FLASHES!

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 48, 1 October 1887, Page 3

FLASHES!

Puff gets a show on our fourth page ' The Herald “ star" has departed ! He was sox presented with a testimonial by his many friends I They only wept—tears of joy! Didn't the Hussars cut a dash the other evening ? Why, they look better on horseback than they do on footl One horse thought he would look better without hit rider, but it takes two to make a quarrel! The quadruped succeeded in dislodging the biped from the saddle, but he thought it would be too much of a lark to make him bite the dust! What sagacious animals some 'orees are ! Somebody else will probably be unseated shortly too I A good idea, Drunkards should be bound over tn a certain sum for a certain period. If they get drunk within that time their bond should be forfeited.

The Jubilee Herald states, " it is in possession of private information from England that New Zealand is to have one more knight fin the person of the Colonial Secretary, Mr Buckley) added to its present members." A singular bet is reported from Belzig, Duchy of Anhalt, where a hotelkeeper has engaged to copy, within two years, the whole text of the Bible, punctuation and all, without a single mistake, in consideration of a sum of £lOO. The conditions of the bet are drawn up in legal form before a notary. At Nelson a young man was charged with putting a quantity of Epsom salts in a teaboiler at a Presbyterian picnic. The case was dismissed as the information was wrongly fold. There are about 27.000,000 acres of forest in New Zealand, half being held by the Government and the balance divided between natives and Europeans. At Nelson lately Archbishop Bedwood confirmed 100 young people of both sexes. Since the dissolution of Parliament 500 aliens have been naturalised. In Dnnedin the Education Board prohibit any expenditure of the Committee’s fund for chalk or ink, and the pupils have to pay the cost. The Auckland Bell ascribes the defeat of what it terms the Liberal party, to Sir George Grey. At the declaration of the poll for Napier the crowd would not listen to Ormond, and he thought it prudent to escape by a back door. The natives at Paribaka are arranging for a presentation of 2000 head of cattle to Te Whiti. The population of Great Britain is increasing at the rate of 1200 a day. The mortality among hotel servants is nearly four times as great as that of the clerical classes Fifteen hundred eases of scarlet fever are now being treated at the London hospitals which are filled to their fullest limits. The epidemic is increasing daily. At a concert recently held in Paris in aid of the Opera Comique fire sufferers, there was a good attendance at £4 a ticket. A feature of the polling at Te Aro on Monday was Mrs Menteath driving with the electors up to the polling booth. Elsewhere is the programme of a concert to be given at Tologa Bay on Thursday next. It will be seen that several Gisborne gentle- | men will take part in the entertainment, and as the proceeds are to be devoted to a worthy object—that of raising a headstone over the grave of the late Joseph James, who acted such a noble part in the Tologa river disasters, the affair should prove moat successful. A little incident (says the Bangitikei Advocate) occurred recently which illustrates the shrewdness of the Maori character. A solicitor who had b-*n practising in the North Island, amongst other clients, acted for a number of the dusky lords of the soil. In sending in his bill he had to register some thirteen letters so as to be able to make affidavit of what is legally considered delivery. Some little time elapsed, and then the legal gentleman received from the Dead Letter Office twelve of the missives containing his bill. One of the Maori gentlemen had opened his letter, and finding it to be a bill, had—-to use a sporting phrase—“ given the office ”to his friends, who unanimously declined the « Iters.