LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2278, 12 November 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In the whole of Franoe there are 48,000 mayors. The death ia announced by mail of Dr Kelly, Roman Catholic Biahop of Londonderry. We are pleased to learn that Mr Turnbull, M.H.R., who underwent an operation some weeks ago ia now improving rapidly. Bankers m London do not oare for the .paper of the Prinoe of Waleß: The Prince has hot muoh of a reputation as a business man. St Augustine, Fla., ia the oldest town m the United States, a fort having been built there by the Spaniards m 1542. At the present rate ol progress the whole of the excavations for the Manchester Ship Oanal oan be finished m three years. Hannah More founded a hundred years ago a Sunday Sohool at Cheddar, where the oentonary of its establishment was celebrated a few weeks agof Jfr Parnell ia reported to be suffering from insomnia. He has changed hrn room a halfdozen times m oonsfquenoe, without being able to find muoh relief. Mails for Europe and America via San Franoisoo, olpse at Ashburton to-morrow. They are due to prrjye m London on December 26tb. There ie to be a leoture given m the Odd. fellows' Hall some time next week by a gentleman well known m Ashburton, the subjeot of whiob will be " Ireland, Borne, and Freemasonry — or Rome's Gratitude." British India haß an area less than one. third that of the arid region of the United Stateß, and yet it supports a population of 200,000,000 of the most oppressively taxed people m the world, and mainly by irrigation. The Sultan is muoh annoyed at Mr Gladstone's letter to the " Daily News" relative to atrooitiep m Armenia. The entrance of the " Daily News, 1 ' " Manchester Guardian," " Globe" and other papers . »Pt,o Turkey has been prohibited. Baya the Wellington " Times" :— Eighteen oaseß of scarlet fever have been reported to the City Oourici!< three freßh oases being brought under the notioe of the authorities yesterday. The majority of the patients reside at Te Aro. There ia m existence a curious class of knives of the sixteenth century, the blades ot which have on one side the musical notes to the benediction of the table, or grace before meat, and on the other side of the graoe after meat. The Belgian Government has paid 170,000f for a series of eight tapestries representing the foundation of Borne and the legend of Bomulus and Bemus. The tapestries were woven m Brussels m the 16th century for the palaoe of Cardinal l'rinoe Hippolyte d'Este. A contemporary says : — Col Trimble, who formerly represented Tarauaki m Parliament, and has more recently been a Commissioner of All Work to the Government, will be gazetiei m a few days to a Juggeship m the Native Lands Comt.. . . Xt is reported that a New York lady, while twisting some worsted, hit upon the idea of applying a little system of her own to a larger field than mere yam. So, it is further reported, she promptly invented a machine for twisting wire rope, and has sold the patent for #IQ,POO r and a royalty upon future sales. The vote on the gepairatign of the Now JZealand Wesleyan Conference from ' the General Conference of Australasia has been taken by the various quarterly meetings throughout the colony, Sixty-three quarterly meetings rooorded a total of 700 votes, 401 for separation and 299 against,' or a majority of 10/.—" .Qtago Daily Times." The " Lyttelton Times v reports that an «el weighing no Ibbs than 20£lb has boon I _' ■ •** East Oxford by Mr E. B, Alpress; Linea had been !"* wbil ° tb f. sp° rtsma n indulged m angling, and pu^^ "jgj}' ordinary commotion was observed, v. ÜBlu r*" able difficulty was experienced m landing the eel, which had a length of 4 feet 8 inches and a girth of 1 foot 3 inches. The fish was caught with a " bank runner." . The Tiotorian Parliament have passed a Bill granting to Captain Whitney the lease for 099 years, at a peppercorn rental, of five aoreß of land near Melbourne on wbioh to erect an ammunition faotory. The Government have also agreed to pay to Captain Whitney £5000 on the delivery of the first 500,000 cartridges, and to purohaso what ammunition is required, estimated at about 2,000,000 annually. A oonocrfc waß given by a monster military band at the Paris Palais de l'lndustrio m August last. 'ihoußh the oeganisation was composed of 17 smaller bande, comprising 1173 exeoutanls, an exoellent programme of music was performed with aoouracy, precision, and brilliancy. This excellent reßult waß secured through a bandmaster instructing the bands separately before tbay wore brought together. The exact constitution of the band was as follows:— 4s flutes, 42 small olarionetß, 33 oboee, 143 first clarionets, 120 second clarionets, 115 saxapbqnes, 14 small bugles, 33 pistons, 70 bugles, 18 altos, 35 horDS, 65 baritones, 82 trombones, 187 basßes and ' contra basses, and 51 performers on big r djtuttja, oymbale, and triangles,

There are some mean garden thieves about Ashburton. On Sunday night or early on Monday morning the garden of Mr E. 3. Paul was entered, the fence being deliberately broken down, and the thieves then proceeded not oDiy to ron a oherry tree but ooolly dug up four rows of Early Rose potatoes. Suspicion, we believe, points m a particular direction, and we hope that the result will bo the detection and punishment of the offenders

Among the many things Algeria is doing to make herself attractive to ' tourists is the exhuming of some of her ancient oities. The marvels of Pompeii are said to be nearly equalled by the oity that has just been exhumed at Timga, with its stroets, shops, forum, triumphal aroheH and flagstones worn by cartwheels. At ObM^ohell, on the ooast, west of Algiers, tho luxurious baths of the anoient oity of Oanaroa have recently been brought to light.

' Tho ordinary monthly meeting of the Wakanui River Board was held on Saturday. Present — Messrs Olephane (chairman), Brown, Thomas, and Johnston. Correspondence was read from Mr S. Brown m answer to the Board's letter re ooutraot at the xiver. After ditoussion it waß resolved to pay Mr Brown the amount of his olaim for work done. Resolved " That the upper embankment be fenoed off provided Mr Brown's consent bo obtained." After transacting routine business and passing accounts the Board adjourned.

The Grey River "Argus" says:— Quite a sensation was caused at Brunner on Saturday by the oounty authorities putting m a bailiff on aooount of the interest due on the amount awarded to the oounty oounoil againßt the borough oounoil of Brunnerton. The award was £1500, and before it was paid the sum of £103 was due for Interest. The borough oounoil declined to pay this, henoa the plaoing of a man m possession. After a good deal of indignation and running about, the Bank came to the rescue, the money was paid, and the bailiff relieved from his duty. The "Wellington Press" Bays that Mr James Fulton, M H.R , has been appointed Chairman of the Commission on Sweating,

The Government are now waiting replies from gentlemen m the several oities who have been asked to act us members. The members of the Commission m their respective oentres will first hold meetings and take evidence, and then a general meeting will be held, probably m Wellington, when, after the Beveral reportß have been handed m and dieoussed, an endeavour will be made to draw ftp a report upon the subjeot generally}

Last night the Borough Oounoil m it 8 capaoity as the body having the management of the Domain, was waited on by a deputation

and presented with a petition signed by 260 persons who desired that the Coanoil should pasß a by-law preventing < the sale of intoxioants within the preoinotß of the Domain m connection with any of the sports gatherings held there. The majority of the Oounoil did not favor this absolute prohibition, preferring instead one of the by-laws recently framed, whioh provided that no liquor should be sold without the oonsent of the Oounoil being given m suoh oase.

The legal ooßt of the Irish side of the Parnell Commission, inducting the expenses of witnesses and reporters, is covered by the Indemnity Fund. Sir Ohaß. Russell received £1000 for preparing his briefs, m addition to £50 daily. Messrs Reid and Lookwood eaoh received one-half of these amounts. The expenses of the "Times" largely exqeed those of the Irish Bide. Meantime, according to a despatch of Oct. 12th, Mr Parnell's healib grows worse instead of better, and grave fears are entertained that he will be unable to/ resume his politioal bareer. He will winter at Bournemouth,