Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume IV, Issue 76, 29 November 1883, Page 2

Local & General News.

st Friday next being St. Andrew's Day will be observed as a Bank holiday. We regret to learn that Mr Jnmes Linton, of Palmerston, is seriously indisposed. A letter from the Town Clerk, Mr G. C. Hill, dealing with the publication of the Borough half-yearly balance sheet, will appear in our next issue. The Earl of Carnarvon and other gentlemen have purchased 512,000 acres of land in Western Australia. The Earl has also property in this district. The meeting of creditors in the estate of Mr Lingard, brewer, held at Wanganui, on Tuesday last, assented unanimously to his discharge being granted. The members of the Makino Brass Band had arranged to hold a picnic with dancing and games on Boxing Day. We are ghd to learn, however, that they have, on mature consideration, decided to abandon the idea, as they considered it would clash with the Feilding Annual Sports, to be held on the same day. The long talked ot and much needed low-erini*- of the culvert h. Manchester st. will soon be an accomplished fact. The work was commenced tbis morning by Messrs A. Gardner and Cornish, and when finished should settle the vexed question of the drainage of the adjoining properties. Weather permitting, there will h» a practice match on the cricket ground on Saturday afternoon. It is proposed that members whose initials occur in the first half of the alphabet shall play those whose initials come in the second half, and if players will only roll up the sides should be well matched. Wickets will be pitched at 2 o'clock. , It has been calculated that to make the 950,0*00 tons of paper annually required for tbe supply of the world, 430 days' medium flow of water down the river Thames would be needed. And to supply all printers with beer for one day would require the flow of the Mississipi for one hour and 30 minutes by the wateh. A day or two ago a child about three years of age. son of Mr Cur.i«, of Taonui, fell from a stump while playing. Tbe fall caused a dislocation of the shoulder, and also of the elbow. The arm was also fractured. Dr Lightbourne was quickly in attendance, and we are glad to bear that the little fellow is likely to be soon all right again. Ah Young, a Chinaman, was brought up at Greymouth yesterday, for killing his mate, Ah Jim, at Baxter's Creek, Moonlight, and grievously wounding Ah j Loi. The instrument used was a Chinese I chopper. His victims were dreadfully hacked. There is no motive for the murder, and the murderer appears to have been seized with a sudden frenzy. Writing of the last meeting of the Wanganui Education Board the Chronicle says: -The discussion yesterday absolutely bristled with accusations and iuunendoes of immoral conduct ou the part of persons now or lately iu the service of the Board; and as the matter was rai-ed purely by way of personal explanation, and had not the sligbest connection with any other business before the Board, we think it better for the sake of all parties to withhold a report of the debate. We would call particular attention to the horse sale to be held by Messrs Halcombe and Sherwill at Morphy's Horse Repository here on Saturday next, at one o'clock. The entries are numerous, and some valuable animals will be brought under the hammer. These Kales are intended to be held monthly, and judging from the attendance at the first one. held a month ago, wben the weather was exceedingly unfavorable, the sale on Saturday will doubtless be largely patronised. ' The steamer Jane Douglas met with an accident on Sunday afternoon which might easily have caused the total wreck of the vessel. She left Foxton at 5 a.m., and had reached the neighborhood of Karori Rock, between Terawhiti and Sinclair Head, .when she suddenly stripped all the blades off her propeller. Captain Fraser did the best he could under the circumstances, by hoisting sail and standing off as well as'he c >uld. Tbe Tui shortly afterwards hove in sight, and* tpwed her back to OJiau jßay. where She anchored ior , the. night. ■■.. The cause of the accident was not known at the time of writing. V

Three hundred guns protect the Thames and Medway. One fort near Sheerness has 44 guns, ranging from 12 to 38 tons. Under the operation of the Edmunds Act depriving polygamists of the suffrage, uearly 15,000 Mormans have been disfranchised in Utah Territory. There has been added to the collection in Lady Btassey's case at the Fisheries Kxhibition, a casket containing tbe 48 guineas which were in Lord Nelson's pocket at the time he received his fatal wound at Trafalgar. It is said that 20 per cent, of the tea imported into the United States is of a quality unfit to drink, and injurious to the health of consumers. In New Zealand the average is believed to be much higher. There will be a meeting of the Horticultural Committee at the Manchester Board's office on Saturday evening, at 7 o'clock. Members are requested to be punctual as this will be the last meeting bofore the show, and sub-committees have to be appointed. A notice of some interest to all engaged in housekeeping appears in another column, bv which it will be seen that our local purveyors of the staff of life have unitedly resolved that their charges on and after Saturday next will be 8d for 4 pound and 4d for 2 pound loaves whether for cash or otherwise. ' It is an established fact that no master baker in the Colouy knows the meaning of the term " French loaf," as applied in the Adulteration Act which comes into force on Saturday next. The member who introduced the Bill must have evolved the term from his own inner consciousness. A new claimant for the invention of the telephone has appeared. So early as 1854 Charles Borseul, a Frenchman, is reputed to have invented the telephone as it is now, and published his discovery in the autumn of the year mentioned, hut as the. inventor was too poor or too weakminded to advertise, he has failed to reap auy benefit from his discovery. Again there is bad news for smokers. Two well-known French chemists have published an analysis of tobacco smoke, in which they find, first, prussic acid, and secondly, an alkaloid of an agreeable odour, but very dangerous to breathe, and so poisonous that one twentieth part of a drop destroys animal life. This alkaloid appears to be identical with collidine, which has previously been observed in the distillation of organic substances. Oa' Monday evening last, Mr Quinn, who has been for some years connected with the Railway Department, at Foxton, | and has now been promoted to Wanganui, | was entertained at a dinner he.d at BerkefeJd's Manawatu Hotel. At the conclusion of the banquet Mr C. H . McLean proposed the health of the < guest, and read a testimonial bearing witness to the high estimation Mr Quinn | was held in by the subscribers. A feeling reply was male by Mr Quinn. The funeral of the late Mrs Lewers , took place yesterday afternoon. At two o'clock the people -egan to assemble, and shortly afterwards the cortege moved away from the house. The chief mourners were, the husband of the deceased, and her two brothers, Messrs Francis and Robert Loudon. Then followed four vehicles, and foity horsemen, amongst whom were settlers from every part of the district who had assembled to pay a last tribute of respect to the memory of a most estimable lady. On arriving at the cemetery, the burial service was given by Mr Hinman, of Waverley, who made a most impressive address, which was listened to with marked attention hy those present.