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Marlborough Daily Times, Volume III, Issue 276, 26 August 1881, Page 2

The San Francisco mail was delivered at the Blenheim Post Office this morning. Mr G. S. Stenhouse has been appointed Marlborough agent for the Royal Insurance Company. The Committee of the Marlborough Gun Club will meet at Clark’s Hotel, on Tuesday next, at :2 p.m. sharp. The following tenders have been received for the public offices repairs contract, Havelock :—C. F. Horton, & Co., Lsl (accepted) ; V. C. Vennimore L7T 3s. (id. (informal). We remind our readers that Mr J. D. Fraser’s usual fortnightly sale of stock will take place at the Masonic Horse Bazaar at •2 p.m. to-morrow. We have been favored with a copy of the following London telegram, which has just been received by the N. Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, under date August dol'd : —“ Wool sales opened at level of last, except cross-bred, which declined Ad to Id.” We have received a copy of the first issue of The N’elsuniuu, a new monthly magazine published on behalf of the Nelson College. It has been neatly printed at the Colonist office, and is hot at all a bad turn out for Nelson.

In our last issue Arc published the prices received for Marlborough wools at the sales held in London on 16th June. We are informed that the Benopai Run avool, 18 bales of which realised Is SAd per lh, was scoured by Mr <J. Fulton. Iwo bales from the Dumgrce station, scoured locks. Is od, and 7 bales scoured pieces from Delta station Is Sd, and 2 bales locks ls4Ad were also s mured by Mr Fulton.

A certain local print is never weary of vaunting its own praises as to giving early news of anything that transpires. We may, therefore, bo excused for pointing out that on Wednesday we published the whole of the San Francisco mail news together with various other important items which did not appear in our contemporary till the following day. In another column Air S. Clinch who is well and favorably known to the public of Blenheim announces his intention of becoming a candidate for the representation of the W est Ward in the Borough Council. Mr Clinch undoubtedly will succeed in attaining civic honor*, and will we are confident do his utmost'to promote the welfare, of the Borough.

The Liberia case recently reported in our tolegrams from Christchurch has ended in the poincipal defendant being fined L 5, and the two others L 3 each, besides being ordered to pay L 5 5s fid each towards the cost of type and damage done. The Bench also stated that had it not baen for the able defence of counsel defendants would hare been committed for trial. Recent telegrams inform us that the Liberia has engaged an editor who stands six feet in his stockings, and the qualifications of a “ Society ” journalist would seem to include a training in the prize ring.

Our contemporary must have felt the other day somewhat as wc feel while writing these lines, when he exclaimed in his agony “utterly utter.” Wc will finish the sentence, and say “rubbish,” for such are the majority of afternoon telegram* we receive from the Association Agents in the .South. Fancy the importance of the information conveyed that a certain vessel which sailed from a Southern port in New Zealand three months ago lias arrived in London : or that the rain has stopped hut still threatens to commence afresh. It is really too had to he afliicted with such trash, and we hope the Association will look after these agents.

The following is the new clause which was added to the Representation Bill on Thursday, on the motion of Mr Sheehan : “Every man of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, having a leasehold estate in possession, situate within any electoral district constituted under this Act, of the clear annual value of ten pounds, belli upon a lease which at the time of registration shall have not less than three years to run, or having a leasehold so situate or of such value as aforesaid of which lie lias been in possession for three years or upwards at the time of such registration, shall he entitled to he registered under “ The Registration of Electors Act, 1579,” and to vote at the election of members of tiic House of Representatives ; and this clause shall be read as part of “The Qualificaton of. Electors Act, 1877.” On the motion of Mr London, this clause was amended by substituting “one year” for “ three years.” Both Mr Lumlon and Mr Sheehan rejoice in being known as “ Liberals,” but they seem very anxious to again have property represented, and do not intend to depend entirely upon the “ working man.” The Marlborough Cun Club is now fairly established, and an energetic Committee and officers have been appointed to watch over its welfare during the first year of its existence. With so many good shots amongst us, and a large sprinkling of sporting men in our community, we have no hesitation in predicting that the Club will receive the hearty support of all those who love to see a trial of skill at shooting. Twenty-five gentlemen have already enrolled their names on the Club’s hooks, and there is every prospect of the number soon being doubled. Two of Greener’s spring traps have been ordered, and a supply of glass halls. These halls arc a little larger than a billiard ball, filled with feathers, and are thrown into the air in every direction except towards the shooter, resembling the flight of a startled bird. Each trap is furnished with four springs and it will be impossible for the shooter to toll which spring will be pulled, or at what angle the ball will go. Of course the Club will not confine itself to glass hall shooting but will use birds when they can he obtained. The subscription is fixed atone guinea per year, payable in advance, and the Treasurer, Mr T. Horton, will he happy to recaive the names of persons who are desirous of joining the Club. The Wanganui JTereld says Mr R. Mclyor failed to get a mount at the Yictoriui Steeplechase Meeting.

The death is announced of Dr. Tannor, the New York physician, avlio last year fulfilled his self-imposed task of fasting forty days. His medical attendants state there is no doubt that the strain to his system caused by his long abstinence from food hastened his death. A highly interesting exhibition has been opened in Paris, under the supervision of some leading French scientists, illustrating the development of electricity in all its modern applicationas. Some wonderful inventions are exhibited, the noA'clty of which has attracted universal attention. It is stated in a local paper that in the Wairarapa no less than 260 men arc constantly employed to kill rabbits, over an area of about 400,000 acres, and are very far from having exterminated them there, while it costs from LlO to L 35 per 1000 acres to poison them. The proportion of population to railways open in New Zealand is classed as follows : —Auckland, a mile of working railway to every 715 persons; Wellington, Taranaki, and HaAvke’s Bay, a mile of railway to every 315 persons ; Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland, a mile of railway to each 802 persons ; Canterbury, and Otago, a mile to every 310 persons. The Wairarapa Daily states that the elderly Lotliavio Avho recently ran asvay from his Avife in Greytown, and crossed the sea Avitli a young AvidoAV, lias Avrittcn a letter to his spouse stating that he repents of his misdeeds and Avill return the first opportunity. The Wairarapa Standard states that henroosts are being robbed in order to prepare for his reception. Mrs L. F. Iliff, the owner of the largest cattle range in the Avorld, has sold one-half of her herd of 25,000 cattle to her managers, and Arill sail for England on May 2S. Her range extends from Greely to Julcsburg, Colorado, embracing a co.mtry about 100 miles Avide. She has made a round million since the death of her husband, the “ cattle king,” three years ago.

Mr Washington Moon, the Avell-knoAvn grammatical critic, professes to be lost in astonishment at the bad English of the Revised Version of the Ngav Testament. FolloAving is a specimen of his criticisms : —-In IdebreAv iv. 4, Ave read “\A herein was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant,” &c. These tilings was in it ! Once more : In James iii., 10, I read as folloAvs : “ Out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing.” To which I say, Dotli they 5 And Avhy have the Revisionists inserted the Avord ’‘forth, which is not in the Authorised Version, and in not needed, as the Avord “out " embodies it'/

The absence of any clergyman, priest, or rabbi at Lord Beaconsfield’s death-bed seem to have seriously disturbed the Irish papers. One of them, the Nation, says : —“Priest or parson, book or prayer, cross or crescent, symbol or sign of faith, there was nothing to tell whether the dying man thought of Moses or Mohammed or Christ. Unless the published narrative omits some very important particulars, Lord Beaconsfield died as a horse.”

Barnum’s snake waggon was smashed up by a runaway at Salem, Massachusetts, a few weeks ago. The snakes escaped, and hid themselves in the long grass of the principal street of the old city. One old toper, returning from a pilgrimage to a saloon, tumbled over a fifteen-foot boa, but he was not at all startled, and remarked that it was nothing to what he had seen in the prohibition days when the liquor was bad.

At Majuba Hill, says a correspondent of a contemporary, “the British soldiers seem to have fallen a prey to disgraceful panic and to have shown absolute cowardice. Although there were four or five hundred English soldiers they were driven off the hill by under 200 Boers, with a loss to the latter of one man killed and eight wounded. It is true our men were badly led, and had become demoralised, but enough remains to ‘give us pause.’ The military authorities are very much disturbed, considering it much more serious than the defeat at Maiwand. ”

It is a somewhat startling fact when set down in figures, remarks the Daihj Times, that of Crown lands held on pastoral leases the total area is 12,382,614 acres, in 946 “ rnns,” all in the Middle Island, with the exception of 33 runs, comprising 260,215 acres, in the North Island. At present the rent paid for the whole of the “ runs ” in the colony amounts yearly to £117,70S 3s 3d. In one case in Auckland the rent averages Is 4d per acre. In Hawke s Bay it is from 3s 4d to Id per acre. In Wellington there is only one small run, which pays 2s Id per acre. The other rents may be stated as follows Nelson, Id to 2d per acre ; Marlborough, Id per acre ; Canterbury, 4Ad per acre; Westland, Is 4d per acre ; Otago, 2d to 2ld ; Southland, 2d to 23d.

A correspondent of a Dunedin contemporary makes a really sensible suggestion as to the utilising of rabbit skins. It appears that there were exported last year the enormous number of over seven millions of skins, and that the amount of money sent out for “hats and caps” was L 52,000. He suggests the formation of a company for hat making and so do away with the inconsistency of sending the raw material Home and importing it again in the shape of hats. Is there no possibility of anyone taking up this profitable industry here ? Even if in a small way, it would be better to relinquish the round-about way of doing business, which is likely to become chronic unless an effort is made in a contrary direction. Mr F. C. Constable, writing from Karachi to the Rangitikci Advocate gives the followin" descrip ;ion of an electric storm which took place there recently. He says : —“At 7 p.m., when I walked home, the blazing lightning leaving but momentary intervals of darkness, 1 heard all around me the constant crackling or rustling of blazing flames. Towards the north-west across a low are near the horizon, pale sheet lightning swayed quickly to and fro. There was no rain at the time ; that came heavily afterwards. The sound of the flames was close round me, and others had the same experience. No one I can find has ever seen lightning so completely fill the air, or heard such strange sounds.” Not a thousand miles from Bicton lives a person who, notwithstanding that his reputation is under a cloud, entertains an irrepressible hankering after a prominent position. He was born to serve his country, and not even the country’s ingratitude in neglecting to call upon him damps his ardor? He has been put in political Coventry and otherwise overlooked, but all to no purpose. Serve he must, and when a recent Road Board election was about to come off he adopted a remarkable ruse to ensure bis nomination ; only it happened to be a failure. Ascertaining that two of the electors were in arrear with their rates, lie waited almost till the hour of nomination, and paid, them, then hastened post-speed to the place of nomination and informed the twain of what he had done, and in return asked that they would propose and second him. To this, however, they not only demurred, but absolutely proposed and seconded somebody else : and moreaver had the cruel audacity to decline to recoup the poor fellow the amount of rates he had paid for them. This is a fact.—“ Asmodeus ” in the N.Z. Mail. It is curious to note the different ages at which cclebritios acquire their fame. Mr Gladstone, in bis recent speech on Lord Beaconsfield, said that the only career with which he could compare that of the lately deceased ex-Prcmier was that of Pitt, but Pitt was Prime Minister at twenty-four, whereas Beaconsfield was 32 when he made Ins famous first effort and was laughed dowli in the House of Commons. He was then only four years younger than Byron when fie died. Napoleon’s career was over when he was 50, and Waterloo, Wellington’s last battle, was wan when he was but 40, while the Duke of Marlborough was 5S when Blenheim was fought. Had either Disraeli or Lord Palmerston died at the age of Byron, or even at that at which Wellington won Waterloo, few would have given them credit for a likelihood of reaching the Premiership. Again, had Scott died at the age of Byron, no Waverley novel would have been known to fame, while George Stevenson was, up to the age of 40, in receipt of daily wages as a laborer, and Geo. Peabody up to 50 was very far from an arch-millionaire, and had a great deal less than hundreds who died almost paupers. The saying goes, “ Call no man happy till lie’s dead.” nor, it may be added, unfortunate, for success only comes to many in the latter part of life, and albeit early success is very enchanting, it is perhaps of the two best to be “in well at the finish.”— Catholic Review.

During the hearing of the “spurious tea” case at Dunedin recently, Professor Black said that he had analysed the sample of tea marked W 29, and the report produced was his report upon the same. . die considered that it contained deleterious matter, and that it was spurious. He considered that the health of anyone drinking tea made from the bn’k of which the sample had been taken would bo injuriously affected. The following is a copy of the report submitted by this witness : Sample marked W 29, from Neill Bros., Highstreet. This sample is largely adulterated. It contains— (a) 10 per cent, of its weight of sand and earthly matter ; [b) a considerable proportion of foreign or spurious leaves ; (c) crushed or broken fragments ot tea seeds (these should not be present) ; (cl) some vegetable substance resembling cork ; (<■) vegetable glutinous matter containing starch ; (/) a small proportion of sulphate of lime ; (;/) lime colouring matter that I have not been able to identify, After this “Death in the Tea-pot” will sppareutlv soon be as appropriate as “ Death iii the Milk-pail” has been provod to be at Christchurch. — Pud.

The New Zealand Times recently published a complete list of the pensions paid by New Zealand. From this it appears that the annual payments amounted to no less than L 26,204 6s. 2d., and the total amount already paid by the colony, exclusive of pensions which have ceased, and not taking into consideration contingent reductions or the amount of the Civil List, is L 169,065 9s. Id. The annual payments on the Civil List amount to L 4090. The New Zealand Times of Wednesday says :—The matrimonial infelicities of Mr and Mrs Edwin Hoskins again occupied the attention of the Resident Magistrate at his Court yesterday, the matters in dispute coming on for a remand hearing. Mr Gully appeared for Hoskins, while Mr Gordon Allen represented Mrs Hoskins. The charge against the man was for declining to support two children of his wife, his plea being non-paternity. As however, it was proved beyond dispute that defendant had registered the birth of at least one of the progeny, and hail, in addition, entered their names in the “Family Bible,” the Beuch held that legally Hoskins was the father, though the Magistrate admitted that the defendant had certainly good grounds to doubt his wife’s former fidelity, judging by her own admisions as to the kind of life she was leading at the present time. Mr Shaw, considering the woman was not fit to be the custodian of tho children, directed the police to bring them before him as neglected children, when he would send them to the Burnham Industrial School, to which course Hoskins willingly assented, at the same time agreeing to contribute a weekly sum to their support. On a counter charge of assaulting her husband, who is a cripple, the woman was ordered to find one surety in LSO to keep tho peace for six months.