LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1457, 17 September 1885, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On our fourth page to-day will be found: — How a Rich Mau can Defy L:uv, A Plea for Freedom, A Forgotten Traeedv, A Valuable Suggestion; The Clorgy and the Female Prison Brigade, and miscellaneous items. Signor Ofcto Hug, the eminent medical clairvoyant, will revisit Palmerstori tomorrow evening, and can be consulted at the Club Hotel until Monday evening. The dates and plaoes of his other visits m the district are set forth m the advertisement. -Si?nor Hug requests us to say that he cannot remain bej'ond the date specified, so that persons intending to consult him should not postpone their visit beyond the days specified. A course of Scripture addresses are to be given m the Rechabite Hall, Main street, on Thursda}' evenings. The first will take place this evening, at 7.30 o'clock. All are cordially invited. Tenders for bush-felling on Sir Rhodes' property, Pahiatua, will be received till the 20th inst. Specifications can be seen at Standard Office. Caroline Stevens, daughter of Mr (t. K. Stevens, commission agent, of Auckland, died on Monday, of brain 'feyer^ evidently the result of rrisntal strain during the recent pupil teachers' examination. In her last moments she was reading a lesson and totting up figures. The Wanganui butchers have combined to raise the price of meat. It was the general opinion m WivngAnui that retail prices were quite iiigh enough at their present rate Under the " Special Fowers and Contracts Act" Drovision is mule for handing over to Te Kooti 40 acres at Punui, at present an endowment of the township of Alexandra. Speaking of the eclipse, a Napier exchange has the following : — The following colloquy was overheard the other evening between two occupants, (a young lady and a young gentleman) on the seat on the beach near the Fire Brigade station. Said the spark after a long silence, " What did you think of the eclipse. this morning?" "Oh," was the response of the fair one, "Very good for an put-of-the-wav place like Napier." Adelaide benefit societies have adopted a sensible rule to exclude members from sick pay when illness is due to footballing. The late Bishop of Llandaff, during his annual confirmation visit to a country church m his diocese, was surprised and annoyed to find about one-halt the churchyard under a seemingly flourishing crop of potatoes. Upon coming out ot the church after the confirmation ceremony was over, he turned to the clergyman and said " Mr Vicar, I see yon have potatoes plant2d m God's acre." "Yes, my Lord," replied the vicar, " and an excellent crop I expect too.' 1 "Well, sir," rejoined the Bishop, "I trust that when I come here next year I shall not find a crop of potatoes m the churchyard, sir." " Oh, no, my Lord, I hope I aui not such a fool as that. I propose to rotate the crops — cabbages next year, my Lord." No less than 33 distinct missionary agencies are at work m Africa at the present time. In South Africa there are 450 Protestant missionaries, 95 native ministers, and there are estimated to be 40,000 communicants, 250,000 under instruction, and probably 1,000,000, more or less, "under the influence of Christianity. The Resident Magistrate at Dunedin inflicted a fine of £10 and costs on W. M'Leod for carrying on a soap boiling m town without consent of the City Council. This anecdote is related by Mr Barnnm •m illustration of the axiom that drinking is a bad habit that grows. " Last winter two of my elephants began shaking with chills one morning. The keepers ran down inlo tlie village and got six gallons of whisky. Hastily returning, three gallons were given to each elephant. Fortunately it cured them. They liked the artificial warmth it superinduced. Next morning when the keeper went to them, he found both elephants shaking with might and main. 'No you don't !' he shouted. .-You are well ono gh today 5' and they stoppo 1 shaking." The ph-rtonrai'lt of a "failed boy" was roneilly pxhitiitpil l>y th* President oF the L, ■> ml on Anthropological Institute The boy, a native of Snrgon, was about eight yen-sold, and his caudal appen? dftge w« fully half a foot long,

Five hundred years ago no Unvn-: m England had a population of 100,000In 1377 the population of London wa<only 35,200, and York was the nw Inrgwst town m the kingdom with 11,400 inhabitants ; then caiiie Bristol with 9200; Plymouth with 7300, and Coventry with 7100. At the present time the rural population of England is only 40.4 per cent. - Wednesday's N. Z. Times says :— The flags of the steamers m port yesterday were hoisted half-mast high as a sign of i respect to the memory of Mr "Walsh, late. ' providore and chief steward of the* steamer. Stormbird, who died at his resi r dence, Woolcombe-street, yesterday. The deceased was greatly esteemed by all who came m contact with him, and his' death is greatly regretted. The concrete foundations of the new Opera House m Manners-streets (says the Post) having become thoronghly set, the brickwork, of the outer walls was started this morning. The form laiion stone, a fine block of bluestonc from the Ngahauranga quarry, has be2n already hewn into shape, arid it .is expected that the ceremony of laying it will take place m about a fortnight. The Napier Telegraph says: — The ±'300,000 harbor loan is held m twentyseven hands, the highest tender was lor £300 at £104 13s Bd, and the lowest accepted tender was at £104 Is 6d. The largest amount tendered- for was£lßs,ooo at £103 18s, of course the present holders will split their shares up by and by. One firm of brokers secured #260,000 for different clients.