LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2251, 12 October 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The oattle industry of the United Sateß represents the immense oapital of £240,000,000.

Smoking during service is said to be oußtomary m some of the rural ehuroheß of Holland.

Mr Gladstone has only three fingers on his left hand. Forty seven years ago his index finger was shot off by a premature explosion while loading hiß qua m ihe field.

From Norway comes a story of a ourious telephone experiment, where a phyfl:oiar>, jjeiog 100 miles from home, talkod to his dog, an English Boter, through the telephone, the dog showing hia undor^tanding by a teries of barks.

On Saturday, June 22, an extraordinary exploit m Bwimminß waß performed io the Thames. Jules Gautier, a well-known professional, swam from Putney to London bridge with bis handa and feet tied. He completed the diEtanoe m two houra eight minutea.

A Bale of BtampPf said to be the first m the colony, was held at Chriatohurah on Tueiday, when the first issue of New South Wales penny stamps realised 37s 6d and 33a. An 1859 Mauritius fetched 22a 6i. The first issue of a New Zealand twopenny stamp red, fetched 10b, and blue 7s.

" I always thought husband and wife were one," exolaimed Mr Bunny during tho examination of a Maß|;erton bankrupt. "Yea," retorted the lady with a smile, •• then it's time you got married and learned the differ? enoe." Even the Judge oould not help laughing.

The train arrangements for race days — Wednesday and Thursday next— are advertieed m another oolumn. The South train on Thursday afternoon and the Mount Homers train on both days will not leave Ashbuiton until after the raoes are over. On Wednesday there ia to be a cheap excursion from Christohuroh

We learn from Ihe ourrent number of the o Muaioal Monthly " that the bands entered for the Ohriatohuroh competition next month are Oamaru City, Oamaru Garrison, Punedin Engineers, lnvoroargill Garrison, Oaveraham, Christohuroh Garrjßon, Bydenham, Stanmore, Aadington Workshops, Marton .Royal Rifles, Woodville, Timaru Garrison, Burnaam.

Sir Edward Cecil Guinnesß haa notified the trustees of the People's Palace of his intention to inorehse bis orig'nal munificent donation of £9000 for the ureotion of a Winter Garden to £14,000, "m order that the people of East London may be provided with a complete and perfeot winter garden of tha best posEible design.'' A balloon ascension was made at Manchester recently for the benefit of the Shah, Two men went up, the manager and an assistant. At about 1000 feet altitude the balloon Bplit and the gas began to escape, The manager at once grasped a paraohute and left his assistant to bis fate. The former esoßpod unharmed, but tho poor servant was dashed lo pieoeß by hia tremendouß fall.

Among the exhibits m tho Dunerlio Exhibition not tho loast interesting will bo the peamlesß nboo, the soorot of whoao construction I;bb bpen discovered by Mr C. Broughton, of South Dunedi». The invention possesses many advanlageo, apjong tlie rest that of a saving of labour, with reduced prioea as a oonscquenoe. We understand that a company will be formed to bring the invention in to general use.— (" The Tablet.").

The Catholic Union haa undertaken tho organisation of the proposed pilgrimage from London to the Holy Land m the spring of next year. The Duke of Norfolk, Lord Clifford, Lord Herries, Mr Arthur Moore, and Mr Lilly form a oommittee of general management. Following on the lines of the American pilgrims, tho English pilgrims will divide themselves into two sections, one of whioh will vißit only Jerusalem and its immediate neighbourhood, and the other extend its wanderings to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

The oldest man m the United States ia BU pposed to be James MoMillin, of Bardwell, Kentuoky, who ia soid to have documentary evidenoe that he is 113 years of ae;e. Ho waß horn m Botetourt oounty, Virginia, ip 1776. Hia father died at 97. and his mother at 106 from natural causes. He has been twioe married, is now a widower, and baa been the father of 23 children, two of whom are living. He is quite itrong, with clear

The memberß of the Primitive Methodist Church are again the successful tenderers for the Oddfellows' Hall on Show day, November Ist, and intend holding their annual tea meeting on that date. They will also havo their anniversary sermons preaohed m the Hall on Sunday, November 3rd.

To discover the beßt method of administer, ing poißoned grain to sparrowe has been the objeot of muoh nxperimenting under the direction of the United States AgriouHurul i Department. They recommended the following formula : " Dissolve araeniate of soda m warm wnter at the rate of an ounoo to a pint; pour this upon as muoh wheat as it will cover (m a vessel whioh can be oloßed, so as to prevent evaporation), and allow to stand at lensti for 24 hours. Dry the wheat thus prepared, and it i 3 ready for use."

A prominent physician onoe remarked that were his patients to eat an orange or two every morning they would require but little medical attention ; for throughout the entire raDgo of fruits that have attracted the attention of tho medical profession aa a means of alleviating many of the ills of mankind, there has boen found none that has so many diversified uees aa the lusoious orange, particularly m oasea of low fever or malarial oomplaint. and it should more largely Uko the place of unpleasant drugß so extensively used to the great disgust of the patient.

An amazing system of oarrying little children as passengers (says the " Arohiv fur Eisenbahnwoaen ") seeina to have been m praotioe hitherto upon the Ruseian railways. The Russian Ministry of tho Interior has just issued an ordinance to all railway officials prohibiting tho further " paoking of small obildren (literally sucklings) inbaske's, to the number of eight m a basket 1 and forwarding them to the foundling houses m the great towns as band luggage." Thiß abuse, sayß the Ministry m tho circular, is no longer to ba tolerated, since it involves a serious injury to the health of the children, and is also an attempt to evade the regulations for the oarriage of passengers by rail. In Russia " infanta must be paid for."

Tea (says the " Hospital ") came iuto use almost by aooident. Some Buddhist priest?, going on a missionary expedition from Northern India to China, took with them tbe dried leaves and also some outtingß of an indigenous shrub, which was said to have the power of correcting any injurious properties m the brackish water they might moet with on the way. The deoootion thus made pleased the missionaries so well that they continued, as a matter of taste, to drink it after they had readied China, and introduced it to their converts. They also set about planting the precious Bhrub, and, although it did not thrive so well ia China as m its native Assam, becoming Bmaller both m stem and leaf, it wao so well liked that it Boon formed the foundation of the favorite bever-

at?e of all China. Thence it was brought to Europe to be drunk and desired by Englishmen of every degree. And it is only of late years that Assam tea has oome into the European market, to be looked upon rather suspioously as the rival of its own degenerated Chinese daughter. f A correspondent of the " London Timeß ' says ; — The following inoidont, whioh ooourred near the town of Omoa, m Spanish Honduras may interest some of your readerß. In the beginning of August one of tbe shells fired by the Niobe at the fort there, nearly 16 years I ago, waa found by four boya who were clearing bueh. They managed to open it, and, thinking that the small portion of powder they observed waa all that was there, they set fire to it. The effects were terrible. One unfortunate boy was blown to pieoes, another had his legs blown off, tho third was seriously and the fourth slightly injured. It seems that the Bhell oontained various comparimenta charged with powder, whioh exploded on fire being put to it wjth the above sad results, ft is singular, but true, that during the whole day her Majesty's Bhip Niobe bombardei Omoa no one was killed, and 16 ye r ) afterwards suoh terrible injuries were inflioted by one of her shells. Farther proof of the suooeßS whioh has attended the steps token to acclimatise tbe salmon m New Zealand were given (nays the •' Southland News ") when Mr R. H. Brodriok, hon, secretary of the Southland Acclimatisation Sooiety, received from Mr D. M'Kay, hon, ranger oE that body, two salmon oaught by him m the head waters of the Aparima, the river selected for the interesting experiment. In an accompanying note Mr M'}£ay mentions that he did not Bee many of the young fish. " They arc," he states, " getting on the Bmolt livery, and look boautiful dash> ing about m the water." He ia of opinion that they will all dear out to tho Bea wilh the first fresh that takes place m the oreeks. Tbe fish just oaught by Mr M'Kay are not so large as those scoured seven months ago, and this, he holds, proves conclusively what expert writers say about, salmon — that over a year elapses before they make for the salt water, and that some grow more rapidly than otherß. The fieh, whioh form the seoond lot token from the Aparima, will bo forwarded to the Government. SANDER and SONS' EUCALYPTI EX-TRACT.-rrln protection of the worldwide fame our manufacture has acquired all over the globe, we publish the following : — Hazard, M.D., Professor of General Pathology and Diseases of the Mind and Nervous System, says m an editorial published m the " Clinical Record : " — " We have examined half-a-dozen specimens of different manufactures; the preparation of Sander and Sons was the only one that proved to be reliable and corresponding to Boientifio tests." Another conoootion called " Refined Extract of Euoalyptuß " has made its appearanoe sinoe. This produot Btands, aooording to Dr Owen, foremost m causing injurious effects That gentleman communicates, at a meeting of the Medical Sooiety of Viotoria, that a ohild Hying at Fitzroy beoame most seriously indisposed through its use. In another oase a lady Btates on the Btrength of statutory declaration that she Buffered cruelly frppj the effeotp p| the same oonoootion. To guard the high eputation of our manufacture we feel warranted m exposing the above faots, and desire the public to exeroise care and preoaution when buying. SANDER and SONS — Advt. 7