The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-17 00:00:00

Railway Traffic Returns for the Week.

Mlles Opened. 11606108.
Railways. ~—.."-----‘,.... "--
1887. 1866. 1867 1856
£ Z
Belfast and N. Counties . 991 901 2.+.81 2,161
Belfast and Comity Down.... 441 it 6;7 581
Blyth and Tyne . 36 :(6 2,269 2,2 4
Brecon and Merthyr ........ 72 (8 1,74 1,15
Bristol and Exeter l3l} 1311 7,151 6,?:92
Caledonian, Scottish Central 6231 641 33,181 34...39
17,/ 130 2.310 2,0 1
Cockermouth K & I'cnrlth .. 311 311 4 1 318
Cork and Bandon 2O 20 331 423
Cambrian
Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 5l 61 121 131
Cork and Limerick Direct
Cornwall B5l 651 1,5. J 1.149
Ceeside l7 17
Do Extension
Dublin & 12elf as t Junction .... 63 63 1,607 1.613
Dublin and Drogheda 75 75 1,724 1,708
Dublin and Meath
Dub. & Wicklow and Wextd lO7 107 2,349 2,659
Forth and Clyde Junction
Furness, &c B5 85 5,302 4,41; 6
Glasgow & South-Western .• 240 :.,49 9,61. 9,443
Gt. Eastern,Nrfk.,&E.Union
Great Northern 487 422 43,261 42,471
Great North of Scotland 275 214 i,934 3,0 5
Gt. Northn. & Westn. (IreL) B3l 831 663 629
'it.Southn.& Westn.(lrind.) 4191 4191 9,6.5 9,160
Great Western . . 1314 1311 71,827 71,379
Irish North-Western 145 145 1,868 2,153
Isle of Wight l2 187 170
I.auoashire& Yorkshire 4OB 403 45,111 44,153
Limerick and Ennis..
Limerick and Foynes .21 264 137 157
Llanelly 46 461 702 661
Llynvl Valley
Lyndon & North-Western .. 1328 1310 122,679 120,460
London 4e South-Western ..: 503 503 21,788 22,080
Load. Brighton, &B. Coast 335 3141 20485 19810
n
Londone,tr
COpollatilltaanni'E&xtesi Dover;
on 1 138
13 4
121 135 19
8,64321 1
1,4487
all lio

CONSERVATIVE ORGANISATION.—The Norwich
Conservatives held a meeting on Wednesday evening for
the purpose of improving their organisation. Sir S. Big-
nold, some years since M.P. for Norwich, presided. Mr.
A. G3ldsmid, candidate for the representation of Norwich
in 1865, was alSo present. It was resolved to establish in
Norwich a "Conservative association in connection with
the Conservative and Constitutional Union of London."

CATCHING SHARKS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.--A
remarkable mode of catching sharks is practised by the
natives of Aitutaki. Mr. Pritchard says :—" At one end
of the island is a large lagoon formed by the reef that runs
round it, stretching far out from the land, and there the
sharks breed, and are regularly fed. As they are very
prolific—l have seen as many as 25 and sometimes 30 little
ones taken out of a shark—they increase rapidly. When
any feasting is going on amongst the natives, sharks being
held necessary to complete the variety of food, parties are
sent out to catch them is the lagoon. Provided with a
strong rope and supply of bait, two or three young men
start off in a canoe, and, taking up a position over the
haunts of the sharks, throw over bait after bait until the
greedy monsters have eaten to repletion. Waiting quietly
in their canoe, the fishermen soon see the sharks stretching
themselves lazily on the sand with their heads just out of
the caves formed by the overhanging rocks that rise.from
the bottom of the lagoon. With a noose in the end of the
rope which he holds in his hand, a man quickly slips from
the canoe into the sea, dives down to a shark, slips the
noose over his tail, and as, with a jerk of the rope, he tells
the men above the prey is fast, ha himself with a strong
spring from the ground, swiftly rises to the surface. All
pulling away at the rope together, the shark is soon brought
to the water's edge, and as the tail is raised out of the sea
he becomes helpless ; then, with a strong pull together,
after a moment's spell, the shark is suddenly bounced into
the canoe. Frequently, as the shark lies at the mouth of a
cave, with only his head out, the tail cannot be reached.
The diver then has to tap the monster gently on the head,
who, lazy and drowsy after the good feed just supplied
from the canoe, quietly turns his tail to the intruder—
and, by Jove, on slips the noose before he knows it is
there."