LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1960, 3 October 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tha return football matoh between England and Taranaki was won by the former by seven points to one.

Gold has been discovered at Sudest, New Guinea. It is said to be very heavy, snotty, and nuggety.

According to the *' Marlborough Express," the Roga Factory (Blenheim) has preserved 150,000 rabbits m four montbß and a half.

"It is considered (says the "Bruoe Herald ") by thoße who should know that before next Maroh wheat will be worth from 6s to 8s per bushel." We are afraid this is too good to be true.

The "Wairarapa Daily" estimates that the all-round advanoe of a penny a poundon wool over last year's prioes means a difference to this colony of £365,000 of extra pocket money for the wool growerß.

11 For the second time m Hawke's Bay," says the " Hawke's Bay Herald," " a single voter has decided the question of no more lioensed houses m a particular district. Thiß time it is at Meanee, where a solitary voter plumped for an inorease m lioenses."

According to the "PoBt" it is rumoured that Sir Harry Atkinson is about to sell his property near New Plymouth and to take up bis permanent residence m this oity. In that event he would probably Beck to oooupy one of the Wellington seats m Parliament.

A Barbed Wire Factory is being started at Wellington by Mr Thomas Ballinger. Manufaoturing operations will be commenced m November or December. At first twenty hands will be employed. The duty of £2 per ton gives Mr Ballinger encouragement to embark m the enterprise.

The Fharmaoy Board have deoided to take aotion against all persons styling themselves qualified ohemists and druggists and failing to register themselves under the Pharmaoy Aot. It was resolved that candidates for admission to the profession should serve an apprenticeship of four years.

Messrs Graoio, McLean, and Adam, of Timuru, have an important sale of draught horses, hacks, buggies, harness, and implements on Saturday next, being the day after the Timaru Horse Parade, on which ocoasion also they will submit the celebrated draught entire " Early Morning," said to be one of the best entires m New Zealand.

Mr Byell, fishmonger, has shown us a remarkable egg laid by a duck of an ordinary farm-yard sort. It has all the appearance of one of those fanoy eggs which are produoed by boiling the shells wrapped round with dyed stuff, and known as " Easter eggs," the one under notice being white at both ends, and having a band of green, shading from light emerald down to dark, round the middle.

Yesterday and to-day two Frenohmen exbibited a couple of performing bears m the streets of the town, occasioning thereby considerable excitement among the juvenile portion of the population, Thy bears are natives of the Pyrenees, m the South of France, and are young, not being fully grown. They show very oareful training, going through a variety of trioks.

Writing of the •• Evening's Star's " article on the hydatid parasite the "Taieri Advocate" says : — " We do not know whether the disease generated by these parasites is quite bo oommon as might be inferred from the artiole m question, but there is at least one person m this district who has suffered from it. His case puzzled the doctors a bit and he found no relief until after a very serious surgioal operation had been performed upon h>m. He is now, apparently, m thorough good health. 11

Mr Wybert *Eeeye, the aotor, has been leoturing ia Adelaide on " The Pulpit and the Stage." Among other things he said that theatrioal artistes did not go to chiiroh, " becauee they disliked to hear things said so much worse than they could say themselves. " This, says the " Bruce Herald," may be an insufficient excuse, but it is true with regard to a large number of oolonial clergyman. There are scores of men who regularly preach, and get good salaries foi it too, who are utterly inoapable. Their language is poor, their delivery vile, while they manifest no more earnestness or sympathy with their subject than if they were dictating an arithmetical problem to a clbbs m school — many of them not bo much. They may be scholarly men, but they are utterly destituta of the prime qualifications of a publio speaker. If the Almightly is using them for bis work, he has selected most unsuitable tools. No wonder infidelity abounds when the men who represent religion are, many of them, inoapable of presenting its claims m such a manner as to impress, upon the minds of their hearers tha.t they have the least confidence m religion themselves.

The San Franoisoo mail ploses atAshbur-J ton on Friday next at 6 p.m. Money orders I must be procured not later than 10 a.m. I

Commandant Herbert Booth, of Ihe Salva-I lion Army, arrived at Chriatohuroh on Tuesday from the north, and was enthusiastically received at a large gathering of Salvationists from all parts of the district. The Clydesdale entire Auohmbre was today sold privately by Mr P. Williams (for Messrs Friodlander Bros) to Mr Gideon Scott, for the sum of 180 guineas. Mr Soott will travel the horse m the Mayfield, Mount Sorters, and Alford Forest districts.

A cable message from a late Australian paper says : — Particulars of a heartrending case come from Cawnpore. The body of a man who hud died was being consigned to the flames, according to ancient oustom, when the widow, olad only m loose muslin robe, deliberately threw herself into the flames, and clung so tenaciously to the burning corpse that Bhe was quite dead before her hold could be released. Hitherto it had been a native oustom to burn the widow with the deceased husband, but this abominable practice has of late fallen into desuetude.

At a meeting of the committee of the ABhburton Tradesmen's Racing Olub on Monday evening, the resignations of Mr W. J. Hayes as a steward and member of committee, and Mr G. Bisset as seoretary, were reaeived and accepted with regret. Mr M. Friedlander \*as appointed a steward, and Mr G. C. Primmer a membet of committee, m plaoe of Mr Hayes. Appliaations for the secretaryship are to be advertised for. A sub-committee was appointed to draw up a programme for the annual raoe-meeting, to submit to the general committee next Monday night, when the date will be fixed.

Baron '• Martin on the Benoh," says •• The reporter "of * A Generation of Judges,' " was like a rough and healthy breeze m an overladen atmosphere He was plain and direct m his speech, and disliked beating about the bush. Onoe at Nisi Prius, man aotion for breach of promise of marriage, the plaintiff's counsel was examining the plaintiff with rather an excess of preliminaries, as " How long have you known the defendant ? " and so on. Martin became impatient and took the witness m hand. •' Listen io me, young woman. Now, did this ybuog fellow promise to marry you ? " . " Yes, my lord, he did." " Haß he married you ? " " No, my lord, he has not.' Has he refused to marry you?" "Yes, my lord, he has." "There, Mr Silverlip, what more do you want ? That's your case, isn't it ? "

The anniversary tea and concert of the Brighter Prospect Lodge, 1.0. G.T., No. 256, was held m Mr Spencer's house, near Mayfield, on September 21st. The refresh ments were provided by Mrs Doyle m her usual excellent style, and neeJlessto staJe were most vigorously attacked. The tables having been oleared, Mr J. Boyle, who wa B elected Chairman, introduced a My programme comprising S on gB , recitations, etc, each item being heartily applauded. A vote *U lv B JL th v Oh ? irman -^e helpers! and all who had m any way assisted m carrying out the arrangements terminated a yery enjoyable evening. A few months ago the Lodge could only muster 12 members, but at its usual fortnightly meeting on Saturday, September, 29, four new candidates were initiated, bringing its total strength up ts 30 and ot the next meeting a further addition to its number is expeoted.

Three things (says « Iron ») were sought by the anoient alchemist— the philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, and the universal solvent. The last of these, though lone known to modern chemistry, has juat been separated, but oannot be retained, simply because it attacks or destroys everything This fury of the chemical world, says Mr M Mattieu Williams, is the element fluorine*. It exists peacefully m company with oalcium m fluorspar, and also m a few other com. pounds, but when isolated, as it reoently haß been by M. Henry Moßsau, is a rabid gas thet nothing oan resist. It combines with all the metals — explosively with some, or if they are already aombined with some other non-metallio element, it tears them from it and takes them to itself. In uniting with sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and aluminium, the metals become heated even to redness by the fervour of its embrace. Iron filings slightly warmed burst into brilliant sointillations when exposed to it ; manganese does the same. Even the noble metals, whioh even at a melting heat proudly resiot the fascinations of oxygen, succumb to this ohemioal siren at moderate temperatures. Glass is devoured at onoe, and water ceases to be water by contact with this gaa, whioh combining with its hydrogen at the same moment forms the aorid glass-dissolving hydrofluoric acid and liberates ozone.

The monthly general meeting of the Ashburton OyoliDg Club was held m Gamble's Rooms, Baring square, on Friday evening. Thtre was a large attendance of membere, the Sub-Captain, Mr H. H. Stephens, being m the chair. After the minutes of the previous meeting had been read and confirmed, the election of new members took place. The following gentlemen were elected members of the Olub :— Messrs J. W. Clayton, B. Lowe, E. Christian, C. Zander, J. Graham, H Burfoot, S. Clark, J. Moison, H. Elliott, and E. Ede. Several members expressed their surprise and pleasure at the acquisition of suoh a largo number of members at one meeting, and predioted a prosperous career for the Club. The Chairman stated that the Committee had had an offer for the use of a track and grounds for a period of six months at a low rate. The Committee had visited the ground and had got an estimate of the cost for putting the track m suffioienfc repair for use, and had come to the deoision that itwould result m great financial benefit to the Club, as well as the advancement of oyoling, if the offer were acbepted. After considerable discussion it was resolved that the recommendation of the Committee be adopted, and that the Seoretary arrange all necessary details. A letter was received from the New Zealand Cyolists' Alliance m referenoe to the Club subscribing to the Alliance. It w&s resolved that the matter be left m abeyance till some future moetiDg. It was deoided to hold a short run out every Wednesday morning at six o'clock, and runs during the moonlight evenings, the dates of whioh would be notified by «he hon Seoretary. Mr J. A . Oliver tendered his resignation as Captain of the Club, on account of his inability to devote sufficient time to the business of the Club, at the same time expressing his willingness to render any service he was able towards the welfare of oyoling. The resignation was accepted with regret. Mr A. J. Miiller was* unanimously eleotad to the vaoant office. After the passing of some acoounts for paymenfc, the meeting adjourned with a vote of thanks to the chair.