LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2326, 11 January 1890, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An eleotrio launch in England recently made sixty miles without recharging the accumulator, An eleotrio fire engine, which can be tapped for service whenever wanted, is the latest invention. The "Peking Gazette " asserts that 190 of its editors have baen beheaded* The journal in question claims to have been in existenoe for a thousand years. Messrs W.H. Gollins and 00. call attention in another oolumn to extensive arrangements whioh they have made for this season's coal supplies. The looal chemists announoa that after Monday next they will oloaa their plaoea of business at 8. p.m. instead of 9 p.m. as heretofore, except oq Saturdays and Sundays when the hours will be as usual,Hostler: " Young man out there waste ter hire a spirited hoaa for the afternoon." Liveryman: "Fellers as ask for spirited bosses don't know nothin' 'bout hoaaes. Give him old Bet." The ofSoial estimate of the population of I the United Kingdom in the middle of 1889 is 37,808,892. Of this number England and ' Wales oontain, it is presumed 29,015,613 persona, Scotland 4,077,070, and Ireland 4,716,209. On Thursday a boy, named J. Bossiter, whose hat was blown ofl whilst he was Btandiag on the platform of a railway oarriage as the train was nearing Waikari, jumped ofl after it. He esoaped with nothing worsa than a slight abrasion on his forehead. The " Presß " learns from a private Bouroe that owing to the large area of wheat sown in the Wanganui and Bangitikei districts the wheat export from the North Island is likely to assume considerable dimensions, Already one large ship, oapable of oarrying 20,000 sacks, has been ohartered to load wheat for home from Wellington. ' At Graferth, Sileßia, a large ohandelier I holding petroleum lamps fell in a crowded 'ballroom. The lamps exploded, and the clothing of a number of men and women was set on fire; In most cases the flames 1 were extinguished, but two ladies were burned to death. Several of the injured ones will be I marked for life. Mr Gladstone, on one occasion in a speech, told a story illustrating the want of humour among Englishman. Aooording to the exPremier, a ball and conoert were gotten up by \ a olergyman in order to provide the parish I with a hearse. This has b?en nearly outdone -, bf a ball which was held at Dingwall, in ! Boss-shire, Scotland, in order to provide an j operating table lot the Rosa Memorial * "

A memo from the Press Association informs us that the New South Wales land lines were interrupted this morning.

For the information of Roman Oatholio friends we are requested to state that the Very Esv Paiher MoNamara, V.G., and Father Lane (Wellington), who are on a vmt to the Rev Father Ohastagnon, will officiate at Ashburton on Sunday (to-morrow).

At a meeting of the Tailors Union at Ohristohuroh it was stated that Messrs Parker and Tribe had refused to aooept the union log, but submitted one of their own whioh waa considered too low. The matter has been referred to the Trades and Labour Council. The threatened difficulty with the Eaiapoi faotory, has been amioably settled,

Mrs E. Williams, wife of Mr Edward Williams, a carter at Lyttelton, was found last night unconscious in her room, an ounoe bottle of chlorodyne being on the table. She was still unconscious at 9 o'clock, but the doctors hope to restore her. Family and financial troubles are supposed to have oaused her to at tempi suioide.

The " Rangitikei Advocate" has been shown a splendid staple of wool olipped from a Lincoln hogget 16 months old by Mr James Board, of Wangaehu. Its length was one foot nine inches. Mr Beard has shorn a Lincoln ram of his own breeding, whioh olipped the astonishing quantity of 341bs of wool.

An investigator of monumental brasses has discovered several that bear reoords of singularly large families. One of the reoords is from Heldon, Yorkshire, as follows:—Here lieth the body of Williom Stratton, of Padtington, buried the 18th of May, 1734, aged 27, who had by his first wife 28 children, and by a second 17; own father to 45, grandfather to 86, great-grandfather to 97, and great-great-grandfather to 23; in all 251.

A very green couple from the oountry attended the theatre tha other night, and after they had taken their seats the young man began to look over the programme. " I say, Mary," he exolaimed with a sudden start, "we can't see this play out. "Why, John, what's the matter?" asked the girl in disappointed tones. " Why, look here, this bill says three weeks elapse between the first and seoond acts, and I've gut to git home by to-morrow to attend to cutting that oorn in the field."

The cuteness of Amerioans is proverbial. A resident of Malton, Nevada, recently teamed a couple of barrels of whisky, with great seoreoy, up to his claim. Just before the daylight, he emptied their ooptents into the basin of a small, slowly running spring near his door, and a few hours later invited his fellow squatters to sample the natural (!) whisky souroe. That day he disposed of his claim to a hastily formed syndioate, for 8000 dollars in gold dußt, and nuggets, and thenhe went away from Malton, Tbia story has the merit of being perfectly true.

A paper that resists the aotion of both fire and water has, it is said, been recently invented in Germany by Herr Ladewigg. The manufacture is aooomplished by mixing twenty-five parts of asbestos fibre with from twenty-five to thirty parts of aluminum sulphate, and the mixture is moistened with obloride of zinc and thoroughly washed with water. It is then treated with a solution of one part of resin soap in eight to ten parts ot a solution of pure aluminum sulphate, after whioh it ib manufactured into paper like ordinary pulp.

A raoent letter from Odessa states that never within the memory of the oldest British resident there had soon intolerable heat prevailed in this region of Southern Russia as at the date of writing* Deaths from sunstroke ooourred almost daily, even among the native laborer S. For ten days the thermometer never registered less than 144 degrees at noon* One day it waß 130 in the shade. On one day alone 21 oases of bites from rabid dogs were received at the station, and during twenty days no fewer than 38 oases of hydrophobia ooourred within the city, and were treated by Pasteur's system of inoculation,

The Hungarian Government bas become the owner of some 10,000 publio-houses and inns throughout the oountry, by the redemption of the rights formerly possessed by the landowners and communes for rctaling wines and spirits. The cost of the redemption will be defrayed by raising a special loan of between seventy and eiahis_»« Jlliai* fl»«no, and the greater number of the public-houses will be relet, the diffsrenoe between the new conditions and the former consisting in the introduction of State control. A considerable number of the publio-houaes will be oloaed, and the buildings will be converted into public sohools.

The Ashburton Oyoling O!ub held a meeting last evening in the Qrange Hall, the captain in the chair, The meeting was well attended and most enthusiastic throughout. After a long discussion it was resolved that the Olub hold their annual race meeting postponed from New Year's Day on Wednesday, February 12th. It was also agreed to add to their former programme two foot races open to members of the Amateur Athletic Association only. The members also congratulated the Sports Committee npon the good condition of the racing track on their own grounds. After two new members were elected and several aooonnta passed for payment the meeting olosed. A orioket match was to have been played yesterday between a team from the R.M.S. Aorangi, and one of the local Olub, but owing to the heavy weather which prevailed at Lyttelton, Captain Sutoliffe, who is visiting a friend in Ashburton, was the only representative of the vessel who pat in an appearance. A soratoh match was however played, sides being chosen by Messrs Dixon and L F. Andrewes, and despite the boisterous sou'wester a pleasant game was enjoyed. The scores were:—Dizon's team, 67 ; Andreweß' team, 65. T. Sawle, 22, and Dizon 10 were the chief eoorers for the winners, and on the other side Denshire, who made 27 waa the only one to get into doable figures. G. Andrews and Dixon trundled effectively for I the winners, and Strange and Captain Sutoliffe were the most successful of the other team with the ball.

The annual tea meeting of the Tinwald Presbyterian Ohuroh was held on Tuesday evening in the Templar Hall. The tables were presided over by Mrs Arthur, Miaaes Arthur (2), Miss Diok, Mrs Blake, Miss Blake, Mrs Rutherford, Mrs Johnson, Mrs Raidy, and Miss A. Oairnoross. After the company had partaken of the abundant supply and excellent; spread of good things, an adjournment was made to the ohuroh which was crowded to the door. The Rev A Blake was aooompanied on the platform by the Revs J. W. Oree, J. Boothroyd, A. M. Beattie, and Mr Sawlef ThestJ entlemen all gave interesting and appropriate addresses, which were attentively listened to. Special interest attached to the address of Mr Oree, who is a comparative stranger, and fuve a telling speeob. The choir assisted by friends, rendered in a pleasing and effeotive way seyeral musical selections. Miss Minnie Allan presided at the harmonium. Daring the evening Mr Blake called on Mr Arthur to come forward. That gentleman was then presented with an illuminated address, nicely framed, expressing the regret of the Tinwald frieccE in p .'ting with Mr Arthur, and their high appreciation of his services. A presentation waa also made of a very handsome teapot and biscuit jar, which Mr Blake hoped Mr and Mrs Arthur would aooept with their best wishes for thejr comfort arid buoobbs in their new and enlarged sphere of usefulness. Mr Arthur replied in feeling'and appropriate terms, and after the usual votes of thanks had been cordially given the meeting was brought to a close.