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Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 856, 31 January 1883, Page 2

The Weather.— The thermometer read to-day 91 in the shade. Educational —Mrs Wood, of Halswell House, intimates elsewhere that her school will re-open on Monday next, sth Feb. : Vital Statistics. —Tho following are tho returns for Ashburton for the past month :—Births, 29 ; deaths, 12 ; marriages, 2.

Property Tax. —We would remind persons who have not yet paid their Property Tax that tho matter should be attended to at once, to avoid fines. Cheap Drapery Sale. Our lady readers and heads of families are referred to Mr A. Ore’s announcement appearing elsewhere, from which it will be seen that all serts of articles of apparel and housahold requisites are to bo disposed of at very cheap rates.

Telegraphic Communication. — A telegraph office has been opened at Methven. The hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p. m., with the usual exceptions with regard to Sunday and public holidays. —A public telephone station has been established at the Manawatu Heads, in the County of Manawatu. The Harvest. —The dry hot weather of to-day and yesterday has brought on the early and late crops to such an extent that thousands of acres of grain have ripened all at once. Farmers are pushing ahead with the reaping, and machines have been almost at a premium. In some instances we hear that where it was expected the crops would not be ready for reaping for fully another week, they are now dead ripe, and the least wind would do considerable damage. One farmer on the plains has now, we are told, sixteen machines at work in one paddock. Salmon. —At the annual meeting of the Acclimatisation Socia y, which was held last evening in Christchurch, Dr. Frankish mentioned, in the course of a conversation, that a fish weighing some 161 b, recently caught in the Opihihi river, bore a strong resemblance to the American salmon, according to the descriptions given by one of the highest authorities. The similarity was specially noticeable in the formation of the anal fin. Some time ago ten thousand young salmon from California were turned into the Opihihi by the Society, and ns it was impossible for them to get from there to the sea, it seems that the fish has at last been acclimatised in the Canterbury rivers. The Wellington Rages. A Press Association telegram from Wellington says;—Very little interest is being evinced • by the public in the impending meeting under the auspic s of the Wellington Racing Club. The principal event of the meeting, which extends over Thursday and Friday next, is the Wellington Cup of 500 sovs. This will be run off the first day of the meeting. Out of thirty-five nominations for the event only three acceptors now remain to try conclusions, viz., Mischief, Bst 101 b ; Louie, Bst 41b ; and Parera, fist 91b. The scratching of Messrs Mason and Yallance’s Bundoora upset everybody’s calculations, and the statement that the owners have since purchased Mr McLean's Louie, who is yet in the Cup, combined with other circum-; stances, has induced many to pin their i faith on her as the probable winner of the , trophy. The owner of Mischief, it is said, fully intends to send her for the Cup, but it seems to bo generally con-. sidered that she will be unable to get to' the end of the two miles, even in the company already indicated Louie has distinguished herself several times in the Hawke’s Bay district, and on the whole may be looked to for carrying off the Cup, although there are not wanting some knowing ones who mean to support the bottom weight. The horses engaged for this week’s meeting. that have already arrived include Mischief, Diosma, Minerva, The Poet, Louip, Kakapo, Hipporina, Tasman, Treasurer, Dan O’Connell, Express, Nutting, Hew Year, Amulet,. Clarence. The following acceptances have been received .•—flying Stakes Handicap —• Hippodaniia, sst IQlb ; i Amulet, Bst; Minerva, 7-st 91b ; Pawa, 7st 51b; Hipporina, 7st 51b. Hurdles Handicap—Clarence, New Year, Express, and Nutting.

• Accident. —A man by the name of Charles Falconer, in the employ of Mr Cameron, dunes, Methven, while working a reaper and binder met with an accident. The . binder and gooseneck passed right through his left hand, cutting the bones of his two middle fingers through. The doctor is not certain whether he will be able to save the hnnd as yet, but there is every hope of doing so. Evangelistic Services — A meeting of the local evangelistic Committee was held at the Presbyterian Church last evening, at which it was decided to hold a service in the Town Hall on the evening of next Sunday week. It was also resolved that the secretary communicate with Mrs Hampaon, requesting her to conduct one or more mission services at Ashburton on her way to Timaru, to which place it is understood she will shortly be paying a visit.

Hospital R . turns. —The following is the return of patients admitted to and dis charged from the Ashburton Hospital daring the month of January, 1883 :—No. of patients in the Hospital on the Ist of month, 9; admitted during the month, 16; discharged during the week, 13 ; deaths during the week, 4 ; patients in the Hospital on the 31st of the month, 8 ; treated during the month, 25.—Return of patients for the year ending December the 31st, 1882 ;—No. of patients in the Hospital on the Ist January, 1882, 9 ; admitted during the year, 95 ; discharged, 87 ; deaths, 8 ; treated, 104. Serve Him Rigpt. —The other day, according to fho Hang Hike i Advocate, a party of Maori girls, while bathing in the Arona River, at the Awahuri suddenly became aware that their graceful movements in the water were being eagerly watched by a pair of black eyes belonging to a white man. The girls, who were ail habited in impromptu bathing dresses, apparently determined to punish the intruder, for, by a clever strategic movement, the “ enemy ” was soon surrounded and captured. He was dragged to the river-bank and smartly pummelled by the infuriated dusky maidens, who nearly bunged up his “peepers,” and who would probably have finished’ him off by throwing him into the river had not a constable appeared on the scene. He richly deserved what he got, and the event will no doubt teach him how to behave himself in the future. Unbounded Generosity.— The Waipawa correspondent of the Hawke's Bay Herald mentions that Archibald Forbes was to lecture at Waipawa on Friday night last, and in connection with the local excitement in anticipation of the event, he mentions one little circumstance thus :—“ A gentleman who had a share in making the arrangements which resulted in Forbes agreeing to come to Waipawa, went over to Waipukurau to see what show there was for running a special train, and to book places in the train. Among other persons he canvassed was a well-known runholder. The canvasser tried hard to persuade this person to buy a ticket, but in vain. But, to make up for his refusal, the canvassed one made a remarkably liberal proposal. He said, ‘ You bring Mr Forbes over to see me. 1 will show him over my place, and—and I will give him some lunch.' It is only right to add that I did not get this yarn from either canvasser or canvassed, but from a person who overheard the conversation.

The Slums of Dublin. —At a meeting of the Commissioners of Drumcondra, a suburban township of Dublin, the sanitary officers reported thit a house, containing five small rooms and a kitchen, was occupied by twenty Crown witnesses. In one room, eighteen feet by nine, he found seven people—namely, father, three sons, and three daughters—for whose accomodation there were only two beds. In six brothers and sisters slept together on two mattrasses. Another house was occupied by forty-three Crown witnesses. There was no division of sex. Dr Nedley, medical attendant to the Metropolitan Police, reports the second house “overcrowded and unwholesome. There was a dispiriting look of drowsiness pervading the entire institution—its garden waste, covered with slimy mud, unmarked by path, or blade of grass, or even weed. The only object that relieved the eye was a mound in its centre, composed of used-up palliasses, over which was thrown the products of an adjoining pig -stye and a garnishing of potato and decomposing cabbage stalks.” The rnport was ordered to bo forwarded to the Chief Secretary, the Commissioners commenting on the state of things as scanda ous and disgraceful. A Superstition Dissipated. —Thu Yalley of Death in the Island of Java, where “ the deadly Upas” exerted its baneful influence over all the forms of life, turns out to be a huge imposture. The scientific curiosity of Dr Otto Kuntze, the celebrated German explorer, impelled him to visit Pakamran for himself, and to investigate its potent death-sleeping effects. ,His guides and servants would not countenance such temerity, and one of them tried to hold him back from certain death by sheer force. But he pushed on, and found instead of a myriad skeletons of beasts, serpents, and birds, that such a thing as oven a fly was not to be discovered, after a long and careful search, and that the valley was quite as, healthy as any other part of the island. Ignorance and supersti'ion had created a fearful myth, which has now gone the way : of many another haunted region, and many another priestly terror. Poisonous exhalations are common enough in all undrained tropical regions ; but the birds are as safe from their effects in flying over the valleys of the Upas trees as over the most favored spots of cultivated land the earth contains.

Divorce. —At the Auckland civil sittings yesterday, before Mr Justice Gillies, the case of Willcocks v Willcocks and another was heard. This was a petition filed by T. L. Willcocks for dissolution of his marriage with Mary Price Willcocks, on the ground of adultery with C. E. Forcler, co respondent. Mr Coleman appeared for the petitioner, and Mr Theo. Cooper for the respondent. Mr Coleman, in opening the c se, said the petitioner sought a dissolution of his marriage with the respondent on account of her adultery, which adultery-was denied by the respondent and co-respondent. Evidence was taken as to the cohabitation between the respondent and co-respondent, and as to the birth of a child by Mrs Willcocks. Mr Cooper said ho did not intend to produce evidence or to address the jury. His Honor, in addressing the jury, said although the respondent and co-respondent had filed a petition denying the adultery, they had not produced evidence to disprove it. The jury, without retiring, gave a verdict for the co-respondent. In Snowden v Snowden and another, Mr Heaketh appeared for the petitioner, who applied that a rule nisi obtained at the previom sitting of the Court be made absolute. His Honor declared the rule absolute. Lyttle V. Lyttlo This was a petition filed by Hannah M. Lyttle for a i divorce from her husband, on the ground : of his adultery with Mary Jme Willows. Mr Samuel appeared for the petitioner. The case sprung up out of a bigamy case in the Supreme Court. The petitioner proved her marriage with the respondent, and Mary Jane Willows also gave evidence as to her marriage with the respondent, not knowing at the time he had a wife living. His Honor granted a rule nisi for the dissolution of the marriage.