" JBgles," in the Australasian, writes : — v Has the innovation of trotting funerals reached Melbourne yet?" in quires a friend now in England. " Here in London," he says, ".and I observed the same in Glasgow and Dublin, the old practice of the funeral procession going along at a. snail's pace has quite disap peared, and the hearse and the following coaelies iirot to the cemetery at a fast pace. Now that intramural interments have been abolished, and that the bodies of deceased persons have to be conveyed to' rural or subnrban cemeteries, the dis tances are so great the old slow-march style. would never do." Is there any one suffiiqiently fearless of Mra Gruudy to commence the inn ovation here, ?

Extortionate cabdrivers may take a salutary. Hint from a decision of Mr Cooke, the Magistrate of the Marylebone Police Court, London. A charge having been proved against a cabman for de manding, more than his legal fare, Mr Cqoke remarked that it "was too much, the practice, when, the fare, at the end of the journey, , said to the cabman, ' • How much have I to. pay you ? " for the cabman* io reply, ' ■ Oh, I leave it to you." In such a case as this a passenger need not pay the cabman anything at all ; and, if any one : was summoned before him for refus , ing to 'pay a cabman under such circum stances he would dismiss the summons. A, cabman ought always to know the fare:' Intlus case ' the ' defendant must pay a fine Of 20s. ; Mr R. Hall, of Tararua (says the Thames Advertiser), has in his possession a curiosity in the shape of a piece of clear kauri gum with a leaf of beautiful gold in the centre. The lump was found amongst , some bags of gum which that gentleman ' had purchased, and how the gold ; came to be embedded in it is a complete ; mystery. , , Thei Timaru Herald thinks there is a grand. opening for journalistic enterprise ;in the direction of a New Zealand illus ■ trated paper, but that it would be a com mercial failure if it were an inferior pro-, ductidri. 