LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1802, 29 March 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The shooting season opens to-morrow Ducks are reported to be fairly plentiful.

A " Gazette " extraordinary further prorogues Parliament till April 4th.

Lovers of draught playing m the town and district will be pleased to learn that Mr James Wyllie, the champion draughts player will visit Ashburton, arriving from Timaru on 4th April and remaining until the 7th April. He will put up at Henry's Commercial Hotel and will be glad to meet any players there who chooso to have a game with him, The Ashburton Caledonian Society held the first of their Ingleside gatherings for the season m the Oddfellow^' Hall last evening. The extremely inclement weather militated against the usual number of country people attending, but despite the unfavorable state of the elements there was a good number present. The entertainment was of the usual diversified and enjoyable nature which characterise? the se gatherings, and but for the bad weather the #ooiety would have scored a big success. In addition to the usual dancing, national dances, etc, spng« I were contributed by Messrs Burton and Kneen. Miss Jamloson kindly supplied piano musio where required and Mr McQueen looked after the bagpipes, when these were necessary. A feature of the evening waa a ueanntreus danoed by Miss Burns, a young lady of ten Bummers, The dance was correctly given m eyorv respect and the young performer well merited the plaudits she gained.

There' will be no publication of the " Guardian" to-morrow, being Good Friday.

To-morrow being Good Friday the services at St. Stephen's Church will be at e'even a.m. and Beven p.m. ; with a special service for children (it three p.m. The Rev R. F. Garbett, of Windermere, will preach at the evening aervioe. An interesting article on the resources of Mount Somers (reprinted from this morning's 11 Mail ") will be found on the fourth page of this issue. The attention of farmers and exporters of dairy produce is called to an interesting letter to the Editor from a .London firm (Messrs Cruicksbank and Lovell), whioh is published m this issue. Threshing machine owners, farmers, and others iutarestod are invited by advertisement, m another column, to witness a trial of the Quiniivan Band-cutter and Self-feeding Threshing Machine, whioh is announced to be held under the auepices of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, during next week on the farm of Mr Donald Williamson, Alford Forest Road. All members of the sooiety are specially requested to attend. Cf a trial of this maohine, whioh took place a few days ago, on the farm of Mr Boag, and whioh was attended by a number of the members of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Asaooiation, the " Press " reports that all expressed themselves m terms of praise at the efficiency and labor-saving effeots of tha maohine. Sensations follow each other m rapid suooesßion m New York. It is only a week or two since the " Empire City " was startled by the death of a lady, the wife of a distinguished oitizen, under circumstances most compromising to herself. Now we have a coachman suing for possession of his wife, the daughter of a millionaire, and until her strange escapade a leading belle of American sooieiy. It is difficult to answer for the taste of woman, and the preference which the lady showed for her father's servant — who is neither handsome nor refined — is devoid even of the pretence of sentiment. The lady is described as " simply lovely." However, the proverb, " Marry m haste, repent at leisure," has been proved m this strange case, for the bride soon grew disgusted with her boorish husband, and for more than a year has been lying perdu m a New York village. The husband has now tracked his wife, and has commenced proceedings m the law courts with a view to compelling her to live with him.

The ladies were discussing the question of forgetfulness. " Well," said one, whose husband was a commercial traveller, " I think my husband is the most forgetful man that ever existed. He oame home the other night after a trip of some weeks duration. We had retired, and as he was fatigaed he went off to sleep. Shortly hia hand fell to stroking my cheek. At the same time ho said, " Darling, won't you tell me what your real name is ?" The son of a rich Australian squatter, at present at Cambridge University, managed to ruo up a tailor's bill— not far from the banks of the Cam— whioh took £6000 to cover. Of oourae the money-lendor, traded under the oloak of a tailor.

The President of the French Republic receives a Balary of £24,000 a year, and has the same amount allowed him for household and other expenses connected with his position.

It is stated m the Wellington papers that m connection with the retrenchment policy, and m order to do away with as much Sunday work as possible, mails arriving on Sunday will not be sorted m futnre. Nawß has reached Brisbane to the effeot Ufa*; the French troopß were heartily glad to leava the New Hebrides. All but two of them had fever whilst on the islands, it being almost impossible to sleep ashore without catching it A correspondent writing from Melbourne to the "Evening Press "says:- -The influx of New Zealanders into Melbourne still continues. The Tarawara had a full saloon and 115 steerage, nearly aU young, energetio, and able men, who have come here determined to try their fortunes. They are a loss to New Zealand, and a decided acquisition to Victoria. A similar complement arriVes weekly. Houlihan : " Ah, Brannigan 1 this news from the ould sod jist sets me blood a bilin'. Jist think of that ould Bareaores evioting his tinnants for a paltry year's rint?" Mrs Sohmitz : " Meester Houlihan, may I shpeak mit you ? I like you to vait until comes Saturday night for your money." Houlihan : «• Why, yiz are a week beh.oind already. Is it charity tinimint houses ye think Oi'm rintin ? Let it be Sathurday noight, sure, or out yez go ! " The Secretary of the Marriage Law Reform Association writes : — " The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church m the United States, a church whioh m America has a high reputation for orthodoxy, m 1886 sent to the various Presbyteries the following overture : — " Shall chap, xxiv., section 4, of the Confession of Faith be amended by Btriking out the last period thereof, namely, the man may not marry any of hin wife's kindred nearer m blood than he may of his own, nor the woman any of her husband-'s kindred nearer m blood than of her own ? " To this inquiry 166 Presbyteries voted aye, and eleven no. The General Assembly has accordingly enaoted that tho said period be stricken out of the Confession, and by the declaration of the Moderator this Beotion, whioh prohibited marriage with a deceased wife's sister, ceases to be a part of the standard of the church."

The "Tuapeka Times" says that the following extraordinary occurrence took place at tbe last meeting of the Otago Land Board : — There were seven applicants for a oertain piece of land, the applications to be decided by lot. Now, five of these applicants represented one person, and had either of them been successful they would have handed ovor their interest to the party for whom they were acting the part of obliging friends, so there were only two bonafi.de applications. The person who had five friends reckoned that he had an excellent chanoe, for hia own and his friends' applications gave him six chances to the other applicant's one. The lots wore drawn, and, strange to say, six blanks were' dra\yn first, and the person who only had one chance drew the last and fortunate tioket.