LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1801, 28 March 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The first Ingleeide of the season will be held jn the Oddfellows' Hall this evening.

About half-past seven o'clock last evening both fire-bells rang out an alarm. The Brigades turned out, but after driving about the town could find no signs of an outbreak. It subsequently appeared that a chimney on fire occasioned the a'arm.

A son of Mr Milliohamp, of Tinwald, lost one of hiß fingers m a rather peculiar manner yesterday. A brother was chopping wood ( and the boy m question was picking up the sticks as they were broken, While he was picking up one, the axe his brother was wielding descended on his hand, completely cutting off one finger anJ nearly severing another.

Mr James Lemon, farmer at Lauriston met with a serious accident last night. He was riding home m the evening about seven o'clook, and when a little way past the Woollen Factory his horse threw him and dragged him for some distance. A man who happened to be passing the same way a short time after the occurrence, seeing Lemon ljing m the roadway, thought it was some individual the worse for liquor, and m orde r to remove him out of harm's way lifted him to the side of the road. A lad named Soott soon afterwards found Lemon where he had been plaoed, and seeing that something was wrong, he attracted the attention of two men who were going by, and they took the injured man to the Hospital. Meanwhile infornoft. tion had reached the polioe station that a man who appeared to be drunk was lying near Mr Williamson's gate, and also that ahorse and trap without a driver had been found m that direction. The horse and trap, however proved to not belong to Mr Lemon. Constable Smart prooeeded up the Alford Forest Road, but he found that Lemon had been removed, Lemon was unoonsoious when found and remained so till about 5 o'olook thiß morning. He is very severely cut about the bead, and several of his ribs were broken. The constable found traces showing that the unfortunate man had been dragged thirty or forty yards after having been thrown from his horseLemon is progressing as favorably as can be expected, and there is every hope of his reoovery, though at first this seemed doubtful.

The feud between Auokland farmers and millers over the price offered for wheat is likely to assume a new phase. It appears that growers of wheat m the Waikato intend to form a combination to rejeot the low prioe of millers, and on the contrary intend to ship their wheat to England direct. Several large growers have deoided on this course.

One of the strangest of coincidences is re. lated as follows by the " Ballarat Courier " :

" About twenty years ago a woman, residing not far from the Barwon River, was the unfortunate wife of a drunken husband, whom she frequently upbraided for giving way to drink. One day he went to the river and drowned himself, leaving a widow and four daughters and a son. Time rolled on ; the widow recovered from her painful affliction, and sought fresh joys by marrying a publican. Her second leaße of matrimonial life con. tinuod for some years, during whioh four sons and & daughter were added to the family ; but a few days ago the body of the second husband was found m the river, within 50ft of the spot where husband No. 1 met with the same fate."

Tho Wellington correspondent of the 11 Press " says that the rumor transmitted by oable from London that Mr Eaikes is to be the next Governor of New Zealand is disbelieved' m well-informed quarters upon grounds which are regarded as substantial.

At the end of 1886 Great Britain could claim 19,332 miles of railway, with a capital liability of £828,344,254, as against 138,000 miles m the United States, with a liability of £1,675,332,769.

Ceylon is sending forth missionaries from among its own people. Two young natives, one of them a Buddhist convert, have left the island to join the new Wesleyan Mission jn Upper Burmah.

According to Canon Eoberson's annual nummary, Great Britain m 1886 contributed to foreign missionary work £1,175,714, being by £33,237 than the sum raised |m 1885. Of the whole amount £486,082 was contributed through Churoh of England Sooieties.

Henry Fielding Diokens, son of the late Charles Dickens the novelist, is a lawyer, who has a high reputation for wit and eloquenoe m the London Oourls. He is clever m crossexamination and epigrammatio m his oratory.

A woman named Mary Hodges, who was m her hundred-and-first year, died recently at Elton, Hunts, m full possession of her faculties ; and it may be interesting and benefioial to reoord the faot that she had been an habitual smoker for many years, and that her favorite beverage waß rum,

Little Tommy had quarrelled with his sister, and would not kiss and be friends. His aunt said, " Oh, don't you remember what papa read at family prayers this morn, ing— that we were to forgive seventy timeß Beven?"8 even?" «' Yeo," replied Tommy, " but I tiokerly noticed it was to your brother, not your sister."

How the monay went! At Dunedin the other day a bankrupt Btated under examination that he had spent over £90 m one month " m tram car rides and fruit; for his ohildren."

Westmoro, Caledonia County, Vermont ) boasts of a young giant, Floyd Tuft, about seven years old weighing about 1151 b. He is able to shoulder two bushels of corn, and has lifted with ease his grand-father, who weighs 1751 b.

Rev J. G. Wood, an English scientist, recently stated m a lecture on natural eoience that there ia no nicer dish than a rat pie. He and his family, and many friends who had overoome their prejudices, frequently enjoyed one.

No, Patti haß no babies. The family have deoided that they can't afford it. When they realised that it would oost the youngster one hundred pounds every time he wanted his mother to sing him to sleep, cash up, or no concert, they deoided that no baby could stand it without mortgaging the nursery and fittings.

The telegraph wires were down all this afternoon north of Rolleston, and we have therefore not received our usual telegraphi news.

Mails for the United Kingdom, Europe, etc, via Rio, especially addressed per Coptic, close here on Saturday, 31st insfc., at 6 a.m.

An election for a Borough Councillor hss been proceeding to-day, Messrs R. Bird and G. W. Andrews being the candidates. Not very much interest appeared to be evinoed> the number of votes recorded up to three o'clook being very small.

A Government inßpeotion parade of the Ashburton Volunteers was held at the drillshed last evening, Major Douglas being inspect" J ng offioer. Rifles (Capt. Dolman) 38, Guards (Captain Sparrow) 23. The companies were exercised m battalion drill by Major Douglas.

Harvest thanksgiving services were held m the ohurches of the Longbeaoh paroohial district on Sunday last, before large congregations, St James' Church, Waterton, being filled to overflowing, members of other denominations showing their sympathy with the ocoasion by their presence. This churoh was most tastefully deoorated by the Misses Ashton and the Misses Smith, no pains having been spared to make the decorations worthy of the occasion. The private ohapel at Longbeaoh was also deoorated with similar aare and taste under the supervision of Miss Grigg. A notice re an alteration m the hours of running of the evening trains on Monday and Tuesday next will be found m another column. In aooordanoe with the Wesleyan law of Itinerancy the Rev D. MoNiooll, who has labored for three years m this distriot, will next week be leaving for Napier, to whioh place he was appointed by the recent Welling, ton Conferenoe. To-morrow night a farewell gathering is to be held at the Wesleyan I Churoh, when the rev gentleman's congregation and friends generally will have an opportunity of wishing him God speed, A musical entertainment and coffee supper are announoed as part of the evening's programme. The weather [yesterday and to-day has been very cold and boisterous. To-day showers of hail and^sleet fell at intervals, and a sou'wester blew at times with hurricane force. At Methven and m the hills distriot generally the weather has been very severe, hail and snow being experienced m addition to the bitterly oold wind. A meeting of gentlemen interested m mining, etc., was held m Soott's Hotel, Melbourne, a few days ago, to oonsider the advisability of forming a company to purchase the patent rights and commence m Melbourne the manufacture of aerial or overhead tramways. It was resolved to form a company with the nominal capital of £100,000, m 100,000 £1 shares, a first issue of 25,000 to be placed upon the market.

Recently a number of the natives m the Waikato district met m Otorohanga to con. sider matters relative to the Native Land Court. It was decided to offer no further obstruction to tho business of the Court on the lines laid down by the Government, viz., that tribal subdivisions be first considered, and then those of hapus. The Court will be held on the 3rd of April.

The " Jewish Chronicle " records the death at the Hague of one of the last of the Waterloo veterans. This was Chapman Eathoven, who wore the silver cross of the Netherlands for his services m the campaign of 1815. He was m the 103 rd year of his age and leaves a widow ten year 3 younger, to whom he had boon married seventy-live j'ears. He passed a portion of his early life m England, and was present at Nelson's funeral.

The Scottish harvest of 1887 is valued at 525.250,000, of whioh £8,750,000 is represented by cereals.

It is said that Messrs Beetham and Williams, of Wairarapa, intend to slaughter 500 bullooks for export to England before the winter.

On a farm at Balgray, m Dumfriesshire, a field of forty-five aores has yielded a orop of turnips at the rate of fifty.five tons per acre.