The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1880.

Kumara Times, Issue 1075, 11 March 1880, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1880.

There was a good attendance at the Public Hall last evening to hear Mr R. S. West deliver one of J. B. Gough's celebrated temperance orations, which he did in-a manner that proved he was thoroughly conversant with his subject and also possessed the gift of being a pleasing and interesting elocutionist. During the evening several of Moody and Sankey's hymns were well rendered by a choir who were present, the marked approbation at the termination of the oration plainly demonstrating that the audience thorouglily enjoyed the entertainment. The Westland County Council yesterday refused to entertain the application of the Borough Council of this town to contribute the sum of £2O towards the reception of the Minister of Public Works. Messrs Sandle and Lang were yesterday appointed by the .Westland County Council as the representatives of that body at the conference to be held here during the present month on the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill. Tenders are invited by the County Council for extending Thompson's Arahura bridge for a distance of about 72 yards. The specification of the projected work can be seen at Mr Seddon's store, in Seddon street. . ;,-' • Another consultation on the Christchurch Great Autumn Handicap is announced by Mr Cookson, an interest in which can be obtained on application to Mr Gilbert Stewart. When' the final stage of the last match for the rifle championship of New Zealand was fired, oh Saturday last, there was great excitement, as Okey was one of the last to lire, and required to make 20 to win the belt. He made six bull's eyes at GOQ yards, and then the crowd cheered him to the echo. This seemed to unnerve him, and he finished with an outer. This is the grandest finish that has.evei? been made for the championship, arid not a single "Volunteer on the ground begrudged Okey his position. Twice on the same day he made 100 at the same ranges out of a possible 112. Rogers, who took

the third agp-egate i: glace, is the : only competitor.; who secured a prize in every match fired. Mrs Fisher has not been the only extralacky individual in the drawing of this year, for, according to the -Tapanui local paper, a well-known shoemaker there named James Lyons has, to iise a sporting phrase, again "skinned .the lamb." Not satisfied with winning a j £IOOO prize last year, in company with Mr Mulville, on Calamia in the Melbourne Cup, he this year joined issue with Mr Duff, and drew Roseberry in Cameron's sweep on the Dunedin Cup, £73. This performance was followed by drawing "Mata" in the Press sweep, £IOOO. A few good "doubles" to the time of hundreds followed) and tie Tapanui sportsman lands a handsome stake. . The Canterbury Chess Club held its opening meeting for the season, at Christchurch, on Monday evening last,- with a match Married v> Single. Messrs Tattered (president), Hookham, Moore, and Peez represented the married men, Messrs Malcolm Jacobsen, Lund, and Mainwaring the single men. The Single players lost three out of the four games, and the fourth (Tancred v. Malcolm) was drawn. Archbishop Lynch, of Toronto, Canada, who recently visited Europe, makes a startling suggestion, which, if it should prove true, will affect the population and future prosperity of not only Ireland but Scotland, the Orkney and .Shetland Is» lands, and the northern division of England. His theory is that the Gulf Stream has within a short period imperceptibly and positively changed its course, and that, consequently, atmospheric changes will presently become so great that the skies will be perfectly overclouded in those longitudes and latitudes ; the rains will be constant, and that the sun will rarely if ever be seen. " If this theory," remarks a daily newspaper, "bo verified, Ireiand will be hardly worth possessing, and the greater part of the population will be compelled to emigrate." " Thare is nothing new under the - sun" 13 an adage which has its exceptions. The newest thing in sleeve-studs, says a northern paper, has just been imported by an enterprising local jeweller. They are in the form of squares of platinum, covered with white enamel, on which is stamped, in a microscopic form the title-page of Punch, or a page of the London Daily Telegraph, and the news can be comfortably read off with a good glass. A man. may" wear his heart upon his sleeve for daws to pick at," but he would scarcely be suspected of wearing the day's doings upon his sleeves, yet the trick may be done. Tlie set of sleeve studs we inspected yesterday contained a page of the Daily Telegraph, with all the English and Continental news. Washing day, it is said, will soon lose half its horrors ; for by a recent discovery clothes n>ay be made to nearly wash themselves." The inventor is Mr JV Corcoran.who sends the following to a Sydney newspaper :—" It is little known that each household almost possesses a perfect washing machine, viz., a tin funnel. My plan is, take an ordinary tin funnel, and bore say half a dozen holes | of any size round the rim. Place it then in any vessel containing boiling water, add to the water the ordinary amount of soap and soda; then, presuming that the clothes are steeped as usual over-night, put them in to an ordinary boiler, keep it boiling, and in twenty minutes they will come out thoroughly washed. Tliis principle is a death blow to all patent washing machines as it is of universal application, and upsets a practice in vogue from time immemorial, . It has only to be tried to astonish the whole world, and I am proud that the idea should start from Australia." Should any of our readers give Mr Corcoran's invention a.trial we shall be glad to learn the result as the directions are of the vaguest nature. It is a curious fact (says Bell's Life) that of the four generals now commanding in Afghanistan not one is an Englishman.Three are Irishmen and the fourth: a? Scotchman. These gallant Hibernians, however, do not seem to get on very well together. Gough and Roberts, indeed, are said to be on the very worst of terms, and, although: these unhappy personal differences will be merged in sense of duty at the crisis, yet they must to some extent hamper the movements of both generals. It is allowed to doctors to differ, but even in their case it is rather awkward for the unhappy patient if his attendant physicians all hold different opinions as to the nature of his ailment and of the right remedy to be employed. With generals, harmony is indispensible to success, aud it is well for us, perhaps,

that in the face of this incompatibility of temperament on the part of our generals at Cabul our foes are riot more than they are. '-■ '" A census of the foreign residents in China-taken in 1878 gives the following particulars.; English, 320 arms, 1963 persons ; American, 35 firms, 420 persons ; German, 49 firms, 384 persons j French, 9 firms, 224 persons ; Dutch, 1 firm, 24 persons 5 Danish; • 2 firms, G 9 persons; Swedes and Norwegians, 1 firm, 35 per* sons; Spanish, 1 firm, 16S persons; Russians, 17 firms, 55 persons; Anstri : ans, 1 firm, 38 persons ; Belgians, 1 10 persons ; Italians, 17 persons ; Japanese, 9 firms, 81 persons; sundry, uncertain, G firms, 341 persons. The number of firms engaged in commerce is 351, and the total foreign population is 3314. The population of the treaty ports is estimated at 4,990,000.

The heaviest snorer we ever heard of is the man whose-wife woke-him up the other flight, during a tempest, saying she did wish he would stop snoring' for she wanted to hear the thunder.