LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1574, 2 June 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The following is a list of letters received at the ABhburton Post Office from places beyond the colony during the month of April, and remaining unclaimed on June lßt, 1887:— Thomas Daintry, Patrick Grace, Hanson Sohofield, James Nicholson, John Smithson, ftnd William Watkins.

Now that the elcotions for a new Parlia* ment are so close at hand, names of probable candidateß are freely mentioned. Tho present member for the Wakanui seat will, we under* stand on good authority, be opposed by Mr C. W. Purnell, and it is not unlikely that nomination day will Bee othor gentlemen m the field. So far, busy tongued rumor has not soleoted any likely opponent to the present member for Ashburton.

The annual meeting of the Licensing Com* mitteefor the Borough of Aehburton was held yesterday. Present— Messrs T. Scaly (Chairman), Harrison, Hughes, and Tuoker. An application for transfer of the lioense of the Ashburton Hotel from J. Henry to P. Devane, was granted, as was also an application for the transfer of the licenso of the Commercial Hotel from It. J. Whittle to J. Hettty. The followiug renewals were granted :— J. W. McEae, Central Hotel ; T. Toppin, lloyal Hotel ; W. Pattraan, Somerset Hotel ; John Henry, Commercial Hotel ; P. Devane, Ashburton Hotel} J. F. Butler, Butler's Family Hotel.; W. Drummond, Railway Refreshment Rooms. Mr Crisp, on behalf of the licensed victuallers of the district', applied for an extension of time for tho sale of liquors to eleven o'olock, and he also applied for exemption] from the clause m relation to lamps being kept burning all night. Both applications were \ granted, tbo latter provisionally on a good; light being kept burning till eleven o'olock.

It i 3 said that a sovereign remedy for cholera has been discovered m Buenos Ayres, where the genuine Astatio oholora has exi3ted m an epidemic form for the last t«q or three monthß. This remedy is laid to be the Peruvian plant coca. It is alleged that it is only necessary tojohew^tho leaves of tho plant to get rid of the disease.

An ecoentrio old man at Montronge has cruelly hoaxed a nephew, to whom he bequoathed m his will 100,000fr m gold. The money waß Baid to have been buried at a spot only Known to his flaUnful aog Cicsar. Toe heir bad notbiog Jo do but pronounce the magio works " Cjoaar, cherchc 1" But as soon as thoy are pronounced the malicious beast turns round and bites the young man. The experiment has been repeated several times, and the not result is simply half a dozen bites.

In (ancient times writing was done by an iron bodkin on the woodon or other materials used for writing on, a thin covering of wax being laid on to make it more easy to write on for daily use, and to admit of erasure. Tho stylus was made sharp at ouo end, to writo with, and blunt land broad at tho othor to efface e and correct {easily. The Romans forbade tho use ot this Bharp instrument, as many persons used them as daggers. A Bohoolrnaster was killed by the stylus of one of his own eoholare. Thoy substituted a Btylua made Jof a bono of a ;bird or other animal. "When they wrote on softer materials they used rceda and canes, split, like our pens, at the point. Before steel pens came into general use, pens mado from the goosequill wero used, and aro still preferred by many. Steal [pens began to come into uso about 1820, when the first gross of three-slit pens were sold wholesalo for seven pounds four shillings. In 1832 tho prioe was six Shillings each, but a better pen is now Bold at sixpence a grosst Porry, Mitchell, and Gillot are well known makers. Joseph Gilloti a meohanio, aided by his wife, made a very large fortune by this manufacture. Birmingham produced, m 1858, upwards of a thousand million pens per annum. Women and children are [principally employed m tho manufacture.

The " Scientific Amerioan " quotes the following strange^ Btory from the "JAlbany Journal " :—" John Templeton is a blacksmith who owns a fino specimen of tho English mastiff. Recently Mr Templeton was working at his forge, putting a new stcol m a piak, The afcool was slightly burned m tho boating, .and, instead of welding, flew m half a dozen pieces. One pieoo struok the blaoksmith just above tho right eye with such force as to fasten itself m iirinly. The blacksmith staggered and fell backward. How long he was unconaoioos ho does not know, but when he revived the dog lay m the middle of the shop crying almost like a human being, and rubbing his jaws m Iho dußt of tho floor. The pieco of steel thatjbad struck Mr Templo. ton lay a short distance from the dog. The faithful brute had seized tho hot steel with his teeth and drawn it from the frontal brow of Mr Tempfeton'a head. Tho dog's mouth was found to be badly burned." A " mending office " Ifor bachelors has been established m Now York. Here socks are darned, buttons sewn on, and other nocessary repairs mado at Bmall charges for the benefit of single men who have no feminine belongings to care for their garments.