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Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 37, 2 January 1880, Page 2

Joined the M.vtouxty. — We regret to notice that our fellow-townsman, Air F. K. Orowther, Las been compelled to " file his schedule," owing 1 to the prevailing depres sion. C'onsidciaole sympathy is felt for Mr Crowther, as h : s trouble has been brought nl-out through a large array' of book debts, which, owing to hard times, he lias found it impossible to collect. The first mooting of creditors takes place at tho Courthouse, Palmorston, on Tuesday, Janu■nZJt Himat.vsgi uaces, — We remind our read - era that the Himataugi Eaces take pl&co on Tuesday, January 0, on the ground, about three miles from Fox ton. The programme is well got up, including six events, as will bo seen by tho advertisement in another column. The races start Jit 11 a.m., and a special train will run from Foxton to the racecourse, leaving tho station tit 10 am, and returning at 4 p.m. Every arrangement has thus been made for the convenience of visitors, and a good day's sport may therefore be anticipated We hear several horses which have been running at the liunnitikei Races arc likely to compete. — 7'riMnrp \t rni'Urr'^"- 1 --^""" 1""---stiiud that a gentleman who owns a sawmill at f'elorus Sound, recently visited tho Carnarvon and Camnbelltown districts, ami, as the result, cxprosed his willingness to remove his plant there at onca if the Sandou railway were made. Ho also asserted that there, was quite sufficient country and Inn bur to keep three mills going. Should that number of sawmills be koj t working, th«y would materially assist in nuking the. l"oxton Sandon railway losnunerativs.'. Tjik Party Kiots. — A correspondent of the Wangiinui Herald telegraphed as follows on Tuesday last: — " In fxp-'.ctatimi of riots at Christchurch and Tiumiu on New years' Day, fifty Armed Constabulary left for South this morning by the Wakntipn. Strong feeling on both sides expressed in Wellington, and if any occasion offered for a gathering, strong precautions would have to bo taken to avert a collision. The arriv<\l hare of Father Chiniquy is looked forward to with anxiety by the peace loving portion of the population. It is generally understood that as a mutter of expediency the locnl press will take no notice of him whatever. Rumour prevalent lure that both bodies are rolling up men at Tiinarn, which is causing much excitement. f.-vrxAiiLELAxn.-Wearo requested by the iiuctioneer, Mr Wm. Finuimore, to draw attention to the postponement of the sale of a valuable piece of laud near Sandon. The sale was to have been held some few days ago, but has been postponed until Monday, February 16, Capitalists on the look out for a good slice of land would do well to consider the advantages offered by a speculation in the block referred k>. Tun Totamsatou. — The above-named machine has been during tho List year or two brought prominently under the noticoof sporting people, both iv England and tho colonies. It was in operation on the Riugilikei Racecourse yesterday, and a brief description may no+'provo uninteresting to our readers. The " concern " consists of a large flat shallow box, placed on end. On thoT face of it are a number of pigeon-holes with glass fronts, above which are painted number.--, representing horses, one pigeonhole to each horse, ('y an arrangement similar to that used for adjusting mn-eable diaries the number ol backers of each horse is sho vn through the glass, whilst at the top the total amount money invested in t!ie pool is shown at another pigeon boh; by an arrangement worked by tho hand. The modiis operand! id as follows :— Wo will suppose a race about to be run for which 10 horses are entered. The horses are allotted to the first ten numbers of th<; totiilisator, each horse's number on the machine corresponding with his official race number; the ligur.es at the top show that 50 p.-rsons have invested each £1 in the pool, the first, horse having say 10 backers, second "•, third 15, and the fifth 20, the remniu-ler having nn backers. The race is run, and No. 2is first i>Hst the post. The iive people who have backed him receive tho total amount doposited, less 10 per cent, de.iucted by the proprietor of tho totalisator In cases whore a horse not backed wins, the money is returned, less tho nsuiil ton per cunt.- vu diietion. It was well patronised at R>mgitikci on New Year's Day.and its operation gave great s itisfacliou. A CouulxTlon'. — Mr Kubbell requests us to explain that his only connection wit'i tluadvertisement for bush fellers is (hat he promised llakaraia B van, the contractor, that ho would direct applicant* to the works. New Ykau's Day. — The holiday passed off very quietly in Manawahi yesterday. A few fireworks were let off by some of the settlers, whilst others gathered at the Primitive Methodist Church, to hold the Wi.tch Night Service. The sound of a gun was heard at midnight, whilst the larrikins started on their carousals, taking off gates, chalking doors, &c. Early in the day, large numbers of horsemen started oil' 10 the ILangitikei Races the remainder spending the day in picnics, or in tho quiet of their homes. Riots.— Tho prompt precautions taken by the authorities prevented any further riots at Timaru or Christchurch on New Year's Day. Regatta.— A mce'.ing for getting up a regatta is called for to-morrow (Saturday) evening, at Whyte'u Hotel. A Valuable Hobse. — Tho progeny of Blair Athol (England) had, up to last September, won upwards of six hundred and twenty races, «f tho value of £160,000. In six years they won £111,000, and though the Stud Company gave £12,000 forhim.he has brought back to them no less a sum than A' 34,000. Blair Athol was for the third time in his life submitted for competition at Cobham, and found a purchaser in Mr Wolfe

for loOOgs. When sold originally at th? Fairfiold Stud he realised oOOOgs, while nt tho break-up of the Middle Park f'Slablishnri' j nf. in 1872 ho was knocked down for 12,000g5. ■'? ;i l'iiß BtTER Dit." — \ splendid case of the "biter being bit"' occurred at a township siliv t'd- not more than one hundred miles from the Munawatn River one diy la.il. week. Brown paid .luno.-t a visit, fur a few days. Jones, iv tho fulness of his heart, t jolc Brown out for a ride, and as it was tho jovial season of Christ lun.s, thought ho would have a joke, and <!!ivc his i'rioud ti h'jrso known to have an unhappy knack of playfully standing on his front legs and it tlio samo time elevating the hinder part of his body, when any one mounted. As Jones took the precaution of putting on. the beast a- very old saddle, with the tree broken, it. is unnecessary to add that after .-<otno three good practical ''bucks," poor Brown (who rather prides himself upon being a good horsenmn) measured his distance on mother ?avth fully two yards in front of the horse. The pleased smile which suffused tho face of Jones told how well he had enjoyed the .success which had attended his joke ; and to conceal his glee, he rushed off after tho refractory horse, which was caught the other side of a hill some little distance away. Thinking the bucking propensities of tho beast had ex-pl-ided with his first set* to, he jumped on Mil commenced to rido towards Brown, " showing off" a little on the way, when, horror of horrors, just as he reached ihe t)p of tho hill, with one powerful buck the animal sent Jones flying on his back some yards down tho hill. Of course Brown did not laugh — only a little. At Zci.vlaxd.— "One of the returned warriors from Zululuud tells me rather a good eto'y. He was at Roike's Drift, and was witness (o one of tho following incidents. A clergyman in clerical attire was hard at work handing out cartridges to the men, and he did ifc with a will. A private near was taking shots at the Zulus, and cursing tho while in a most ingenious manner, ' Don't swear, man !' shouted the clergyman, ' Don't swear fit them ; shoot them.' I admire the moderate and practical views of this diviuo." A Ei.-jcy Pnoi-oSAiu — A very singular incident, says tho Sydney Morning Herald, is narrated in connection with tho affair a. .U'Gledu's farm. A Mr Garde, agent for the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society, W'is wilh Dr M'Killop in the vicinity when the afl'niy took place, and afterwards the doctor attended to tho wounded. Subsequently Trooper U'Leary, of Yass, wished 3) effect a policy on his life, and iv one of tho rooms of the house the necessary medical examination was made, and the proposal effocled. Jt transpired afterwards that while this \v:is being dene the bushranger logan was concealed beneath the bed in the r<>om with two loid;d ritles and a revolver. Nihilist Vi-:soßAxcr.— The German Mos" cow Gazetto publish* s the following piece of Nihilist vengeance :— " A young man, nineteen years old, named Nicholas Goiinovich, a student iifc tho Gymnasium of Kieff, was induced to j;>in the Nihilist circles, llufc what ho saw and heard created such liorroi' and repugnance in his breast that he withdrew from thorn. His former associates sentenced him to death. He fled to Odessa, but wus induced one evening to g > to a rendezvous iv a retired place, and was there set upon bj r several persons, who lift him for dead. To prevent liis-recognition, one of the assailants poured a quantity of vitiol over his face. In this condition he was t'ouud by tho police next morning. His right hand and leg were quite paralysed, and his face presented an awful appearance. The acid had quite consumed '.he greater part of the fle^h — nose, ears, hair, were quito gone, y.nd ho had lost his sigh f utterly. He tried to put an end to himself when in the hospital, but was prevented. At last a philanthropic person obtained permission to removo him to his c-stato iv tho county,, where he now seems more reconciled with his lot." PItOTKCTIOX AGAINST ToiU'EDOKS. — A trial has been made on board tho Bloodhound, •runboat, at Portsmouth, England, of a new moans for clearing harbours of sunken mines and fixed torjiedoes. At present, the method adop'ed is to destroy the engines by counlerminiug, or by the hazardous process of •' creeping " This is effected by boats being sent out to grapple for the cable connections, and then severing them by small charges of gun cotton. This mode, however, is very slow. The new method of opening a free channel for the passage of ships, as tried iu -tho Bloodhound, consists in running oat a couple of boorn^, thirty i'ect in length, from tho bow.s of tho ship. Across the submerged ends is fixed a horizontal beam, thirty-eight feet in le7><rth, having a zigzag arrangement ot iron rods in the form of a W, the idea being that the open space of each V of tho series, a.s ifc is pushed through tho water, will incloso the torpedo fastenings or connections »nd lead i.hc-m to the point at the bottom which is litted with a scissor contrivance, the blades of which are worbd by lcvt-w in connection with the capstan on hoard. The beam searcher h;is a sweep of, iifcy feet, and the mechanism is capable of cutting through the strongest electric cable. A net, which is supported from the whiskers of the bowsprit., receives tho liberated torpedo, and prevents ita exploding against tho operating craft. Tho trial proved a success. A FiiUE Pkess. — The following is a foreigner's idea of a free Press : — " Your Worship, 1 believe in a free i'ross, as it is a blessing we foreigners do not enjoy in our own country ; and so far as this paper is concerned, though I do not let it come into my house, nor pay for it, I alway.s read it at the agent's shop. lam a great believer iv n. free Press."'