LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1718, 24 November 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Robin Hood Combination, a variety company of ten artists, opened m the Oddfellows' Hall last evening to a fair audience, but not at all commensurate with the merits of the company. The first part consisted of the usual balf-cirole business, the oomio element being supplied by Messrs Dickey and Petherick, the former being especially good. Songa were contributed by Messrs Ashford, Kiddie, Sinolair, and Maurice, while MrF. J. Arbuokle aoted as interlocutor. After an interval of ten minutes the ourtain rose to the second part, whioh opened with an overture by Mr Brookett, followed by a masher duet by Messrs Axbuckle and Sinolair, and a ballad by Mr Ashford. The next item on the programme, an Irish eong and dance by Mr S. Diokey, was loudly applauded, and ho responded by danoing a sailor's hornpipe m a style whioh has never been excelled m Ashburton. Mr Maurice followed with *' Queen of the Earth," whioh he sang m firat-olass style. The aerio-comio part of the programme was supplied by Messrs Potheriok and Arbuckle, the seoond part being brought to a close by S. Dickey, m his Irish specialities, for whioh he had an undeniable enoore, to which he responded by dancing an Irish Jig m inimitable style. After an interval of five minutes the ourtaiu rose to an Etheopian farce, entitled " Theatrical Difficulties," wbioh sent the audience home thoroughly satisfied with their evening's entertainment. The company appear again this evening, with an entire change of programme, when we hope that a large attendance will reward them for their enterprise. Mr Valentine, M.H.8., general manager of the New Zealand Agrioiltural Company, has received from one of the directors of the Gore Dairy Faotory, the following highly satisfactory telegram respecting an experi. mental shipment of cheeße to London : — "Gore oheese sold London 60s hundred* weight. Report equal best Amerioan. Good effeot here (Gore)." The shipment, which was the last of last season's make, was sent partly aa ordinary cargo, and both lots arrived m England m absolutely sound condition. Professor Vogcl has ÜBt made known to the Berlin Physical Sooiety a means by whioh it ia possible to obtain instantaneous photographs not only at night, but m the darkest places. A mixture is made % of pulverised magne»ium, chloride of potash, and eulpaide of antimony. "When ignited this mixture produces a lightning-like illumination of such intensity that an instantaneous photograph can be taken by it. Professor Yogel took the photographs of several members of the sooiety by its light to demonstrate its easy uae.

The result of the Australian Derby race was (the *' Age " points out) telegraphed to the adjoining colonies with remarkable promptitude and despatch. Mr James, the manager of the Melbourne office, made special arrangements to have the line dear, and it happened that the winner wan known m Wellington, New Zealand, before the jockeys had actually pulled up. The news reached New Zealand m seven seconds, Brisbane m ive aeoonds, and Adelaide and Sydney m seven seconds. A Berious subsidenoe took place on the night of the 3rd Sept. at Coatbridge railway station on the Caledonian line. Dating the afternoon the inhabitants were startled by hearing loud rumbling noises, and these oon* tinued at intervals up to nine o'olook m the evening, when a spaoe of ground, fully fifty* siz.feet m diameter, disappeared with a crash* carrying thousands of tons of earth with it. Fears were entertained fox the safety of the railway. A series of arches takes the line over the public road and the Mookland Canal, the largest arch, wbioh stretches fully 200 feet, being only five yards distant from where the subsidence took plaoe. It is supposed that the catastrophe was caused by the fall of a wall whioh kept baok water m eomo of the pit workings. It was afterwards ascertained that the depth of the subsidence by the rail> way station was upwards of 300 feet. From a return furnished to Sir Henry I Farkes it appoara that tbo total sum spent on the Sydney unemployed up to the present has been £93.000, and that as a result of this expenditure 23,611 aoreo of suburban land have been cleared and under-scrubbed. Upwards of 200 miles of road have been cleared, formed, and, m some cases, made, and various other works ezeouted. These have groat ly improved the value of land, and it is expected that barely the whole of the outlay will be returned when the land is sold at its im« proved value,

The " Dunedin Evening Star " states that ■ writ claiming £1000 damages has been served on Mr Joseph Hatoh, late member for Invorcargill, for Blander. The remarks to whioh objection is taken were uttered at the declaration of the poll at the late election. Tho oaee will como before the Supreme Court next month. A somewhat curious occurrence happened m a Gloucestershire post office m consequence of leakage from a tin of essence of lemon sent by parcei post. A swarm of bees, attracted by the syrup, entered the post offioe by a window and settled on tbe spot v,here the eeeenoe was spilt, and although prompt efforts were made to eject them they continued to frequent the offioe for a fortnight. At another office a paokefc of live mioe was stopped, as contrary to regulation, and the addressee, od been eommuuioatad with, took a Journey of upwards of forty miles to obtain tbe mice, Nearly 28,000 letters were poatod wholly un. addressed, of wbioh over 1600 contained monoy and oheques amounting to £4044. The " Sheffield Weekly Telegraph " of Sept, 24th h&B an artiole on "The New Zealand Bushmen, n Itthus conoludes; —'' Thus ends the bushman's labors; and tbe settler now begins to get the land sown, and fenced, and stocked, to add to the wealth and prosperity of the most beautiful and productive of all the wide spreading colonies of the British Empire." At a party held reoently m Clinton, near Akron, Ohio, on« of the guests was named George Miller. Another guest, addressing him, said, " Why, Miller, I heard you fell dead the other day." Miller turned pale and his voice faltered. He went upstairs, and m a few minutes the announcement was made that be was dead, The shock caused by the words bad killed him.