The Rev. Mr Buller, in his last letter from Home has the following: — "Passing through Ludgate Circus the other day, I saw some' large windows covered 'with sundry figures. and other advertisements. Coming nearer, I found testimonials from Mr Gladstone and other exalted men flaunted in the face of beholders. It was a new shop of phrenology. . And who is the owner ? It is Mr Stackpool E. Odell, very well known in Auckland soine years ago."

A new spark-catcher has been con structed at the Auckland railway work shops. This last invention was tried .on Saturday night, being fixed to the " Jenny JJeans" engine, which took a 65 tori train to Papatoitoi and back on, Sa turday night. There was scarcely, a spark emitted from the funnel, and those which found vent were extinguished before they reached the ground.
An apparently easy way of relieving the city (says the JBallarat 'limes) pf the debt upon it was jokingly proposed after the Council meeting recently by one of the councillors. It was that a gigantic art union should be floated, with 100,000 members at £1 each. The prizes would amount in value to about £50,000, the first one being worth £15,000, and the next one £5000, and so on, the other £50,000 being clear, profit. The other councillors smiled at the rough prospectus shown by the promoter, but thought that though the affair was feasible enough, it was scarcely worth while getting out of debt, or their financial abilities would rust for lack of employment.
