LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1598, 1 July 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following is a list of letters received at the Ashburton Post Office, from places beyond the colony; during the month of May, and remaining unclaimed on July Ist, 1887:— Mary Ann Armstrong, Patriok Connelly, Geo. Elliott, James Stevenson, and John Williams.

The Matron of the Ashburton Hospital desires to express the acknowledgments of the patients to the proprietors Of the" Mail " and "Guardian" for the daily supply of papers, also to Mrs Bandell for a donation of fruit.

The following are the monthly Hospital returns for May:— ln Hospital on May Ist, 9 patients ; admitted during month, 13 ; discharged, 11 ; regaining on Ist June, 11.

The boundaries of the new eleotoral districts mil not be known until next week, as the Representation Commission will not send in* their report to the Governor before Monday. A half -century ago m Turkey it was con Bidered a shame for a woman to read. Beoently, two sohools m Constantinople have been established by the Sultan himself. The Presbyterian Synod of India is composed of five presbyteries with fifty.four ministers, eighteen candidates, twenty-eight churches, 712 communicants, and 2328 Sunday sohool scholars. The adjourned meeting of the Hampstead Town Board was held yeßterday evening m the Board's offioes. Present— Messrs Mayo (m the ohair), Hunt, Fawoett, and Orr. The minutes wete read and confirmed. Correspond dence was read from the County Council and the Borough Counoil. A letter was read from Mrs Aynsley re Queen's Fund. The Chair* man was requested to oommunioate with the Mayor lon the subjeot. The Chairman was requested to take aotion for abating a nuisanoe at Trevorton. The Board adopted the " Looai Bodieß Loan Act, 1886." After a quantity of routine wark the Board adjourned.

The master of the Old Men's Home desires to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of second-hand clothing from a friend, also a parcel of tobacoo from some friends, through Mr Paul, fox the use of the inmates. Paris consumes over, 2,000,000 o! the 7,000,000 larks killed every year m France. The British Museum Library is increasing at the rate of more than a hundred volumes a day. .

Thirty-one murders were committed m San Francisco m 1886, and oaly one murderer, a Chinaman, was hanged. A hive of 5000 bees produces SOlbs of honey yearly, and multiplies tenfold m five years, The ordinary value of a hive m Europe is £1 sterling;

In the " Musical Standard " is published an interesting list of about 250 musicians of all nationalities who died last year- The average of age is a high one, nearly' sixty-one years. There were four suicides, all yooalists. One lady was murdered, and another "hissed to death."

A lady who is now on a visit atLoweatoit has m her possession a Canary whioh talks quite fluently. A talking canary is a great rarity, and when the owner recently made application to the British Museum as to wbafi previous reoords existed of such birds, she was informed that forty years ago it was reported to the Museum authorities that & gentleman possessed a canary whioh could articulate, but there was only one other on record, and that was 100 years previously. It ia needless to say that the lady places a non-purohaseable value on' the rara avis, and some time ago she declined to sell it to tho Princo of Wales when he desired to buy it a9 a present for Fer Royal Highness the Princess. ,

That the " sun never sets on the British Empire " is shown by a correspondent m the "Timaru Herrld" as fo 1f ows:— About four houra after the sun has riben on Great Britain he wi'l rise over some of the British West Indian Islands. Two hours later he will be visible m the western part of Upper Canada, Newfoundland, New Bfunsvwck, and Nova Scotia. Three hours laier he will have risen on the western part of the Hudson Bay Territory. Three houra later still, when jusi Betting on the British Islands, he wi'l be rising on the eastern part of New Zealand, and two hours after this he will have risen on Australia ; four hours later on Calcutta ; two hours later on Aden ; about an hour later on Cape Colony ; and twj houra later on Great

Britain again. The total nominal capital of the new Companies brought out m England during the last year was £70,938,200. In 1885 the total was £20,377,350 ; so that there was the amazing increase of £50,560,850. Of this nominal capital £52,881,001 was actually offered by the public (inoluding the holdings of the promoters).

The astounding statement is made by the " Chicago Journal of Commerce " that fresh railway construction to the extent of 23,347 miles is projected m the United States, and that 15,000 will be laid down this year. New rails are required for existing lines to the extent of 19,000 miles, and altogether 3,250,000 tonß of steel rails are needed this year.

Archdeacon Fbilpot is the oldest clergyman m the Churohof England, with the exception Of the Rev Bartholomew Edwards, rector of Ashill, Norfolk. He was ninety-six years old on January 9, and he has been m holy orderß since 1815. He was Vioar-General and Aroh. deacon of Man for many years. . Mr Edwards was ordained m 1812, and has held the cure of Ashill seventy-three years.

Some Btudents fixed up a ghost and placed it on the etairoase of a country newspaper office the other night, and then retired and awaited developemontn. The editor came, and didn't get frightened. He disrobed it, and now wears a guinea pair of trousers, a fifteen shilling vest, a five-and-twenty shilling pair of boots, and a guinea hat, while one of the students goeß about without a vest, and another roams through the less frequented streets, wearing a very ancient pair of inex. pressibles, an old "deerstalker" hat, and well-worn shoes. .

The Trafalgar is the largest aiinourolad whioh has yet been laid down by the British Admirality. Her hull i 3 estimated to cost £686,000, the propelling maohinery £97,000, tho gun-monnting £76,794, and the guns £56,340.

L' Astrononn'j records a fall of luminous rain during a thunderstorm at Sotte\iHe — that is to say, the drops on touching the ground produced flashes of red and violet light. Similar phenomena have been previously reoorded.

In Washington Territory, m the great salmon rivers, pigs have been seen to ohase fish, diving for them under water. Figa are not naturally lively animals under water, but they are said to pick up dead salmon ia ten feet of water by diving.

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