LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1720, 26 November 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The most Reverend the Primate will administer the Bite of Confirmation m St. Stephen's Churoh to-morrow morning &t eleven o'clock. The Bishop will also preach at the evening service. The first local wool sale of the season will be held on December 9. A tea meeting m connection with the Lauriston Preßbyterian Ohuroh will be held on Friday, Deoember 2. Mr W. 0. Walker has been elected to represent the riding of Mount Somers m the County Council. His was the only nomination received. On aooount of a public meeting being held on Monday evening m order to aSord the candidates for the Mayoralty an opportunity of expressing their views on municipal matters, and also to allow of. the question of procuring a steam fire engine to be considered by the burgossea, the Borough Council meeting on that night will be held at 7, instead of 7.30. tt is asserted, remarks the "Dunedin Evening Star," that six-roomed houses are letting m Auckland at as low a rental as six shillings per week, so that they may be tenanted, bb the insuranas companies will not cover risks on empty houses. The New Zealand Shipping Company have received the following cable message from their London Office, dated 23rd Nov., 1887 : — B.M.S. Aorangi arrived all well at Madeira to-day; meat m good condition. Hurunui has sailed. A reoent writer estimates that the steam power of Great Britain performs tho work of 400,000,000 able-bodied men— about equal to the capacity of the entire human raoe for labour without machinery. An exhibitor of hams and bacon at' the Ohristohurch cattle show announced by placard that he was a ' breeder of home cured hams and bacon.' He must bo a wonderful man or own a wonderful breed of pigs.

Id a recent speeoh Mr Mundella stated that it bad been actually found that the penny dinners were more than the poor children could digest; and that halfpenny, even farthing dinners were quite sufficient not only to Bustain life but to satisfy the ohildren. A peculiar drowning oase occurred at Circular Quay, Sydney, the other dny. A Kanaka for amusement was diving off the wharf to bring up a box of sardines. He was seen to secure the box leoax the bottom of the harbor, but while ascending to the surface he suddenly sank, and was Been no more The deceased was an expert direr and swimmer, and the cause of his drowning is a mystery. A Home paper is responsible for the following ;— Mr Thomas Fitzmaurice Burke, who recently has been officially apprised that he is the heir to a fortune of two millions sterling, has just been paying a visit to Old Broinpton, Chatham, m whioh town he formerly resided for many years. The enormous wealth of whioh Mr Burke will shortly come into possession haa been be* queathed by his half-brother, Samuel Burke Loan, formerly of Prospect Villa, Cork, Irelaua. Tbio Me Lonu emigrated io Australia m 1852, and, going up country during the gold fever, opened a store on the goldfield, and rapidly accumulated a fortune. At a later period Mr Loan removed to New Zealand' and his good fortune and sound judgment m investing his savings caused his already largo fortune to swell rapidly. When he died at Auokland, New Zealand, last November, a 4 tho age of seventy-two years, he was possessed m round figures of about £2,000,000. " Borne years ago a lady served her bridegroom with as severe a revenge as the Willenball gentleman bestowed oq his would-ba bride lately. A friend of mine met an excited crowd running oat of the doors of St. George's. Hanover square, bridegroom protesting' bridesmaids weeping, and the brilo herself sweeping disdainfully to her carriage alone* On inquiry it transpired that on walking up the aisle the bride had stumbled and trodden on her dress, and her unwary lover had ejaoulatod undar his breath, « How atupid ! ' The procession passed on, and the service began, and no interruption ooourred until the question was put, • Wilt thou have this man? ' eto. Then to the amazement of everyone present, and to tho utter confusion of the unlucky bridegroom, the lady replied m a clear loud voioe, 4 Not so stupid 1 • and, turning away from the altar, after one withering glance At the rejeoted husband, left the ohuroh then and there. She was an heiress, and tho mortiGod bridegroom oursed the ill-starred readiness of a tongue that had so swiftly and unexpectedly wreoked his life."

The Mayor of Sydney reoently made an inspection of the houses m the lower quarters of tho city, and condemned forty-nine, of whioh twenty-one Were Chinese quarters, and oooupied by Mongolians crowded together under the most filthy ooudition. The Mayor determined that prompt action should be taken to demolish the houses or make them fit for human habitation.

The People's Palaoe m East London seems 88 much appreciated by the Eastonders as its projeotora could well desire. Somo 10,000 paying visitors are recorded weekly, and tho entrance fee is to be reduced from 3d to 2d. Hanlan will only row Trickett at Rockhampton for a purse of 500 sovereigns, to be subscribed by the townspeople, or at Parra-

matta for £500, and allow Triokett £100 for

his expenses. This is tantamount to a refusal to make a matoh, as Triokett will only row on the Jfttzroy River.

Keating's Powder destroys bothmothß, fleas beetles, and all other insects, while quite harmless to domestic animals. In exterminating beetl {he sucoess of this powder is extraordinary. It b perfeotly clean m application. See the article ou purohaa 'is Keating's, as imitations are noxious and ineffectual. Sold i n tine, 6d, Is, and 2s 6d eaoh by all chemio