LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1725, 2 December 1887, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A pleasant evening was spent on Wednesday last m the Ashburton Presbyterian Church , a number^of largo colored views artistically painted orf calico being exhibited by Boy A. Blake, who gave a running descriptive account of eaoh view, of tbese tho greater portion eonßisted of sketches of Hindoo and other god. and godesaos, and Mr Blake having been for some years a missionary m India made his remarks very clear and interesting, and tk?y were muoh appreciated by the audi onoe, The choir, with Miss Kidd organist and Mr Xiamb conductor, gay* tJ _j V PJ til piooos of musio at intervals, and at the olose lit Blake thanked those present for their sympathy ahd ' a collection 'm aid of the funds of tho Tin.waJd Presbyterian Church being takon. Hr Blake hopes soon ogt-in to exhibit these pietqraa m Aehburtou, and anyone at oil inters-ted m missionary wtfrk m India will M pi-few fy ftttwdiag.

Messrs Dimant and Ooe intend making a distribution of useful and ornamental artloles °* glassware to their customers during the Present month, particulars of whioh will be advertised to-morrow. The maximum age to whioh animals live has often been a matter of ouriosity to many. The elopbant, we are told, is believed by the East Indians to live three hundred years, and instances tire on record of elephants having Jieeq^ept jn captivity as long as one hundred and twenty years, their age being unknown when taken from the forest. Camels live forty or fifty years, Some birds attain great age, BUoh as the swan and the eagle, whioh have been known to live one hundred yeara. Parrots have been known to livo eighty years. A tortoise lived ono hundred and twenty years. It lis said that m 1497 an enormous pike was caught m a lake near Hulbronn. Switzerland, with a brass ring tied to it, recording that was put m the lake m 1230. There are indioations that the whale lives four hundred years, Something like two tons of fish, ohiefly mullet, salmon, trout, bream, and ehipjaok' were left by the retiring waters m the Alfred Graving Dook, at William-town, on Ootober 10th, as it was pumped out to get at the bottom of the Cardigan Castle. A sim ; lar Q-0-.rrenco happened a month or two ago, and oooasioned great exoitement among the \ inhabitants of that nautical suburb of Melbourne, who straightway impressed into service every possible vessel pr uten.il tbat oould bold fish, and then paddling about among the Blush, stiff with fish, they scooped feway until no more could be got m. " And now, Bobby," Baid his mother, bb Bhe buttoned her gloves, " be a good little boy wbile I am out, and do everything you oan ta amuse the baby." On her return Bhe discovered that Bobby bad emptied the content, of the molasses jug over the baby's hea* 3,and the happy laughter whioh came from the infantile lips told her more eloquently tban mere Words oould ever hope to tell how eminently successful Bobby's efforts m the amusement lino had been. Not at Home. A gentleman called on a lady one day and was told by the servant that .he was not at home. As be turned to go out ho oaught a glimpse of her bead m a mirror through a half open door. An hour after he oalled on another friend, and found the lady there. " I have just been to your houae," .aid he, •■ but bad not the pleasure of seeing you." "Indeed I I'm so sorry; But I went out m great baste on business." "In such basto, I presume, that you left your head behind you, for I saw it m the glass." ••Did you? It is very possible— l am so absent-minded." Kleptomania is said to be so muoh on the increase among the well-to-do m Paris that extra shop assistants have be kept to watoh customers. Tha sale of the French Crown diamonds, it is now officioially reported, produced the net sum of 7,207,252 francs (about £300,000). The historical heirlooms, whiob were not sold, represent a far larger amount, suoh of them as hava been transferred to the Louvre Museum are estimated at £510,000 sterling. Tbe famous Pitoairn colony now numbers 107 people, of whom fifty-Bevon are women. They are happy, contented, and religious, using (neither tobacoo nor liquor. There is no siokneso among them and no death has ooourred m two years. McCoy and Young, the leaders of the colony, are now very old, but can still _ing Moody and Sankey hymns with great vigor. The oolonists are the descendants ol the mutineers of the British ehip^Bounty, whioh m 1788 was sent to Tahiti jtt&oad-. cuit tr«_e.