Manawatu Herald SATURDAY. MARCH 25. 1899.

Manawatu Herald, 25 March 1899, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY. MARCH 25. 1899.

The Napier Truant Inspector is evidently alive to his business. He has laid an information against the secretary of the Napier School Committee charging him with having neglected to send one of his children to school I

In the London Times of February 3, it is stated that ships at Manilla are loading with hemp.

An Imperial decree has been published, making a knowledge of the Russian language obligatory for Senat^r<;. Governors, and higher officials of Finland.

The longest private tejegram ever sent through the British Post Office was a telegram sent from Nottingham .n Januaiy 31st to the Chairman of the Great Protestant Demonstration held in Albert Hall, London, to protest against the revival of the Mass and the Confessional in the Church of England. The telegram was as follows : " We, the undersigned English men and women, loving civil liberty and freedom of conscience, heartily support your efforts to maintain the grand cause of Protestantism, to which England owes her greatness." To this telegram no less than 3,333 signatures had been appended, everyone of the names having been telegraphed.

The Hereditary Prince Alfred of. Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, whose death on February 6th was announced by cablegram, was the only son of the Duke of Edinburgh, the reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg. By the provisions of the Salic law, the daughters of the Duke are excluded from the line of succession, and the Duke of Connaught is now heir apparent to the throne of the Duchy.

A person, who in the language of the Court reporter, " is well known to the police," was last week arrested in Waipawa for drunkenness, says the local paper. As he had just been released from the Napier gaol, the police were puzzled to account for the manner in which he got the needful to buy enough liquor to get drunk on, for they knew he was always too tired to work. This was the plain, unvarnished tale he told. "How. did I get the money ?" Easy enough.' You know there was a kind old . fellow named Colenso, in Napier. Well, he died a little while ago and left some money to be distributed amongst discharged prisoners. Well, I got my whack of it. Such a good oid fellow as that ought not to be forgotten, so I started drinking his health, and blow me, but I'll do the same again when I get out of quod.!'

Cabinet has decided that the shooting season in the Wellington Provincial District this year will be —For native game, between 31st March and 30th June ; for imported game (cock pheasants, Californian quail and hares), between ist May and 31st July.

A bronze statue fell from its pedestal in a San Francisco drawing room and struck Madame Melba, the famous vocalist, on the head. She was insensible for fully a quarter of an hour. The fact that she was moving at the time when the statue fell had the effect of averting thc full force of the blow.

An instance of the kindly disposition of Queen Victoria which has been shown in connection with her present sojourn at Nice, in the south of France, has been the occasion of much favourable comment in that country. Overtaking the funeral of a peasant while she was out driving along a narrow road, the Queen gave orders for her carriage to follow the cortege at a walking pace rather than disturb the mourners. In this way she followed the funeral for a quarter of an hour.

It would appear that the depression predicted in Auckland after the Exhibition boom is already felt. For tie first two months of the year there has been a drop oi about £12,000 in Auckland Customs revenue.

The bot fly is now a nuisance to horses. A veterinary surgeon says: Whenever the presence of the bot "fly is noticed or suspected, apply to the horse a mixture in equal parts of carbolic and oil, the odour from which will safeguard the animals from attack until the fly season is past ; but be very particular to keep up the condition. A heklthy horse has a wellcoated stomach, through which the bot fly cannot perforate.

The Auckland Observer thinks that a recent experience in matrimonial advertising has satisfied a Whangarei youth that there are three fools in his family. According to our contemporary, this young gentleman inserted a matrimonial advertisement in one of the city papers a few weeks ago, and amongst the replies received were answers from two of his sisters, with photographs enclosed.

The Waitara Freezing Works Company contemplate an early start this year with the reclamation of the foreshore, building of a wharf, and the erection of a cool store adjacent to the present wharf.

A London paper contains the following paragraph anent a well-known temperance lecturer : — On Tuesday Mr Tennyson Smith went into the parlors of twenty-six public houses in Lye in seventeen minutes, to vindicate a statement he had previously made to the effect that he had in Southampton visited fifty public houses in fifty minutes.

A somewhat unique wedding has just been solemnised at Bolton. The bridal pair were both dwarfs. The groom was Charles Morris, of Alsager, Cheshire, who is locally known as "General Small," being only 36m in height, and the bride Miss Sophia Goddard, of Bradford, who is an equally diminutive creature. Another dwart officiated as best man. The ceremony took place at the local registry office.

A strange occurrence took place recently at a Lewes (England) church. The congregation were surprised to hear the banns called of two well known and respected parishioners, and no one more than the lady herself. After the usual announcement the lady sent a note to the clergyman, saying that she forbade the banns, whereupon she was asked to step into the vestry after service. The explanation of the affair was that though the two had at one time been engaged, they had differences and the engagement had been broken off; but the gentleman, for some unexplained reason,- had asked for the banns to be published.

A few days apo there died at Wai« oeka native settlement, Bay of Plenty, a Maori who was notorious as the man who tied the rope round the neck of the Rev. Mr Volckner when that missionary was hanged by the Hauhaus at Opotiki in the " sixties," and who drank some of the murdered man's blood.

Amongst the good yields obtained in the Rangiora district is one of 103$ bushels per acre from nine acres of oats, on the farm of Mr R. J. Robinson, Waikuku. Only three-quarters of a bushel of seed per acre was put in.

The settlers of Te Roti (Taranaki) have arranged with the New /.ealand Loan and Mercantile Company to erect a creamery in their district as a feeder of the main factory at Mangatoki.

The Southland Land Board has decided to recommend the Govern* ment to reserve Ulva, or Cooper's Island, off Stewart's Island, for the preservation of native game.

During the past season the Upper Ashburton Road Board has paid boys for the collection and destruction of 197,500 heads and eggs of small birds.

A house- thief at Dunedin last week had the coolness and impudence when found in a house which he had just ransacked, to represent himself to its mistress as a Corporation officer engaged in inspection. By this ruse he got away from the premises before his theft was discovered, but he was afterwards overtaken and arrested for jewel robbery.

It is reported, on what appears to be reliable authority (says the Timaru Herald), that a Prebbleton resident who has been deat since he was fiye years of age, and who was seated in one of the carriages affected by the Rakaia railway collision, has regained his hearing in consequence of the shock.

The Oamaru police report the perpetration of a brutal outrage on the Ardgowan Estate. A girl about 11 years of age was proceeding home about 8 o'clock at night when she was seized by a man, who threw a bag over her head and criminally assaulted her. Her injuries were so severe that medical assistance hiad to be invoked. The police have so'far been unable to effect an arrest.

At a meeting of the Foxton Amateur Dramatic Club last night the question of playing in Levin was fully debated, and it was decided that the Club should perform " My Wife's Mother " and " The Result of a Morning Dip " on Wednesday, 26th April. Mr Barham's price for a drag, for the day, was accepted, and it was also decided to take over two or three vocalists who will add to the entertainment by singing some songs between the two pieces. This should prove a very pleasant outing for the Club, if they get a fine day, and we wish them every success. Our Levin friends have the chance of seeing a very fair amateur show, and we hope they will not fail to take advantage of it.

At the Methodist Church to-morrow night Mr Woollass will resume his series of sermons on Bunyan's characters. Mr Worldly-Wiseman will be the subject of the sermon.

Mr John Ruskin has just attained his Both year. This year the Queen and the Duke of Cambridge will also reach the age of 80.

Mr John Daly, ex-dynamiter, has been elected Mayor of Limerick, the fourth largest city in Ireland.

It is told of Lord Chief Justice Norbury that on one occasion he was sentencing a youth to death for stealing a watch, and in doing so made use ofthe following brutal gibe: "You have snatched at Time, and, egad I you have caught Eternity.

The biggest cheque on record is said to have been that one which China handed to Japan in settlement of the war indemnity. The smallest was paid into the Stratford Borough Council by the trustees of Victoria Park. The former was for eleven million pounds sterling, the latter for one penny.

The Riesen Gebirge, or giant moun" tains of Germany, are to be covered with a network of electric railways. They are full of mineral wealth.

Ruskin said : "I am convinced that the world will live to discover some day that nations cannot live on gunpowder and iron, but only on corn."

During the present century seven instances have been recorded in the British Isles in which the bride has married the best man in mistake.

It is stated that probably a " dark horse" will be brought out for the Hawke's Bay electorate in opposition to Captain Russell.

Lady Dorothy Montagu Boyle, the third daughter of Lord Glasgow, late Governor of New Zealand, has become betrothed to the Hon. Gathorne- Hardy who is the eldest son of Lord Medway, the successor to the title and estates of the present Earl Cranbrook.

The polo match between the team selected to visit Australia and the next best four took place at Palmerston on Thursday afternoon, and resulted in a very easy win for the former team. The play was not of an interesting character, the losers being outclassed in every way.

We are pleased to learn that Mrs J • McWilliam, of Otaki, has very much improved in health.

The purchase money of the Waikakahi estate, of 48,000 acres, situated between Studholme Junction and the Waitaki River, Canterbury, will be paid by the Government to Mr Allan M'Lean early -next month. The amount is over £320,000. The property has been divided into no sections, for which there are abont 600 applicants. The stock, which Mr M'Lean will sell on his own account, at an early date, is expected to realise about £50,000.

The box plan for the entertainment on Monday night is now open at Mr A. Fraser's, and we should advise those who intend being present to lose no time in booking. We understand the management take special pains in providing for the comfort. of their patrons in the front part ofthe hall.

Mr Inspector Bindon paid his annual " surprise " visit to the local school on Thursday. We are given to understand that he expressed himself very favourably as to the management and general working ot the school.

Mr H. N. Whitehead announces in another column that he has just started as a photographer in this town, in thc premises between the Bank of New Zealand and the Red House, in Main-street. Mr Wh'tehend's l^ner experience with his brother at Hastings in the Hawke's Bay district, should be a sufficient guarantee that the work executed by him will be of a first-class character, and we are satisfied from specimens seen that he is sure to please his patrons. Mr Whitehead makes a specialty of family groups, and undertakes to take his camera to any part of the district free of charge.