LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2297, 9 December 1889, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Italy has -1,800,000 trees whioh produoa 1260 million lemons annually. In the 4tlantia Ocean there are about 631bfl of salt tc every ton of water.

It i« calculated that forests still cover nearly thirty per cent of Europe and forty per cent of the vast area of Russia,

Messrs Beid and Boeata have shown us some admirably exeouted photographs of the Dunedin Exhibition taken by Messrs Burton Brothers. They aro exceedingly blear prinle, and give a good view of the bay and surround,ing buildings as well &s of the Exhibition buildiog itself. Thoy oan be obtained, by thoße who are not oalled upon at their houßes, at the Albert Boarding-house, A Ohristohuroh telegram dated Saturday says : — A lad named John Lindon, who waa struok on the head by Obed Hosgood, doorkeeper at the Salvation Army at Bangiora, on November 24th, is m a serious condition, it ja supposed from lhe result of tho blow. -LaHt Tuesday he and Hosgood brought cross aotions against one another for assault, and both were dismissed as the affair did not seem serions, ' We learn from tho Ghristohuroh papsra that at about half pant ten on Sunday morning a man named Samuel Buokett, bricklayer, of Opawa, was drowned near Taylor'B Miatakn. He was stooping down gathering mussels off the rooks when a wave rolled m and washed him into deep water. A man named Hurrell was with him, and attempted to save him but failed. TJie sea is too rough to allow of tbe body being recovered. Buokett leaveß a V?jfa nod tbree children', ,J r _- '

Many a man considers himself a great gun \ when ia fact he is nothing but a smooth bore. 1

Nominations for the oup and for the bioyole raae at the Wakanui Sports gathering oloao on Thursday.

Lord Hopetoun, the new Governor of Victoria has a private inoome of £60,000 a year.

"Guilty or not guilty?" aßked a Datoh justioe. « Not guilty." •• Den vat you vant here ? " Go about your piainess.

* The first sod of the Nioaragua Canal waß officially turned on November 10th m the presenoe of the Governor and hia staff and all the foreign Consuls. Of 1549 marriages contracted m Prussia last year between blood relations, 1422 were between cousins, 120 between unoles and nieces, and 16 between aunts and nephews.

The total number of admissions to the Paris Exhibition to the end of September was 20,707,159, and the receipts of tbe Eiffel Tower up to October amounted to 5,553,172 franosi

Conversation m Auckland nowadays, says the"Aaokland Herald," is almost oonfined to the one topic — namely the hard times, how they have been caused, how they are to be cured, and how they are to be endured.

There are half a dozen land companies m New Zealand who own no less than one million aores of land whioh hava an unimproved value of £2,185,614, and the total valne of all the improvements made on this land ia only £150,000.

Our Paris correspondent writing on the 24th says : — Disturbances have taken plaoe at Geneva, and Salvationist oonfliots are beooming so frequent that energetio measures are oalled for; A man had his face out open by a knife, and another was severely injured by a stone. At Lissaob, m the canton of Biiale, the State Oounoil has prohibited all street processions, the hoisting of flags, the use of noisy instruments likely to disturb the peace, and children's meetings.

Immense interest has been aroused m a rural neighbourhood m the South of England by the appearanoe of one of Arohdeaoon Farrar'a daughters m a new oharaoter. She has made her appearanoe before a large rustio audience as a preaaher m a barn. The lady is quite young, and is married to one of the masters of a well-known publio sohool. The breadth of her training is shown by the faot that her husband is a clergyman and attends tbe ohuroh of the parish m whioh she holds forth.

The popular Orooaus of Spain has just died m the person of the Marquis de Urquijo. His executors have paid into the Spanish Treasury succession duties amounting to £96,000 on his fortune, whioh exoeeded five millions sterling. This was gained m fifty years. The owner had begun life as a Basque village lad and died a Senator, grandee and ex-Mayor of Madrid. He left £180,000 m bequests to charities m his native province, many ot whioh he founded himself, and £20,000 for masses for himself.

A nun named Marie Bernardine, otherwise Scour Bernardine, haß juet oommitted euioide under distressing oiroumßtanoes. For three months she had been afllioted with monomania. She believed that God had forsaken her, and that she was destined to everlasting fire. She had been for some time under olose surveillance on the part of ber associates at the religious establishment, but the other day she suooeeded m esoaping their vigilanoe, and leaped out of a window on the third floor. The skull was fraotured, aud death was instaneous.

The " Oamaru Mail " says that great as the benefit will be to woolgrowers and shearers from the introduction of the sheep-sheariog maohines, a far greater boon will be oonferred upon the poor sheep. Visitors to the late show will have observed how neatly the merino wethers exhibited by Mr Borton were shorn. The wool was out off very evenly and olose up to the akin, and yet not a soratoh on the ekin oould be Been. The tar brash with whioh the shearers used to daub the skin outs is not required where the shearing maohines are used.

The "Evening Post" (Wellington), says that judicious advertising has a very extended influence is shown by a letter just reoeived, with an order, from a Sanioan firm by Mr Thomas Ballinger, the well-known plumber and gasn'tter, 6T the Empire Works, Willis street, The correspondent calls attention to the faot that they wish to import their goods from New Zealand instead of from America, as they consider that colonial faotorioß should be able to oompete Buaoessfully with the Oalifornian shippers. They go on to say that if the goods ordered prove to bo as good as expected Mr Ballinger may expect to do a large trade with Samoa.

The following is a true etory about a collie who took a hansom. He was lost m Oxford street:, so after having spent some time m looking for him, his mistress went home, and what was her surprise whon she arrived to see him m the hall. The butler told her the story, and it was this ; — After the dog had been lost he saw an empty hanaom, whioh he got into, and the oabby could not get him but, for he showed his teeth. Oabby oalled a polioeman, who could not move him either, but with some difficulty they read the name and address on his collar, and settled it would be best to drive him to his name. When he arrived the oabby rang the bell and asked for his fare {whioh be of coarse got), and then the butler opened the doors, and the dog jumped out as if nothing had happened.

The report of the Inspector on the exami nation of the Ohertsey School, held on Nov. 15th, ehowß that 46 pupils were presented and one exoepted ; 24 passed and 4 failed. The percentage of passes was 52-17 ; percentage of failures 14*29 ; peroentage m class subjeots 62 5; additional marks 62. In his general remarks the Inspeotor said this small sohool has passed a very good exami* nation. The most noticeable features of the work are the thoroughness and intelligence with whioh not only the pass subjects but the class subjeots are treated. The olass m Standard IV. is somewhat weak; and the pupils of Standards VI. and V. are backward m grammar.

Correspondence is rapidly on the increase m this colony. From etatistios just to hand we learp thus m the year 1888 there Vfoco four times as many letters written as m the year 1875. The numbo'B of letters delivered and posted m New Zealand m that year were respectively 5,053,403 and 5,374,448. In 1888 the numbers were 19,502,704 and 20,895,316. The revenue from letters m }875 waa £122,41)5 18s 93, and m 1888 £258,016 2s lid, or only about double it was m 1875 i It will thus be seen that the revenue has not increased m proportion to the number of letters. In 1888 the number of postal cards delivered and posted was 820,391 and 833,706 respectively,— «« Telegraph."

Our Paris correspondent writes ; — • An amußing episode of the Exhibition oame to an end a few days ago before the Seine Polioe Court. A worthy married oouple, M, and Mme. Daurril, went to the Champ des Mars last week to spend a long day. They took their lunoh and their dinner with them, and during the day refreshed themselves "not wisely but too well." When the luminous fountains began to play a differenqe of opinion arose between the pair respecting the colors of the jets. From high words they oame to blows, and a Municipal Guard, who was rash enough to ♦' take a hand," received upon his saored person praotioal hints not to interfere between m?n apd wife, Both of them attacked him, and both of mem have pajd the penalty. Madame has been sentenced to be imprisoned for a waek and Monßieur for a fortnight.

Mr Dillon's reception m ftunedin was most eathqsiaßtjo. An immense orowd welcomed him on his arrival at the railway statioh, an(l on his way |o the oarriaga whioh was m waiting for him he was enthusiastically oheered again and again, and hats were waved m the air with the greatest vigour. The orowd that flooked ' round the parriage frightened the horses attaohed to it, and m consequenoe of their rearing the traoes were brokon, and without any waste of time, the horsoe were taken out by numbers of willing bystanders, and the carriage was dragged by dozens of stalwart arrtiß along High street and into Prinoes street to Wain'a Hotel, headed by the Ordnanoo Band, under Mr Bobertshaw, playing a march "Lat my name be kindly spoken." All along the route lusty cheers were raised for Mr Dillon by the immense orowd that followed* O.i paesiDg the monvf. ment the cheering wns renewed with increased gusto, and on Mr Dillon stepping from the carriage at the hotel, ha met with a perfeot ovation.

Wo are m receipt of " Zealandia "•— the one magazine of the colony — for the month of Deoember.- This is a Christmas number, and

contains a number of stories by New Zealand authors, an artiolo on the Mueller Glaoier, \ poetry, review of Miss MoKay'a poems, a . chapter on ghosts, eto. It is altogether a I very weloome contribution to the season's I literature. • The performance of "the favoriite opera "The Bohemian Girl" by the SeymourWalshe Company at the Oddfellows' Hall this evening should draw a good house, not only beoause it is seldom that the Ashburton

publio are favored with the opportunity of seeing and hearing operatic performances, but beoause there is no doubt whatever as to the capabilities of the Company who ore to appear this and to-morrow evening,