LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1790, 15 March 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Diphtheria has made its appearance m Dunedin and some of the suburbs.

Martha Dalzell will bo brought up at Addington gaol before Mr J. Ollivier, on Tuesday next, charged wtih the murder of her son, Thomas Blaokstook Dalzell, at Rakaia, on Deo. 29th, the woman having now suffi. ciently recovered to be brought up for her magisterial examination. The circumstances of the tragio occurrence will still be fresh m the minds of our readers and it is unnecessary for us.to recite them here.

Messrs Reid and Gray'a branch implement works at Oamaru were destroyed by fire early yesterday morning. The fire is sup" posed to have originated about the engine whioh stood m the wheelwright's shop. Nothing was saved and the loss is estimated at between £4000 and £5000.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Aehburton Sohool Committee was held on Tuesday evening, Present— Messrs J. 0. Duncan (ohairman^Graiphead, Elston, Sawle, and Steele.- A letter waßread from the Board of Education agreeing to release Miss Barrett from her engagement ; also stating that Miss Bean and Misb Williamson, whoße term had expired, would leave at the end of the month ; and requested the Committee to reoommend two pupil teachers. It waa resolved to reoommend Frank and Hannah Curd for appointment as pupil teaohers. The Chairman of the F.erry Road Sohool Committee invited the Chairman and members to a meeting of Committees to be held at East Ohristohuroh Sohool, on 14th instant. Eeßolved to reply that it was impossible for ony of the members to attend. Miss Dick requested another month's leave of absence on aooount of ill health. Granted. It was

resolved thai the school be oloced from Thursday, tho 29th inst., till Tuesday, April 3rd, for Easter holidays. The Visiting Committee submitted a report whioh was adopted. Accounts were passed for payment. Mr Sawle referred to the faot that parents of children complained that the trees around the school were top thick and close to admit sufficient air, and that the {children suffered m consequence. ft was resolved that tuia matter stand over till next meeting, and m the meantime the Visiting Committee ascertain how many trees should be removed,

Sir Morell Mackenzie has received £8500 up to the present time for his attendance on the Crown Prinoe of Germany.

It is stated that m Rio Janerio £he punishment for drunkenness is a tin mask placed over the face and fastened with a lock.

The rain falls not alike on the juat and unjust, for the sinple reason that the unjust usually has the umbrella belonging to the just.

The " Oamaru Mail " says that the splendid result of 63 bushels of Tusoan wheat to the acre has been realised fron a crop grown by Mr Riohard Mitchell, of Maheno.

One day last week there were twenty-four cases of typhoid fevar m Auckland hospital, and Beveral deaths had oooure'a?' Some of the Auckland sewers are m a filthy condition, and the stenoh from one is bo bad that people make a long detour to avoid it.

A correspondent wires : — Miss Amy Sherwin and her talented company opened at Oamaru last night to a packed house, and were most enthusiastically reoeived. It was evident from the beginning that the house would be taxed to its utmost capaoity. Miss Sherwin received an ovation on (her appearance, and at the finish of her first song the demands for more were so pronounoed that she had to respond. From the general opinion expressed standing] room will be at a premium tomorrow, when the Company will give their final performance.

In the opinion of Oount Jouff ray D'Abbana, Frenoh Consul m New Zealand, " m no dis. tant future the beet sugar industry will be the baakbone of New Zealand agriculture, the prinoipal element of its prosperity, and the guarantee of its economioal advancement.

Teaoher . " Where are the degrees of latitude longest?" Little Willie: "At ourhouse." " Why, Willie, how can that be ? " Willie : "Pa Bays he never saw such latitude as ma allows to Bister just beoause a rioh old fellow is coming to our house.

It is stated that there over fifteen hundred houses to let. and for sale m Auokland at the present time, and that shops, whioh Borne months ago brought m a rental of £6 per week, are now let for £1, and tenants are dimoult to get even at such prices.

H|The interest*paid every year on the colonial debt of New Zealand amounts, m round numbers to £1,800,000. If this sum were paid m wheat, it would require 15.000,000 bushels — three timea the gross produce of the whole colony— or, if m frozen meat, it would take 5,400,000 fat sheep at 6a 3d eaoh.

" Pass around the hat," said an old stage driver to his passengers, as they were gathered around the fire m a rude tavern, "an I'll tell you a startling story." The old fellow being noted for his yarns, the hat was passed around, and as he was transferring its contents to his pooket he quietly remarked : "Wai, I brought you down that are steep hill, back at the turn, where the big preoipioe is, with both forward linch-pins out. 1 "

London sooioty is m a great state over the discovery that a wealthy and influential nobleman, whom everyone believed to be & baohelor, is, m reality, a married man, and f moreover, has several children. The gentle* man who fondly imagined himself heirpresumptive let the oat out of the bag. He bad just been told the truth by his relative, and declared furiously that he did not believe a word of the story. It seems that Lord H— — , when a young man, fell m love with his sister's governess. The affair was found out, and reported to his mother, the then oountess, a very tjtrong«mindod ■woman, and an autocrat m her own family. She dismissed the young woman promptly, and, as she fondly thought, put an end to the business. The young couple, however, were too many for her. They waited till suspicion passed away, and then got quietly married. Their union was kept seoret till the dowager died the other day. The late heir-at-law professes to entirely disbelieve m the legality of the ceremony, and the case is pretty sure to come before the courts.

A St Petersburg correspondent says : — I was enabled to announoe several weeks ago, as a proof of religious intolerance m Russia, that the young Prince Barolay had been dismissed from the army beoause he had christened his youngest son m the Lutheran faith. His father, the well-known General, was severely reprimanded for not preventing the ceremony. Some days ago, delegates from the Holy Synod, aocompanied by the police, visited the young prinoe's house and announced that the child would bo taken from the mother if she opposed the fresh christening of her son aooording to the orthodox rites.

The first native " girl graduate " has appeared m the Bombay Presidency. A young Parsee lady, Miss Sorabji, has taken her degree, when only five other competitors were successful— all men. Miss Sorabji has passed through a brilliant University course, winning several prizes and scholarships ; while ehe headed the list m English.

Mr Anderson, a traveller for twenty years m South Africa, testifies: — The English people have hitherto been looked upon aa friends and proteotors (of the natives), and as one of them I felt proud of my country. But, since the Transvaal rebellion and its re> trooession, an Englishman ia ashamed to travel m the country, to be subject to the taunts of the ohiefs and people at the boasted honour of England.

An exchange writeB :— " We all know it is dangerous to address a servant girl otherwise than as a lady ; but it sounds anomalous to hear a bushman addressed as a gentleman, and his employer as a • ohap.' A Napier contemporary, however, states that a wellknown settler had oooaaion to pay an order on him at a warehouse. When he went to settle it the Btoreman said, ' Oh, yes, that's all right, you're the ohap the gentleman who deals here chopped bush tor.' This reminds us of reading a short time ago m a southern paper about two women who went tp a worthy minister m Dunedin with the following plea ; — • Mo and this 'ere lady 'aye tramped hup from laveroargill. Could you lend us a bob or two for a few days ? ' "