LOCAI AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2320, 4 January 1890, Page 2

LOCAI AND GENERAL.

A letter oan now be eont round the world in eixty nine days, via Vancouver. The British Government are ordering guns from Birmingham which ara intended to, throw torpedooß charged with dynamite. It is oaloulated that for the summer trado in England from 40,000,000 to 50,000,000 oyatera ate imported every year, Seedß ol the moat valuable varieties of oinohona are worth £200 per ounoe in Oeylon. Ihere are nearly one hundred thousand in an ounoe. An English correspondent sayß that Sir Julius Vogel has decided to remain in England till the endioi! 1890. The settling over the late meeting of the Tinwald Racing Olud will take place this evening at 9 o'clock at Soott'a Hotel. The central dictionary—in which words are to be pictprially illustrated as well as verba"y defined—is to be completed in 24 parts. It is expected to fill 6500 pages. It is estimated that the average annual deorease of the Indiana in the United S.ates is nearly 2000. Their present total number, elusive of Alaska, is 245,000. The rainfall at Timaru during Deoember is given aB 137 inch; and that for the year 1889 as 15.04 inohes, about half the annual average. The Eev A. P; Davidson, Free Church minißter, having now a ebarge near Peterhead, Scotland, has aooepted a oall as suooessor to Dc Stewart at Edox Church, Dunedin. Lady Atkinson has received a message from I Hobart stating that the Premier is staying at Penguin Bay, and is improving in health. Tbe Premier is to take passage by the Te Anau, due here on the 13th inst. The anniversary services in oonneotion wifcn the Tinwald Presbyterian Church will be held on Sunday. The Eev J. W. Cree, of Leeston, will preach in the forenoon, and Mr Arthur in the evening. Sable Island, in the North Atlantic is fast disappearing. Some years ago it was forty miles long by two and a quarter wide, but it haß shrunk to nineteen and a half miles in length and less than one in width. A notable Maori chief, Hone Waitere, has died at the settlement of hie son, near Kaihihiki. He was the oldest ohief of the Ngatimaniopoto tribe, and was a brave warrior in the tribal wars many years ago. Mr Dineen sailed at our offiae late last night oomplaining that some twenty men after leaving an hotel abont half-past ten obstructed his passage along the footpath. He very rightly urges that this Bort of thing is not oreditable to them or to the town. Our country readers are reminded that Macoabe, ''the inimitable," with Madame Minnia Appear n the entertainment intituled " Begone dull care," and '■ The Magio Statue "on Monday evening next. It ib unaeoesßary to Bay more for "good wine needs no bush." It is thought that the poisoned honey, from which the three Maoris reoently died at Russell, was obtained by the bees from the blossom oi the whauriki plant, which grows n Bwamp land, and at tbe inquest it was I recommended that some of the honey be analysed. Tbe editor of a Japanese newspaper reoently collected statistics of growth from all the Protestant oburohes of Japan, showing their increase during the last three years. From 38 churches they have grown to 151, and from 3700 members to 11,000. " Homioide by impudence" has been added to the list of crimes in the French criminal code. The offence is desoribed as oausing the death of t, man by any foolish act not in itself criminal. Hitherto manslaughter has been regarded in Franoe as so revere a crime that juiciaa have preferred to acquit prißonetß against whom the case was not very Btrong, and this new degree of criminality has been infircduoed to obviate the difficulty. A lady oooupying room letter B at an hotel, wrote on the slate as follows :—" Wake letter B at seven ; and if letter B says " Ic* her be," dont letter be, because if you left r B be, letter B will be unable to let her house to Mr B, who is to oall at half past ten." The porter, a better bootblaok then orthographist, after studying the above alb night, did not know whether to wake letter B or let her be. A reoent issue of the " Police Gazette " announced that as a reward for Conbtable Blaok's pluoky aotiori in capturing the amateur highwayman, George Tillet on the Bakaia Bridge last month, a record of merit had been made in his favour. Constable Black has been in the police force for over twelve years, and has an excellent record. As he ranks only bh a seoond class Constable, it was anticipated|that his pluoky oonducl(would have gained him promotion.—(" Lyttelton Times,") Mr Hunt, Wakanui road, has brought to our offioe a very beautiful bouquet of carnations containing eighteen distinct varieties, pure white, seHrColored, striped and splashed which were all grown in an open border from a single threepenny packet of seed purchased at Messrs Scaly Bros. Mr Hunt is very fortunate as we have known of seed costing as much as two guineas an ounce producing , nothing but single blooms. Their old track having kindly been plaoed by Mr A. Orr at the disposal of the Oyoling '- they have oat no time in ge tinp; it up Cluu -r eatisfaetoiy condition, The old j o it^ form..- " -xjuordingly again becoming [ ?por>B ground is -- -of wheelmen taking I * busy soene, numbers .. -^tice and con-1 advantage of the track forprtu. «« om t j,e I stitutional spins, and, judging u> .""-'■• enthusiasm displayed |by the various naflrej there is no doubt that the approaching me SiDg will tUiO OUt R big fcU.QQ.ess, I

A Floral service is announced to be held in the Primitive Methodic Churoh to-morrow afternoonjat 3 o'olook.

Attention is directed to the fact that Mr Multby, the champion oyolist, appears for the last time this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall.

That Australian literature is really begin niag to be fully appreciated here, says the " European Mail," is obvious from the fact that Mr Vinoent Pyke's "Wild Will Enderby" has already run to a third edition.

A Hobart cable announoes the death of the Bciv Dr W. Nicholson, aged ninety-six, whom it describes as " the founder of the Presbyterian Church in Tasmania." This, we are informed, ianot correct. Dr Nicholson wae the first Minister of the Free Church of Scotland in that colony having been fbr many years pastor of Chalmers Churoh, Hobart.

Chrietohuroh papers contain an interesting account of a wonderful feat performed by Mr Q. Park, of Hokitika, footballer and oanoeist, who has made a canoe voyage from Hokitika to Kaiapoi carrying the canoe over the dividing range and doing the remainder of the distance by way of the Hurunui to the Bea and thenoe up the Kaiapoi river.

Following is a preois of a number of tele* grams for which we have not room in full:— Mr W. T. Doddß euooenda Mv, Stronaoh as manager at Dunedin for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Aganoy Company.—Mr 3. H. Stephenson, the footballer, son of; the well-known Dunedin auctioneer died ;jesterdeiy from imnammatian of the bowels the result of a oold oaught at the Tokomaiiiro races—The report of Mr G. Wilaon, (Inspector of Mines) on the Pubipuhi silver field is unfavorable.— Ship Forfarshke .arrived yesterday at Port Chalmers 100' days from London,

The " Press" of this morning announces the death ot the Yen. Oroasdaile Bowen, Airohdeaoon of Ghristohurch, and Inoumbent of St Peter's, Kiaoarton, which ooourred yesterday afternoon. The deoeased gentleman was suddenly seized with a severe illness whiah proved 10 be paralysis of the brain, during the delivery of a sermon in his parish church abont six weeks ago. Believing that a change would benefit him, he was advised to take a change of air and scene. He therefora travelled, via Kaikoura, and Blenheim, to Wellington, but returned in an unimproved state of health. He gradually grew worse, and despite oareful nursing and the unremitting attention of his medioal advisers, Dra lirving and Hf.ood, he died as above stated. The deceased gentleman wbb 68 yeara of age. Etis unole is one of the oldest clergymen in England, being 89 yoars of age and is still strong and vigorous. One of hie cousins is Mr Justioe Bowau, and another is head master of Harrow.

The usual sports were held at Methven oa New Year's Day. Unfortunately a oold souwest rain oama on soon after the start and lusted till about three whiah spoilt an otherwise very enjoyable day. The raoea were all well contested and no protests were entered. The prinoipal events were Hurdle Baue won by Welah's Lotto,|Tiernay'a Irish Rate seoond. Trot Mr Lyne's Tommy Ist, D. Quin's Fanny 2nd. Plate, Lotto Ist, Van Breeze 2nd. Purse, Van Breeze Ist, Lord Sligo 2ad. Hack Bice, Wild Rose Ist, Gornedge 2nd. Consolation, Lord Sligo Ist, Oornedgfl 2ud, Hurry Sourry, Boy Ist, L»mplighter 2nd. Athletics: 100 yds race A. Henderson Ist, Opie 2nd; Mile, O, Walker Ist, Opie 2nd; Hop, titep and Jump, HenderBon Ist, Mangin 2od; 440 yds, Mangin Ist, Opie 2nd; Hurdle Baoe, Henderson Ist, Mangin 2nd; High Jump, Mangin let, Henderson 2ad.

The annual gathering in connection with the Flemington Presbyterian Ohurou Sabbath School took plnoe on New Tear's Dayi For the first time in ita history the day turned out very wet, and an adjournment was made from Mr MoArthut's umbragaoua grounds to the Sohoolhouae. Here great amusement was yielded by domestic games, and an abundant spread was provided by Meadamea W. Anderson, J. Dunn, H. Anderson, and others. The reward books were awarded as usual on a principle explained by Mr Dunn, the superintendent, and were given away by Rev A. Blake, who also addressed tbe young cm lessons derived from " The Lilies." The chairman referred to the recent bereavements by which the congregation had baen deprived of two young people of promise.' He also acknowledged their obligations to the toaohete, and gave a word of encouragement to the elder scholars. Several selected pieoes w.6re very nicely sung by the children, Miss Stewert presiding at the harmonium. After a hearty vote of thanks, moved by Mr James Oroy to the teaobere, and by Mr Dunn to the ladies, the meeting alosed coon after sir,