LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1881, 30 June 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

-. » Tba officers pf the p.A.O.D. will be installed on Monday evening $t th,e HalJ. At present about two hundred people ar^ suffering from diptheria at JjyUelton, 'Wnny of the cases are of a mild qharaotef. At the Canterbury Land Board meeting on Thursday ICO acres m the Ashburton Gounty were sold to J. Ballantyne, for cash, at £12 por acre. Sir Morell Mackenzie on ordinary days see* between ,6.0 and 70 patients who pay'hira'fees yprying between two and ten guineas. His practice ia worth fully £20,000 a year. An inquest y/aa held &t Ohriatohurch yesterday touching the death of Frederick Ellmers, aged 45, of Woodend. It franspirea that deoeased was much given to drinking, and a verdiat of death from excess of ardent spirits was returned. "A genteel carver," says a book on etiquette, " always" 'Bits whep he carves." Carvers who gets on the table and have & wrestling inatoh with the chicken aye kViown by some other name. "Eodysh otf Cobns."— Ask for Well's " Jidygh .pn Corns.' 1 Quiok relict oomplete, | permanent cure. Corris, warts," unions. All ohemißJs and fruggiafo, ' " ' ' ff *

Mathew Arnold objeoted to American I j nomenclature, and " Griggsville," " Briggs- ! , ville," and tho like set his teeth on edge. On pleasant mornings Mr Arnold was often seen on " Eotten Row." The " Dunedin Evening Star " publishes a coupon, with questions to be replied to by its readers, on the Short Hours BM. The replies are to be forwarded to Mr Joyce, the author of the Bill. Three and one-half tons of diamonds valued at £20,000,000, have been taken from the variouß Kimberley mines since its discovery m 1871. Diamonds are becoming so numerous, and coal is getting' so scarce, that it is thought anthracite scarf pins will become the fashion. A woman has embroidered the words and musio of " Home, Sweet Home," on a linen sheet which is on the spare room bed. Her guests have not deoided whether the hostess moans to indicate that they must feel at home Mr had better go home. RJA statue has been erected at Neuilly to Parmentier who introduced ,the potato into France. The ceremony of unveiling was carried out with eclat, and an eloquent panegyric of the excellent root was pronounced. At the rink this evening there will be a novelty m the shape of a turkey hunt which should afford great amusement to those who may be spectators as well as to those who { may take part m the performance. A blind* fold wheelbarrow race will also be run and this is oertain to be a laughable item. There has been witnessed says the " Wei lington Press " on several days during the last few weeks the unusual speotaole of a large albatross flying about Wellington harbor. The effect of this majestio bird soaring m huge circles is very ourious m the confined space of the harbor. Speaking of the ohange m the habits of the country, the " Hawkes' Bay Herald " says :— "Hitherto the Finanoial Statement has generally evoked far less anticipations and real interest than the Publio Works Statement. But this year we see the very reverse, nobody seems to care what the Publio Works Statement will contain. Mr D. Brick, who is m occupation of the Kaiapoi Reaerve, near Dromore, found some dogs to-day worrying his sheep. Mr Briok and Mr Stevens followed the dogs for some distance but lost sight of them. Owners of iogg of sheep-worrying propensities had better look carefully after them, or possibly they may find themselves m trouble. On the running of artisans' tramoara for the first time m Belfast, a well-known town councillor, who has been chiefly instrumental m bringing about the introduction of the workmen's oars, took a seat m one of the vehioles, and, being challenged, replied that he was a hard working man. The result is that the company have resolved to proseoute him for attempting to defraud. A olergyman wiehing to Bay " We all know wh&t it is to have a half-formed wißh m our hearts," inadvertently spoke of having " a half-warmed fish m our hearts," and another who meant to warn his congregation " not to bow the knee to an idol," admonished them against •• bowing the eye to a needle," while a third prayed for •' black spiders," instead of backsliders. The Czarewitch'a engagement to Princess Militza of Montenegro is, it is stated, m acoordanoe with a resolution of the Czar that m future the heir to the throne shall marry a princess born m the Russian orthodox faith. Hitherto they have married Lutherans or Calvinistß, who have been rebaptised. In future the empresses must be taken from tho princesses of Russia, Servia, Roumania, Montenegro, or Greece. Referring to the boom m the New Zealand flax industry, the " Waikato Times " says 11 The swamps whioh cover suoh large portions of the Waikato and Waipa basins afford an unlimited supply of the native flax, and we should imagine that there is here presented, m lone shape or another, very good induce, ments lot the reproductive investment of Bmall oapital, and the employment of a large amount of unemployed labour. A peculiarly painful incident marked tho last outward voyage of the City of Berlin. Among the passengers was an elderly man on his way to New York to meet his son. On the arrival of the vessel at New York his sou and wife oame on boarfiT Both they and the father, full of delight, had been reunited, the father embraced his Bon, and laid his head on his Bhoulder. As he did not raise it the son removed it, when he found the old man dead — his joy had killed him. The Presbyterian olergymen of the United States, m convention at Pittsburgh, had Under disoussjon the question of witholding preaebjers' licepses from those theological students about to enter the ministry who use tobaooo. The discussion was warmly entered into by a number of the delegates, and when the questionwas submitted to a vote it waa deoided that "As a requisite to obtain a preaohers* license hereafter, be ib required that the candidate use tobacoo m no form whatever. The weekly session of the Dawn of Peaoe Lodge, No. 64, 1.0. G.T., was held m the Templar Hall last evening, Bro G. W, Andrews, C.T., presiding. One oandidate was initiated, after whioh several matters of iut^rpsjb were disposed of. The Committee on the_ revision' ot tije gqale of fees brought up their report, whioh was held over fc>v a fortnight. A committee was appointed to make arrangements re oelebrating the anniversary of the Lodge, whioh is expected will be held early m August. Bro T. Kingston, of thp Star of the East Lodge, read a paper on Tobacco, m whiob he declaimed somewhat strongly agaipst its use, A uuaniojoua vote of thanks was awarded to the reader, and the Lodge then olosed. A large assemblage met at the Winslow Hotel, on Wednesday evening last, to bid farewell to Mr H. Johnson, who, for the last five years, has been Station Master at Winslow, a nd to wish him prosperity m big new liorna at Methven. An excellent supper, ' provided m Host Keller's well-known style, was enjoyed by all present. Mr Johnson was then preeented with a handsome marble clook. In making the presentation Mr Keller alluded to the mpect m whiob Mr Johnson was held, and proposed his health and prosperity. This wbb drunk by all present m t>uinjyero, The toast and gift were feelingly iektfowledged. fip'evoral QQtim and toasts followed, and, aftSr three tinging oheera for Mr Johnson, the company dispersed,' but not before joining m the time-honored " Auld Jjang, Syne." ' ' The ." I|aqh6lors' Ball " at Mount Somerg, whioh has been so eagerly looked forward to came off last evening, and was a deoided success. The Stewards, Messrs Currie, J. Olake, Bowden, and Brough, had matured all their arrangements co well, that it is not too much to call them perfeot m every detail. At least a hundred people responded to tho bachelors' invitations and enjoyed themselves modt thoroughly. The young gentlemen of the management were heartily assisted m the working C v of their arragements by some of the young ladies, to whom all thanks are due for their kindness. Mr J. Prioe, occasionally relieved hj Mr O'Mara, officiated as musioian to 'the grdat satisfaction of tho dancers. Mr Jones catered m his usual' style for the hungry and thirsty. All present expressed themselves as highly pleased with "the management of the ball, and the entertainpient ,^nly pjjnjs to an end m the email hourf o! the morhfngV ' : . .' ,