LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 122, 18 April 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The LytteUon Times m its issue of April publishes a recital of »i miuei'a ex« perienc«s while list m the bush on the West Coast, which compares with anything m the way of human endurance that has ever teen heard of. Alexander Whitehead, the miner m question, was lost for sixteen days, during which he had nothing to eat but half a pound of sugar, some raspberries, and the pith of a native plant. The most wonderful part of his story is that he n-as on the tramp the whole time, trying to find the track ftud BWfttn through stream after a» reara m his endeavours to strike the trail. It seems to have been the abundance of water that kept him alive. He is now m Cbristchurch Hospital, reduced pretty well to a skeleton. Liebig, an authority m matters of health and things which are good to e«t and drink, thus wrotes : Sherry and s rong cider are more qi^ildy intoxicating than the Kenerality of wine?, and they have a peculiar influence on din pastric juices of he stoni eh, The intoxicax tion of beer is heavy and dull, but its use does not hinder the drinker from gaining flesh. The drinkers of whisky and brandy are going to certain death. Rod wine is the least hurtful and iv some cases really biaeficja/,"

The date of Mr Oottle'a next visit to Pftlmerston is elsewhere announced. Mr Gatton's altered advertisemer t ap* pears elsewhere. It appears to be hardly understood amongst creditors m a bankrupt estate (says a Wellington paper) that it is neces* Bary for them to prove their claims m the estate before the Official Assignee before they can do anything at a meeting of creditors. It ia not generally known that the 1 igal proce33 m connection with the adoption of. an orphan child entails a cost of about £25, th§ Act being full of technicalities requiring the services of a legal geutleman. The Wellington Court Journal has the following : -' The first 'At Home ' by Mrs Mitchelaon, wife of the Minister of Public Works, was given on Tuesday night, aQ d drew together a good asaeinbU age. A delightful evening was spent.' An agitation has begun m Queensland for imposing a protective duty on New Zealand timber. A public meeting has been held at Rockbampton m connection with the movement. According to the Melbourne Age, a splendid seam of first-chss coal has been discovered at Western Port, m the south of Victoria. A quantity, estimated at 50,000 tone, is B;ud to be visible. The SydneylDaily Telegraph ridicules the accuracy of the alleged discovery. The Wellington Oity Council is bleesed with the presence of a agitator and reformer, who is always proving himself offensive. The following extract from a Wellington paper will show how the 1 gentleman is ' snuffed <>ufc ' occasionally : —'The Mayor announcjd m monotonous tones, significant of long practice, ' Oouu'-j cillor PethericJc to move,' &c. Councillor Petherick was about to rise, when Councillor Danks suddenly moved the ad- ' journment of the council. Befor the suffocated councillor could recognise his position, the motion was put and carried.' From a paragraph m the Post we glean the following almost incredible information. A Welluigtan gentleman was oat m his steam launch when he was attracted by signals for assistance from So noes Island. He went to ascertain the cause, un<l found that the lighthouse-keeper's wife was urgently m want of medical assistance. .Returning to town he visited four medical gentlemen m succession, all of whom, we are informed, refused to at? tend, although Mr Ewing very kindly offered to place his launch at their disposal. A fifth doctor, on being applied to, cou» sehted to go and attend to the poor woman, who has given birth to. twins, still" born. We should hope this case is '.with- , out precedent. . ' A regular weekly supply of pigeons is wanted by an advertiser. The Hawera gtar has the fcl owing paragraph : — Wo hear that a requisition has been started inviting Mr George Hutchison to again contest Egmont with Major Atkinson, and that already a good many namea are attached to it. The JSapier Telegraph hears from Takapa that the natives have again been obstructing operations at Messrs VS ildmg and Bull's sawmills, Kopua. It was thought there would be no further trouble after the matter had been settled m the Native Lands Court.

The attendance of such a large number of Pahnerston people at the Peildmg Easter Races was a strong evidence of the good feeling which, exists between the two places. We (Star; have every confidence that on the 24th of May the Feilding rest denis will return the compliment and muster m good force to witn< as the events ot that day on the Palmerston turf. Gatherings cf this kind do more to pie* vent or remove mere local jealousies than can be easily es i uated. It is, not improbable (says the StarJ that an action fur libs!, ag<in-t one of our contemporaries', will be taken m order lo clear the reputation of a Paltnerston man who was mixed up m an attempted turf swindle at the recent Feildiog races. MrT. B. Cash, solicitor, has returned to Marion after an absence for several years spent amongst ( the old folks at home.' The school Inspector oi Hawke's Bay is m for a " warm " time of it. The Waipawa Mail says; — We are obliged to our Makaretu correspondent for 'some remarks on the Education Board's report which show that it is utterly unreliable. A daring robbery under arms was committed near Melbourne recently. Alfred Kirby called at the re» freshment-rooms m Yarra Park and pren Beuted a revolver at the head of the wo« man m churge, who gave ud her watch nnd chain to the robber. Kirby was afterwards pursued and arrested, though he jumped into the river m order to avoid pursuit. The following paragraph appears m a Home paper ; — " Lord Tennyson has not yet taken his seat as a peer of the realm. Th« noble Lord's robes were prepared m due course, and were made up m a parcel for transmission to the House of Lords, but have not yet reached their destination. The police are endeavouring to find them. 1 '