctlm to c on s ump«on.' When the end was obviously. at hand; .the principal went to look S JJ-V+ ?? e MPM PPse * se 2? ed . to bri S nte n up at his approach. IJfc crept .feebly to the front of its cage, thrust out its IS? lay Or down g a mr nd P die f d. r * Conciliation ™* forgiveness,