The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1884.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1041, 4 January 1884, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1884.

From 25,000 to 30,000 acret of land at the back of Pihiamo and Otakeo are to fee offered at the end of February, and a few days subsequently from 10,000 to 15,000 acres will be ofiered for a .lease near Opunake. Bis Excellency the Governor, accotn panted by Major Eccles, A. D C., left Wellington for Lyttelton in the Hinemoa at 330 yesterday afterm on. Lady Jervois will, it is expected, leave on the 19th inst, and join Sir William at the Bluff, from whence they will visit the West Coast Sounds.

On Christmas day, about 1 a.m., a man named Patrick Crowley was drowned in the Taieri River. He attempted to ford the river, and was washed away. Two men heard him cry for help, but were unable to give him any assistance. The river has been dragged where the man wasdrowneJ, but the body not been recovered yet. The deceased was an old pensioner, and had been working on the Mullocky Gully section of the Ocago Central Railway. An enquity was held at the Bluff on Tuesday, before the Collector of Customs, concerning the disappearance of a passenger from the steamer Tarawera during the passage from Hobart to the Bluff The evidence went to show that the man in question, John Henry Dallmeyer, had been in charge of a doctor and servant, being of unsound mind, and that he was missed on 30th December. Strict 'search was made, but he could not be found, and it was concluded that he either fell or threw himself overboard.

Mr Cussens’s survey party is busily engaged on the triangulation survey of the King Country. When they reached Punui river, the first, and most probably only, interference they will meet with was presented. A number of Maoris, men and women, collected on the bank of the river. The women commenced by getting hold of one or two of the survey party’s t.-aps and throwing them into the river, the men standing by and laughing while the women continued to struggle for a few minute i. The survey party, however, got all safely across, recovering the swag or two fiist thrown in, and proceeded to Kakapuki, where they camped, and subsequently reerected the first trig station. Mr Frank Edgmond starts with his survey party for Tuhu to-day. A new exemption from serving on a coroner’s jury has just been discovered by a Jewish tradesman in London, He is neither over the age of sixty, nor does he hold any office that would entitle him to refuse to serve; but he entertains a religious scruple. In respect to the descendants of Aaron, the High Priest, the twenty-first chapter of Leviticus says : “ Neither shall he enter into any house where there is a dead body.” Claiming to be a direct descendant of Aaron, Mr Lewis David Cohen put forward his conscientious objection, and declined to serve. For this he was fined by the coroner, and subsequently the matter came by way of appeal before the City of London Quarter Sessions. It was stated that Mr Cohen’s objection was upheld by the Chief Rabbi, who on the occasion of the Thanksgiving for the recovery of the Prince of Wales declined to attend the service in St Paul’s on account of de id bodies being interred there. After some consultation the Court remitted the fine, and directed that for the future Mr Cohen should be excused from serving on coroner’s juries in the city. The first meeting of the Council of the Educational Institute of New Zealand was held at Wellington yesterday morning, the following members being present:— Messrs D. White and R. Peathe (Otago), J.Q. Scott and G. Hogben (Christchurch), W. Ward (South Canterbury), J. Young (Wellington), and H. Worthington (Auckland). Mr Worthington was voted to the chair, and on the motion of Mr Hogben it was decided that visitors should be admitted to meetings of the Council, and allowed to speak, but not to vote. The following Associates of the Council then took their seats at the table :—Messrs T, S. Foster and J. Baldwin (Christchurch), Watson and Cole (Wellington), and Rev. T, Flavell (Christchurch). The Council then proceeded to consider the rules adopted last year, and after considerable discussion it was decided, on the motion of Mr D. White, that the New Zealand Educational Institute should consist of the branches in Auckland, Thames, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, Otago and Southland. Rule 2—“ That the object of the Institute shall be the promotion of the interests of education within the colony of Npw Zealand,” was passed as printed ; as was alep rule f‘That the General Council of the Institute shall consist of members elected by the local associations.” Rule 4 was altered so ato read as follows: —“ That each Association shall be entitled to one representative for the first twenty members, and one for every additional thirty names beyond the first twenty on the roll of fpepjbership.”

Thjck Heads, heayy stomachs, bilious condition? —Wells’ May Apple Pills—anti-liilious-cathartic, $d and is. Moses, Moss and Co., Sydney, General Agents. I

A lawn tennis match will be played cn the new ground to-morrow between Ashburton and Christchurch representatives. Mails for the United Kingdom etc, via £‘an Francisco, will close at the local Dost O.bce at ten o’clock to-morrow morning.

Wo are requested to draw attention to Messrs Dimant and Coe’s advertisement, which appears in another column, notifying their removal into the premises lately occupied by Messrs Orr and Co. Captain Douglas has received a telegram from the captain of the Kaiapoi Rifle Club, staring that the proposed match must be aga n postponed, as ateam cannot bo got together at Kaiapoi for tomorrow.

The following is a return of the patients treated in the Ashburton Hospital for the year 1883;—No of patients in hospital on Ist January, 9 ; admitted during the year, 100; discharged, 92; deaths, 10; patients in hospital on 31 at December, 7 ; treated during the year, 109. Our Elgin correspondent writes annual treat in connection with the Elgin District t-'chool came off on Wednesday last, January 2nd, in the school gro mds. The weather during most of the day was all that could be desiied, but towards evening it turned very chilly and threatened rain. Long before noon the children began to muster, apparently determined to derive as much pleasure as possible from the occasion. At Ip.m. young and middle-aged were regaled with the usual comestibles, which had been provided in great profusion by the Committee and their good ladies, and to these much earnest and devoted attention was paid. “ Then to pleasure ” An excellent running course had been prepared ; money and toys were awarded to the successful competitors in the various athletic contests, and from ;he spirited manner in which all the different events were engaged in, it is evident that energy and the desire to excel are not wanting in the youth of Elgin. Three of the principal events were—44oyda boys’ race, A. Butterick (1), S. Scott (2); running high jump, S. Innes (1) S. Kennedy (2), A. Butterick (3); vaulting, S. Kennedy (1), A. Butterick (2) J, Scott (3). The j imping and vaulting were really excellent performances, and few boys of their age could beat the prize winners. Another attack—simultaneous all along the line—was made upon the provisions, but was only partially successful; after half an-hour’s warm engagement the attacking party retired, if not repulsed, satisfied that they had done their best. An impromptu dance followed the sports, to the strains of the accordian, manipulated by one of the scholars, Master James Scott, who showed very promising proficiency. Lusty cheers we.e given before separating for the Chairman, schoolmaster, ladies, Committee, musician, and everybody, and one and all wended their way home evidently well satisfied with the treat of 1881.

According to the local Times, a grotesque incident oc mrei the other day in a small township not one hundred miles fro Oamaru. A member of one of the learned professions was transacting some professional business at a settler’s house, when in came a young girl, the daughter of one of the settler’s neighbors. Whether under the evil spirits which are said to abound in some country townships, "or whether inspired with a religious aversion to the fascinations of female society, we cannot say, but it is a fact that under some impulse or other the professional person caught the young girl by the shoulders and pushed her out of the house, at which the “ chucker-out ” was himself a mere visitor. By-and-bye the insulted girl’s father came upon the scene, and pulling off his coat he proceeded to cal) the off nsiveprofessional person to account. It may be remarked that on the day in question the professional person wore one of those long button-up coats which in various parts of the world are made to do yeoman’s service by the impecunious. The angry parent, as we have said, pulled off his coat; not so, however, the rouser of his wrath. In fact that worthy took to his heels, and sought refuge first in one place and .then in another. Finally he ran into a neighboring cottage and took shelter coweringly under a convenient bed. The owners of the house mtura’ly objected to this, but i’. was with the greatest difficulty that the profe tsional person could be removed from his undignified position. Eventually he was seen making his way towards Pukenri. The episode had its descreditabie features, but it also created some amusement in the neighbor hood where it occurred. Some of course assume that the professional person took to his heels through sheer cowardice, but of course it is possible that he preferred to run away sooner than remain and be compelled to take off his coat and thereby expose to the vulgar gaze of an unsympathetic public the unseemly deficiencies of his wardrobe.