LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1963, 6 October 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The business of Guinness and Co., the Dublin brewers, is valued at £18,000,000.

There are now eight mission vobsolb cruising m the North Sea, eaoh a combination of churoh, ohapel, temperance hall, and dispensary. ,

For the bit months of the finanoial year just ended the amount of Customs duties collected was £684,143 5s 6d, the defioienoy as against the estimate being £29,100.

The South Pole Expedition planned several years ago by Dr Neumayer, of the marino observatory at Hamburg, is likely to start m the spring.

It is laid that oaterpillara and other pesta of trees and Bhtukbery may be destroyed by boiling the •terns and leaves of tomato plants and pouring the liquid upon the affHotcd vegetation. A meeting of the Domain Board to have been held yesterday lapied for want of a quorum, and the question of handing the oontrol of the Domain over to the Borough is consequently deferred. The County Council yesterday Adopted the report of the Committee whioh had been appointed to arrange the initiatory ■topi towards bringing m an auxiliary water supply from the Rakaia river. The Secretary of the Grioket Olub has receivod intimation from the L&noaiter Park Olub that they will play a match here on the 16th inst. Members of the looal Olub are requoptod to turn up for praotioe this afternoon. The reoent revelations regarding marriages made through matrimonial ngenoies are bringing out some funny stories. One is of an elderly man who was weary of the iron domestio rule of his threo grown-up daughters, and co advertised for a wife m the looal paper. He reoeived three replies next day — one from each of the daughters I ! A painful aooident oeourred at Plymouth tho other day- A perambulator, m whioh a ohild was sitting, was left outside a shop, and, running off the pavement into the street, was knocked over by a passing carriage, whioh contained a brido and bridegroom on their way to church. The wheels of the carriage passed over the child's head, crushing it to death. Now we have " the upper oiroles " anxious to become lodging-houso keepers. An ad* vertisement m a London daily sayß : — " A titled family would rcooive ono or two permanent residents of position, or girls desiring introduction ; many unusual desirabilities ; beautiful plaoe ; country, noar L.on» don; terms, adapted to requirements, arranged at interview." The " Bangitikei Advooate " writes : —It ie Baid that Bir Harry Atkinson will, next eleotion, stand for the Wellington •onstituenoy now represented by Mr Stuart-Menteath. The knowing ones are prepared to plank their dollars on the fighting Major. At all oventß, it is about timo that he had bidden adiou to Egmont, seeing the narrow squeak he hid laat time. Aooording to the " Eruoe Herald," all Lawrenoe, headed by a brass band, gathered at the railway station the other day to raoet Mr J. 0. Brown, M.H.8., on his return from Wellington. When tho train was approaching, suitable airs wore discoursed by the band, among them " Johnny comes marohing ' home," but Johnny didn't comt. He had gone to Melbourne from Dunedin, so all Lawrenoe had to go home again to bear the disappointment as best it could. Messrs W. H. Rule and Co., of the Burnett ! street Meat Mart, have a fine display of meat juat now, including the first lamb of the ■eaeon, these being half a dozen brad and fed by one of our local farmers, and showing very good quality and early maturity, averaging 28lbs each. There is also a fine display of mutton from Pendarves, and beef, pork and ■mall goods, ihowing that the firm are making successful efforts to inpply their customers with the best meat (hat even suob a good grazing qMatriot aj ours oan

It will be seen by advertisement that tenders are invited for the hire of tho Oddfellows' Hall on Show Night, Nov. 2nd. Tho reason for calling for tenders is that several applications to rent the Hall for that night have been made. The introduction of Amorionn watohes into England has reduoed the number of gold 08868 marked at the London Assay Office from 34,844 m 187G, to 20,416 m 1886, and of silver cases from 119,394 m 1876, to 95,708 m 1886. An unoooupied four-roomed cottage at Mothyen was burned down early yesterday morning- The cot^nge belonged to Mr John Johnston. A two Btorey house belonging to Mr Vivian Bouse, which Btands within a few yards of the Bite of tho destroyed building, had a narrow esoape, the side being soorohed and blaokoned. In the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before Major Bteward, J.P., and Mr D. Thomas, J.P., four first offenders were charged with drunkenness. Two, who had given no trouble to the police, were finod 5s eaoh, and two who had been abusive when arrested 10s each, with the usual alternative. — Peter Ohrißtie, for being illegally on premises belonging to Mr T. Bullook, waß sentenced to 24 hours' imprisonment. It is laid th« young men of the present day are not gallant to ladies. Here is au item on this subject from the "Taranaki Herald/ A young man and a y ady were recently m a boat on ths river, when tb« lady let a pretty knife fall m tho water ; she waa muoh vexed at this, but the hero, before the lady could say don't, took a "hoader," and m a few leoonds had the satisfaction of reappearing at the surface with the missing article. To those who go down to the sea m ships and do business on the great waters, whilelabouring under the disadvantage of feeling very muoh like a miniature volcano, it should be good news that a preventive for Rca-sioknoss has at last been discovered. It is a new artificial alkaloid, named antipyrine, and like saaoharinc it ia the production ef that fertile souroa of wonders, coal tar. A correspondent of the "Times" sayß that a done of 1J grammes is generally sufficient, and that two such ifloßes had never be«n known to fail to remove the evil within the hour. In oases, whon the patient, from oontinued vomiting, oould not retain (he remedy a suboutaneous injeotion of one gramme of the antipyrine was found sufficient to remove the siokuesi. The Queen's literary reputation, established by tho gossiping unaffected style of the " Leaves from our Journal m the Highlands," suffered by the publication of the letter written to Miss Qordon upon reoeiving news of the General's death. For ungrammatioal oomtruotion and a carious interweaving of German idioms, that was a lamentable speoimen of Queen's English. I htar of a later composition which re-establishes Her Majesty's literary reputation. When then came the news of the dtath of the Emptrer William, dosing the long period of anxiety with respeot to the future of the Crown Princess, the Queen telegraphed to th« n«w JBmpreis th« following message : "My sister, my daughter." Regarded simply from % literary point of view, this exultant epigram is perfeot. It comprises within four words ths history of a lifetime. — (Home correspondent.)

A moating of the Ashburton High School Board was held at the County Counoil offioea on Thursday, at 4.30 p.m. Members present : Messrs W. O. Walker (chairman), Jameson, J. Orr, and Harrison. The Mistress of the Girla' School wrote to inform too Board of the partial indisposition of the ai&istant lady teaoher, and of the arrangement which it had been found neotssary to mako for ont month. The action of the Mistress was approved of. A letUr from the tenant of Reserve 1549 was ordered to stand over for furthtr report at next meeting. Tho reserves at Maronan, Ashton, and the Hinds ware ordered to be visited and reported on during the month. Mr Jameson and Mr Harrison were appointed as a Committee to arrange terms and con* ditions of leases, The Secretary was m Btructed to collect all Bohool fees now due. After somo routine business the Board adjourned,

One of the most impudent easea of shop, lifting w« have heard of for aomo time ooeurred ia Ashburton yesterday afternoon. Owing to tho utrong wind blowing, the shop -2&°-y£^^ r .22L2 rr ' 8 "tablishment was who was passing take somothing and makt off. Haoing the man make m tho direotion of Burnett street, he popped down Tanored atreet and through the Arcade, intercepting tho man just opposite the •• Mail " office. Seeing Borne bulky objoot distending bia ooat tails, Mr Orr lifted them, and discovered & pair of bootß, of which he, of course, resumed possession, the thief having the impudenoe to ask him for a pair of old ones instead of them. There being no policeman handy there was no opportunity of giving tho man m charge, but we believe the polioe have been communicated with, and so possibly the thief may be brought to book. In the meantime it will bo well for tradesmen to keep a sharp look»out for Buoh light fingered gentry.

The question of a water supply for the village Bottlers was again before the County Council yesterday. Some time ago a deputation of village settlers near Dromore waited on the Counoil and asked that their sections might be supplied with water irom the County races. Tha Counoil found that to grant tho request would entail an enormous exponditure, whioh they considered they were not justified m undertaking, and the Government declined to bear the oost. About the same time the Counoil came to the oonolusion tha,t they had been enhancing tho value of oertain Crown landa m the County by taking water raoos through them, and under these ciroumBtancoa they considered they were entitled to aßk Government for a refund of the cost. Yesterday the Council reoeived a reply from the Land Board, who statod that the sum of £86 had aooruod on aooount of sales of Government lands and whioh they were willing should be applied towards the construction of water raoos for village Bottlers. This was a total misapprehension of the Council's application, and they deoided again to apply for payment for the work done m the past. No action |was taken m regard to the present offer of the Board. The Swedish peasantry explain the lunay spots aa representing a boy and girl bearing a pail of water between them, whom the moon onoe oaught up m her horns, and carried off into the heavens ; a logend ourrent also m loelandio mythology. A German tale says that a man and a woman stand m the moon— the man booauso he Btrowed briars one Sunday morning m the ohuroh-path, the woman for making butter on the same day, The Dutch have it that the unhappy man waß oaught stealing vegetables. The natives of Ceylon have a hare, instead of a man m tho moon, the hare having achieved that high honour by jumping into v fire to roast himself for the benefit of Buddha. The Chinese represent the moon by a rabbit pounding rico m a mortar. Their mythological moon is figured by a beautiful young woman, with a double sphere hahiqd her head, rind a rabbit at her feet. An Australian legend says the moon was a native oat, who fell m love with someone else's wife, and was driven away to wander ever sinoe. Among tho Esquimaux the sun is a maiden and the moon is her brother ; and the Khasias of the Himalaya say that the moon falls every month m lovo with bis mother-in-law, who throws ashes m his faoo, whence his spots. The Malays believe that the moon is a woman, and the stars are her children.