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Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 820, 16 December 1882, Page 2

Police Court. —At the Court this morning, Richard Chuclley was charged, on remand from Dunedin, with absconding from his bail, and there being no evidence against him was discharged. Ohndley, as probably our readers will remember, was bound over in the sum of L 25 to prosecute P. O’Shannasay at the Christchurch Supreme Court for assaulting him, but failed to appear. Christmas Trek.— On Monday and Tuesday next a Christmas tree, with all the usual attractive surrounding o , will ho on view at the Primitive Methodist Church, and quite a bevy of the fair sox will bo present to dispose of articles, both useful and ornamental, to intending visitors. The “ tree ” seems to be getting quite an annual institution, and as the proceeds are to be devoted to a good cause, a fair amount of patronage may be anticipated.

Auction Sales. —Our readers are referred to the various auctioneers’ announcements which appear to-day on our fourth page. The various sales comprise fancy goods, books, and musical instruments, by Mr Alfred Harrison; landed property, coal, timber, firewood, ironmongery, etc., by Messrs Matson, Cox and Co. ; groceries, clothing, etc., by Messrs J. T. Ford and Co., and wool by Messrs Robert Wilkin and Co. and the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. The sales take place on various days next week, and the particulars thereof will well repay perusal.

RoMAif Catholic. —lt is anhbhnced that Mass will be celebrated at Rakaia tomorrow. ‘

The Summer Flower Show. —A list special private prizes to be offered at the Flower Show next Saturday appears in this issue. Emigration and Immigration.—A return just prepared, showing the immigration and emigration for November, 1382, and for the eleven months of the current year, contains some interesting features. The total arrivals for the month were 1,488, as against only 420 departures. In the respective ports the arrivals were— Russell, 4; Auckland, 527 ; Wellington, 102 ; Greymouth, 13 ; Timaru, 6 ; Oamaru, 1 ; Dunedin, 171 ; Invercargill, 521. Departures—Russell, 3 ; Auckland, 204 ; Wellington, 8 ; Lyttelton, 2 ; Timaru, 2 ; Dunedin, 8 ; Invercargill, 184 Taking the results for the eleven months, the net balance is 2,896 in favor of the colony. Wesleyan. —The monthly meeting of the Wesleyan Temperance Society was held on Thursday evening last in the Cameron street Church, when Mr W. Gavin read an able paper on the progress of the Temperance Reformation. The history of the temperance cause for the last fifty years was reviewed, and special reference was made t > the organisation bearing the name of the Blue Ribbon Army, which affords a common platform for all temperance bodies. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Gavin for his interesting paper. Mr Bowron is *tpected to give a lecture at the next monthly meeting of the Society.—On the same evening a meeting of the Wesleyan Band of Hope was held, and at its close five or six new members were enrolled.

Sad News. —A melancholy announcement reaches us from America. The Albony mastodon has been discovered to be a fraud. A gentleman who in early life was much attached to menageries, has sworn on his death-bed that he helped to bury the pseudo “mastodon,” in 1829, at tho very spot where it was discovered; and that it is none other than an African elephant, belonging to a well-known travelling show. Ha has protested ever since 1866 that the “ mastodon” was only an elephant, but the geologists of Albany have gravely shown him his error, and snubbed his indiscreet revelations. It is It is naturally not very easy to convince a man who believes that he has found a “mastodon.” How many of the riverdrift man’s implements, we wonder, are as spurious as the Albany mastodon 1

Curiosities of Divorce. —An American journalist has been carefully collecting curiosities of divorce, some of which are highly amusing. At Los Angelos a divorced couple married again within 24 hours. At a town called Berlin a wife applied for a divorce because her husband had become blind ; her application was refused. At Cleveland a male and female doctor resolved to en'-er into a med cal and matrimonial partnership, the husband to attend the male and the wife the females. The lady was indiscreet enough to write to one of the male'patients whom she was about to hand over to her intended husband that, although she could no longer doctor him, she could never cease to love him, whereupon the intended bridegroom cried off the bargain, and was sued for breioh of promise and breach of contract by the lady.

Roads and Bridges Construction.— The Press special at Wellington, wiring last night, nays :—Applications under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act are now beginning to come in a little faster, and it is probable a considerable batch may arrive by the end of the month. The total amount applied for up to this evenis L 48,681. The amounts are not classified among the provincial districts. The complete list is as follows ; —Main roads, Coromandel County, L 6,000 ; Bay of Islands, L 2,000 ; Taranaki, LfiOO ; Hutt, L 2,750 ; Taieri, 7,500 ; Waitaki, L 5,826 ; Hawke’s Bay, L 11.586 ; Rangitikei, L 3,000; Whangarei, L 2,625. District roads, Waiareka Road Board, L 4,000 ; Wairoa, LBOO ; Cambridge, LI,OOO ; Waitakeri, LI,OOO. From this it will be seen that Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, and Otago, are at present going in for the lion’s share of the funds, Canterbury, Nelson, Westland, and Marlborough are conspicuous for theii absence ; but the Selwyn County gives notice that it intends to unite with Ashburton in applying jointly for a grant towards a bridge over the ttakaia.

Information Wanted. —We have been requested to publish the enclosed paragraph, which has been taken from the Sunderland Herald and Daily Post, with a view of obtaining some information relative to the whereabouts of a Mrs T. H. Cockerill, who is supposed to be residing somewhere in New Z ;aland. Mr G. T. Cockerill, the uncle of the lost man is a resident of Ashburton, and will be glad if any of our readers can give the information required. The extract runs —“ Intelligence has been received in Sunderland of the loss at sea, on a voyage from Hong Kong to India, of Mr Thomas Harrison Cockerill, son of the late Mr William M. Cockarill, who for many years was the Master of the South Dock. Only very meagre particulars of the occurrence have as yet come ( to hand, but it is said to have happened on the 1 0th February. The deceased, who was 3G years of age, left Sunderland some years ago, and fur the last five years has been trading about Australia. His mother loft this country about the same time, and is at present residing in New Zealand. The family of the deceased is a very old one in Sunderland. His grandfather was one of its leading citizens, and ‘ Cockorill’a Ropewalk ’ was a familiar institution in the time of woolen ships. As already stated the father of the deceased was dock-master for a considerable period, and by marriages the family are connected with several of the present principal residents in Sunderland.”

An Eccentric. —The Paris police have just unearthed an individual of a most extraordinary type. A few days ago, in the course of certain investigations regarding an odious criminal offence, the police found an old man, calling himself M. Lebiond, was implicated in it, upon whom, with some trouble, they succeeded in laying their hands. His miserable dress and generally wretched appearance induced the belief that he was a homeless vagabond. The police were, however, much puzzled by the fact that he was in possession of a number important-looking keys. Having extracted from Lebiond his address, M. Mace, the Chief of Police, accompanied him to the house indicated. To M. Mace’s astonishment he found that this was one of the largest mansions in the quarter of the Champs Elysees. In reply to inquiries, Lebiond stated that it had belonged to hjs family for over a century, and that he himself had lived there witlu out any servant, male or female, for the past fifteen j ears, his explanation being that hp was a misanthrope. On entering the house and opening the shutters M. Mace found it full of most costly furniture, with a collection of old pictures, clocks, and other objects of art. In the principal bedroom was an antique rosewood bedstead, the bed of which was covered with books and engravings. Upon the floor was a mattress with dirty linen, the nightly resting place of this modern Diogenes. Everything was covered with dust and dirt. On proceeding into another part of the mansion M. Mace found a small theatre, with scenery and costumes. M. Lebiond states himself to be entitled to a revenue of L 4,000 a year. Ho is to be subjected by the authorities to an examination in lunacy. Whether Lebiond is his true name remains to be seen.

VExtraordinary election is to take place on Monday, Bth January, for the purpose of electing a member for the Mount Somers Road Board, vice Mr I. E. Taylor, resigned. Nominations must be sent in to the Board’s office by noon of Saturday next.

Dynamite as a Stump Extractor.—A farmer residing near Indianapolis gave a novel entertainment the other day. He had been wrestling for a few weeks with the stumps on a newly-cleared farm. Becoming tired of the work, ha conceived the idea of dynamite on a large scale. A few days ago he invited his neighbors to witness the simultaneous blowing out of forty acres of stumps. Holes had been drilled and cartridges inserted in every stump, and the cartridges conne ted by wire with an electric battery. On the word being given, the elect"' - '’ current was put on. The work of explosion was satisfactory, every stump being blown to atoms. Some of the fragments wore driven throe hundred feet. This simultaneous process might be of great advantage in such work as the running of a railroad through a new country, or in any other work in which time is of great consequence. The liability to accident would be leas if the cartridges were used in this way than if many small explosives were used. —Toronto Globe. Holloways Ointment and Pills.— Notable Pacts.—lntense heat augments the annoyances of skin disease and encourages the development of febrile disorders; therefore they should, as they can, be remove by these detergent and purifying preparations. In stomach complaints, liver affections, pains, and spasms of the bowels, Holloway’s ungent well rubbed over the affected part immediately gives the greatest ease, prevents congestion and inflammation, checks the threatening diarrhoea and averts incipient cholna. The poorer inhabitants in large cities will find these remedies to be their best friends when any pestilence rages, or when from unknown causes eruptions, boils, abscesses, or ulcerations point out the presence of taints or impurities within the system, and call for instant and effective curative medicines.— [Advt. ]