GENERAL ITEMS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 542, 23 September 1881, Page 3

GENERAL ITEMS.

.Small-pox continues to prevail in Sydney. President Garfield died on Monday, at Long Branch. Mv F. P. O'Reilly, solicitor, Ashburton, has been committed for trial for an assorted libel on Mr J. Ivess the former proprietor of the Akaroa Mail. Much excitement has been caused in the United States by an attempt make at Washington to assasinate Mason, the guard in whose custody Charles Jules Guiteau, the would-be murderer of President Garfield, has been placed. He was shot at by some unknown person, and very narrowly escaped. UroN an exunination being made of the frozen beef by tho Protos after thawing, it was found that the meat wmr tainted in the centre. This disappointing result is attributed to the mistakes made in tho original freezing of the meat in Melbourne the treef either being frozen too soon after killing, or being frozen too rapidly, so that the external surface was hard, whilst the centre of the carcase was unfrozen.

General Chester A. Arthur, who succeeds to the Chief magistracy of the United States, was born in Albany in 1831, and is consequently in his fiftieth year, precisely the age of the President. Mr Arthur always look an active part in politics, bis political life begining when, as a boy of fourteen, he proclaimed himself a member of the Whig party. During the Polk Chy canvass party feeling in favor of Henry Clay and against him rose so high that few were exempt from its influence. Mr Arthur commenced his business life by becoming a partner with Mr E. D. Culver as a lawyer in New York, and afterwards obtained considerable legal celebrity by his connection with the Leuunon Stone case. He was a Republican from the time of the organisation of tho party. He was Quartermaster-General of the State of New York during the war, and, afterwards re - tiring into private life, he formed a law partnership with Mr Ransom. Mr Phillips, the district attorney of Now York, was added to the firm, and Genera! Arthur now stands at the Head of the firm of Arthur, Phillips, Kuevals, and Ransom. He always took a leading part in State and city politics. He was appointed collector oi the port of New York by President Grant. November 21st 1872. to succeed Thomas Murphy, holding office until July 20th 1878, when he was removed by President Hayes because he was accused of being in the way of the success of the reform of tbe civil service. Being a warm personal friend of Senator Conkling*_ He managed much of the senator's political business in New York State and city.