LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1375, 20 October 1886, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Japan has a population of 37,000,000, but has less than 10,000 paupers. Stowed rats are considered a great delicacy on the Kimberley goldfields. Central Australia expects to eventually become the chief horse-produoing district of Australia.

The French statistics for 1885 register for the first time numerous oases of suicide committed by children. During the last six years in Tasmania the sheep have decreased by 250,000, and the weight of wool lost was 323,0001b5. A large number of witnesses in the Hall oases were on board the express this morning on the way to their homes. The Attorney-General, Sir R. Stout, and Professors Black and Ogston passed through Ashburton by the express this morning. Madame Summerhayes, the well-known pianist, while descending a flight of stairs, at Sydney a week or two ago, fell and fractured her forearm.

Dalgety and Co., Limited, have received a cablegram from their head office in London, advising the wool market rather easier, owing to the large quantity of wool arrived and coming forward. Since the death of King Ludwig, of Bavaria, the insane King Otto has been under the delusion that be is a bird. He has called himself the great “ German double eagle,” and he has even built a nest of straw and dry leaves in bis apartments. The Palmerston Standard, in its report of the laying of the last brick of the tunnels on the Wellington-Manawatu Railway line, stated that the toast of Mr Wallace’s health was drunk with tears. The editor explained next day that the word tears should have been oheers.

The German newspapers state that startling experiments have been made at Berlin with a new description of shell, charged with guncotton, which produces most extraordinary results. No kind of defensive works ;are capable of resisting so destructive a projectile. gjThe heart of the late King Louis of Bavaria enclosed in a costly silver urn, was deposited on August 23 with great pomp at Neuotting where the hearts of all the recent kings of that country are preserved. The requiem was attended by thousands of spectators, including 200 priests and many officials. At the E.M. Court this morning Andrew Gray was fined 20s and costs, with ■ the alternative of three days’ imprisonment, for having been drunk while in charge of a horse. Patrick O’Shea, a man who had been fined on the previous day for having been “ not exactly .drunk,” was again brought up, and appeared to have imbibed with more effect than before. He was fined 20s and costs, including 2s cab hire, in default, three days’ imprisonment. Mr H. Friedlander was the presiding Justice. The hearing of the charge of attempted murder against Thomas Hall and Margaret Graham Houston was concluded in the Supreme Court, at Christchurch, yesterday, when Hall was convicted and Miss Houston acquitted without a stain on her character. Hall was sentenced to penal servitude for the rest of his natural life. As to the forgery oases the Attorney-General has yet to make up his mind whether he will prosecute, and with reference to the other graver matter nothing is yet known ns to the intentions of the Crown.

New Zealand meat is now a great feature at the Homebush Market in Sydney. We take the following on the subject from the Sydney Mail of 2nd October:—The Metropolitan Beef market is likely to be strongly supplemented by New Zealand shipments During the last six weeks several small lots of bullocks arrived and brought up to £23 but on Thursday no fewer than 64 head from New Plymouth were landed and sold at Homebush up to £2l. The average of the lot was £l2. We are informed that it is intended to charter a couple of steamers to bring fat stock from Maoriland. The freight at present is rather high, being £4 10s per head.

The Waikato is not alone in its “ Saurian Sensation.” An American exchange says : The other day a stage driver and two tourists, while near Yellowstone Lake, claim to have seen an enormous reptile, which, while running through the grass, carried its head ten or fifteen feet above the ground. They think it mu it have been at least thirty feet long, A party was organised to pursue the reptile yesterday. A number of tourists, among them Capt Wear, superintendent of the park, and his assistant, Capt Barronette, while near the cave of an extinct [geyser in the vicinity of the lake, heard a hissing sound coming from the oave, and saw the head of a reptile thrust out some fifteen feet, and immediately withdrawn. Parties are watching for another sight of the monster. The best medicine known is Sander and Sons’ Eucalypti Extract. Test its eminent powerful effects in coughs, colds, influenza 1 &c the relief is instantaneous. Thousands give the most gratifying testimony. Hia Majesty the King of Italy and medical syndicates all over the globe are its patrons. Bead the official reports that accompany each bottle. We have no occasion to offer rewards in proof of the genuineness of our references. The official reports of medical clinics and universities, the official communication of the Consul-General for Italy at Melbourne ; the diploma awarded International Exhibition, Amsterdam —all these are authentio documents, and, as such, not open to doubt. We add here epitome of one of the various cases treated at the olinio of Sohultz, M.D., Professor, elo :—“ C. 8., 24 years old; congosrional abscess on the thigh. Incisions made in two places. Although Lister’s dressing was applied, the secretion became, two days later, very copious, and had adopted a foetid, decomposed character. The temperature arose enormously. In consequence the dressing was removed, and on its place were made during the daytime repeated irrigations with Eucalypti Extract. The offensive foeter disappeared very soon, the fever abated within a few days, and the | patient recovered after, the lapse of several ] weeks. In this instance we must not lose sight of the fact that the latter treatment saved the patient’s life,”— [Advt.]

It is said that Major Atkinson will certainly be opposed at the next eleotion for Egmont.

An entertainment and danoe will be held in the Seafleld Schoolroom to-morrow evening. Intending exhibitors are reminded that entries for the forthcoming show of the A. and P. Association must be in the hands of the Secretary, Mr H. H. Seoretan, before 8 p.m. on Friday. § Sergeant-Major Scott, of the Ashburton contingent of C.Y.0., will leave Ashburton to-morrow in order to attend the annual training of the Dunedin Cavalry, the review in connection with which takes place on Friday. HKing George of Greece has (says an ex ehange) nearly finished a splendid palace at Copenhagen, and has saved money enough to give a life income of £25,000 a year independently of any public position. And now he is on'y waiting for a good excuse to abdicate and retire permanently from the king business. __ Henry George, author of “ Progress and Poverty,” was nominated for Mayor of New York on September 23rd by the Federated Trades and Working Mass party. Forty thousand signatures have been obtained, pledging the signers to vote for him, and among the pledgers are the Socialists. Lieutenant Andrews of Sydenham has received official intimation from the War Office notifying his appointment to the second battalion of the Essex Begiment. This battalion is now under the command of Colonel W. B. White, and is stationed in Egypt. Some mistake appears to have occurred in the previous telegram stating that the appointment was to the Derbyshire Begiment. The Timaru Herald says that Mr Mason, of Temuka, the other day caught about the best basket of trout of the season; He captured five beauties, scaling together about forty pounds, and as grand and even a lot of fine fish as have been landed from the famous Temuka waters for some time. Angling still goes on merrily in the district, and nearly every sportsman has at least one giant to brag about.

The decision of the Commissioners appointed to arbitrate in the matter of the appeal by the Waimate County Council against the levy for contributions to the South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was laid before the meeting of the Board last night, and created a lively discussion. The levy of the Board was for £I3OO, and the Commissioners, after bearing evidence pro and con decided to split the amount, thus awarding the Board only £650This the Board strongly objects to, alleging that the decision was contrary to the provisions of the statute. The Board ultimately passed the following resolution :— *• That this Board strongly protests against the decision of the Commissioners in the matter of the appeal of the Waimate County Council, as being in direct opposition to the law, and the effect of such decision is such as to render it impossible for the Board to exercise its functions; that the chairman be asked to proceed to Wellington to represent the matter to the Government, and point out that in the event of a recurrence of such a decision being again possible in any future levy for contributions the Board would be forced to consider the necessity of their resigning their positions.”