LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2276, 9 November 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Auokland has 107 entries for her forth ooming baby show.

The average age of twelve English bishops is seventy bix years.

The_ attention of those taking part m the oratorio " Messiah " is directed to an announcement appearing m another oolumn.

The Rev J. Booihroyd will oonduot service m the Seafield Schoolroom to-morrow after* noom

Portions of Java ore being do9eried owing to the tiger plague. The io»h1 population \b about 000,000, und m 1887 sixty-one were killed by tigers.

In consequence of tho illness of Miss Nowcombe, the Zenana missionary, tho services announced to be held to-morrow and on Tuesday evening m the Baptist Ohnroh will not be bold.

It is E&id that the Rakaia is swarming with trout, one Aehburton sportsman, who haß met with splendid success thore, averring that " there are hundreds of tons of fish m the river."

Joseph Hill haß juet renounoed his duties as rural postman of Upplnghatn, m Rutland. During his 41 yoara' Bervioo, he walked 229,954 miles, which is equal to nine journeys round tho world.

The range of tho Mannlioher rifle was proved again m a startling manner the othor day when an Austrian soldier was killed by one at target practice at a reputed range of over two miles and a half.

A three-year-old Bon of Mr John Todd, Kaitaitgata, was kicked on the head by a horso a few days ago. The ohild was unoonsoious for 24 hours, but is now recovering.

There is a rumor that the Lutheran churches m the Bueh districts, Hawko'e Bay, nre to be brought under a Bishop, and Norse* wood is mentioned as his futuro residence.

A formerly well-known business rnun of Memphis, Tennessee), U. 8., a convert to Catholicity, is at present » member of the Saorod Heart Brotherhood doing noblo Hervioe m the lope* settlement at Kulawoo Molokai, Sandwich Islands,

A lad named Wilkio was thrown from his boree near the Post Office this morning. He fell on hia head and was rendered unoocBoious. Some byetanderß picked him up and took him to Timmo's boarding houae. Dr Tweed was sent lor and attended to the injuries which consisted of Homo severe cuts and bruises, and under hie oare the lad very Boon reared, puffioieotly to be sent to hi

There nre 18,290 persona under restraint, who have, aooording to the " Alliance New," lost their reason through drink.

A. S. Leslie and Co., soft goods merchants of Brisbane, have filed a petition for lfquidation. Tho liabilities are stated at £200,000.

Tho directors of the Federal Bank of Australia, Limited, reoommonded a dividend at tho rate of 9 p«r cent per annam, and the oarrying forward of £10,377.

The vulture is credited with a speed of 150 miles por hour ; the wild goose and swallow 90 miles per hour; the carrier-pigeon 600 miles m eight hours.

The AuokUnd " Evening Star " stays that the groat Ngatimaniopoto obief, Rewi, has visited Auokland for tho purpose of buying a set of also te th.

Sir ihomas Campbell and Mr John JForreßt will probably be appointed the West Australian delegates to prooeed to England to urge tho olaimß of the oolony to constitutional -"overmont,

During an all night sitting m the Queensland Assembly 3 prominent journalist fell üßleep m the refreshment room and during his slumber some persons snipped off one Bide of his whiskers.

Two fellows passing a farmer at work oallai to him. . One of them said : " Tib your bußinees to sow, but we reap the fruits of your labor." To whioh the farmer replied : " 'Tis very likely you may, for I am Bowing hemp."

The not profiiß of the National Bank of Australasia for the half yoar are £80,180, out ot whioh the direotors recommend a dividend at the rate of 12£ per oent per annum, and a bonus at the race of 2£ pec oent on the paidup oapital.

The Queen of Siam has a thimble made of gold, m theform of a lotus bud, the lotua being the Siamese royal floral emblem, and thickly studied with diamonds, bo arranged aa to form the Queen's namo and date of her marriage.

Official returns show the yield of gold m Queensland (o be largoly on the inorenße; For the nine mouths ending September 80J the entries are 65,9360z m exaess of the total quantity for 1898, and 131,6560z over that for 1887.

Till the 16th oenlury aloohol was used only as a medioine. It was as a drug and not as a beverage that it became known as aqua vitas — the water of life, from its great restorative powers. In 1581 it was firßt introduoed as part of mo food ailowaaoe of the English army m the Netherlands.

Brevity, the soul of wit, ia as often the soul of unooneoioua humor, as witness this comprehensive sentence, whioh ia taken from the bill of a South London mußio hall exhibited the other day :— " For the benefit of Mrs , who during the past twelve months has lost husband, horns and leg."

Considerable oonatornation has been oauaod at Kumaroa, near Woodville, by the wilful firing of several outbuildings by a boy, who ia supposed to be insane ; his last aot was to set fire to a oottage, but the fire was extinguished by some men adjacent, who discovered the perpetrator.

The Russian nobles are rushing to bankruptoy m great numbers. The oredit bank for lending money to them on mortgage of their land, established by the Government two or three years ago, has now no leas than 1000 estates, whioh will have to be Bold by publio auotion at the end of this year for non-payment of interest on loans.

A Swiss inventor haß perfeoted a method of making artificial boardß, and iB advocating their use m building. They are made of a mixture of plaster of Paris and reeds pressed into shape by hydraulio prooesß. The material haß the advantage of iuoombustility and lightness, and will resißt the warpiog action of climatic changes.

An attempt to reaoh the South Pole is assuming tangible shape m Now York Mr Henry Villard, of the Norchern Paoifio Road, is a prime mover m the enterprise, and those who know hie energy and persistence m business affairß, says " Inventions," may be sure that he will avail himself of every facility to make the expedition a successful one.

It iB repotted that at the Anthropologioal Congress, whioh is soon to be held m Rome, there will be a oolleotion of 700 skulls of criminals, with the photographs of 80,000 conviots. besides thousands of autographs, poemß, sketohes, and epeoial instruments, the work of criminals, with an album containing a reoord of 700 observations, physical and moral, on 500 oriminala and on 800 ordinary men;

The experiment of making Bwallowa useful aB winged messongera has been tried m Franoe with perfect suooeaa. M. Deßbouverie, the gentleman who is the originator of the idea of training these birds to oarry messages, brought with him from Roubaix two young birds about six or seven weeks old, and m the afternoon at a quarter past four o'olook he turned them up at the Pavilion of War on the Esplanade dee Invalides. He had previously telegraphed to Roubaix that tho doors of their aviary might be left open. Later m lhe day he received a telegram stating that they arrived at half-past five o'olook,

The perfumery manufactories at Nice and Cannes annually orush and squeeze no leaa than 151,000 pounds of orauge blossoms. With these figures to consider, it ia not surprising that Italy is no longer, as m old times, the great power of the continents. Itß orange blossoms are wasted. Put into weddings, these orange blossoms would represent at least 462,000 marriages a year, involving as things go, an average iuorease of over 100,000 annually to the population m addition to the present rate. Italy would have a great future were all her orange blosßoms pat to their legitimate use. " Chicago Times."

If Mr Edison doeß not make haate with his invention for doing for the tho eye what the telephone does for the ear, he tuns the risk of being forestalled by an inventor hailing from the Old World, M. Gourtonne, a Frenoh savant, haß jußt deposited with the Aoademy of Soionoes a sealed communication containing a description of a maohine of his invention for the transmission ot, luminouß vibrations, to whioh he has given the name " telephote " and by means of whioh it will be possible, he claims to see objeots hundreds and thousands of miles dietant, m spite of any intrrvening obstacle. M. Ooutonne will add a new terror to existence.

According to a computation just issued by the eminent statistician, Dr E. Engel, the cost m human life of the different wars that have taken plaoe during the last thirty four years is 2 253,000 souls. The Crimean War cost 750,000 men, the Italian War (1859) 45,000, the Danish War (1864) 3300, the American Civil War— the Northern States 280,000, the Southern States 520,000, the Außtro Prussian war 45,000, tho Franco-Germen War— Franoe 155,000, Germany 60,000 ; the Turoo-Ruaaian War 250,000, the South Afrioan Wars 30,000, tbo Afghan War 25 000. the Mexican and Coohin-Chinese expeditions 65,000, and the Bulgaro- Servian Insurrection 25,000. This list dooa not inolude mortality from Bioknetsß.

Buoyant olotbing has been devised by a Londoner, and Beoma to be attracting Borne attention m that metropolis. Threads of oork are interwoven with Qotton, Bilk, or woollen, maohinery whioh slices the oork to the required thinness forming part of the invention. From these now materials olothes of ordinary appearance are oonstruotod whioh bear up the wearer wuon committed unexpectedly to the water. The worth of the new fabrios was thoroughly tested by throwing three persona olothed m them from the end of a pier. They floated as easily as if encased m oork jaokets. It is said that they remained m tho water over an hour without discomfort. The possibilitioß of fireproof apparel are next m order.