The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1968, 12 October 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1888. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mount Morgan mine, Queensland, is re> ported to be turning out upwards of £2,000,000 of gold per annum

The highest classical honor m the London University has this year for the first time fallen to a lady, Miss Mary Louise Worley.

A Miss Leg, of Montana, has just married a man named Hand. She thought she would rather be a right Hand than a left Leg,

During last season there were 173 new plays produced m London — an average of a now {>lay for every theatrical day. Most of them asted only one day.

A family trioyole, carrying a whole German family and m addition a large bowl of some oold drink to a suburban pionio, meandered leisurely through Berlin the other day,

The Irish m New York number 165 per cent-, or nearly a sixth of the whole population. In the United Kingdom the foreign born population iB only '39 per oent. of the whole.

•' Bridget, has Jonny come home from Bohool yot?" — "Vis, son." — "Have you seen him?" — "No, sorr." — "Then how do you know he's at home ?"W 'Cause the cat's hiding under tho stove, sorr."

"The largest and finest hospital m the world " has been oompletod at Baltimore ten years of continuous work. It will be opened with formal ceremonies next autumn. It bears the name of John Hopkins.

At the Rangiora Ftiendly Societies sports on Thursday A. C. Wilmot broke the New Zealand oyoling record for 10 miles, doing the distance m 31mine 17 l-Sthseca ; boating the reoord by lmin 43 3-sthseos. He rode a 5/i-inch new Rapid racer.

According to the recommendation of ihe Dean of Chester, women deaconesses of the Church of England are hereafter to be specially consecrated to the work, by the laying on of hands by the Bishop, as their work m the cause of religion is considered of peculiar value.

Among 250 candidates for the post of master of tho Birmingham Workhouee Infirmary was a market gardener, This gentleman stated that he was a graduate of the Edinburgh University, has taken a medical degree, and was at one time a minister of the Church of Sootland.

Hd^j.oway's Pills.— Easy Digestion.— These pills cannot be too highly appreciated for the wholesome power they exert over all diseases of lljie stomach, liver, bowels, and kidneys. They instantaneously relieve and steadily work out a thorough cure, and m its course dispel headache, biliousness, flatulence, and depression of spirits. It is wonderful to watch tluj daily improvement of the complexion, as Holloway's rills purify the blood and restore plumpness to the face which had lost both flesh and color. These pills combine every excellence desirable m a domestic remedy. The most certain and beneficial results flow from the occasional use of thjs rpgulating medicine ; even persons m health, or when following sedentary occupations, will find it an invaluable aperient.

Mr W. C. Walker, M.H.R., addresses his constituents at the Oddfellowß* Hall this evening, at 7.30.

An inquest on the body of Henry Lawis Love, who waß found dead m the gutter at Lord Brougham Slroet, Sydenham, on Tuesday, was hold on Thursday. Tho evidenco showed that he was subject to fits, and had apparently been Beized with one, had fallen into the gutter, and been suffocated by tho wator whioh was flowing over his head.

According to the " New Zoaland Times " tho rumour is revived that on tho abolition of the Publio Works Department the Engineer-in-Chiof, Mr J. Blaokott, will rot ire on his woll earned pension, and that the UnderSeorotary for Publio Works, Mr O. Y . O'Connor will bo ono of tho new Railway Commissioners ; but at present it wholly lacks olßoial confirmation.

At the Eink last evening the ono mile handicap raoo for a pair of skates was won by G. Arthur, who bad a start of three laps, m smin 10 4-sseo. The other starters were G. Clark, O. Moes, Oliver, S. Clark. G. Eagleton, and 'W. Zander. A. Wilkio was scratched, but subsequently gave an exhibition milo, doing tho distanco m better time than any of the foregoing. There was a good attendance, and great interest was taken m the race.

In addition to placing a portion of the East-end of London under water and putting a stop to railway traffio, the great rainfall of August Ist produoed an extraordinary shower of froga. The correspondent of a London evening paper states that somo millions of frogs of infinitesimal size fell with the rain m the North of London. In tha Alexandria Palace Grounds the earth was literally covered with these small reptiles.

The inventor of Volapuk is strong m the fai h that it will beoome the universal commercial language of the world. In less than ten years Volapuk haß beep studied by over 210,000 porBonB ; 150 societies for its acquisition have been organised ; it supports 14 newspapers printed m the language, and has many hundred teaohers ; 2500 students attended the clasflea m one winter m Vienna. In Berlin a newspaper had m one issue nine advertisements for olerks who oould write m Volapuk. Thiß faot alone Bhould be the best testimonial to its practical utility. Some short time ago (remarks the " North Otago Times " it wob Btated that tho exodus from New Zealand to Viotoria would soon cease, and tbat those who had left would be only too glad to return. We do not know that the exodus has ceased altogether, but we have it on good authority that eomo of those who left for Viotoria have returned— as prodigals. There were 13 stowaways on the Manapouri on her last trip from Melbourne. These were men who had left to better their condition, and failing m finding work, had to return m the way mentioned. King Milan of Servia some years ago went to Vienna for a brief stay, and (sayß " Truth ") on the first night of his visit he lust £24,000 at the Nobleß Club. The money had to be paid within twenty-four hours, and as the amount was not within his reaoh, he went to the Palace and requested a loan from the Emperor, who gave him the money on condition that he would not play again , and yet, on the very next night he was found at the table, and did not nee until £8000 more had gone. No application oould be made this time to the Emperor, so King Milan raised the amount on the security of a splendidly-jewelled Boimitar, his most valuable hereditary possession, whioh had been presented to the late Prinoe Milosoh by the Emperor Nicholas. The scimitar has never been redeemed, and it is now m the possession of Herr Bleiohroder, the Berlin banker. The Palmerston North correspondent of the 41 Poßt " writing on Monday last says :— Some time ago a man named Hickford eloped with Mrs Mudford, a married woman from Campbell town, Manawatu. On Thursday the couple returned to their late plaoe of residence, and

the woman tried to get one of her children to

come away with her, but without availMeanwhile the news of her arrival had spread, and hearing that a warm reoeption was m store for them, the couple made themselves scarce. They came on toJPalmorston, where the husband of the erring lady and bis brother followed, and came aoross the couple as they were going into the Salvation Army barracks. Hickford got away, but tho lady was harangued by her husband to some purpose bofore the crowd, who seemed to enjoy this reversal of the usual order of procedure between married folk.

At the ordirary meeting of the North Canterbury Board of Education held yesterday, tho following business relating to this district was transacted : — The Appointment Committee reported that m reply to an enquiry from Mr Hale, of Ashburton Forks, whether he might be allowed to exohange schools with Mr Beuohler, of Mount Somers, it was resolved that there was no objection to tho arrangement if made with the consent of both tho Sohool Committees. — Mrs Wheeler had been appointed mistress at Seaiiold. — The Buildings Committee reported that the Weßterfield Sohool Committee applied for a grant for planting, and reported that Mr Hawdon had offered to give three or four aoroß for a playground if tho Board would fence it m. The sum of 30s was allowed for planting. It wa3 resolved that Mr Hawdon's offer oould not be accepted, as there wore no fundß for fencing.

The " Wellington Post " makes the following highly unsatisfactory announcement. 11 The new Native Land Acts aro greatly exeroising the minds of all who have it construe or administer them. Whether thoy were badly drawn m tho first instance, or whether thoir originally fair proportions were marred during their passage through the

Legislature, we are not prepared to say, but they are certainly proving a source of muoh

present vexation, and threaten to lay a foundation for muoh future litigation. Their

provisions are m some caspa incomprehensible, and m others contradictory, while their

machinery is generally unnecessarily complex and, m some respects, unworkable. The lawyers who have beon called on to advise and act under them are loud m their complaints, and it has already become painfully evident that the Aots will utterly fail to accomplish the objeots thoy were passed to attain. They afford neither the relief nor the faoulties thoy were designed to give, and it is alroady evident that they will have to be amended beyond recognition next session. Suoh, at least, is the opinion of capable experts."

We find the following m the " Southland Times " : — A few days ago a oablegram was published with reference to an alleged wreok of an American vessel named tho Confederation while on a voyage to Australia. Doubts wore expressed iv theso oolumnß regarding the genuinenosß of the statement. It now appears that the most important part of the mossago as received m Australia was omitted m transmission or by the'Pross Association m

Wellington, namely, that the wreok ooourred m 1858— thirty years ago. Whether truth or not the story iB worth reproducing from the " Arßua " if only to Bhow how cable mossages supplied to the New Zealand Press are mangled Bomowhere or by somebody. The whaler's yarn is as follows : — London, Sopt. 21th. — An extraordinary story is reported from the United States. A whaler has brought to Brooklyn a letter written by Capt Green, of the Confederation, a vessel which sailed from New York to Australia m 1858, and which foundered m the Paoiflo. It seems that after boing forty days m the boats a party of sixteen, two of whom were women, who escaped from the wreok, landed at tho island of Ojee. Eight of the party were afterwards lost m trying to intercept a passing vessel, Capt Green states m his letter that the party hos inoreafiod to twelve, and that they aro greatly m want of olotbes.

The toial sum received by Sir Morell Maokenzie for his servioeß to the late Emperor of Germany ia said to amount to 300,000 marks (£15,000).

A three-roomed cottage m Oamaru, owned and oooupicd by Mrs Susan Harrison, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night, caused by tho bursting of a kerosene lamp.

Oft of every four farms m Illinois threo are mortgaged, and the loss of tho Illinois farmers m the last five years is estimated by tho official reports at £10,000,000, \

A Missouri widow, it is gravely asserted, has brought a libel suit against an editor for publishing m an obituary notioo of her husband that " the decoasod had gone to a happier home."

A terrible disaster ooourred at Valpariso on August 11th. \a consequence of heavy rain's a large reservoir burst, flooding the prinoipal streets. Noarly a hundred nouses have been laid m ruins, and Beveral hundred persons drowned. The total loss is estimated at a million dollars.

A Mosgiel resident has rocoived from a friend at Homo a letter to the effect that the price of fanoy fowlß has risen very high, owing to the demand for them by breeders m Australia and New Zealand. In the letter is mentioned an instance of a gameoook fetching 100 guineas, and a hen fifty guineas.

Since Messrs Guinness set the fashion early m 1886 no fewer than 90 brewery companies have been formed, with on aggregate share list of nearly £24,000,000, and debentures to the extent of five or six millions more, making together almoßt £30,000,000 capital, whioh haa been raised m two yeara and a-half.

An ingenious Fielding settler has (says the "Star") Bolved the small bird trouble effeotually bo far sb gardens are concerned. He haß a fine Bpeoimen of a hawk preserved and stuffed, wbioh about onoe a week is changed to the various corners of a two acre garden plot. It is affirmed that no birds ever settle within that garden fence.

It iB curious to note how the railway is being successfully competed with at every turn. One of the latest instanoes occurs m the case of the " unemployed stone-broakers" at St. Ann's Bridge, Otahuhu. Most of them belong to Auokland, and they find it cheaper to hire a brake, aai go out every morning that way, paying three shillings eaob. weekly, than to go by train.