LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 103, 9 June 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At a trial of disc harrows at Kirwee, Canterbury, last week, five of the farmers present were chosen to decide as to the work done, the machines being tried first on ploughed land, next on turnip land, and lastly on stubblo land. The judges decided as follows :—Stubble land — Reid and Gray, 1 ; Duncan, 2 ; Booth, 3. Mr Hutchison has given notice to ask the Premier if the penalty of £500 incurred by the Bank of New Zealand for neglecting, within the statutory time, to send m its last quarterly return of assets and liabilities to Government, has been or will be exacted ; and i£ not, why not? A writer m the European Mail asserts that the very first intimation c£ the melancholy end of the Queen's youngest son was sent to London m a short telegram from Cannes dispatched by a Indy who happened to be staying there, and who with a keen view of business, wired over to the great drapery firm whom with she is connected by marriage, t! Buy up all the mourning." Such a, fact is a curious antithesis to the pathos of such a death as that of a Prino& who had won such love from thosejwbo-fcnew him best and who appeared destined to bear so well the role of Prince Consort himself had he lived a few years longer. A man of property who had for years been abusing his stomach at last found his health to be m rapid decline. Nature could endure it no longer. He went to consult a celebrated doctor. He stated the symptoms of his case so clearly thai the learm-d physician could not mistake the nature of the disease. ' I can euro you sir,' said he, 'if you follow my advice' The patient promised most implicitly to do so. ' Now,' said the doctor, ' you must steal a horse,' ' What ! . steal a horse ?' ' Yes, you must steal a horse. Yon will then be arrested, convicted, and placed m a situation where your diet and regimen will be such that m a short time your health will be perfectly restored.' The President of the Woodville Settlers' Association, Mr Chrlile, has seen Mi Stevens, M.H.R., and asked his co-operation to the giving effect m Parliament to the suggestion of ths Association regarding tho settlement of bush lands. Mr Stevens thoroughly approves of the scheme and will do what lie can to assist it, and Mr Carlilc has forwarded him a copy of the resolution passed at the meeting. A cnriouslegal complication has arisen out of the earthquake disaster at Cassamicciola. Among tho victims were a Signor and Signor Bonavita, who left property 1,000,000 dollars, to which there is no direct heir.. Their relatives m order to determine the succession, have petitioned to have the bodies disinterred that by an examination of the external injuries, it may be ascertained if possible, which died first. The master of the Makaretu school is rather ingenious (says tho WooodviHe Examiner). Ho has gone m for local industry properly, all the ink used m the school being made from native woods. So far the use of this ink has prored quite satisfactory. It can be produced at a cost of 3d a quart, a quautity which of really good ink, now costs over 3s at the bookseller's shop. A good industry might spring out of this ingenious notion. Apropos of the breaking of the square at Tamai, a similar experience of the Irish brigade at Talavera may be noted. "So, my Connaught boys," said General Picton to them after the battle, " you let the Frenchmen into your square today, did you ?" " Well, your honour," answered a brawny Irish grenadier, Avith stern significance, " the blackguards got m, sure enough ; but, bedad ! they never got out again." And the dead bodies of six hundred Arabs on tho spot where General Davis's square was pierced suggests a similar fate to that of the French at Talavera.