LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1826, 27 April 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

_ «i The second " Ingloeide " gathering will be hold this evening. The subscribers m Zander's Art Union are notified m our oolumns as to the winning numbers. Prizes may now be obtained at the chop m Eaßt street. A petition to the Premier from the Cbristohuroh unemployed begging for work has boon aigned by 154 men, representing CBl men, women and children. The Columbian Government hag deolared a monopoly of the manufacture of ico on the Isthmus of Panama and invited tenders for its production, subject to official control. Father (who is always trying to teach his sou how to behave while at table) : Well, John, you see that when I have finished eating I always leavo the table, John : Yes, sir, and that ia about all you do leave. " grandpa," said Teddy, as the old gentleman woko up from a loud sounding afterdinner nap, " if you'd give your nose a spoonful of paregorio, don't you think you could put it to sleep too ? " Last year British Guiana exported 124,283 hog6heads of sugar, of which amount 47,523 hogsheads were shipped to the United States. According to present indications a much larger quantity will go thither this year. The Baltia port of Reval is now the Russian Liverpool for importing American raw cotton. Fifty cotton laden steamers, directly from America, arrived lately m one week, and the Russian qpinuers and manufacturers are preparing to driva tho Lancashire fabrics out of the Eastern partß of the empire. QjTho consumption of horse flesh m Tokfo, Japan, baa evidently bacome sufficiently large to make itself felt at Kobe, whonce, according to a vernacular journal, a large increase m the quantity of beef sont to the capital always takes plaae at this season, but this year thoro is actually a deorease m the quantity shipped, The " Oamaru Mail " says that the Hon Robert Gampbell, M.L.C.,left by the ltotoma? bana for Melbourne, on route for England by one of the P. and 0. Company's steamers. He was aooompaniod by Mrs Campbell, and intonds to return to tho oolony at the beginning of next year. On Wednesday evening, John Wallaao, a small farmer living at Rhodos' Swamp, near Now Brighton, had hia log broken m a souflla among a party of larrikins, who wore ongaged m tin-kottling a wedding party m his neighborhood. All concerned m tho affair soem to havo been undor tho iniluenoo of liquor. Mrs Mimosa : " Now, Johnnio, go and kiss your little sweetheart and mnke it up." ■ Johnnio : No'm, I won't 1 " Mrs Mimosa : I " Go and tell horhow much you love her, and how sorry you are." Johnnio: "I won't. Pp says he got into a breach of promise case by tellin' a girl that, and had to marry tho }ld thing. X ain't going to run no risks, I jin't." The following was recently turned m ap a sona fide composition by an Indiana schoolsoy : — " The human body iB made up of the lead, the thorax, and the abdomen. Tho lead oontaina tho brains whon there is any. Che thorax contains the heart, lungs, and Hafram. The abdomen contains tho bowels, )f which there are fivo, &, E, I, O, U, and lomotimes W, and Y." In Guayaquil, Ecuador, tho most rigid military regulations aro boing onforcod m >rdor, if possible, to keep off tho oholora, vhich is now raging m tho southern counties. i.mong other hygienic measures adopted has icen the issue of an order that meat offered or ealo, and which has not boon purchased iy noon shall be salted, or its sale win be )rohibited. "Rough on Itch." — "Rough on Itoh" urea akin humors, eruptions, ring worm, Bttpr ; Bait rheum, frosted feet, ohilblains, lie)) ivy poison, barbers' jto <, ' 3

I What did the spider do when he oame out of the ark ? He took a fly and went home. The time for receiving tenders for formation, etc, at Tinwald, has been extended till Friday next, May 4th, at 12 noon. The Dutoh authorities are reported to intend constructing a line of railway in Sumatra for the purpose of utilising some coal fields discovered twenty years ago. The coal is stated to be superior to the best English coal, and the yield is estimated at 200,000,000 tons. To build the railway will take over six years, and the cost will be about 16,000,000 florins. \ Tho Native Minister attended a large Maori meeting about 13 miles outside of Napier ou Friday last. About 6000 persons were present, fully one-half of them being Euro- | peans. An immense quantity of food waß prepared for the oooasion. The table at whioh the Minister and other Europeans dined was 80 feet long, and was wheeled into the feasting room on a tram-line espeoially laid down. The New Zealand Beekeepers Association intend applying to Parliament next session for the paßßiDg of an Aot for "suppressing foul brood among bees." The Bill will be taken oharge of by Mr Lawry M.H.R. A correspondent writes to the Auokland •* Bell," stating that the village settlers, in many oases, are on the verge of starvation, He alleges that this Btato of things has come about in oonsqeuence of the Government's negleot to fulfil its pledges. A grist mill or mills (says " Invention ") on the Afghan frontier is said to oonsist of a row of one-storied^ mud huts, each of whioh contains a pair of stones for grinding the grain. Connected with tne upper stone is a porpendioular shaft of wood, whioh protrudes through the roof and extends fifteen feet above it. Croßspieoeßruntbrougbatrightangles, and, plaited with rushes, transform the shaft into an upright wind shaft, with four arms, that , the wind turns, making the millstones inside I the mill revolve and grind the corn, | Through the persuasion of a reliable friend, whose word he trusted, Doaoon Goodman bought a handsome poll-parrot for his eon. The deacon purchased Polly only after being assured that Bhe had been reared in a good family. That night the good deaoon bowed his head in family prayer, and said, " Oh, Lord, bless Thy humble servant, and his wife and children and maid servant and ." Hero the deaoon, pausing for a moment, was startled by a voioe, whioh shrilly croaked, " Well, where in thunder do I oome in ? " The climate of the Sandwioh Islands is said to bd peculiarly adapted to the cultivation of rice of a superior quality and in great quantity, its evenness of temperature permitting the raising of two crops a year without any particular strain upon the soil. jThe orop is raised in fields called patohes, most of whioh were formerly used by the natives for raising taro, and whioh are often not more than an acre in extent. The fields are situated in tbe lowlands, where abundant irrigation can be obtained, and sometimes on slight elevations, where artesian wells can be successfully established, and are the hightest priced lands in the kingdom. The cultivation is almost entirely in the hands of the Chinese. Tbe employees of tho Ashburton Woollen Factory on Wednesday evening entertained at a social gathering Mr Atkinson, the late manager, and a number of their fellow employees who are going to Timaru to work the woollen mills there, of which Mr Atkinson and his brother have secured the lease. The social was held in the Orange Hall and was of a very enjoyable charaoter. In the course of tbe evening Mr Sample, tho seoretary, on behalf of tbe employees, presented Messrs Atkinson with an address expressive of regret at their leaving Ashburton and of good wishes for tbeir future prosperity. Mr Atkinson appropriately returned thanks, hoping the Ashburton mill would have a successful career. Mr Haigh, the now manager, made a few remarks suitable to the ocoasion, A railway route whioh is being constructed to Lake Macquarie, in Now South Wales, will render marketable immense forests of Australian gum and turpentine trees. At some parta along tho route forests of gum trees may be Been towering as high as 200 feet, and of as muoh as 15 foot diameter, without a branch for 50 to 60 feet. The turpentine trees are equally remarkable in appearance, as it would bo difficult to find a crookod trunk within hundreds of yards of any point. The latter trees have not yet been sufficiently appreciated, though S3vcral years ago the late Captain Shoobcrt announced them to be tho only timber indigenous to New South Wales whioh is impervious to the attaoks of the Teredo naxalis. Latterly almost every new wharf constructed in and about Sydney stands upon turpentine piles. A wedding ooremony that was about to take plaoo inKnooknamuokley Churoh, near Portadown, on March 2, was interrupted in a most startling manner. William Thompson, a young man residing at Gilford, entered the churoh a few minutes beforo the wedding party, and took a seat. The ceremony was about to oommenoe when he fired a pistol at the bridegroom, whoso name also is Thompson. The latter fell forward picrood through the ritdit lung. The bride screamed and fainted, and for a time there was a scene of confusion, during whioh William Thompson escaped, but he was soon afterwards arrestod. He was taken before Mr Chißholm, a justice of the peaoe, at Portadown. Several members of tho wedding party having deposed to the facts of the case, the aocusod was remandod. Tbe wounded man died the next day. Some family matter is said to have been the motive for the orimo. The " Catholic Times " says that it hap* pened not very long ago at tho meoting of a certain aoaioty, ovor the prooeedinßS of which there presided a prominent Christohuroh member of the Fourth Estate, that a candidate was proposed for a member. " What profession?" said the President. "Ajournalist," replied the proposer. " A journalist," repeated the President, as he significantly nodded to his coadjutors whilst a broad smile lighted up his thoughtful face, as he dwelt on the commanding position the newspaper profession would| occupy in tho sooiety. ." Ahdm, I don't remember to have ni3t any gentleman of that name connected with the Press hero. What position dpeß he occupy in tho profession, pcrhops ho is a stranger ? " '•No," ropliod the proposer, "he is not a straogor, ho ia a runner." "Oh! is that it?" said ho, as his face lengthened preaeptibly, and tho smile was succeedod as quickly by a frown as shadows follows sunshine on an April day. " I didn't really think the term was 50 comprehensive."