The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1807, 5 April 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Capt Wray, who has been appointed to the Magisterial oharge of Aehburton, presided m the looal Court for the first time this morning.

The programme for the forthcoming meet* ing of the Tradesmen'tJ Raoing Club appears n this issue.

Nob. 17 and 18 of Leslie's Parliamentary' Portraits are to hand, and are devoted to (he members for Dunedin East, the Hutt, Lyttelton, and Nelson. Three of the four likenesses ar« not bad, the exoeption being Mr Joyce, who is grossly libelled by the artist; Mr Allen's portrait is tho best decidedly, Mr Fitzherbert's and Mr Levestam'a fair. More than two feet of snow haß fallen m the Arrow district. A large quantity of crop is still standing, and it is feared that much of it will be ruined. A curious relio of Napoleon I. has been bought m Venice by Prince Napoleon. It is a portrait of the great Emperor worked m hiß own hair, and was given by him to a noble Venetian lady m 1800. A lot of Chinese gamblers were arrested m Chicago recently, but when arraigned for trial fourteen of them looked bo muoh alike that "they could not be identified, and consequently were discharged. Nearly all of the 600 native newspapers m India are bitterly opposed to Christianity. Sooieties are being organised for the dissemination of the sceptical writings of England and Amerioa. One Rajah is circulating at the great fairs 2,000,000 Hindoo traots, printed and distributed at his own expense. " The word ' synonymous,' " said the eohoolmaster, "is easily explained. For instance, 'drunk and intoxicated' are synonymous— you fill understand that." "Why," said a large-headed ;lad at the bottom of the olass, "my father gets synonymous every night." • The " Wellington Post " states that notwithstanding tho Hon Dr Pollen's indignation laat session at the reduction of the honorarium and his melodramatio exit from {.he Oounoil Chamber, he has not Bent m hiß resignation, but he has drawn the honorarium.

A curious phenomenon was to be seen at Lake Foray th, Little Biver, the day after the late gale. The heavy seas having washed away the shingle pit that blooks m the lake, the water emptied itself into the sea, leaving the bottom of the lake exposed and revealing a mast of live eels, whioh, m the opinion of those who saw them, would have filled a small ship.—" Press."

The •• Wanganui Herald " writes :— " The prophesy of Cobden about all the nations becoming bo impressed with the advantages of Freetrade, is one of the standing subjects of ridioule. It has been for some time falsified and reversed. 0 The very opposite is true. There is soaroely a nation m Europe but has beoome convinced that Protection is neoeseary to prosperity, One of those who clung longest to Freotrade, and whose fidelity to Oobdenism was almost the sole consolation the Freetraders had left, has at length gone over. After a violent controversy, Sweden has declared for Proteotion, and a Protectionist Ministry has been sworn m, with the avowed intention of introducing without delay a tariff protecting looal industries."

A correspondent writes to the "Sydney Morning Herald "; — There is now m flower m the bulb enoloaure m Hyde Park, a remark* ably fine specimen of a Cape irid, known to botanists a Crooosma aurea (the golden oroous of the universe). This epeoimen is exactly 4 feet m diameter, and has about 300 spikes, bearing upwards of 3000 flowers of a bright orange oolor, striped with an annular ohooolate-oolored band. It is the largeßt | specimen of its kind on record. Horticulturists know the difficulties attending the cultivation of this erratio plant; bat m the ! present instance these difficulties Beem to have I been overoome. [ A singular thing has happened at Madrid. Queen Isabella— the mother of the late King— has been ordered to leave the capita), She had begun a serious intrigue to involve the Begent m taking Bides upon domestic politics whioh must have meant the ruin of the dynasty. The scheme being discovered, Senor Sagasta required that she should at once desist, or leave Madrid, and the ezQueenlohose the latter alternative. At Buda-Pesth a very ourioua experiment is being tried. A very deep well having been bored, hot water was brought up from it, giving a temperature of 158 deg. Fahr. A Boientifio man having discovered that at a greater depth the water was even warmer, it has been determined to bore till 176 deg. Pah. are reached when an effort will be made to heat houses, churches, and conservatories with the supply that is obtainable, estimated at 170,000 gallons a day. 11 What time ia it young man ? " asked 'an old lady, all out of breath, as she struggled into the station. •' One thirty, ma'am." " Thank Goodness. I'm m time for the four o'olook train," she said, as she deposited a oarpet bag and a couple of bird cages on the floor t " this travelin' about an' ketohin trains ia upsettin' to the nervous system."

The North of Scotland Bank (Aberdeen) has paid a regular dividend of 12 j per oent sinoe 1875. That means that the shareholders doubled their oapital m 1883, rooking at simple interest only; A person purchasing shares to the value of £1000inl$75 would have had £200 to his credit m 1883, and at the present moment his original l n . vestment would be worth about £260. This is unearned inorement with a vengeanoe.

We remind our readers (bat the Harvest Thanksgiving Service at St Stephen's Ohuroh will be held this evening at 7-80. The Rev Walter Harper, of St, Michael's, Ghristohuroh, will preaob, and the thanksgiving offerings will be for the siok and needy of Ashburton. We understand that arrangements are m progress for the initiation of a series of sixpenny Saturday night oonoerts under the auspices of members of the Temperance Sooieties. A strong choir is m course of formation, and a large amount of looal assistance has been already scoured. The programme will comprise addresses (limited to one on eaoh evening) and vooal and instrumental performance. The first conoert is likely to .take place on Saturday week, and due nutice will be given by advertisement. The year 1888 promises to be more prosperous with goldminers m Viotoria than any for the last ten years. There are 25,797 miners m the colony, The average yield from quartz as per last return was 9dwt. 19grs. per ton. The deepest shaft m the colony is the old Magdala, at Stawell, now called Moonlight, whioh is 2409 feet.