LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 16, 17 June 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

■'.- f ,-.j— : — • '— => ■ <'„ •i, : T,hreo.. .qcTathV frouv hiccough have o'cc'iiriid Witnin a weok at< Chattanooga^ . tho Tinas of that city states, ami t*» more seriouicMseH are ( buii)g Attended by .p!>yßicia»3i£!iT.here was no other specific ' 'symptom m tho malady. ; A considerable impetus has been given hi Germany to the artificial growing of tliOjnisUle'^Urtica dioiea) by a Gorman lady li/ing at Langensghwal.bach, who has been stndying and systematically experimenting upon it for the sake of the fibre, which tanks high for tenacity. fjNot content with cultivating it m the ordinary forest or waste land she has persuaded several landowners to plant an. acre of first-class wheat land with nettles, m order to see how far the fibre would be improved. A correspondent of the • Telegraph says :" No jess than four of the softer sex have been initiated into tue mysteries of Freemasonty. These were the Hon. Mrs Aldworlh, m Lodge 44, about 1735, whom you 'mention ; Mra Beaton, a lady of Norfolk : a cestain Inndlady of a Devonshire Hotel; aud Mdme. do Xaintrailles, m Fiance." A widowlady residing In Cork supports herself and her household by teaching navigation to sailor lads. Many of . them. - couip from Liverpool for the benefit of her instruction, »nd a large number of successful- candidates pass out of her hands. ; . The story or a miser who faced death by burning rather than toar himself from . his hoardings comes from New York. A fire broke out recently m one of the streets of that city, mid soon 1 whole block of buildings was burning. The lives of most of the intnatew of the house had bctn saved by the firemen, who, m the discharge of ihoir duty, went \ up to the top floor ; and hero it was that they encountered the unusual spectacle of a man m danger of a horriblo death, who obstinately refused to escape from it. This singular person was a collector of curiosities, old book? and pamphlets, which, with the accumulated wealth of years, he hoarded up m hia room. While the fire was blazing fiercely around and belovr him he remained unmoved, and when a ;■• rescue was attempted by a ladder raiaed to tho window, the fireman who leaded into ,;<the chamber-discovered him m the midst '•of,*smok| and flame, skiing on tho floor, with his treasures collected around him; ; He positively refuged to move.

English /jroceris \vYio ? VeW "mar malatlV ATfi m, fhejsiabit of statin j, as an additional^ .W&mmondatiou to the commodity, that it is an ejcelhnt substitute for butter, An old Scotchwoman purchased some, believing; it to contain nil the properties of butter. -Some time xt terwards.she calltd on the deafer, and iaid nhwHOTbeen imposed on*- a« it was nae substitute for butter at all, for she h»d tried to f rd fish in't and they were burnt to a. cinder." Here is an exquisite story about Mr Grr«Tille, the late clerk to the Privy Council, which has not net got into print. GrreTille was perguaded, when he was OTer sixty years of age, to attend -a spiritualistic eeence. Foster, the jregie- , ing medium, Vaa m great form, *n<l tha revelations w«re tstounfling. (Jreville •at silent, and big aged wiae»ei free wag emotionlefigi^s ; a mask. Suddenly tha m»dium gr«v . excited, and gaid to the oW gentleman, " i.;fcmalejft)rna!ig bending ojrar yom." " Ok! tha txtraordinary liVepesg,". .(JreTitye ,gijhe<J. "She lift* her hands ft> hjless you." GrreviH# gi^hei again. "It yoiif naofcker." *'Ak, poor thin^,.^s«id Oreville, "I »m «laj." " She smiles. I She aays »U ig well wifck h«i" GreriUe gighed again, and «aii, " lip delighted." "KUe aays ghe will see you sodn. Tou are old, and yoi mv« n»eet her before long." Them Gr»▼ilWfluietlyobger»ed, " XTtat'i verf true. I'm joingto tak« tea with heratilve o'dodc tbig evening." lableaa ! Hig mofchtr \ws then, though ninety years old, h^l» md yigatana. This is how the Tfairtrapa Observer refers to a contemporary: — " Tke scribbier of tbiGkeyfcown Stcmdard gave yesUrday, W public- of tkat towuiship another ehibition of his aainine stupidity, whenrefcrring 4q hii journal. The gradual bt steady diminution m the eirculatioiof the Ktandmd throughout the distric, ts congtrattod -with t he popularity of '%e Observer, appears to have j worried hin into a state of hysteria. His fiftend doubt his recoToryi" How readers past enjoy this kind of pabulum! | " Themre m England nearly i million surpls women, one • half of whom would Ijp welcomed m the colonies." This is «at the Pall Mall Gazette says : — There[rei..however, m Victoria alone, 15J000 uire women than men." JoßeplHandlev, Nukiimarii, applied to the Mnsfer of Canda'fnr permission to lease ft sandhills ne«r tho mouth of thn WaitKrii river, adjoining his property. r je matter wag referred to tho Land Boi, who decided _to obtain a roport on t|t and all similar "lands up 'tho coaat. Cjthe motion of ISfr Bunny seconded^ Mr McOardle, the Lnij.l Board \\\ decided to withdraw nil lands opotor cash from sale for thremonths, a m th« meantime lands will be clasßifilJ

Dick G:eon, cue of the first champion oarsmen, of Australia, is any day to be seen hi fcha stroefcs of Sydney, engaged m business, and as active and swart as ho was twenty years ago. Dick . has a red head and is a very steady, ratj^er well-to-do sorjt of follow. Be is thoroughly well liked and trusted m sporting eircW. Tlio liquor sold m Nelson ■ must be fearfully bad. A. corespondent to the Nelson Evening Mail over the signature " Protest " says it was his lot to witness the departure of the steamer which took array the Welliugto.u footballers from Nelson, and two of the visitors gave a most outrageous exhibition of drunkenness. It took twelve men to get one down the saloon and prevent him jumping overboard. This is a clear case for the police, aud the publicans who sold the wretched poison ought to be dealt with by law, uud severely punished. The free use of chloride of lime is a simple means of driviug away rats and mice. It also acts as a deodorizer aud disinfectant. . We learn that the Wanganui Heads Railway contract is now almost completed. On Thursday, Mr Stewart, district engineer, it to inspect the line aud it will then be formally taken over. A Frenchman who had been introduced to the mysteries of toddy, was asked afturwarda how he liked it. He replied : "I do not understand it ; first, he put m whisky to umJtaJi utreng, aud- then water to make it weak ; next he ad'ied , sugar to make it sweet, and lemon to ma^e it bitter. Then he says, 'Here's to you,' and drinks it himself." • . - Mr Foulis, headmaster of the New Plymouth Central School, has applied to the Board of Education for an increase of salary. The Tar.m*ki Herald is > pretty rough ou his letter of application,in which ho makes reference to his honorous duties. Weakness m spelling is ii serious fault m a schoolmaster, but it is one front which a good many educated men are not entirely free.

It is reported that a sale of 500 fat bullocks, and a large number of sheep, has been concluded between a large stock-owner near Hawera and Mr llellahy of Auckland. The arrangement is for 50 head a month to be delivered. A buyer from .New Plymouth had also lately visited t^e district, and has purchased about 100 head of fat cattle. ' A rnnholder not many miles from Blenheim is making Hi per week by charging rabbit trappers 2d a dozen. Aud yet the cqlocy is paying several thousands of pounds evety year for rabbit extermination. The Feilding Star remarks that the run upon pigs which otjtafns ''at' the, ittock sales of the district' just now is rery • noteworthy. ..Those' persons who had the prudence to anticipate the demand are now gathering m golden returns for their outlay. There is every reason to believe that this lino of stock raising will receive more attention: m the future, especially as there are two bacon curing establishments so handy. . In Ormondvillc ou Wednesday last, a resident magistrate, a clerk of. the court, two lawyers, and probably a witneis or two, and one or two policemen were engaged m a case m which the plaintiff was suing the defendant for ■" 8a for killing' fowls." The judgement was 4s and costs. It is rumoured that the defendant intends carrying an appeal to a higher court. The following advertisement appears m the Waipawa Mail: — Wanted at once 500 men, able-bodied and lazy, to sit continuously upon the railway line at all crossings betwoen Waipawa and Napier. ■- Wanted to entrap persons, of all sorts ; horsemen, footmen, workmen, civilian*, anyone, but- especially parsons. — Wantod to bring said persons before the Magistrate at any, available opportunity for tresp&ssj real- or imaginary, Wilful or necessary, partial or absolute. — Wanted to protect the railway line from the dastardly and impertinent inroads of the public— Persons willing to accept the at>ovo appointments are ruccommended to apply to th» Railway Department. . A handsome, living could be made out ot court fees.

The remarkablo career of General Gordon has been made the theme of a new strvice of «ong. The piece has been put>li«hel by Messrs i- Curw*n and sous, 8, Warwick lane, London, E.C., and is entitled " General Gordon " It eonUiiii a biographical sketch of Gordon which is inturspcrded with a number of musical illustrations, thn whole being compiled by Mr A. J. Foxwell. The leading points of Gordon's life are picked out with judgement, and" the illustrative music is m inMiy cases well worthy of the subject the wbnis being vigorous and patriotic, while the music is clear and expressive. The little publication is issued at a nominal price. The other Jay a youpg,p>rifate/of the Grenadier Guarda<Avas,po«toda,Ba s'entryj oi^tbe side gate of Maiibpttuwh H,ouse, opposite St. James's Palace, and was ip due course visited by the patrol, the commander of which found him marching to and fro without any rifle. Ou being questioned at to what ; he had done with the military weapon, he stated that a v«rj tell Col&stretm bor« down on him, •nd remarjciiig, " What does a little ch^j like you want with * big gun lijso that?" BUAtched it frain him «uT threv it over tlie vtll near Coant G)eicben'« studio. On being a&ked why he did not «Urm the guard, he replied th»t tho re vu nothing m his order* about hi# rifle beiii|: taken from hita, tnd that he li«d rtmaiued at his poet as instructed. On a search being made, the rifle was found on the spot pointed out.