Local & General News.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 25, 1 March 1884, Page 2

Local & General News.

Three million sovereigns were coined in Me bourne last year The "black list" of ***an Francisco eives 22 homicides and 70 suicides during 1883. The Hon. John Bryce was a passenger by train last night en route for Wellington. An old lady being ask^-d to subscribe for a newxpasper, declined on the ground tliat when sbe wanted news she manufactured it herself. A Dunedin paper is compelled to confess that the expensive railway bridge being built there might be done without. £250,U(X) is to be spent on the Dunediu station. Mr ! ay. the coroner for H«*mel Hempstead, died suddenly while on his honeymoon tour in France, rive days after his wedding, '-rhe heat aud burden" of Mrs Day proved too much for him. We have to acknowledge receipt of the February number of the Industrial Gazette, published by Messrs Edwards and Green, of Wellington. It contains the usual amount of interesting and instructive matter. We make the following extract from the Manawatu Standard : — The following telegram was received on the 271h by the Secretary of the Acclimatisation Society, after having applied a week ago to tbe Colonial Secretary to know if the season could be open d for native game and hares on March Ist; — "Game notices n»t issued yet. Manawatu always a separate district from Wanganui." Those intending to shoot on Saturday will do so at their own risk, as the season here is not yet opened. -H.J.Lloyd, Secretary M.A.S. The advertisement of The Great World Circus appears in another column. The show will be exhibited at Palmerston to - night, and at Bulls and Marton on Monday and Tues - day nights respectively. The courteous auent has asked us to apologise to the Feilding public for not inviting their patronage this trip, and to state that it was entirely owing to a miscalculation as regards the mileage between Masterton and Woodville, which caused the loss of the day intended to be spent in Feilding. The omission will be repiired on the return journey. We learn that a most peculiar, and at the same time destructive insect (says the Marlborough Times) has made its appearance in the vegetable gardens this year. The msect — a flying one — is described as having a body about the thickness of a match, and two small horns at the tail end. It usually settles on the under leaf of the veeetable it attacks and deposits a multitude of eggs, which, as soon as they come to life perforate the leaves with holes about the size of a bullet. The insect has never been seen before in this district, and is doing great damage to the vegetable crops. The Auckland Star's London correspondent writes: — I paid a visit the other dav to what some of the London papers call the "newly-opened depot for the sale of New Zealand mutton," at London Bridge. The "depot"' is, however, onlj a poulterer's shop, and when I was there the stock uf Sew Zealand muMon consisted, as far as I could see. of three or four hind-quarters, which looked slab-, dirty, and far fruui prepos.>essing. After this sight, I was not surprised when the shopman told me the meat did not have a very ready sale. The prices were 7£d per lb. for fore-quarters, and B£d for hind-quarters. There was a meeting of the Horticultural Show Committee held at Mr Bray's oifice last nisjht, wbich was well attended by the members. H. L. Sherwill, Esq.', . presided. A good deal of business was done. Sub-committees were formed to carry out the programme of the show, to be held on Wednesday next. A letter was received from Mrs Stewart, of Marlon, tendering prizes for needlework done by the schoolchildren. The gifts were gratefully acknowledged, and the secretary stated he would properly inform Mr Dowling, the schoolmaster, who would convey the intelligence te the scholars who desired to compete. A donation from the Dramatic Society of £1 4s 2d was also thankfully received, and devoted to a. first prise for " Devioas " and sa addition to the prise for apples Mr $. Goodbehere was appointed one of the . judges for flowers.

As we go to press a number of members of the Manchester Rifles are match firing at the butts. Another lawsuit said to be on the tapis is that of Staite v a Pa merston resident fur seizing and selling the law books of a scholar. " I always," said the editor, as he brushed the hair back from his noble brow, "I always write my jokes with a pair of scissors." We understand that the lawyers' harvesting commences shortly, and Mr Wm. Whisker's hay, seized at the suit of Mr Haybittle, is likely to yield a good crop. Mr Staite has been instructed to commence proceedings in the District Court for illegal seizure. The cricket match, Rangitikei v Oroua County, is proceeding as we gc- to press. The weather is splendid, and there is an unusually large attendance of spectators on tbe ground. The Feilding Band is discoursing sweet music. The match is proceeding with considerable spirit, and the scores stood thus up t0 2. 30: — Rangitikei, first innings, 42. Oroua, first innings, 4 wickets down for 71. We are glad to learn that Major Willis has so far benefitted by the visit of Dr Wilford, who was summoned from Wellington to attend him, that no fears are now entertained of his recovery. He has* however, deemed it advisable to retire from all public duties, and with this view has resigned his membership of the Rangitikei County Council. We learn by telegram tbat a Vigilance Committee has been appointed at Hawera to work with Auckland and New Plymouth in watching the interests of the Taranaki-Auckland Railway. We commend the people of Hawera for their pluck, and wish that a little of their determination could be infused into the people on the Manchester Block. Lord Boron's signs of short life art* quick growth ; fair, soft skin; soft, fine hair; early corpulence ; large head, short neck ; small mouth, fat ear, brittle separated teelh. Some of his signs of long life are slow growth, hard course hair, rough, freckled skin ; deep furrows in the forehead, firm flesh, with veins lying high ; wide nostrils ; large mouth ; hard gristly ear; strong contiguous teeth. He adds that early grey hair is not signi ficant. some of the longest liven have turned grey in early life. A nesv enemy to tho grape has made its appearance in the vineyards in and about the Manchester Block. Mr William Nicholas had been noticing, for some few d-iys, a sudden and unaccountable destruction of the grapes as they approached ripeness. On making an examination he discovered that the cause was a small caterpillar. He brought one of them down to the meeting of the Horticultural Committee last night for inspection. Several of the most experienced vine growers declared the pest was an entirely new one. We observed that, of its kind, it was the most active and muscular we had ever seen. It attacked a grape, which was placed before it, with avidity, and soon made its mark perceptible. We have reason to think that it is the same creature whicli is playing such havoc with the peaches.