The bees of B azU hang their cowbs i oufcsidea on the branches of trees at very Kunmiit and at the end of the slender est twigs to bo out of reach of monkeys. The Paris Exhibition of 1900 is to eclipse all ibs predecessors. It is to con tain a telescope which, it is said, will enable people to distinguish the inhabi* i ants, if ar*y, of the moon. Taking a lesson from the naval fi<»ht off Yalu River between Chinese and Japanese warships, the German Government have decided to exclude all wood from their new warships, even to the furniture. Ac the request of the Marquis of Salis bury, the Marquis of Lome has consented to act as one of the judges to decide on the best) scheme for an Imperial Customs (Jnior, for which the Statist offers a prize of 1000 guineas. The Longbeach coach, m consequence of new arrangements under a fresh mail contrao 1;, will: leave the Post Office m future at r four o'clock m the afternoon instead of at five. The'arrangement cora m«nceß from Wednesday, January 2. Included m the cargo of the Katkoura, which left Wellington for London on Sat urday, are three boxes of gold, shipped by the .National Bank, of the value of £5800, and one box of gold forwarded by the Cassel Oold Extracting Company, va'ued at £1000, The well-known athlete, Mr W. J. Morrison, who held the high jump record for New Zealand, died at Blenheim last week. He was a member of the Blen hiem Telegraph staff, and amongst the wreaths placed on his coffin was one from the Ohristchurch staff. Mr Morrison was only twenty-four years of age. $ The Rev Thomas Cook, a well-known and honoured English Wesleyan evange list, who has been recently conducting missions m Australia with marked success, is expected m New Zealand next month. He commences at Auckland, and will visit Wellington, ChriGtchurch, Ashburton, and Tjmaru, closing his New Zealand mission m Dunedin m March next, At the Magistrates' Court thfs morning —before Major Steward and Mr Alfred Harrison —Robert Curry was remanded for a wejek. He was charged with break ing and entering a,dwelling on Lisrhmor road, and with stealing therefrom clothing to fchja value jof jgjLQ, the property of Peter MeKenn*. He ww further charged with stealing from Butler's Jfotel £ su^fc of clothes valubd at £4. 