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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3249, 30 November 1881, Page 3

The usual weekly gun drill of the Artillery Volunteers takes place this evening at the gun shed. Mr Justin M'Sweeney invites the electors to meet him at the Theatre Royal on Tuesday night, December 6. Mr John McDougall will address the electors of Napier this evening at the Theatre Royal at 8 o'clock. Mr Sutton addresses the electors at Te Aute to-night, and Captain Russell holds his meeting at Maraekakaho. We would remind owners of racehorses that the nominations for the Handicap Hurdle Place, and for the Publicans' Purse at Petane close at 8 p.m. to-morrow. There will be a special evening service held at 7 o'clock to-night at St. Andrew's temporary church, Port Ahuriri. The sermon will be preached by the Lord Bishop of Waiapu. Professor James desires us to state that he has no intention of leaving Napier, but has made up his mind to raise his own herbs, as he is well aware the climate is admirably suited for their cultivation. At the conclusion of Mr Sutton's address last night at Petane, Mr H. Mackenzie, amidst great applause, proposed a vote of thanks and confidence, but Mr Sutton at once rose and requested that the word " confidence" might be left out of the motion ; he preferred the confidence of the electors to bs shown in the ballot-box. Mr Sutton is quite right. At Ormondville the electors have carried unanimous votes of confidence in all three candidates ! From enquiries made we learn that there are between fifty and sixty cases of measles amongst the children attending the Napier district school. More than a month ago we stated that this disease had made its appearance in the school, and, perhaps, if the committee had taken some precautionary measures, the illness might have been prevented from spreading. As the usual holidays commence in about a fortnight's time, we should recommend that the school be closed at once. A bolt occurred this morning by which a number of drain pipes were smashed. One of Tait and Mills' horses attached to a cart laden with pipes rubbed his headstall off, and thus getting an unaccustomed view of surrounding objects became frightened and bolted. Starting from the side of Messrs Banner and Liddle's auction rooms he rounded Messrs Kennedy and Gillman's offices, and brought the cart with such force against the curb-stone at tho corner that both cart and horse capsized against the iron fence at the back of Messrs Ruddock and Fryer's premises. A correspondent thinks that Captain Russell is one who cannot be bothered with small men and small things. When Mr Gillies exhibited his interesting collection of model machinery, his own workmanship,

he asked for tho patronage of the two Napier members and of His Worship the Mayor. Mr Sutton and the Mayor having satisfied themselves of the character of the exhibition gave the patronage that was asked, but no notice of the request was taken by Captain Russell. Straws serve to point tho way the wind blows, and it is the little things of lifo that show a man's character.

At tho Resident Magistrate's Court today, before H. Eyre Kenny, Esq , R.M., Thomas Smith was fined 5s for drunkenness, or in default 48 hours. John Coglan, for a breach of the peace, was fined £1, or three days' imprisonment. Henry Haryott, for a similar offence, pleaded guilty, and was fined os, or 48 hours. George Hobbs, for obstructing the police in the execution of their duty, pleaded not guilty, and the charge was dismissed. Lina Hoff, charged with the larceny of two shawls of the value of £1 15s, the property of James Wood, was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor.

The pugnacity of the imported minahs is extremely funny, but affords no sport to pigeons. Every now and again a flock of minahs will invade a pigeon house, and overpowering the peaceful inhabitants by superior numbers will kill some, blind others, and enter into possession. The surviving pigeons will cling to their old home, and in a few days a treaty of peace will be agreed upon and the minahs go away, but only to come again in the course of a month. One settler informs us that out of all his pigeons he has only one that can boast of retaining both its eyes. The minahs, however, are the most useful insectiverous birds that have been imported.

It is not very well known how the common street sparrow came to this colony, for no Acclimatisation Society has imported a single specimen of the breed. Some years ago the Christchurch Society entered into an agreement with the Captain of a trading vessel by which he was to bring out several dozens of hedge sparrows. The captain knew enough about birds to distinguish the difference between a parrot and a crow, and so brought out twelve dozen London sparrows. These the Society refused to take, and out of pity to the birds the Captain gave them their liberty in Lyttelton harbor. From there these destructive little wretches have spread all over the colony.

The following civil cases were disposed of in favor of plaintiffs in the Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday after our reporter left : —S. Pell v. H. Brierly, claim £30 8s 10, judgment for £19 12s 2d; George Spratt v. William Rose, claim 10s; H. Renouf v. F. A. Wilson, claim £5 ; Neal and Close v. Henare Tomoana, claim £41 16s, Mr Lascelles for plaintiffs ; J. Leonard and Co., v. Nepia Hapuku, claim £5, Mr Cornford for the plaintiff: J. C. Taylor v. Aparama, claim £46 16s 6d ;J. S. Jones v. William Jensen, claim £2 ss, defendant agreed to pay the amount by next Tuesday ; judgment was reserved in the case of Helander v. Roper, and Roper v. Helander ; Large and Townley v. W. E. W. Morrison, adjourned for a month ; Neagle v. Hollins, judgment for defendant with costs; Donovan v. Catanagh, claim £6 Is for improperly pounding cattle, judgment for £3 with, costs.

In these days of political excitement everything one has ever done, and many things one has never done, are charged against candidates. Last night we heard that a meeting of persona who suffer from the depredations of small birds was held at Taradale, and as Mr Sutton was for the last four years secretary of the Acclimatisation Society he is blamed for introducing smaU birds, linnets, sparrows, &c, and this is a political sin in the opinion of some people. We are assured by Mr Sutton that the society during the whole time he has been connected with it has not imported a single bird of this class. When these nuisances were imported the society was managed by Messrs Ormond, Tanner, and Tiffen, and if there is any ground of complaint on that score they and not Mr Sutton are responsible. The society never imported sparrows, but it did import green and brown linnets. We do not think Captain Russell had much to do with it, but Mr Sutton certainly had no hand in it.

The Canterbury Jockey Club invite applications for the office of secretary. The salary is £150 a year, and Bervice will be required on the Ist February, 1882.

A trial, lasting over a period of ten months, has been made by the engineer of the Lyttelton Harbour Board of the merits of Newcastle and New Zealand coal, the result of -wHich is 15 per cent, in favour of the latter.

At a recent examination at a school not far fromJLondon a young tyro in declamation who had been told by the teacher that he must gesticulate a piece with " The comet lifts his fiery tail," lifted the tail of his coat to a horizontal position, to give effect to the words of the poet.

The special correspondent of the Advertiser estimates the average yield of the South Australian wheat harvest at six and a half bushels per acre, which, on two million acres, will give a surplus of 243,000 tons. The total crop is estimated at 4,400,000 bushels more than last year.

The Ohinemutu correspondent of the Bay of Plenty Times writes: —"Judge Fentcn has come and gone. I believe he has succeeded in selecting a site for the sanitarium near Sulphur Point, also sites for telegraph and police stations. It is said the sale of the Thermal township will take place in February."

The Wellington Advertiser says : —" Te Whiti was born at Ngahauranga, in 1834. His father, Wharekauri, was killed in an encounter with an English sailor. The old man's sons, Te Whiti, and his brother, who now lives at Petoni, turned a canoe over their parent's grave, which is to be eeen even to this day."

The Aucklaud Herald learns that the Loan and Mercantile. Agency Company have, in the most liberal manner, given a gratuity of £150 to the widow of the late Mr George Brown, in their employ as messenger, who was accidentally killed by falling through the verandah skylight of their premises the other day.

Both the Sy3ney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Argus have leading articles approving of tho action of the New Zealand Government in regard to Te Whiti. The Argus, in concluding says :—" Mr. Hall and his colleagues, especially the Native Minister, Mr. Bryce, are to be congratulated on the complete success of their firm though conciliatory policy."

According to a New York payer a notable event in racing annals lately occurred in Saratoga. A horse race there was won on coffee. It seems that it is not unusual to give spirits or wine to- horses before racing, but a quart of coffee before the second heat, and a pint before the third enabled the horse that was out of sorts, and lost the first heat to win the other two.

A curious circumstance occurred many years ago, when a testator in England left £2,000 to a friend, but with this condition that one-half the sum should be buried with him in his coffin. The legatee took advice on this matter. " Where is the money now ? " asked his friend. "In the bank," was the reply. " All right," said the adviser, '*' write a cheque for £1000 and put it in the old gentleman's coffin, payable to his order."

A late home paper says :—The toll-gate keeper at Alcbington was surprised the other day to find a brewer's dray at the gate, and the driver sitting in his place apparently indifferent to everything surrounding him. Closer inspection revealed the fact that the driver was a corpse. It was evident the man had been dead some tune, and it is supposed that the horse's knowledge of the road enabled him to continue ori the journey without guidance until he reached the close toll-gate.

Wo clip tho following paragraph from, the New Zealand Herald anent the recent burglaries in Auckland:—" The alarm in Auckland about burglars is becoming

really absurd, and is not very creditable to our reputation for courage and common sense. A gentleman residing in Newton, who had seen, or thought he had seen, a suspicious-looking character on two occasions in his garden, purchased a revolver to be ready for the next visit. The gunmaker told him that was the fourteenth revolver he had sold that day." It appears (says the Christchurch Press) _, that, in addition to ordinary females may find employment in assisting J at the Magistrates' Courts. Failing to obtain the usual interpreter at the Kaiapoi Magistrate's Court on Monday, a very respectable Maori woman was sworn as interpreter to assist in translating the evidence in a larceny case, which she did with evident care, and delivered the judgment of the Court quite as impressively as it came from the lips of the Resident Magistrate ; in fact, Merehana Hemiona, or Mrs Mary Ann Simmonds, acquitted herself most satisfactorily in the new role. A severe frost, (pays the North Otago Times) by which a great amount of damage has been done in the district, occurred on Sunday night. The potato and other crops have been injured to a great extent, and this is more apparent inland than near the sea. It is hardly possible that the potato crop will recover the shock thus sustained, for the want of raoisturehaschecked growth. Beans, &c, have also Buffered badly. The frost has come at a time when growers were becoming dispirited at the absence of rain, and its appearance can hardly be expected to raise their spirits. One grower informs us that several varieties of potatoes har stood the frosts fairly well, while others again have almost succumbed to its blighting effects. One of the new home varieties has been almost destroyed. Nature is one vast garden for the utilization of science, and its products, culled by skillful hands, can be readily applied to medicinal purposes. The meanest shrub, that grows by the wayside, hath a virtue % that, intelligently comprehended, may be turned to profitable account. The world knows the intrinsic properties of the celebrated Juniper-berry, but it remained to one original conception, so to extract, and compound its marvellous essences, as to generate that equally wondrous restorative, known as Udokpho Wolfe'b Schiedam Abomatic Schnappes.—[Adyt.] Book debts in the estate of John Myhill must be paid forthwith. All claims against the ship Hermione must be rendered by noon on Monday next to Kinross and Co. Messrs Monteith and Co sell at the Horse Bazaar on Saturday next horses, vehicles, * * produce, &c. A bankruptcy notice re John Lewis and E. M'lSab Plank is inserted. A Church of England Sunday School will be opened on Sunday next in the Good Templars Hall, White road. To-morrow (Thursday) Messrs Kennedy and Gillman will sell by auction, at 12 o'clock, 30 cases oranges, 90 sacks oats, also bacon, pollard, &c. Mr McSweeney invites the electors to meet him on Tuesday next at tbe Theatre Royal. Messrs Monteith and Co. have draught, light harness, and hack horses for sale privately. Crape goods are almost being given away at Blythe's " Stall" to-day. A number of new advertisements will be found in our " Wanted " column.