To my certain knowledge a plumber has repaired it once a month regularly for the last seven or eight months, but as soon as it begins to rain again a new leak breaks out. Either he makes a lot of new holes accidentally when repairing the old one, or, as I believe, he punches a new one to get another job. lam sure it is a profit able trade under the circumstances. I suppose Sir Julius Yogel's little Bill will be paid as usual, though I certainly can't see why it should. In cases of per sons employed by banks or private firms, they have their salary stopped while on leave, and I don't see why a public ser vant should not be on the same footing ; at any rate, he should not be paid while absent from his duties. In Norway they have a capital rule. The King of Sweden is also King of Norway, and receives a separate allowance from the latter State. The Norwegians are very jealous of the Swedish capital, and have made their King's salary conditional upon so many months' residence in Norway, and I be lieve if he stays in Norway a day short of the stipulated period his "screw" is stopped. If this rule were applied to New Zealand statesmen — screw stopped while absent — the Colony svould have been saved the expenditure of many thousands of pounds, incurred owing to the wander : ing naturo of our Premier. The news from home that the Sultan has been deposed will not create much astonishment, nor I fancy, except to those who happened to be Turkish bond owners, Avill cause any great feeling of regret. It is only a few years since he visited Europe, and created a great deal of excitement, especially among the ladies, who were apparently curious to see a man who could marry ao many of them, while in England a man could scarcely manage one. He seems to have been a sensuous lunatic, and it was a scandal to the rest of Europe that such a person should be one of her rulers. For my part, I should be glad to see Turkey cleared off the face of the map; I don't care who gets her territory, so long as this barbarous power is put an end to. 