The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1856, 1 June 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

w The following are the Ashburton Hospital returns for the month of May : — Number in Hospital on April 31st, 9 ; admitted during month, 10 ; discharged, 9 ; died 2. At Prague, ieoently, a condemned murderer had just mounted the scaffold, when he was struck with apoplexy within a minute of his exeoution ; but as the wretoh was only insensible, not dead, the execution prooeeded as usual. A new tunnel under the Thames is soon to be open to traffic Trains of small passenger oars will be run through on the cable system. ■ A peculiarity of this tunnel is that it is lined with a cylinder of oast iron, the joints being bolted together, with waterproof packing between them. The River Amazon at its narrowest part [ is nearly a mile wide during the period of high water, with an average depth of 225ft., running with a velocity of neariy five miles ■ an hour and discharging 245,876 oubic yards of water per seoond, or eight times the i quantity discharged by the Mississippi in a second during high water. We are pleased to hear that Messrs Brough and Bouoioault have secured the Oddfellows' Hall for a season early in July, when their latest novelties in oomio opera will be produced. After the Company finish up their season in the South they will play here several nights beforo opening for a return season in Cbristchurch. New South Wales ooal is now Belling in San Franoisco at 48s to 50 per ton for best quality. A leading firm of coal merchants in that oity report by last mail that, notwithstanding liberal arrivals from coast collieries, the soaroity of coal is still apparent, and the yards appear to be bare of stock. If supplies do not come to hand more, freely, and prices drop a little, some of the factories will be forced to Bhut down. Heavily taxed China tea cannot compete with the duty free tea of India, and if the taxation is not remitted, tbe tea trade of China is within a measurable distance of extinction. The entire crop of Indian tea in 1890 will be laid down in London at a cost of 6d per lb, or under, while the average cost of the Fooohow Congou this year waa 9d per lb, laid down in London, for teas inferior to those of Indian growth. Out Seafield correspondent writes : — The Rev W. Gordon Macpherson paid a visit to Seafield on Tuesday and delivered his interesting leoture on *• Evenings in the Houbo of Commons." A very vivid description was given of Gladstone and Disraeli, the two great masters of debate, and the effeot their eloquenoe produced on the House. The many that are not familiar with London may learn muoh from Mr Maopherson's able descriptions. A pneumatic tube system is talked of for New York City, by which messages and packages can be sent swiftly to any part of the city. The inventor of this system is Henry Clay, of Philadelphia. The scheme callß for a continuation of pneumatic tubes and electrio _ wires by means of whioh a metallic carrier can be dispatched from the main station through an underground tube and switobed off by the operator at any way station without interfering at all with other carriers whioh may bo travelling in the tube at the came time. The company will have a capital of 85,000,000. The system includes Bervioe for householders and the collection of letters from the street letter boxes and carry- - ing the same to the post office. A meeting of the Tinwald Sohool Committee was held on Wednesday evening, May 29. Present— Messrs S. Oorrigan (chairman), J, Corrigan, J, A. Clothier, O. Doherty, (and C, Jepußon, Correspondence was read from the Board of Education, asking the Committee to nominate a candidate for the extraordinary vaoanoy occurring thereon. — The flomraittee decided not to nominate anyone, but to record it« vote when the namea of the various candidates appear..— The Master's report was read and reoeived. — It was decided to do sundry repairs to fenoes, the matter being left fpr the Visiting Committee to carry out.— lt was decided to procure ink and stationery as required by the Master.— Aocount for clearing tho school was passed for payment.— Messrs J. Corrigan and Doherty were appointed a|Visiting Committee for tbe month, and the meeting therl adjourned. Another convent saandal is developing itself, but this time tbe soeno is a seoluded spot in Spain, tho convent being situated near Loroa, in the province of Meroia. The Madrid correspondent of the " Daily News " . telegraphs that a lady, with the consent of the Bishop,, placed her daughter for three months in a convent whilst she was away from home on acoount of. ber health. At the expiration of the throe months the lady went for her daughter, but was only 'allowed to see her behind a grating, and the abbess refused to give her up. The mother appealed ' to the ecolesiastioal authorities in yain, god was told that ber daughter wafl in very i delicate of health, and wished to remain in < tbe oonvent and beoome a nun. Tho mother - has gone to Madrid to ask the assistance of - tbe Minister of Justioe, as her daughter is a \ minor, and she fears the case will be a repetiof the Vigo nun scandal. In the latter oase < no punishment has been' in^io ted. , Tho following is from the " Southland j News":— Tho Dirootora of tho Waianiwa » Dairy Factory are in receipt of good news. • They have been advised that the shipment of : oheese per Tongariro, oonoioting of about l nine tons, has been all disposed of at Jhp s highly Batisfaotory prioo of 52s per owt. £ The agent of the faotory advises that QQlb 1 oheeses are the favouritesize with distributors, \ Hitherto 401b has been the maximum weight, n Dealers have been accustomed to handling \ tbe heavy Amerioan oheeses, in whioh there 2 is neeessarily less waste than in the smaller sizes. It will not be diffloult for our South, j land faotories to adjust their vats to the requirement? of the Home market, They a have already achieved tho most important objeot— that of suiting the feaste of oonsnmere, 1 AU the rest — size, packing, transit, temper- * turs pn board the steamers— are makers oi a dets, ti

•« That's what 1 -"n 1 ! ingenious," said Merritt, ib he sharpened the end of a match and used ;t as a toothpiok. "Anyone can do that," returned Cobwigger. «« The diffioult thing to Jo is to make a matoh out of a toothpiok." " Ya'as," said young Mr Sissy, suoking the bead of his cane," I'm an Anglomaniao, but t only in a mild form, y'knaw." " Yes," Bhe ] responded, by way of keeping up the oon- . versation, " sort of an Anglolunatio, as it , were, Mr Sissy." ' The following letters were reoeived at the Ashburton Post Offioe from plaoes beyond the j colony, during the month of April, and remaining unclaimed on the Ist June: — J. Burrows, Jun., F. 0. Dennen, Patriok Fallon, William Fraser, Pat Hyland, J. W. H. King, 0. Sohmidt, William Taylor, and John ■ \ Tweed. • At the nine hundredth anniversary of the introduction _of Christianity into Russia it has been deoided shall be celebrated simultaneously at Kief and on the ruins of the Taurio Ohersonese, the scene of the baptism of St. Vladimir the Great. The Cathedral of St. Vladimir, now in course of construction, at i Kief as a special memorial of the event, will be soon completed. — " Athenteum " The inaugural meeting of the Presbyterian Literary and Musioal Society was held in the Church last night, and was very well attended. A varied programme was provided, consisting of musioal selections, on organ, piano, and oornet, glees, songs, readings, reoitations, eto. The President, Rev A. M. Beattie, gave an addresß on tbe " acquisition of knowledge," whioh wftß muoh appreciated. Refreshments in abundanoe were handed round during an interval in the programme, and it was announoed that the meetings would be field on Thureday evenings fortnightly during the tbe session. Printed rules were issued to tbe members, over fifty being now on the roll, and every sign was given that the future of this Society would be very successful and of great value to the members in many wayß, both sooially and mentally. We have been shown by Mr Lamb, farmer at Wakanui, a speoimen of a small thistle whioh has been growing on the bank of a creek on his farm for some years. It never seemed to spread until reoently, when part of the oreek side was cultivated, and then the thistles oame up very thiok over the outlivated land. It is quite a diminutive Bpeoimen with a leaf and flower almost tbe same ,as the Californian thistle, but a close comparison between tbe Californian thistle and the one Mr Lamb showed us, does not lead to the belief that the plants are one and the same. It seems strange that only where the soil has bean cultivated that the thistle has spread. Mr Lamb has taken measures, Binoe be noticed their growth, to clear them out as muoh as possible. The root is long, in the speoimen before us, in proportion to its size, but it is not like a root that would throw out others to seek sustenance in all directions. A social gathering was held in the Tinwald Temperance Hall on Tuesday evening in connection with the Gospel Temperance Society and Band of Hope. Despite the inclement weather there was a large attendance, and some friends were present from Flemington. The Rev A. Blake presided, and a varied and pleasing programme was gone through. Songs were rendered with much taste and expression by Messrs Dunn, E. Blake, and Dakere, and by Miss Blake (who also presided at tbe piano), by the Misses Meharry (3). Excellent recitation* were given by Mr Meharry and by some of the juniors. A dialogue wbb admirably well given by two boys and two girls, and some of the younger ohildren sang in a very pleasing way a temperance song. A very interesting reading was given by Mr Dunn, " I drank to pleaße thee, lass." The Chairman, in the course of his address, suggested that a prize might be given for the best essay on the subject of " Reasons for Abstaining," and before the close the usual votes of thanks were heartily given. In moving a vote of thanks to the Chairman, Mr Dunn expressed a hope that some of the juniors might visit Flemington^ for while they felt proud of their Society there, they oould not come up to those he had heard that night in dialogue and recitation. During an intorval an abundant supply of good things was handed round, whioh tended materially to enhance the pleasure of the entertainment. ' Khatino's Cough Lozenges cures Coughs, Asthma, and Bronchitis. Medical testimony states that no other medioine is so effeotual in the cure of these dangerous maladies. One Lozenge alone gives ease, one or two at bed* time ensures rest. For relioving difficulty of breathing they are invaluable. They contain no opium or any violent drug. Sold by all obemists, in tins Is ld£d and 2s 9d eaohjj