Local and General.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1011, 2 September 1881, Page 2

Local and General.

The English mail, via ’Frisco, arrived in Clyde last Tuesday morning,

Letters of naturalisation have been granted to Ah Hack, a Chinese storekeeper at Cromwell

We hear that Mr A. C. Thompson will stand for Wakatipu this election. Mr Finn intends retiring into obscurity. It is reported that Sir George Grey will, at tho forthcoming election, contest either Mr Hall’s or Mr Rolleston’s seat.

A HEAVY gale of wind visited Clyde on Wednesday morning last, and did some slight damage to two or three places.

Mr A. Hamilton, legal manager of tho Dunedin Gold Dreding Company (Limited), makes application elsewhere to register tho above company under the Provisions of “The Mining Companies Act, 1872.” We leam that a resident of Perth, Western Australia, has found on the coast near East Albany parts of a ship’s bulwark with “K N 0 WS” upon them. Its supposed to bo part of tho wreck of tho missing ship Knowsley Hall.

The contractor for the first section of the Otago -Central railway has succeeded in driving the first tunnel on the line to a depth of four chains. The nature of tho ground is very unfavorable to the progress of driving operations. Mr P. Harrington's Clydesdale entire horse will travel this season through the Blacks and surrounding districts. It is tho intention of Mr J. MoNaugton to travel his draught horse, Native Industry, in tho Clyde, Alexandra, and adjacent districts. —See advertisements.

The heaviest fall of snow that has been experienced in Clyde for years past occurred on Monday morning last. The ground was covered to a depth of 4 inches. A thaw followed quickly, however, and on Tuesday morning not a vestige of snow was to be seen on the low-lying country, although, of course, the adjacent hills were covered.

We regret to leam that the late tempestuous weather has been the means of the death of several valuable young cattle pasturing on the Clyde Commonage, and that several others are at the point of death. If a few gum-trees were planted on the commonage, they would afford shelter to the animals depasturing thereon, and probably in the event of a recurrence of the late inhospitable weather, very few, if any, cattle would auffar from it.

We direct the special attention of our readers to the following, clipped from an Auckland paper: —“Now that another quarter has ended, wo would advise some of friends to sing the following song : I blows, I sows, I reaps, T mows, I cuts up wood for winter ; I digs, I hoes, 1 ’taters grow, and for aught I knows I owes the printer. Ido suppose all knowledge flows right from the printer’s press ; so off 1 goes, in those ’ere clothes, to settle up, I guess.” A meeting of gentlemen was held last Friday evening, when it was resolved to form a Curling Club, aid the following officers were appointed Mr J. Keddell, President; Mr J. E. Stevens, Vice-presi-dent ; and Mr Heney, Secretary. It was decided to send Home to the Royal Club in Scotland the names of theoflicers and members, so as to secure a loyal Club medal for competition. Prom fhe fact of there being so many enthusiastic skaters in the district, the club should be a success.

.A public meeting was hold at the Port Phillip Hotel, Clyde, last Wednesday evening, to determine when the Spring Meeting of the Dnnstan Jockey Chi') should ho held. Dr Leahy occupied the chair, and a goodly number of those interested in sporting were present. After some necessary routine business had been transacted, it was resolved—That the meeting be held at Clyde on October 14; that Messrs Attfield and Leahy canvass the district for subscriptions ; and that Mr Dickie be Secretary,and Dr Leahy Treasurer, of D.J.C. The meetingthen adjourned till next Wednesday, when the report of tho Collectors will bo presented. Muck regret is expressed at tho death of Mr Michael Murphy, of the City Hotel, Dunedin, which took place last Saturday, The deceased will bo remembered as the proprietor, in the early years, of the Shamrock Hotel, Dunedin ; at an earlier date as being part proprietor of the Shamrock Hotel, Sandhurst, and, still earlier, as the proprietor of tho Shamrock Hotel, Ararat, Victoria. Deceased was a man of strict integrity, and was highly respected by all classes. Mrs Mnrphy at tho time of tho death of her husband, was in Melbourne on a visit to her friends; and at first it was contemplated removing the body there for interment; it appears, however, that other counsels have prevailed, and deceased will bo interred in the Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.

The Registrar of Electors notifies elsewhere that tho office of Registrar for tho electoral district of Dunstan is situate in the R.M. Courthouse, Clyde, where ho will bo in attendance from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. We do hope that all those possessing the necessary qualifications will at once have their names enrolled. In tho case of tho coming election should there bo two candidates for the suffrages of tho people, then will it be seen—but too late, however—tho urgent necessity for all and sundry girding on themselves tho armour allotted to them by a paternal Government, and by which they are enabled to raise their voices in the case of any act of unjustice (or otherwise) being done to the district. No possible harm can result if all enrol themselves but the greatest good ; therefore, we hope to hear that tho majority—if not all—of our friends have had their names placed on the new roll.

The people of Waimate arc going in for a woollen factory. Arsenic is being used for destroying rabbits in Victoria.

The snow was six inches deep on Tuesday morning at Naseby. England will probably be again drawn into the Afghan trouble. The Governor is to leave for Fiji in the second week of September.

There are new claimants for the Tichborne estates from America. The tunnel under the English Channel will bo completed in live years time.

By a boat accident in Akaroa Harbour on Friday last two Maoris lost their lives.

The Oddfellows’ and Foresters’ Lodges in Roxburgh have appointed I)r Wallis as their surgeon.

The Town Clerk of Invercargill is spoken of as a probable candidate for the Awarau electorate.

The North Glanmire reef, Queensland, recently yielded SCCOozs. of gold from 181 tons of stone. The Government have taken first and second fawards in connection with the Crystal Palace Wool Show.

Four thousand shares in tho East Coast Native Land and Settlement Company have been applied for in Oamam. By a burglary in Melbourne LOGO worth of jewellery has boon stolen from a prominent pawnbroker’s establishment in Bourko street.

Many ladies are following tho fashion set by tho Princess of Wales in riding on the opposite side of a horse to that which it is customary to mount. The new bridge across the Clutha River at Balclutha is rapidly nearing completion. The bridge will bo opened for traffic within three months from date. The b.s. Orient will take Homo from Melbourne 3800 sheep and a large quantity of beef from the Freezing Co., being tho largest shipment yet attempted. A Londoner possesses an African dia-mond-weight, loz.—which is finer in color than the Koh-i-noor. The owner has been offered £150,000 for tho bauble.

A Christchurch telegram contains tho information that Charters, the defaulter, has been caught in a fishing smack off Bristol, with LISOO in his possession.

Judging from appearances, the seat for the new electoral district of Wallace will be keenly contested. Already four candidates are announced, and rumor hath it that there’s more to follow.

The Timaru Labor League are by no means a happy family. The other day they declared the office of secretary vacant, and the ex-secretary is about to initiate proceedings for defamation of character.

The “Lyttelton Times” correspondent hears that Mr Ormond is prepared to move another want-of-confidenoe motion if Government goes on with the Railway Construction n»d one or two other Bills.

Whitelaw, of Mount View Asylum notoriety, has gone to Sydney, where he says a Government billet has been provided for him. Better for society if this cowardly hound had been sent to prison for life when lately charged with cruelty to his patients. The portion of the Chistchurch Cathedral now all but finished will be opened on October 27th. The peal of ten hells is being erected, and it has been suggested that when they are in position the spire be connected by telephone with Auckland and Dunedin.

A Greymodth paper says as much as L2O per week per man has been made for a short time on the North Beach lately by the black sand washers, though the usual has not averaged more than Ll a day ; but its a great deal more than had been obtainable for some time past. Theatrical managers are often taken aback when they read in the newspapers the takings during their stay at this or that place ; but we fancy that Mr Cary will almost get frantic when he is told that, according to the correspondent of one Otago journal, he has cleared £6,000 during a fortnight in Dunedin.

The Rev. Dr Ellis (Anglican) of Sydney characterises most clergymen of the present age as a time-serving and lazy lot, who, instead of going into the “ highways and byways” to try and influence those gone astray to good, prefer to study themselves by visiting only the rich, and what is colonially termed “ the upper ten.”

A violent thunderstorm has occurred at Ararat, Victoria, during which a lad was killed by lightning. The lad with his aunt sought shelter under a tree, and both were struck by the lightning and rendered insensible. The electric fluid jaesed down the lad’s body and burnt his foot. The woman was much burnt, but will probably recover.

In view of the fact that the General Estitimatesaro just touched, the Public Works Estimates not even approached, the Repre. sentation Bill only on the threshold of Committee, the Railway Bill not even read a second time, the Property Tax Amendment Bill and Customs Tariff Bill not yet introduced, while there are 91 bills and 22 notices of motion on the order paper, it does not look as if the prorogation would take place early next month, as hoped and expected. There must either bo a tremendous “ massacre of innocents,” or else the House will have to sit at leastjtwo months longer. lx his speech lately, when he was talking against time for the purpose of stonewalling the Representation Bill, Mr H. Bastings is reported to have “described the glories of the South in glowing colors, and of his own district of Waikaia in particular, and declared that Otago was a land overflowing with milk and honey. Ho would take a bird’s-eye view of those portions of the colony with which he was acquainted. Take Nelson : If it had been in England instead of here, with its Italian climate, it would be tho resort of multitudes of pleasure and health-seekers for three months during the year. Nelson was capable of making enough jam for the whole of Australasia. Then only look at Wellington : What an elysiura! One never became weary of its gentle zephyrs and sunny skies. All it required was the railway which was projected by the late Government. Auckland, too, was the land of tho olive and the vine.” Oh, dear ! What a vivid imagination our light-spirited friend Bastings must possess!

A case of some interest to newspaper proprietors was heard in Chritchurch last Friday. The proprietors of the “Lyttelton Times ” claimed L 4 3s Sd as a charge for inserting advertisements in the “ Star ” for the defendants, Taylor and Co. The facts of tho case brought out in evidence were that a contract had been made with defendants to insert an advertisement for a term, with the privilege of altering it occasionally. The advertisement ran two months, and was then altered. When the proprietors of the paper found that in its new form it was libellous, or at least very objectionable, inasmuch as it reflected on another tradesman, they refused to insert it and said they would rather lose the adverthan do so. Taylor refused to alter it, and ordered it to be withdrawn and asked for the account, which when rendered he refused to pay. Tho Resident Magistrate said he considered plaintiffs were perfectly justified in refusing to insert in their paper anything objectiouahlo to other people. They had made a reasonable request to the defendant, and it was absurd to expect a newpapor to render itself liable to an action at law. Judgment was given for tho plaintiffs.