LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1932, 31 August 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

♦ Riohea have wings, while poverty goes on foot. I Tennyson will spend the Bummer on the Riviera. Spain will not be represented at the Paris Exhibition. General Boulanger's father was one of the intensest of Bonapartists. Some of the beßt thingßin the world are never said.— N.O. Picayune. Enormous quantities of Russian corn are being imported into Germany. A young Perigord workman recently won the £20,000 prize m the Nioe Lottery. Blaok neoktieß will suooeed white m Paris, exoept upon the grandest of occasions. M. Floquet is a diminutive man, with a large head and a fine orop of white hair. The new English rifle, the Lee-Burton, is pronounoed on trial as •• unsatisfactory." The University of Bologna celebrated its eight hundredth anniversary on June 12th. The Benior Admiral of tho British Navy' Sir Provo Walliß, is one hundred years old. Sir Andrew Clark, Mr Gladstone's physioian, reoeived £5000 for a journey to Italy. «• It speaks for itself," said the salesman as he exhibited a phonograph to a oußtomer' Advioea from Tunis say tbat no rain has fallen m that oountry for tho last seven months. In Japan 128 new sohoola and sooieties for girls and women were established during last year. The Royal University of Ireland lately conferred the degree of Master of Arts on five young women. The Zuyder Zee may be drained before long, for the association for that purpose is about to try it. A gun for projectiles of 100 pounds has been completed by Armstrong. It fires seven shells a minute. Miaa Marie Howe, of Brattleboro, Vt., has made t> remarkable and distinguished Buooess m opera m Berlin. The queßtion of introducing oulinary instruction into the publio eohools of Ohioago is being agitated. The ravages of a new green bug are cans* ing a steady and inoreasing deoline of ooffee production m Ceylon. Twelve Americana were forced to turn back from the Franco-German frontier beoause they had no passposts. It is rumored at Berlin that the tariff on Russian goods imported into Germany is to be raised 50 per cent. At the musical exposition now being held m Bologna one of the moat preoioua exhibits m the cranium of Donizotti. A Persian proverb says :•— " If you enlißt m the army say a prayer; if you go to sea say two ; if you get married Bay three." It ia stated that the long-delayed ship the Trevelyan had on board 450 barrels of gunpowder, as well aa 45,000 gallons of spirits. Rusßia has aooepted the Frenoh syndicate's terms for a loan. The Russian Treasury obtainß an immediate advance of £15,000,000. The total loan amountß to £44,000,000. A oynioal Englishman, who has been spending some time m New York oity, saythat half the oitizens are honest and reputable people,,but the other half are politicians Dr Guppy oonoludes that the average rains fall on the higher slopes of Guadanoanar, on the Solomon Islands, ia between 400 and 500 inoheß. That of England is thirty-two inches. It is proposed on the 200 th anniversary of the death of John Eliot, the «« apostle to tho Indians," to erect a monument to bis memory m tho grounds of the First Religious Sooiety of Roxburg, Boston. Divorce m Switzerland is theoretically easy, but the couple seeking it must go before a Magistrate every four months for two years and insist that they continue - to desire it. This makes it rather unoommon. " The largest and finest hoapital m the world " has been completed at Baltimore after ten yearß of continuous work. It will be opened with formal ceremonieß next autumn. It bears the name of John Hopkins. There are about thirty grand dukea m Russia, all of them being near relatives of the Czar. Eaoh reoeives from the State an annual pension amounting to £16,000, and the majority of them have large private fortunes besides. The North Canterbury Board of Education on Thursday afternoon fixed the salaries of their three inspectors at £450 per year, eaoh. Notice was given of a motion to reduce the inspectors to two at £450, with £100 travelling expenses. The present crown of Great Britain was constructed m 1838, with jewels taken from the old orownß, and others furnished by command of the Queen. It oontains four large pear-shaped pearls, 273 small pearls, 147 tabic diamonds, 1273 rose diamonds, 1363 brilliant diamonds, 5 rubies, 11 emeralds, and 17 sapphires. In 1868 Napoleon 111 obtained from the heirs of Talleyrand a postponement of twentytwo yeara more bofore the writinga of the former oan be published. This period will be ended m May, 1890. The manuscript is m the hands of the Duke de Montmoronoy, second son of the Duke de Talleyrand, grandson bf the writer, tho Prinoe de Talleyrand. The largest sum ever known to havo been paid for a Bingle book waa £10,000, whioh the German Government gave for a vellum miasal, originally presented to King Henry VIII by Pope Leo X. Charloa II gave it to an anoostor of the Duke of Hamilton, and it beoamo the property of the German Government at the sale of the Duke 'a library a few yeara ago. Londoners are stated, on the authority of the Looal Government Board, to pay between £60,000 and £70,000 a year for water sold under the name of milk. In one distriot alone the milkmen wero reported by the analyst as reoeiving between £7000 and £8000 a year for water ; while the fines inflicted colleotively only amounted to £100. The faot that Thomas A. Edison, the inventor, ia for the firßt time a father may have important reßulta so far as the publio is concerned. Mr Edison now has a personal motive for adapting eleotrioity to tho needs of the nursery. A eleotrioal devioe whioh will enable every baby to do ita own walking at night and rooking by day may yot be perfected. American newspapers oontain particulars of a remarkable will of Dr Everett Wagner, of Bankaville. Tho testator, reflecting that he waa Bhunned by his relatives, took upon them a ghastly revenge. To hia brother Napoleon Bonaparte he bequeathed hia left hand and arm, to other* hia lege, noso, ears, gums, and liver. Tho testator left lOOOdol for dissecting his body. London royalty ia about to organise a oha- ! ritable ttte m imitation of that oarriod to ] bucoobb by the Prinoeaa Metternioh m Vienna. ' The three little Prinoeasea of Walea aro to appear bb Yum-Yum, Pifcfci Sing, and Peep Bo 3 m tho " Mikado " trio. A Sootoh ballet will ' be danced by titloo ladies, and it will wind up ' with apantomine m whioh all tho players ! will take part. i The Melbourne Exhibition ib attraoting . from Europe and other countries all kinds of ' undesirable oharaotera. In the Ormuz, for inatanoe, two firat-olasa passengers had to bo 1 put m irons during the voyage. In the last ' P. and O. boat it was no better, and m one ' Bhip five first-olaes passengers wero degraded to tho stoerage, as it was found tbat their { conduct was too outrageous for ordinary- 1 deoent people to put up with. i r

Few people long for the oarth more than the man who goes up m a balloon, and oan't get down. A verdict of acoidental death was returned m the case of the boy Gibson who was run over by a cart near Addington on Wednesday. ( Mr Grubb, the Assißtant-Inspeotor of Post Offices, arrived m Ashburton this morning on < an offioial visit. Mr 0. M. Orombie, DeputyCommissioner of Property Tax, is also here on assessment business. It is estimated that on May 1 last there were 15,040,825 sheep m the colony, aa against 15,155,626 m the provious year— a deorease of 114,801. The Government are trying to arrange with the steamboat companies for a parcels post between England and the. colonies. The shipping Companies are likely to afford the necessary facilities. In Timaru butcher's meat has gone up a halfpenny m consequenoe of the rise m atook. Flour is going up oonaequent on the rise m wheat, and ooal is likely to be something of a luxury. By advertisement m our columns Mr W Zander invitea our looal anglers to inapeot his large stook of all requisites for the coming season, the goods being specially imported and now on view at his fanoy gooda repository m East street. There have been no fewer than 150 bills introduoed thia session, 60 of whioh have passed into law. Some 16 of the 60 are looal measures, but the private bills this session have been notioeable by their absence. They come under the classification of nil. What ia called half-and-half training haa recently been introduoed into the industrial schools of England wiih great sucoess. The forenoons are devoted to book-learning, the afternoons to aotive employments ; and it ia found that pupils acquire twice as muoh knowledge within a given number of dayß under this system aa they acquired m the same time when thoy " studied " all day long. A number of Maori ohiefs now m Wellington are preparing an addreaa to the German Government praying that Malietoa, the ex-King of Samoa, may be treated with kindness and consideration. The address will be couohed m the usual grandiloquent phraseology wbioh the Maoria are so fond of usidg m doouments of this nature. Sir Geo. Grey Bays that there is a strong afleotion existing between the Maoris and the Samoans on aooount of thoir oommon origin, and the similarity of their language. Malietoa is also to be presented with an address of sympathy. A heavy shook of earthquake was felt at Christohuroh last night about ten o'olook. It is also reported that the shook was felt m Aahburton, but only m a very slight degree. A pretty heavy shook was, however, felt at Bakaia, where windows and doors were rattled and other evidenoe given of the tremor being a well pronounced one. At Westport and Greymouth the earthquake was the most severe experienced for years. Glass and crookery ware were vigorously shaken, and people oame hurriedly down from top storeys of buildings. The direction was about east to west. Sir John Hall has always been an advooate of religioua teaohing m schools. Whenever measures have been introduoed having for their objeot the affording of assistance to private sohools, Sir John has been found consistently supporting them. Aoting up to his oonviotions m thia matter, ho asked a question of the Premier the other day with i the objeot of elioiting an expii.sion regarding the intention of the Government anent the consideration of the question of State aid tc private schools next Beasion. The Premier, who iB alao a Denominationalißt, replied that every facility would be given next session for the consideration of the subjeot. The "Argua" states that at a meeting ol the Intercolonial Babbit Commission a report , waa read from the ohairman of the experiment committeo, Dr Wilkinson, and tbe ohiel expert, Dr Kutz, m which they stated that they did not regard the experiments carried on with Mr Paateur'a chicken oholera miorobea on an island m Sydney harbour as satisfactory, and the further experimenta determined upon at a previoua meeting of the commission will be carried out immediately. M. Pasteur's representatives were refused permission to oarry on experiments m the open country. In consequenoe of none of the diseased rabbits being available no experiments have been made with the Tinttanology disease. The ÜBual weekly meeting of the Star of the East Lodge, No. 62, 1.0.G.T.,was held m the Templar Hall, on Wednesday evening. Bro Arthur Paterson, W.C.T., presiding. There was a large attendance, about seventy being present. Three propositions for membership were made and three candidates initiated. A letter was read from the Seoretary of the looal branch of the New Zealand Allianoe inviting the Lodge to participate m a temperanoe procession on Monday evening next, on the occasion of Mr Glover's visit to this town. It was resolved to take part m that procession. After disposing of the routine business, the Lodge waa entertained with reoitationß by Siater Sawle, and Broa A. Paterson and Beach, and songs by Sister Manhire and Bro Dyson, and a reading by Bro T. Soott. ' The regular meeting of the Band of Hope m oonection with the Wesleyan Sunday Sohtol, Tinwald, waa held on Wednesday night. There waa a very large attendance, about 130 boing present. The Rev J. T. Burrows presided, an exoellent programme consisting of Bonga, readings, ieoitationa and dialogues, twenty-aix m number, being given m a most oriditable style by the young folk and friends. A dialogue by Charlie and Ida Smith deßerveß speoial mention, aa also a living personification [of «' Jaok m the Box," Master Sydney Culverhouse being that important personage dresßed up for the oooasion, and Bent m a neat box to Miaa Blanch Lewis by hia affectionate Aunt Jemima. Bound after round of applauße greeted the appearance of Jaok, Very great praiße ia due to theae two little onea for performing their partß so admirably. The singing by the ohildren, particularly the aotion song entitled " The neat little clook," deserves mention. The largest and perhaps the most interesting and entertaining meeting was brought to a olose m the usal way. The Wellington newspapers are unaminoua m deolaring that tho session whioh ia just closing has been a barren one. They not only abuse members but Ministers also. The " New Zealand Times " saya :— " Long-wind-ednesa and legißlative larrikiniam have been the salient characteristics of the Parliamentary session now happily drawing near ita close. Seldom, if ever before, have idle verbosity and tedious prolixity been rampant to so grievous an extent. In the Lower House no question has been too trivial to be the subjeot of long and dreary orationß. The flood of talk has seemed well nigh inexhaustible, and itß uaefulnesa has been m inverse ratio to ita volume." The "Post" remarka that " when the effeot of the legislation of tbis Bession oomos to be fully understood by the oountry there will be suoh an outburst of indignation as will astonish and frighten those who are responsible for what has been dono." It prodiots that a demand will arise for ousting Sir H, Atkinson and his oolleagueß from Offioe. The " Press " joins m tho hostile ory aa followa :— " It appears to be agreed on all aides that the New Zealand Parliament never fell so low m tone or presented suoh a contemptible spectacle of disorganisation, diaorder, and inoapaoity, as during the session whioh is now dying a maladoroua death, like a tallow oandlo burning out m its Bocket for want of snuffing."