LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 4, Issue 118, 25 April 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We notice that Picton dried herrings are finding their way into the Manawatu district, and are generally appreciated as a wholesome and palatable article of food. Queen Victoria is the owner of real ea« tate m New York. An advance m rents by her agents has changed the tenants m a large block on Broadway, near Fifteenthstreet. The deathis announced of Mr Henri Ket- ; en, the eminent pianist, at the age of 35 years. We remind our readers of the adjourned meeting to-night at the Commercial Hotel* to take into consideration the proposed establishment of a fire brigade. We trust there will be a full attendance, and that some tangible decision will be arrived at. Messrs A. and H. Russell, of Te Matai, are m want of a lad or man, to milk, garden, &c. The date of Mr Crosses next visit to Palmerßton is next Friday. Successful experiments have been made with the electric light at Christchurch by Milner and Thompson j who intend to use it for lighting there music warehouse. Mr E. T. Gillon, as ActingxProvincia} Grand Master, under a commission issued by the Hon. F. Whitaker, P.G.M.., left Wellington yesterday afternoon for Pal» merston for the purpose of opening the Manawatu Kilwinning Lodge, Scottish Constitution, under a dispensation granted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of the north Island of New Zealand, and it is expected that several brethren resident m the city will accompany him, and that Masonic Lodge, m the Wanganui and Rangitikei districts will be fully repre* sen ted. The ceremony begins on Thursday afternoon. Bro. Hankina is the R.W.M. elect of the new Lodge; Bro. W. H. Smith, S.W., and Bro. G. M.Snelson, J.W, Noumaa has no bank nor branch of a bank, and almost all payment are made m silver and copper. Wheelbarrows have to be taken to the treasury whea large payments are made. An excellent story is told of a British soldier m Egypt. His colonel, observing him one morning wending his way to camp with a fine Egyptian rooster m his arms, halted him to know if he had been stealing chickens. "No, colonel," was the reply, "1 just saw the old fellow sitting on the fence, and I ordered him to crow for old England, and he wouldn't, when I confiscated him as a rebel." Among the exports by the British King was & consignment of garden peas, to try the experiment of opening up a trade m this important local product. Dr Beaney's election to the Legislative Council for the Province of Melbourne cost him nearly £3000. According to the testimony of a Mr Butters, who " ran' the election for the doctor, he worked 109 days (Sundays and Saturdays), aided by a staff of 20 clerks, for 14 hours a day, m order to secure the return of his patron. Mr Arthur Pryor, an English landowner, complains that he has thirteen vacant farms on his land, all of them on the good wheat lands of Essex, and within thirty miles of London, with its food wants of four hundred million quartern loaves per annum. A new industry has recently sprung up I m Sweden. In most parts of that country enormous quantities ef blanched and bleached mosses are found that grew ages ago. These old mosses are now gathered and made into paper which is said to be veryjtine m quality. Dean Jacobs incidentally took occasion to set right a speaker m the Anglican I Synod who ascribed to Solomon the saying, I "In the multitude of counsellors there iB wisdom." Solomon, the Dean remarked, said that m the multitude of counsellor ß there is " safety," not " wisdom." Among the mysteries of butchering, a bankrupt butcher at the Hutt applied for his discharge at Wellington, and it appeared that ho used to kill one and a half bullocks and six sheep per week. As his business increased, he was able to kill two and a half bullocks per week. What became of the half bullock per week that was not " killed " remained a mystery which made the Judge smile and caused barristers to laugh. A venerable Yankee, rejoicing m the name of May, who has seen his 101 st birthday, has just taken out a licence for his marrige with a young miss of 19 ! The story conies from America, but it may fea true for all that. A female witness named Archer was " too much" for a Dunedin lawyer named Fraser the other day. In the course of an assault case, Mr Fraser, whilst cross* examining Mrs Archer, pressed her very hard upon the point whether her husband was not responsible for one of the bruises she iaid at the door of defendant ,- and urging the question whether she and her husband did not quarrel frequently, the lady indignantly asked, " And aren't you ( m the habit of having occasional tiffs 1 with your wife, sir V Amid roars of laughter, Mr Fraser is reported to have /said he was reluctantly compelled to answer Mrs Archer m the affirmative. The largest meeting of creditors ever held m Sydney was m connection with the bankruptcy of Kum Yoon -boy, a Chinese storekeeper. His statement of accounts showed - liabilities, €29,239 j assets, £17,502 ; deficiency, £11,737. Messrs Williamson and 00., the Wellington sharebrokers, received a telegram from Reefton on Monday morning giving the following crushiegs; — Keep-it-Dark, 3040zs analgam from 189 tons of stone ; Welcome, 3390zs amalgam from 90 tons : Oriental, 114oz8 retorted gold for the fortnight. The Wellington Sharebrokers' Association also received similiar advices' The bill of the New York Herald's Russian correspondent, for eighteen months' residence m St. Petewburgh amounted to 492,799 francs, or oyer £20,000.