LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 240, 29 January 1877, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A report has been current in town to-day that Her Majerty Queen Victoria is dead. Up to the tjne we went to press we received no intimation of the fact from onDunedin Corrcapon lent, and wo are quite sure were there any troth in the sta-ement it would l>e known in Pnnedin. There are some persons who delight in spreading foandati»nless reports, which arc as stupid a* they are annoying, and we have little doalt this report has emanated from inch a source. the BatTw;*y Station wore a part'eu'arly animated appearance this morning on the arrival of the eleven o'clock train from \toeraki, having on Itoard aome forty three children belonging to the Moeraki School The youthful strangers came o i a voyage of sight-seeing, and owing adjourned to Mr Fred. Earle's, and put themselves in a con diti«o to enjoy the sights by partaking of the good thing* there providid, proceeded on a tour of inspection to the Breakwater and from thence to visit the other lions of the town The children aeetncl to thoroughly enjoy thrfr day's out?ng. which no doubt on their return will furnish a theme for conversation for some days to come.

Generally speaking practical jokes arc all one-ridel, an! no matter how provocative of ►on they may be to the perpetrator they have an opposite tendency opon the person* operated opon. No doubt such was the experience of a newly-married coup'e who were spending the hoosymoon in a certain boarding-house in Humber-*treet on Saturday nigjbt, when a serenade was performed in honor of the Oceanian, the instrument* doing duty being sundry dilapidated kerosene tin*. Persons just joined in the holy bands are supposed to be oUivious of the onter world, bnt when in addition to the | harnmny above noticed their attention is re- | quested by metal messengers on ths roof and ! through the windows of the bridal chamber. i it is scarcely possible the delicate attentions [on pass over unheeded. We hear that a 1 well-known bachelor lady-killer, no doubt envious of the happiness of the wedded pair, hired tome dozen street Arabs to form the impromptu band, and with a pecuniary bribe jot them to keep op the harmony until a fate hour. We understand, however, his kindness is not to go unrewarded, and although no cards were issued on the lat* festive occasion, the gentleman in question will be invited to visit the pmiling Magistrate at an early date.

From a Victorian paper we notice that oar old friend the Kev. P. P. Agnew is still prosecuting bis lecturing tour, and is holdFog forth to the people of Beechworth, a riring township about one hundred and eighty miles from the metropolis. The subject of course was " The Early Suffrrera and Martyr* of Botany Bay," and the reverend e-ntbraan appeared to he drawing good

Ta« Wellington Arjua 'observe**:—" If it wen not that the coUusioa between the Government and Sir George Grey it beyond the rtjpoos of pmbaloiity, we might fancy bat some little arrangement had beenc»me X, srbea we notice that Kawaa and other fr-j- ca «te Asckland wart are sot to*

eluded within the bouncLries of any County. They are thus exempt from all local taxation, although several of them are very valuable private properties. Sir George Grey, for i istance, i•, as owner of Ka;vau, now exempt from contributing to the support of the new s-yatem of Government to which he so much objects. It is almost a pity that the Government dil not further oblige Sir • Jeorjje Grey by mak ; ng Kawau a Province, as well as leaving it out of thi Couuty." The following appeare 1 in the Harold and Croos from ito Alexandra correspon lent under date Alexandra, Monday:—"Te Reingi, Manuhiri's daughter, says that the day Sir Donald M'Lean died she fancied she saw and heard him crying for help. She toM her father an I other native?, and said it was too late, he would die Te ReifigaN prediction proved true to the day. She hid a long tangi on hearing th-j sa I intelligence. The Hauhaus say it was a visitation of God for his evil work towards them."

Tw«» men have been engaged for some months pa-rt about the Waihola Lake District obtaining the dead leaves of the cabbag'tree, which are forwarded to Danedin, a ciuck load at a time, for manufacture into brooms for household use. These broom; were firat mmufactuee 1 by a man of color named Parker, in the Tuapeka and Tokomairiro districts, at both of which place* he seemed to fail in making a living. An ent. -. prising Dunedin firm have since taken him '•y the hand, and he now superintends the manufacture of these broom*—for which a patent has l>een obtained—on a large scale, is evidenced by the fact that many tons of the cabbage tree leave* have been forwarded from Waihola alone. As the supply there available 13 now nearly exhausted, the men <utend to visit other districts bordering upon the Southern Kailway Line for future supplies, as they manage to make a fair living at the business. The bro >ms are now ob- ; t in.ble in grocery stores in Otago and is they are reported to be superior to the Vmcrican I 'room-:, we {Bruce Hsrild) would that hou-tewive*, by giving them the y reference, would be cm- iraging the advancement of local in-lu trie?, a most com nendibl; thing in eve.-y c-ase.whsre the artidesstand favor ibl-j compcri -on for qualify *ud price with those hitherto used.