LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1412, 20 November 1886, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A candidate for admission in the New Zealand Civil Service spelt juicy “ gousey.” As he was disappointedly turned away, he said he might have known that it was spelt “ joozey.” In all the principal grain growing oountrie of Europe, according to the latest reports, tha crops are less abundant than they were previously represented to be, and the quality ig complained of, as a rule, even when the quantity is satisfactory. A wit was dining at an hotel during the period when the table was not so bountiful as it might have been. A friend remarked “Is not this a magnificent hotel ?" “ Yes,’’ was the dry rejoinder, “ but I would like to see less gilding and more carving.” The whale is, it seems (says the Court Journal) being utilised for dietetic purposes. Not that it is possible to order a whale steak. But Professor Stirling tells us, in the report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, that from whale flesh is now being prepared an extract, on the Liebig principle, which presents all the characteristics of an extract made from the flesh of the os. A new invention for the destruction of rabbits has been tested in Melbourne. The destroying agent in this system is a species of gas, the constituents o£ which are kept secret, but which are said to bo so inexpensive that a shilling’s worth of the gas will kill 130 rabbits. The meter, in which the gas is self-generated, is equally economical, its construction costing only 4s. Cavalry regiments iu the Prussian army are being carefully drilled in the art of swimming their horses across rivers. At the word “ dismount!” the soldiers divest themselves of their clothing, which with their weapons, eto., is placed upon a raft, which is swiftly ferried across the river, while they take the horses by the head with one hand and swim with the otheri The feat is said to be performed with the utmost precision and. rapidity, whole regiments crossing and reorossing iu an astonishingly short time. Robust and blooming health in Bitters (American Oo.’s) and no family can afford to to Fittest ibem. Bead

A full rehearsal of “ False Colors ” will be held to-night at the Oddfellows’ Hall at 7.30 p.m. At the recent examinations in oonnectiop with the Otago University Mr E. E. Fooks, of Ashburton was very successful. In anatomy, in the junior division, he secured first honors, also taking a prize, in general bijiogy, senior division, he was second, and in geology and botany first. Yesterday an information was laid against W. H. Zouoh for forging F. B. Brine’s name to a promissory note. A warrant was sworn out, and the accused was arrested in Christchurch last night. He was brought before the Christchurch Court this morning and remanded to Ashburton. A strawberry grower in Lanarkshire cleared £I3OO profit last season out of the crops oil ground for which be pays £6O a year. The previous season the profit was just £IOOO. Sir Julius Vogel and Mr Biobardson bad a long conference with the Midland Bailway representatives at Christchurch yesterday. The contract will be put into final shape during the next few days, and will be submitted to the Cabinet on ithe one hand and Mr Brodia Hoare, Chairman of the Company! on the other. An extraordinary occurence is reported to have happened at a sham fight which was held at Aldershot recently, when all the troops of the Aldershot command were engaged in the closing manoeuvres of the Hying column. Owing to some negligence, or worse cause, towards the end of the engage, meot a certain quantity of ball cartridge was fired by one or two of the regiments. For* tunatily no casualties occurred. The Marquis Tseng has a very poor opinion of agriculture in Great Britain and tha continent. His opinion being asked of France, he said that country, and indeed the rest of Europe, was in a state of infancy compared with China. France might find it worth her while to import Chinese agriculturists to teach her how to make use of her fertile soil. This seems very humiliating when we conelder the elaborateness of our agricultural machinery, and the constant efforts science is ever making to bring our agriculturists abreast of its own discoveries. One thing, however, is positively-certain, that our colonial farmers make nothing like so much out of the land us they might easily do without the advice and assistance of Chinese gardeners. On the arrival of General Kaulbars at Sofia, the whole of the Zankoff party in that city, numbering about 40 persons, drove out to meet him in carriages chartered for the purpose by the Bussian Agency. M. Zankoff and others greeted the general in speeches which were cut short by a steady downpour of rain. Among the speakers was a lady who welcomed the Bussian representative in tha name of the women of Bulgaria, assuring him that every Bulgarian was devoted to Bussia, except those miscreants the Begents and Ministers.” General Kaulbars the lady for her kind expressions, and assured her that her words, “uttered as they were by a true Bulgarian woman, could not fail to carry weight.” Unluckily for the general (says the correspondent of the Stmulard) this “ true Bulgarian woman” happens to be a Bussian lady born in the neighbor ood of St. Petersburg, and married to a Bulgarian engineer. The Bussian fleet in the Black'Sea, which five years ago, it might be said, had no existence, comprises to-day 120 men-of-war of 70,000 tons burden. After much dallying and hesitation the British War Office has decided to adopt the machine gun for the army. Three-barreled Nordeufeldts, each weighing sixty pounds, and firing 400 bullets in one minute, and fivebarreled guns,' of 136 pounds, and firing 600 rounds a minute, are to be sent to Egypt and India* The twelve-barreled gun, that fires 1200 rounds a minute, is being experemented with. Sir Anthony Rothschild onoejbought a su*c of armour which originally belonged to Francis 1., of France, for £lO, and sold it (Q the late Lord Asbburnbam for £IOO, who sold it to a dealer in curiosities for £4OOO, Within twenty-four hours the dealer had sold the suit for £17,000. It was deposited in the Belgrave square Pantechnicon, London, and buried beueath the ruins of that building when it was destroyed by fire. The historical suit of armour was then sold for a few pounds as old iron. After undergoing a process of renovation, it was bought by. Mr Spitzer, of Paris, for £12,000, who now has it on sale for £20,000. SANDER and SONS’ EUCALYPTI EX TRACT.—Cure of Skin Diseases. Invercargill, N.Z., 3rd of July, 1880- Messrs Sander and Sons, SandhurstGentlemen.—Having suffered from eczema (a skin disease which -e very prevalent in this colony) for about nine years, 1 had consulted numerous medical men here and in Australia, and had taken arsenic, strychnine, iodide of potassium, etc., internally, and had used preparations of zinc and lead externally. In fact, I had tried all the remedies known to the faculty, and what between travelling, doe tors’ and druggists’ bills, had spent a small fortune, almost, if not wholly, without result?, except to injure my constitution. During a recent visit to Hokitika I wasj recommended to try your Extract Eucalyptus Globulus by a brother who had experienced great -benefit from it in alleviating a wry severe cold, and no less to my surprise than satisfaction, I found the disease which troubled me so long was conquered, and the skin resumed its normatcondition. This was effected by the external use of less tiian two two-ounce bottles. Yours, etc, Signed John H. Kerr, Manager Union Bank, of Australia, Limited.—(Advt.) *