GENERAL NEWS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 39, 7 May 1879, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

■ s ■■-.}■■ - ■vn, ■:..,:.;-»... , ' .■ ■/-■■' ' '■■.-• • ■■j':- Tidal at G-betmouth.— A tidal -ware came up the river last week at a 'quari ter .past six o'clock.; : The* o;nly vessel m . port was the tug Despatch, arid she had lier three mooring ropes (one of them 4£ inches) .snapped. Some TealermenV'boats •were swamped "and stave m. Th^ wa!ta waa over three feet high. ; : * i^ ' : ; Solved. — "Can a man beTorig'to a brass , band and be a Christian ?'V asks 'an ex-^ ' change; ' We see ho irapedimeiSlf ' m the way (says the New. Zealand Sun)) ' ,But if he ;is a member of a brass band; ancles given ■ to •pi'actisihg on his cornet or.tronibone at home, it is an utter impossibility -for the man living nest doon jto^be a Chrfetfen. Wanganui Gas— The directors 6f the , Wanganui Gas Company intend (says the Herald) charging 20s. per 1000 feet for the gAs supplied to; ponsnmera. The accounts "vrill be made up monthly, and a discoimt of 15 .per cent:, allowed Jfop 1 (ash .pavAents, N The Wellington Company^ commenced at 205., so that the Wanganui Directors*haye a • good precedent. It is to be hopedfthe consumption will soon warrant a reduction m : price!/ ■ ' ;''••■ CpLOirrzATioir.— A genial whole-sonlecl citizen has sent us',, (says the Wellington Chronicle) i a bottle of sparkling champagne, accompanied with the joyful annouurem.enfc " that he has just : been ' made tlVe happy tfather'of number nine." He lives, m the' hope .6/ reaching theVdbzen,, m which case he /promises not \b sentLus< a,bottle, but a w.hol^case of. "the sparkling." We have heartUy drank the health' of "the little str^n^eij." ... ; „ - PBACTiOAii WoBE.-^-The Government are ju9tL;rio«- preparing-, (says the Chronicle) a memorandum setting forth the various ■parasitic insects which affect" sheep, and explanatory of their, action upon tb# §^inial and its wool: I Tha memorandum is drawn. : ..up by. Br. Hector, and. ilhxstra ted by marr ginal' cuts of tha several parasites. It ; is intended to publish tin's pnper alon|; with the Scab Act and the forms requir^i under, the same. Considering the. ravage! ;pf scab among many of t)ie flocks of- the Colony, this' work seems to us of niore importance, than; many others pf which wehear a grpat ■ v'ftii. ' '' _, ;'. ■ ; ."■.'. : - " ■■-.. - ■ ■;■ "VVhat the Lot-e op Boast- Beep-Poes.-tJS/x Liierte has found out all about the Zolit war • it is tlie consequencf, it seems, of thejpertinacity of the: English; > tojiinpopo on the. amiable, savages-^-the love. ' of rofibif: No "allusion is made to>he plumpudding. It is another ' Sepoy aSiir ; the., English , aware that the Sepoys, hated moat like aivegetariari, not. the less wish to accustom. them— asj.the Z»lu— tq animal food, and to produce .on them the "acquired: taste," made the cartridges up m portions .of the intestines of, oxen, sho?p, calve^, &c., thus fbivjingthem^ when. biting 1 the car-, tridgesj to taste the'accuwed thing! : " >"tAn Expert m Soie-soe. —^The writer of those clever sketches, "^hat the JWorld pays" i« the weekly paper, tho. TTprl^ relates the. folbwibg :— " It is hard for professional pride to vemaui- silent /whca a good old ■ tradition \of the craft is ontroged.- The other, night -v^hen,' The Ne^w Babylbn *• was' -produeod ' at the Duke's Theatre m .Holborn, tlie galley wa». • -crowded, andj the gods were ; : to approva of th'e piece gorießillr until the. burglary scene. ButHrben the buvgßvr was seen 'doing* fche place with all the blinds up, bo that ho could be. seen '.at^woi'k x froni the street, an expert present] could: bsir it no longer, but .yelled outi^ Why don't you pull your blinds down P'< " ■ T,HE GrtOIWaPS "TJjtCEBTATWT-r OF THELaw.— Anothor interesting . example of the ' uncertainty of the law (says' the. Wellington. Chronicle) was mentioned afc the meeting of Mr/ Rinson's creditors; , A re3plution had been unanimously agreed to some time ago, instrijcting the trustee to lake nn action against the Te Aro /Public Hall Company, aj the legal advisors of the creditors had told them they were snre to obtain^, verdict for a large amount. The action was tried ;at:the present sittings: of the i Supremo. 'Courts and the creditors got a vercH<-t for. £30,: but werev ordered to p,vy their own • costs, amounting tfc ;;6lo3; I7s.j lOd 1 ,- Thus to obtain £%&, a sn-in of £-163 17s. TOd. was, expended ! Yet the creditors are the Wry shrewdest business men m the. city ; and' their legal advisers are two gentlemen hold- > .ing'felje foremost rank m, their- profession.' Pook Joseph! — A.pon^einpprary : says :— "It is rumored that a* 'company is' to be. at Tpkomairirp -i to purchase the. Bntcfi Herald; n^wspftpferi pr6pprty. The property, three yearsMago, was valued by the proprietor, Mr> Joseph Mackay, at J£l0,000 ; now, it niay be prnsha^^d for about a tenth part, of that sum. For* some. > years the Byitce Herald h&fl the.krges(t and 'widest circulation of any covintry- paper "•iblisliei m.; New- Zealand, bjat tlie latterelement was its weakne39 ; the. returns came m too tardily, a sliilliug-a ; biishel offthe price of oats made; a good many default^ •jig sul>scribers." We are. much afraid that Joseph's eoal : miningy farming; - s.nd sliopke^ping also -sadly interferei. with, the . of what ahpqld^b^^^©; f fij^st jprpr. ! ,Twrf» ? r : i».rrt^ouut^ ' . 'tesfeiiMi; /The ofcfc f adago-^ of ' ''tiio many ; ironsriifcifcherfira'V lia4!no. eff^tpoiyosepfcj he was determined 1 to make a fortuns, aiidj he has fallen between th^- stools, as i^ ■' ." : ; ' ■■■'

_ ..""TEB r D*aoTOirT-TS Vxctobia.— Tlie following picture of tile prolonged drought is given by tlie .Smythbsdale correspondent of jbhe iaAarat Star-.— "For five months we have nut? had rain to any. extent, so as to bo. of mfuch advantage, at lea3t to this •portion of the Colony. Sheep are dying m hundreds, cattle are plunging m old shafts (and slimy mud-holes m search of water ; and it is nothing new to see": different parties of Neighbours {within a few hundred jafrds of cacTi other with ropei and marlin spikes, trying to drag cows front out the old shafts , into which they had plunged m search of ■writer. The miner too, above all, is the -\^>rji|;,off ? as for five months' lie has. had to struggle* along without being able to puddle hislwastldirt, which is everywhere stacked inlieaps, awaiting the rainfall.'' : 1 Horrors o^ the Burmesb'Slassacrkw— TheßuViriah ihassacre '(says the special coryespondent*of s tb'e London Times) w»3 eon-: ducted With all the refinements of Oriental barbarity, recalling fche horrors of Cawripcire massacre during the mutiny; onlyj fori tunatelyj the victims- were not Europeans. The^rjmcej;; whom; the King most hated, was compelled to see his wife outraged, •• his children mutilated, his mother beaten to 'death, with; sticks, and their bodies thrown into a well, where other victims were, hurled in' mutilated confusion. Children were hacked and torn limb from limb „- before their parents' esbs. No form of cruelty was absent from their last moments. £he European population is greatly excited. The; prompt .actioH' of the Viceroy has already brought reinf orcemenja on the ; scene fot r ddfensiVe 'operations, ! This 'appears to have had a wholesome effect, the King haying an envoy to the Viceroy. ■' The Famous Readers '"A?n> Bidders.— Messrs. ■&.' H. and L.\ J. MfCormick, of iphteago, man^acturersof the M'Connick reaper and binder, &".,, liave no less than 600 handi working full time. Speaking . of/the machines exhibited at the Paris Ex'liibitiorii the Fcho Agricdie of Paris says : — "To see those threshing machines, constructed" with perfect 'taste a9 to shape, and with richness m the materials 'employed, true specimens of cabinet work and inlaying—these • reapers and mowers, where all the metallic parts shine like silver— one cfc>e,3 not imagine himself m the midst of apparatus designed for work which is reputed vulgar, such as cutting wheat or mowing grass, but iji a store . of enormous jewellery and among" true works of. art. Jtfever m any country have, been such grace and splendour. If hy the magnificence of tjie machine Ye are to judga of the character of th'e workman, who would nbt be inclined to suppose the American farmer to ■ be.'equally fine,; walking the earth, not m jjlpuse and ■^■ooden shoes, as .with us, but inifuti dross and with bands gloved ?" . A-x. AxiCTroNEER isr TROtTBiiE.— -A meet.ing of Mr. J&, JV Duncan's J creditors ... was held m Wellington \ last week, when it was decided to : accept the deed .of assignments proposed % tlio debtor. Fifteen creditors, rppvo3entirig £2,577 .- ss^ 3d., voted m favor o^.jthe acceptance }' whilst nine ..creditors, £785 14?. ,7d., voted against flic prop!o.sAl,.- AMr.M'Pbwell, who occupied the' chair, stated that the amount of money. in'hand at present amounted to only £900", 'which would represent a dividend of Is. 6d. ,m the pound! The total amount of uh'securcd debts was about £8000, of which ' £421J> was for ordinary trade liabilities, and £397^:assistance rendered. to the debtor- by liis friends. The report of the committee appointed to investigate the condition of the estate stated thai, as no profit and loss account had beeij kept by the debtor, it "wris 'impossible" to tell at what particular time his affairs were m a sound condittpn. Poor. R. J. r ! Most people will be sorry for him, who are'aware how hard-working and kind-hearted he is ; but what bl-ie could be expected from such a method of transacting business than utter collapse? ::> ; ■;.'"' ; A JtrboH's Owxioy on* the Devil's Brigade.— We commend the following ad- ' Vice to pur legal friends, and. tlieir clients also :^" MrivJuifeice Lopes recently tried a y ease of slander- at Lbpds'.' " In the course of tlje case 'Ait' transpired that lawyers' letters" 'Lad' passed, whereupon the judge" eaid to the jury: -Gentlemen, I do not know whether, any/of you are likely to receive a lawyer's letter. If so, do j^ot reply to it, ■' for if .you do, it willbe f ollowed' by' another ; and if you reply to that, you will certainly 'find it followed by a third lawyer's letter. (Laughter). If you send an answer to a lawyer, ho will bo sure to find something m ' it' to quarrel' with, and he will trip ypu'Up. . -^Dinjgliter). I advise you never to reply to letter, because when he has sent *y^6||onc be sure h^hW' made up his mind tcr go to waP.-- ; !(Eaughter)y. And if m answer to Buch a letter you send an apology, the solicitor .will only be awfully disgusted, finft in tho lptig rim it will ho read >, with a flourish before a jui\y.' " We know of one remarkable pxeeption; and one which would cause Mr. Justice Lopos some considerable surprise. * ' A&eiocxtubAxi' larpiißJfENTS. : — -Speaking of the importation of improved farming implements .by; Meijars., Morrow, Bassett, 'and Go., the special reporter of the Lytteltofi Time* says :— " Another highly iinporr font unporiatiou, is a number- of the famous -Deere ploughs, which have already been referred to; m these columns. It will be remembered that afc the groat trial'ih coniicction = with the ; Parip Exhibition,' the, ii?ue : was, Narrowed " io a iclbse contest between' the; "American Dwre 'plough and *the * JTreuch ' Boudapd. Evontuaily the.: ''•oveVdf- prize jwas unhesitatingly given to the, Deere Coupany, the lightness of draught of tbejr implement haying placed it altogctlicr beyond the rcach-oi: the French productiops;- ; A specimen of the Deere Compliny's ploiighs has been exhibited Wore— .-that known aa the: vftiipin Sulky. The .:"■ .farmew present at the > trial were astonished , at the? work done, aiid warmly ex|jre3Bed "their- admiration. There was, however, a -generally expressed opinion, that a doublefurrow plough would be the iripre desirable imnleraenti and Messi's. Morrow, Bassett, and Co. have accordingly ordered a supply of bQtli theA' sulky 1 , and the 'frame-gang,' the latter being of the double-furrow type. The general width; of ihe furrow cut by' the Bcere frame-gang is 24 inches, and the depth from. 8 to 9r inches, the. edge .of the furrows 'b«j|ng;left'perfectly clean," while the Boil is well turned over, j ;i •: i ? v •.;■•',■';■..'*:' Death qf v the Dawjhter ox Captain? CooK.—Thc London J*?% Trtegrdph made' the following touchrag allusion to the death of Mw. Ann Bumsey about • a dojten yeare iincc, wliich is worth reproducing even now: V Fi% thousands gold-drggers are working to-day m the New Zealand gullies. Sydney is a splendid capital with palaces and rail- 1 vay?., Victoria and Queensland have so | many sheep that they boil . whole flocks ! down fo» tallow. Afc the Society Islands ! the newspapers are anxious abcut tlKvhoalfch' of hie -Majesty the- King— an allyof ouk. •and an.Tiiglily enlightened powon. Somebody -diedilast, week who could recollect when New Zealand, Australia, and Qtaheite had no laprc exHtance for ." the world than c the und{scorcredaaland«.' " A irttle old woman,* Mistress Ann Humsey,;of Golche'ster, Was a ffe^-days back positively: oMer-than the. W efttl.'C't record of CivilisotioiS m any one 6t tfceije^rieh .yofurig Btates. ; WHen sli e^uavered .put the yrordit? 'm?fii&;dkjß when I wii3 a:girl,' she. spijke the ifliyt sentence/ m the; bistory of aU't'ie^ie rdbftstnew thrones and nations ; for 'm t'le^days when she ways a gif^ 'hs-wiiq v?J.i herta,thor wrjte;th^ myati*

all for the first time on the map. Mistress Ann Rtimsey was the daughter of Captain Cook, and she died last weeic at the age of 10-t. Absent colonies will please take notice : there are about ten million of Anglo-Saxons and others, besides the. thirty millions at Home, who owe the flower of a reverent thought to tliis good old lady's resting-, place.'' -, . :,-■.. ' Mosstjjb Captite Bahoon por Strney. —Amongst the many novelties . that .will be. exhibited at the forthcoming.yExhibit.ion m Sydney will be : the tromendous captive ballppn that created so gfoat a sensation at the sExhibition.in Paris last, year. Wo understand that this, pi* a similar balloon, has been secured for theSydney Exhibition; and we haye been favoured by the' gentler man (ME . de Voight, late an ofEcer of engineers; iv the French army) .'. who has received the Exhibition Commissioners', permission to exhibit ; and; work the .said balloon 'here,- with the following particulars :— The balloon is fastened by. a ■.thick, rope to a j steam-engine, by which its movements are directed, after it has ascended to any height that may be thought desirable (at^ Paris the height was ?000f t. to , 2500 ft. ), and after having remained at this altitude for some time, it is hauled down by means of tho said engine. The car will contain about 30 persons. In Paris the success' was so great that intending passengers had to secure tickets several days before, and all the Royal and Princely personages who were m Paris during the Exhibition made the ascent,; amongst them the Prince and Princess of ! .Wales. ■:■., The. Prince ; .ascended .sever ral times, and aE. gave , expression to the satisfaction, their,.: , serial trip had /< aff prd. Ed them. During ihejjime of .the Exhibition m Paris the balloon ascended more than I 5000 times without the slightest accident, I and it will no doubt surprise many to hear j that the fortunate owner of the balloon cleared a profit of 800,000 francs (£32,000). Hitherto, nearly 'every proposed ascension, of balloons m Sydney lia<* been unsuccessful, on account of the difficulties connected with the gas supply. This balloon, however, will not be subject to that difficulty, as tho aeronaut makes the gas required himself. The sort of gas used is called brint,^and is: made, from sulphuric acid and iron. In Paris, the balloon. was»made use of for conducting scientflc experiments, which, of course, will also beidone here. We have no donbt that the captive balloon will not be m want of patrons. Those whose good fortune it will ba to-make" the ascent will have a wpndroiis beautiful panorama before them, vnot equalled m any part of the iworid." ■■■;■ ■■rK 'rri:'--}*:?™ 1 ■&-:.':, ■■ i IJp3^ Airi) Downs.— A^ few years ago, among the "young bloods" of London Viscount Maidstone was well known. The heir to an earldom, handsome, reckless, he was courted and flattere.l for a tiine^ He spread his aristocratic plumage m the sun, andlivedthe peacock's life. He liasjust died at the age of- 26, • and he had at last fallen so low. m regard to means and sources, that his chief grievance against "the world he .woke and died m" was that the authorities refused to enlist him as a common soldier. A few years ago, Mr. Alberts Grant was decorated by the Kings of Italy ■ and, Belgium ; he erected the first statue to Shakespeare m London she sati n the House ■of Commons ; ho gave Lieiccster square to • the' people; lie spent dver£3oo,ooo iii building himself a house. Todayjhe'potitibns the Court of /Bankruptcy. j tP be relieved from thei pressure 'of angry creditors "; and 1 from a' palace r at Queen's Qnte he has gone into moclest chambeM I at . Westminster. E. W. Ward,-., after a brilliant artistic career, and at tba height of his fume, had sudden fits of depression, which ended m his death' "by: suicide; We knew Sir- William Don, the actorj 'a Scotchman of excellant family and prospects, and 1 were with him the day he was released from Gloucester Gaol,, whither he had been taken for debt as he was going, upon the stage the Bristol ' Theatre.' He was a fine, handsome, capable -man. He died poor, and left his widow, Miss Sanders," an actress, to live upon her moderate histrionic powers, which were heightened, m general estimation r by her title. Baron Huddlestbne; now ono of Herr Maj^tv's "judge*, wai a poop usher -in' a Worcestershire sclibpl some' years ago. One -of his pupils conducted liini as Under Sheriff to his seat on the Assize bench.