The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, AUGUST G, 1880.

Dunstan Times, Issue 955, 6 August 1880, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, AUGUST G, 1880.

o BeneatJttherule of men entirelyjvst< ten is mightier than i/iCSWOUD

As an evidence of the mildness of tlio season the almond trees are bursting into flower, and peaches and all other trees and shrubs are very forward. It is to be hoped there will be no late frosts, as they would create groat havoc. Mr Fache reports that prices realized for cattle at German Hill on Tuesday last was on the whole satisfactory, though at the same time nothing to boast about. The cattle sold were a mixed lot, and the price was somewhat about fifty shillings per head.

Mr Pyke, in the debate on the education vote, termed the education system a “pauperising system,” and one of the most illiberal Acts ever passed in the House. Ho advocated a return to the old Otago Provincial system and charging school fees. Between thirty and forty officers of the Telegraph Department have received notice that their services will bo dispensed with on August 31. At the last meeting of the Maniototo County Council, the recommendations of the Commission on Public Works in reference to the Otago Central .Railway, was most deservedly abused, and the following motion of Mr Cr. Shannon was unanimously carried : —“ That this Council is of opinion that the report of the Commissioner on Puhhc Works, so far as it relates to the Otago Central Railway, is not reliable ; that it is misleading in its character, and utterly without foundation in its statements ; and that the abandonment of the works, as recommended by the Commission, would be a serious blow to settlement in the district, and against the best interests of the Colony'. That a copy of this resolution be telegraphed to the Government, and to the Member for the District.” The death of Mr D. F. Main is recorded. Mr Faohe requests us to draw attention to the sale on Tuesday next, at Clyde, on behalf of the Government, ot waggon, harness, &c.

A ploughing match wo are informed is arranged to take place on Friday the 27th inst at Mrs Milhvard’s White Horse Hotel. These gatherings do a vast amount of good and we shall hope to see assembled on that day representatives from the surrounding districts.

At Lawrence, Arthur O’Neill has been committed to take his trial at the District Court there on the 20th instant, for fraudulent bankruptcy. In the Assembly Mr Pyko was granted leave to introduce a Bill to amend “The Education Act, 1577.”

The Victorian Insurance Company has just declared a dividend of 100 per cent. The following is a good way of preparing rabit skins Lay the skins on a smooth board, the fur side undermost, and tack it in every direction with tined tacks. Dissolve two ounces of allnm in a pint of water, and with a sponge dipped with this solution, moisten the surface all over ; repeat this every now and then for three days ; when the skin is quite dry take out the tacks, and rolling it up loosely the long way, the hair inside, draw it quickly back-

wards and forwards through a large smooth ring, or anything-of a similar kind, until it is quite soft, then roll the contrary way of the skin, and repeat tho operation. Skins prepa-ed thus are useful for many domestic purposes. The ship Hydaspes recently sunk off Dungeness, contained a supply of refrigerating apparatus for consigning frozen meat to England, for which trade «tu> ima intended. She also had on board aquantityof English meat and salmon to test the process for long voyages. Tire telegram recently, about the robbery of a gold escort at Port Dawin was somewhat foggy. A late telegram says that the whole o f the gold, about 200oz, has been recovered, and Trooper Edwin Dugald Fergussou has been committed for trial on the charge of committing the rubbery. It appears that the officials at Southport are all on friendly terms together, and on the night preceding the robbery the postmaster, the police troopers, and others were sitting altogether as usual. When it got late the postmaster locked up the gold and afterwards went to bed. In tire morning tbe gold was found to have been stolen from tiie sate. Trooper Fergusson made a pretended search for ihe gold, and found the wrappers buried in a Chinaman’s garden about 400 yds from tbe post office. He arrested six Chinamen and the cook at the post office, and took them to Palmerston. Whilst be was away his follow trooper, having suspicions of Fe.-gusson, said he would examine Fergnsson’s box. lie did so, and found the missing gold in it. He made up the gold at once, and carried it to Port Darwin, where he arrested Fergusson. “Heading,’Kiting, and ’Kithmetic” in some up country schools are being threatened by a powerful competitor as regards their fascination for the youthful mind. A country teacher, writing of one of his truant pupils, says “He hates the three R’s ; but there is a fourth that he loves with a love that never grows cold, and that is, Rabbiting.” The writer of “Postscripts in the Star says :—The Hon. Mr Peacock must indeed be a bold man to rise iu tho Legislative Council and endeavour to induce members to forego tbe receipt of the honorarium. Ho found his efforts about as much appreciated as if ho had proposed “ grace before meat ” iu a thieves’ kitchen. Sir Dillon Cell, who lias a palate seasoned for years to the enjoyment of State salaries in one form or another, led the attack, and was well supported by tho leading representatives of the “wealthy lower orders,” who unfortunately form the bulk of the Council. When the question was put Mr Peacock was tho only “ aye,” all tho rest “no,” and, without doubt, they, on this occasion, voted strictly in accordance with their consciences. Tim "V nm All n n /-.I tvilinf. —i.

The Jsapier gaol must he a very pleasant place of residence. A man for repeated drunkenness was sent up there recently for a week, and when he came out he conlidcd to a friend that if it was not for his character he would not object to stop there for good.

An almost incredih'e hut well authenticated story has been cabled from New York. Ur Tanner, a member of the medical profession of that city, avowing his belief in the possibility of sustaining human life without food for much beyond the ordinarily accepted time, has undertaken to attempt the feat of fasting for 40 days. His proposal was accepted, and arrangements were made for a thoroughly soiontilic test. Ur Tanner has already fasted for 25 days without taking food of any description. lie has boon most strictly watched by qualified persons, and the utmost precaution taken to guard against deception. lie is much weaker, hut still is hopeful of accomplishing the 40 days. The experiment has excited intense interest among the medical profession and public generally. The Bishop of Manchester said recently at Ashton-under-Lyue that there was no harm in a duke having his LIOO,OOO a year if he made a good and worthy use of is, as many dukes did ; the harm came when they lived, as to-day many did, selfishly anil without any thought of the misery existing around them. There were people living today in cellar dwellings in Manchester, in hovels in Ashton and other towns, eating offal, clothed in rags, and not spending as much on their sustenance as the rich man’s horse or hound cost. That kind of thing we had to deplore, and it was a kind of thing which had before now become intolerable.

A case illustrative of the extreme folly of tampering with cheques or other valuable instruments, is thus related by the Wellington Chronicle : —An elderly man, rejoicing in the uncommon name of Brown, belonging to Carterton, came to town a feudays ago, and chanced to become short of funds. lie had an account at the Carterton branch of the Bank of New Zealand, and resolved to draw out a cheque for a sufficient sum to take him home again. Not feeling equal to the task himself, he induced a companion of his named Fawncs, to go to the hank and draw a cheque on his behalf. Fawnes foolishly consented, and drew a cheque for Lls, idgning his name as “ James Brown.” Suspicious as to the genuineness of the transaction, the bank clerk promptly gave information to the police, and ho was arrested and charged with forging and uttering. The charge, however, broke down this morning on Brown coming forward and explaining the whole of the circumstances. The magistrate administered a severe rebuke to the prisoner and then discharged him. The few days’ incarceration which Fawnes has undergone will probably deter him from again signing cheques with the names of his friends.

At Wellington the following petitions has been reported on by the Committee Petition of John Marsh.— “The petitioner states that, owing to the powers conferred

on municipalities by the Municipal Corporation Act, 187G, which enables those bodies to diminish the width of streets and sell surplus lands, he has, by the action of the Corporation of Cromwell, in the exercise of those powers, been ruined. lie prays the House to grant him redress for the injuries he has sustained.—The Committee are of opinion that the petitioner has no claim against the Colony for compensation for any loss he may have sustained through tho action of tho Corporation of Cromwell.

The children of the Catholic School at Tuapeka last week made a presentation to Miss Horan, the teacher, on the occasion of her retirement from its superintendence.

Great excitement lias been caused on the Turf by a rei elation which has been made that Ben d’Or, the Derby winner of 18S0, had been changed as a yearling with Tadcaster, another yearling belonging to the Duke of Westminster, the owner of both. The Jockey Club will not interfere, but Tattersall’s, it is expected, will declare that all bets on the Derby are not affected. A certain English nobleman was lately dining at a Pasha’s where he was the only European guest, the others being Turks and Egyptians of distinction, A t dessert some delicately flavored liquid— meant to be drunk—was served round in little glass bowls. The Englishman drew the very natural conclusion that these bowls were finger glasses, and ho forthwith proceeded to use them as such, whereupon the other guests, as well as the master of the house, also washe 1 their lingers in what had been served round as a drink. They felt that the discovery of his mistake would be painful to the stranger, and they therefore did as he had done—truly delicately sensitive politeness! Now that the Anglo-Tsrael theory is being so keenly agitate 1, time is an old story which will bear reviving. At a meet i«S in the West End of London, where a lecture was to be delivered on the subject of the “Lost Tribes,” a noble lord, just out of his teem, but very old in profligacy, was called upon to preside. He introduced the lecturer somewhat in tbe following words : —“ Ladies and gentlemen, 1 take a gweat, a very gweat intewest in tbesnl ject of I lie Ten Twibes, and if Mr can toll us where they are now doing business I shall be vewy gwateful. Fact is i have borrowed all I could from the other two twibos, and the discovery of ten more twibes would be a perfect Godsend.’

There was a neat trick carried out at one of Hie recent Home elections. During the time polling was going on at Kettering, it was hardly safe to display Tory colours, for if the wearer himself did not suffer, it was odds ou tlie ribbon being torn off. One old fashioned Tory, though, walked into tlic middle of the bads with a good stout piece of oak and a blue rosette as big as a cheese plate. Ho had not been there three minutes before a couple of roughs

went for the ribbons No sooner had their lingers got a good hold than a couple of howls and a volley of strongish language arose, for old True nine had carefully

mixed up four or five good strong fishhooks with the Tory ribbon. Nobody tried to collar his rosette again that day. A Sydney paper is responsible for the following story regarding Bishop Mom-house Ills periodical tours through his diocese, lately put up at the house of an hospitable resident in the north of the Colony. The host was a Presbyter! m, who had never seen a bishop before, Ushering his distinguished visitor with the greatest politeness into the best room to remove his overcoat, &e. The tiled ecclesiastic streohed his limbs on the sofa. ‘Won’t your lordship take off your leggings ?’ queried the host. ‘ No, thank you, was the reply as the bishop touched the sacerdotal gaiters, T never take them off -till I go to bod.’ ”

The Press concludes an article on School Penny Banks as follows :—“lt is no doubt desirable, we admit, that people should bo taught the necessity of thrilt and carefulness. In no part of the world, indeed, is the lesson more needed than in New Zealand at the present time. Wo have been extravagant to the last degree, both in our public and private expenditure. But that wo should for that reason do our host to convert all our children into mean and close-fisted misers is a course from which we entirely dissent. A country, the majority of whose children were regular depositors in the Penny Savings Banks, would be unfit to live in. Tt might, we admit, in time he prosperous, but the prosper! I y would be secured at a heavy sacrifice.”

As a result of Kearney’s agitation in San Francisco, the Chinese are migrating eastwards in large numbers, and ere long Chicago, St. Louis, and even Now York, may each have its China town ami enjoy the privilege of having to keep the peace between the Irish and the Asiatics. That their competition in the labor market will be exceedingly keen in some directions is already clear. As hotel servants, laundrymen, and cheap cobblers they soon make tbeir way. But the remarkable part of the whole thing is the small number of Clunamen who have contrived thus to create an alarm which 4,000,000 of negroes have never excited. It is calculated, according to the statistics furnished to the commission appointed to look into the question, that there are in the United States fewer than 100,000 Chinamen, and of late the influx has been stopped. It seems incredible that so trifling an immigration should bo viewed with such alarm by the miners and artisans of the Pacific Slope. Yet if the respectable citizens had not joined together the Chinese would almost certainly have suffered severely before this. The fact is that, monstrous as is the object of Kearney’s agitation, and shameful as are the means used to promote it, there is a deeper antagonism than that merely between two wage-earning communities—the conflict be-

tween two civilisations. The Chinamen always maintain their isolation, never really j mingle with the people, and their secret socioties and peculiar mode of life set the po- 1 palace against them almost as much as their i readiness to take low wages. If many of them do get into the eastern cities there will lie trouble there too.—Town and Country Journal. The I’olic Court, which was crowded to suffocation on a day named, was somewhat enlivened for a brief space of time by the eccentricities of an old offender named Joseph Brennan, charged with the larceny of three trowels from the premises of Mr Finlaysou on the 23rd inst. Previous to going into the dock, prisoner created an outburst of laughter by handing over a game rooster to a constable, who had requested him to mind it in Court. tn answer to the Bench, he said he supposed he must plead guilty, because it was no use contradicting what the “gentleman in blue” said. He went on to say that he had only just come out of gaol, and of course had the pleasure of police attention. Once he tried to clear out of the town, but Bail way-constable Mav, when he saw him at the station, told him to “clear out of that.” He wished to know if it was proper that a constable should speak in that ’.ray to a man who had faught and bled for his country? It was not, and was only another illustration of what Bums said—that “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousan Is mourn.” The laughter conequentupon this statement was intense, and it was some time before order was reestablished, notwithstanding the stern erics of “Silence !” from the police. After Inspector Fox had detailed the nature of the offence, and hail given the accused a thoroughly bad character, the magistrate eentenced him to a mouth’s imprisonment with hard labor.—Southland Weekly Times.