LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1705, 11 May 1886, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In s order to make room for full summaries of news per 'Frisco Mail we are obliged to hold over leader and other matter. The 'Frisco Mail reached Palmerston Post Office last evening. Th« tender of the Waipawa Mail for advertising for County Council was accepted, the price being 1/4 por inch. . Inspector James was a passenger by rail last evening, en route for Foxton, on his official tour to these districts. We have a few copies of T. K. Macdonald and Co's Landed Property Guide still left for distribution gratis. Any of the country settlers sending by our runners will have one forwarded them. The guide is well worth perusal and keeping as a reference. The Lycaura altered advertisement will be found m another columu. and on Sunday next a lecture will bee delivered by Mr Thomas R. Walton, on Orthodoxy dying from softening of the brain &c. Mr Bryce is to reach Wanganui by the afternoon train to-morrow, and will be accorded a receptiou there. The loftiest lighthouse on the British coast is the one at Barra Head, on the top of Bernera Island, one of the Hebrides. It is 680 ft above highwater mark ; and the light which is an intermitting one, visible 2^mins. and dark £mm, can be seen for thirty-three miles.

Attho meeting of creditors m the estate of R. B. Fearon, labour«r, of Feildinjr, held m the courthouse, Feilding, ou Thursday, a written statenmnt of th* debtor was read, from which it appeared that he becamt possessed of £1,700 m 1881, but had lost it all, partly through speculation m land and racehorses. He was also unsuccessful m 1 sevtral carting and metalling contracts. The debtor also stated that he would not have been m his present position, but -that £5000 coming to him under his father's will had been embezzled by tho trustee m whose hands it had been placed. He would not have filed now, but Mr London had issued a warrant under a judgment summons. Ho had no proposal to make. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Gitchard, seconded by Mr Chamberlain, " That tho debtors fumitura be handed over to him." It was also resolved, "That the Deputy Assignee be instructed to take no steps ' to collect the surrender value of the lite policy of £500, Resolved, -'That no publio •xamination be necaoiary,"

" Why is a woman like ivy !" tho familiar but gallant answer to which is, " Because the greater the ruin the closer she olinejs.' But he put it, " Why is ivy like a woman ?" which none of the ladies could tell, ond so ihe unfortunate man himself told tham it was, " Bocause the closer it clings the greater the ruin. " The death is announced of Captain Whitson, of the ship Dunodin. It may be rememnored tkat the first cargo of frozen mutton sent from Ntw Zealand to London was by the Dnnediu, which wag under the command of Captain Whitsou. The shipment was lauded m perfect condition, and drew torth loading articles from the Times and other important English newspapers. The health of Sir Hercul«« Robinson hat completely given way under the strain of troubles to which he has been gubjected at the Cape. He wag to leave for England on April 7, and it is not considered likely that tie will take any other Governorship. All the be»t appointments are filled for years to come. It is stated at Home, that Sir Hercules, after retiring on his pension, will take up his residence m this colony, for which he conceived a great liking while here as Governor. We learn that Mr John Pender, the Chairman of the Eastern Extension Company, very generously agreed to cable to India and the colonies the tall text of the addresß delivered by H.U.H. the Prince ot Wales at the opening of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, her Majesty's reply, and the Poet Laureate's ode, free of charge as a memo instead of a message. The ordinary charge for such a message from England would have been about £1200.— Wellington paper.

An exchange tells an amusing tale of mistaken identity m connection with Sir William Jervois. Tt appears there is an old resident of Onehunga, a shoemaker named McGaw, who has occasion to go amongst the shipping at the port for orders.. He shaves exactly like Hit Exteellencv the Governor, and his toute ensemble is remarkably like Her Majesty's representative m this colony. On the occasion of the accident to His Excellency, the sailors who went to the rescue found the Governor holding on to the stringers of the wharf ; on reaching him, one of them exclaimed : "By George ! if it isn't old McGaw been trying to drown himself." History does not state whether His Excellency thought fit to disclose his identity, or whether, under the circumstances, he preferred "old McGaw " to get the credit of having so nearly met a watery grave. •

Twenty-eight years ago (says the Hauraki Tribune) when very little was known of quartz-reefing m Victoria or anywhere else, Mr James Bucher, of Totata Point, Thames County, N.Z., discovered a golden reef m a reedy creek a few miles south of Kiltnore, Victoria. He crushed 28 ounces out of a few pounds weight of quartz, but did not know how even to put iv a shot. He could do nothing with the find, but covered up all trace ot his workings, took the bearing of the place, and left it there. He has travelled over many lands since that day, intending to return to Victoria again and look up his reef. He left Auckland six weeks ago for Victoria, and last week a cablegram was received from him to the effect that he had found it all right and the reef intact although the surrounding country has been worked for years past. Mr George Belcher, the well-known bookmaker and turfite died m Auckland on Snnday w«ek. Theburley form of old *' George*' will be nearly as much missed from the racecourses of the colony as that of Mr R. H. Vallance. Belcher has been m failing health for some months past. One of the mont sensible speeches ever made since this globs commenced rolling was that of a man who, during one of the Belfast riots, was asked by a mob what his religion was. He did not know whether his interrogators were Catholics or protestants, but he looked at their weapons, their bludgeons, and fouling pieces, surveyed all carefully, and answered, " GentUmen, T am of tbV same opinion as that gentleman there with the big axe."

The Pr««8 fOhristchurch) says that from private information received m Christchurch from London we learn that the company, which has been registered, intends to proeeod with the actual construction of the railway as soon as possible after the contract has been signed. All the preliminary arrangements have been made, and the estimates carefully checked. The company intend, wo ]*am, to build the line themselves, and engineers and others are ready to start for the colony as soon as everything is arranged. 1 An outbreak of fire occurred recently at Wilmington, North Carolina, on board the river steamer Bladen. A high wind was blowing at the time, which quickly swept the flames through blocks filled with naval stores and buildings saturated with turpentine. Two steamers were burnt as well as a sailing vessel. Three blocks of stores, many private residences, two railway goods stations, two mills, a church, dnd other buildings were completely destroyed. The loss v estimated at 1,500,000d015. Our stock of Dress and . Mantle Trimmings is unusually large this season, and include all prices and colors m Velveteens, Astrachans, Laces, Military Braids, and the New Tinsel Braids, with the newest designs m Buttons to match all of them. The most desirable feature m the effect of any Dress is to have it appropriately trimmed. C. M. floss & Co. The Bon Marche. .