Local & General "News.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 38, 1 September 1883, Page 2

Local & General "News.

The excess of exports of American merchandise over the imports .luring last year is estimated at 17,000,' ! OOdols.

There are now being built in England 784 iron or steel vessels, the estimated tonnage of which is over one million tons.

Mr Daw has had erected near his residence, in Hobson street, a neat street lamp, similar to those of the Borough. It is lighted from 7 to 11 p.m., and is intended chiefly for the convenience of the town uaad in goin^ to and from practice. The Empress of Austria lias ordered a printing press, and is going to print her own poems. Many a poor poet, who can get no one else to do it, would be glad to follow her example. It i 3 devoutly to he hoped that Her Majesty won't jam her royal fingers when " locking up" her " formes" or make too much " pie." We would remind our local cricketers that the annual general meeting will be held at Eoe's Hotel on Thursday next. In the interests of the club, it is to be hoped that all lorers of the game will roll up and that many honorary \nembers will be added to the list this season. The advertisement calling the meeting appears in another column.

A boy named Clement Managh, about 18-months old, was drowned yesterday at Halcombe. It appears that his mother missed the child, and on going to look for him discovered him dead in the creek. Dr Johnston, who was in attendance on another patient in Halcombe, was called in, and he found life was extinct. An English workman, Joseph Bayley, recently lost his two horses with which he earned his livelihood. His clergyman, the Rev. R. Euck-Keene, raised £9 by subscription to buy the man a new horse, and retained £7 of it for tithes that were due, thus putting the money in his own pocket. The angry subscribers are talking of an action against the Rector for obtaining money by false pretences.

Mr J. W. Thomson, speaking in the House the other day, said — Everyday of our life we send £7000 out of New Zealand in the shape of interest. We have for years past been paying out very large sums of money. For the last fifteen years we have, according to the showing of the Treasurer himself, been paying every day £4650. This has been going on increasing, and now we send Home as interest £7000 per day.

A certain laird met one of his gillies in a remote district, the which constituted an excellent apology for casting to the four cardinal points the restrictions ordinarily enforced by considerations of position. " What will you take to drink ?" asked the laird. " Just whnteffer ye he takin' yourßel' Mr McKenzie", readily replied Donald. "I was thinking of having a pale ale," said the laird. " Ay, an' I'll pc thinking I'll lak an pail of ale too I" was the modest rejoinder.

The unfortunate man whoee leg was broken in Bartholomew's bush on Thursday last, is named John Wells, and not John Low as reported. We are glad to be able to stale that Wells is doing as fairly as can be expected. As there is a large family dependant on tire sufferer for their daily bread, and the source from which, supplies were obtained is thus suddenly stopped, this accident is peculiarly unfortunate. The neighbours are showing every kindness, but something more will have to be done, to relievo the necessities of the family.

lYie L'uuedm Tablet slates th»t i Messrs W. Redmond, M.P., and J. W. Walsh leave Melbourne for Auckland en September 6th, and that Mr J. E. Redmond, M.P-. will follow in due course. Queen Victoria's lameness has beeu entirely .cured, but according to report? up to 7tli July, her mental indisposition ; still continued. The London Lancet of i the 12th July, however, says there is | nothing in the Queen's condition to excite the slightest unxiety. A. London cable message states th.it the JYevf Zealand Shipping Company's otwitcred steamship lonic had arrived at Plymouth on th» 2tth instant. This represents a passage of 44 > days from Lyttelton, including all > stoppages en route, the quickest Homeward ruu ever yet made froaa New Zealand. I The prejudices entertained by English j brewers against Australian hops are j unabated. It is asserted by them that : the shipments forwarded are weak and ill cured, and 300 of the bales remain unsold. l The prospects of the English crop are [ more favourable. It i.< estimated that the yield will be 700,000 cwt. A most horrible occurrence is reported from Mmgaroa. A child aged about two years, belonging to Mr Dundas, was worried by a sow yesterday morning, i The unfortunate infant was seriously i injured, part of the face being eaten away and one of its eyes destroyed. It has ! since transpired that the child was missing for some hours and it was only after a weary search that it was found in the bush. In America it is customary to bury the bodies of the dead in metal caskets, instead of in wooden coffins, as is done with us. The Atlanta Constitution in a recent issue mentions a case where a man named Jones had two children buried at Atlanta. Subsequently he moved to another part of the country, and having prospered there, 35 years after the burial of his children wro'.e to friends at Atlanta to have the bodies of his children exhumed and forwarded to where Ive resided. This was done. The metal caskets were found to be quite sound, and on the face-plate of one being opened, it was found that the body of the little one was in an excellent state of preservation, and prest nied quite a wax-like appearance in e\ cry respect. There were no symptoms of decay, though it had been ao long numbered with the dead. The reniaikable preservation of the body is not aacounted for.