LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1786, 10 March 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The subject of the Rev Mr Soott'a address to-morrow evening will be "Booreation."

At the District Court yesterday, on the application of Mr Furnell, probate of the will of Isabel Friedlander, deceased, was granted to Hugo Friedlander, one of the exeoutors named m the will, leave being reserved to Henrioh Eohn, the other executor, to come m and prove.

Mr H. Rogers, the advance agent, was m Aehbucton last evening for the purpose of making arrangements for a visit by Miss Amy Sherwin, the •• Australian Nighingale," who appears at the Oddfellows' Hall (for one night only) on Monday, 19th instant. The publio may safely look forward to a musical treat of quite exceptional order. Dunedin papers speak most enthusiastically of Miss Sberwin's singing, which it is said has never been equalled m this oolony.

- We are glad to be able to chronicle an instance of prompt payment by an Insurance Company; Mr Griffin, whose bouse was destroyed by fire on the 26th of last month, and who was insured m the Union Company (having paid one premium only, amounting to 11s 6d), being to-day handed a obeque by tha Agent, Mr F. Makeig, for the sum of £70.

A correspondent of a Westport paper complains that after a quarter of a million being spent m tbe town, the output of coal is less than m 1886, by Beveral thousand tons ; 35 steamers and 17 sailing vessels less than m 1886 ; population and taxes rising ; trade and revenue falling. There were two raineß open then, there is only one now Tbe correspon dent adds :— A quarter of a million spent to make a harbour for one coal company to work one mine, and your representative on the war path for another £100,000 to be spent for the same laudable purpose.

What become* of the old diatioh about 11 Early to bed," eto, after this? •♦ A German dootor has been collecting information about long-lived persons, and finds that the majority of long-livers indulged m late hours. At least eight out of ten persons over eighty never went to bed till well int o trie small hours, and did not get np again till late m the day. Indeed, he considers that getting up early tends to exhaust physioal power and to shorten life, while the so-called invigorating early hours are, he thinks, apt to produce lassitude, and are positively dangerous to some constitutions."

By an Order m Council authority ia given for the establishment of a sohool of anatomy at Auckland. It is said that the Oamaru Battery of Artillery intend to resign as a body aa a pro. test against the reduction of the capitation! grant. The " Dunedin Evening Star " states that arrangement! are being made to plaoe within a weak 150 convicts at work on the forts at the four principal ports.

He : * Aon 1 How brety are zose creen leafs on your crown I' She : « So glad you admire them. It's an idea of my own.' Ha : ' Kvite charming 1 Zey remind von of ifvy clinging rount an olt ruin 1'

A Belgian recently made a bet with some of his fellow countrymen that ha would swallow as many dishes of pancakes as they would care to pay for. The bet was accepted, and an adjournment to an establishment noted for the superior quality of its pancakes took plaoe. There the Belgian sat down and swallowed pancakes until he choked himself and was carried out a livid oropse.

A few dayß ago a man m New Plymouth was betrayed by his faithful dog. He was " wanted " but the constables looked for him m vain. His dog, however, was Been trying to get up a tree, aud on looking up they found the man.

We (" Post ") are informed that a Welling, ton syndicate are prepared to straighten the railway from the city to Petone on condition that they are allowed to dispose of tho building sections along the line. In order to straighten the line a large quantity of earth would require to be taken from the hills abutting on tbe carriage road, and it is estimated tbat a good deal of flat land suitable for sites for residences would be made by outting away the bluffs.

The Massey Reaper seems to be scoring a series of uninterrupted triumphs. At a trial at Eaßt Taieri, £he other day, all the spectators I present, who were mostly ppaotjoal farmers expressed their thorough approval of the new machine, by signing a testimonial to tlie efleot that it ia capable of doing cleaner work making a better sheaf, outing a lower stubble* and being of easier draught than any maohine they had yet seen tried. Orders were given on the ground for machines for next year. Prince Nicholas Maximilianovitch Roman, ovski, Duke of Leuchtenberg— (o give His Imperial Highness his full title, who is spoken of as Russia's nominee for the throne of Bulgaria- is related to the Royal Family» and there could be no nominee more accept, able to the Czar. He was born on the 23rd July, 1843, and is a son of the Duke Maximilian ard'of the Grand Duoheaa Maria Nioholojevna, eldest daughter of the late Nicholas 1., Czar of Russia. Prinoe Jlioholftßi as well as his brothers and sisters, received tho title of Imperial Highness by Imperial ukase. He is a Lieutenant-General on the staff of the Czar, aud is a member of the (fre.ek Churoij. Our readers Bhould bo on tha look-out for , the comet. It was seen m Cbrißtohuroh about three o'p ! opk this morning, its position being E.S.E., about twelve degrees above the horizon, and almost over Venus. It was very faint.