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Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 78, 12 January 1876, Page 2

There has been the usual various ecrentrie'ties displayed' in the electoral returns. At Dunedin a Minister of the Crown, and an old member, was sent to the rightabout ; in Waimea, Nelson, Mr Shephard, one of the ablest men in the House, was relegated to obscurity, ami in other places men deserving well of their districts have made way for new brooms. One of the most singular instances of popular ingratitude has, however, been found in the Buller district, where the old member, Mr E. J. O’Conor, has been defeated by a neophyte in polities, Dr Henry, of Charleston. Whether the now member is more able than the old one we cannot say, but that Mr O’Conor worked night and day for his late district is undoubted, ami, any faults that’he may have been guilty of lay certainly in the direction of serving too faithfully the interests of the district that has lately rejected him. The results of throwing over an experienced and influential member, in favor of one wholly untrained, has yet to ho seen, and the Buller district will, if we arc not much mistaken, rue the day when O’Conor ceased to be its representative. We understand that the representatives of the Company intend-to renew their previously successful canvass immediately, . ami it is probable that in a few weeks the project will take definite shape and form. There cannot be a question as to the need there is for the promoters to push on matters, for the establishment of steam communication, of the kind proposed, will be a vast boon to every settler in the district.

We Would especially draw the attention of farmers and others to Mr Cowern’s monthly stock sale at Kakaramea tomorrow, when horses, cattle, sheep, &c., will he brought under the hammer. Entries as will be seen by advertisement, can be made up to the time of sale. Though there is nothing magical in-the dyeing process, the effect of skilful treatment in this respect on old and apparently worthless fabrics is undoubted, and there are many thrifty housewives who well know It. It is well to know that an experienced manipulator, Mr Thomas Barker, lias settled in Wanganui ami is prepared to turn old dresses into new, old clothes into presentable garments, and be a kind of a family blessing. Proofs of his skill can bo seen by those who desire it. Mr W. Dale has been appointed as his agent and will take charge of, forward and return any goods, that the public may consign to his care, for restorative purposes.

The Town Board of Hawera are frugal people, who think evidently, that, because the New Plymouth people have broken through the laws under which their Town Board has been constituted, and reigned for years, that the same disregard of law can be carried out in the future by any other Board created under the same Act. We have, on a former occasion, quoted proof enough, to show that, unless the requirements of the Ordinance are strictly complied with, not one farthing rate can he recovered. We offer this hint, for the benefit of the Hawera people ; if they pay rates after it they are more philanthropic than we give them credit for. The remaining Patea Educational reserves were disposed of by auction by Mr Cowern on Saturday last, when the following prices were realised. Section 42, seven years lease, 40s per acre ; section 184, fourteen years, 28s per acic ; section 545, fourteen years, 10s per acre ; section 546, same term, 8s per acre ; section 557, same term, 10s per acre. Several town allotments were undisposed of.

We would point out to those, who wish their portraits taken, that Mr Warren only opens his studio on Mondays and luesdays, and that on those days sole!}’, as his present arrangements go, he can be at the command of his Patca customers.

The general quarterly meeting of the Catholic Temperance Society will be'hcld this evening, in the Catholic Guapel, and members arc specially requested to attend.

Applications for a clerk to the Hawera Town Board are invited up to the 17th inst.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court, held by Major Turner on Saturday last at Hawera, a native named Ngahuinga had charged W. D. Williams with rescuing cattle, but the matter was settled without the interference of the law. It had been adjourned from the last sitting of the court. The case of James Campbell, who had been previously charged with assaulting a native, named Komako was again brought on. Defendant had, on the first occasion, obtained an adjournment in order to procure evidence in his favor, but neither ho nor bis witnesses were forthcoming when the case was called, and in liis absence a fine of £o was inflicted, with the alternative of (wo weeks imprisonment. J. Trewcek v. J. Qninlivan, was a disputed claim for some £24 reduced to £l9 19s fid in order to bring it within the jurisdiction of the court. It was postponed till the next sitting, at the request of defendant who paid the costs of the day. A. Edgecombe v. Ngahina : verdict for £l2 13s with costs £1 9s fid. Beamish v. Cameron was adjourned,3 there being no proof of service of summons.

A lecture will he delivered, and a concert held at Hawera, on (he 2oth inst. The object of the gathering is to collect funds for a bell, for the Catholic Church at that place. The Rev. Father Kirk will attend, and the whole proceedings will be of more than usual interest.

Three hoys are in custody in Melbourne for setting fire to an engine-house (which was hnrnecl down), for the sake of Hie ten shillings paid for ringing the fire-bell.

It is stated that a Chinese agent have arrived at Vienna for the purpose of purchasing a large number of smoothbore bronze cannons. The Government pososscs a considerable stock, which is intended gradually to recast, after the system invented by General Uehatius. It is doubtful whether the application of the Chinese will he complied with. Henry Alhorongh, a youth of 16‘was out shooting with Ids brother on the cliffs of Wakapuaka, Nelson. The brothers lost each other. As Henry did not return by nightfall, large search parties were formed. • Next day the dead body was found on the beach )in a dreadfully mutilated condition, the deceased having fallen from the cliffs, which were about 500 feet high.

The Otago Times says: —-Mr ' Itegorty whose enterprise as a travelling proprietor of equestrian and other companies, is Well known in the colonics, will visit Dunedin with Barlow's Circus. He has scut home for Captain Boynton’s dresses, and it is also his intention to bring out twenty lady cricketers, who will make a tour of Australia and New Zealand.” The Kyneton Observer was told a story the other day, which is regarded asslrongly exempliiicatory of what may ho the fate of the harvest man of future years. At a certain farm in Rochester district the men mutinied because they got too much mutton to cat! As a matter ot fact on the day in question the men had had four joints set before them —boiled mutton, roast ditto, and boiled and roast beef, A “ header” coming that way, the farmer promptly cleared the lot out, and finds that the machine at any rate does not quarrel with its food.

The sparrows about Melbourne are said to bo completely destroying the best fruit there.

Since the 20th November one firm of auctioneers in Christchurch have sold some £14,000 worth of pr iperty in the city, suburbs, and rural districts, which lias thus been sold in twenty days for fear of a heavy increase in taxation. Jinny more sales are advertised.

The Cross says :—“ It is reported that the Maoris, judging from indicatiousdiiriug the past mouth, predict heavy rains and probable Hoods about the cud of March next. The natives in many parts of the country are exceedingly weather-wise, their habits having necessitated a close study of the changes of climate.” An Inglewood resident reports that on Thursday night last ho was an eye-witness to what was very nearly being the first murder in the new township. Two men being drunk, and quarrelling, the one drew a knife and rushed on the other with intent to stab him, aiming straight for the brest. The other man who was advancing at the same time to strike his opponent, stumbled, which caused the man who was aiming the knife to overreach .his mark, and instead of bringing it fair on the breast.i the knife was carried Just over the falling man’s shoulder.

“ Snyder” answers an important question put to him in the Coromnwhl Mail as follows —“ Tradesman.—To give a customer a receipt on a written hill-head instead of a printed one subjects the tradesmen to a penalty of £IOO with six month’s hard labor, the first six weeks to be in solitary confinement upon bread and water : We do not think the punishment is sufficiently severe.' The law'should be made more stringent. The man who writes out his own bill heads instead of having them printed would be capable of committing ;viy crime that is to be fo.uim chronicled hi the Newgate calendar.’ 1

Prussia has only one lawyer to each 12,000 inhabitants. In New Zealand there is one lawyer'to at least every bOO settlers.

Too Otajo IPiVaess says .• —A few day s ago the child of a disreputable woman was brought before the Justices “ charged ’’ with being neglected. After hearing evidence, the Justices ordered her to the Industrial School for a few years. It appeared that she lived in a barn with her mother, who >vas sodden with drink and addicted to all sorts of disreputable practices. But the old lady was pious withal. On being asked if the child was baptised, she said with some warmth, “Theies nobody in onr country hut what's baptised.” It appeared that her country was Tasmania. When the child was removed she called out. “ Give me your cross,dear ; they won’t let you wear that there. Ibis pious creature bad a natural horror of her daughter being deprived of her religious emblem, though she bad no objection to her wearing it in the sin'" of viccj where she lived.

From a nrivale source we (Post), hoar of a very interesting discovery having recentlv been made by Dr \on Haast, F. 8.5.. in Canterbury. In the course of bis exp’orations the doctor came upon a shallow cave, the limestone walls of which were covered, for a space of about a hundred feet by five feet high., with remarkable drawings of apparently great antiquity. Dr Haast had all these drawings carefully copied, and the information in detail will shortly lv published. Without desiring to forestall the paper, it may he mentioned that there are three distinct sets of drawings, the oldest of them in red, the others in black. The scaling off from the surface of the limestone rock affords proof of the great antiquity of the work. The most interesting circumstances connected with the red paintings is that (hey include sketches of the ancient mou by a prehistoric artist. The Poverty Bay Standard says ; “ Within the last.'two-months upwards of 30 natives died nn the Coast betweew Waipiro and Hick’s Bay, and tangis have been, consequently, almost of daily occurrence in that quarter during that period.”

The Jewish Chronicle has the following : —The Adventists, an American Christian soot, believe that another deluge will visit the earth before the end of the current year. The head of this religion* body therefore has proposed to form a company which is to issue shares for the purpose of raising the funds requisite for building a large ark, wherein the members of the sect might take refuge at the appearance of the flood. A twenty dollar share is to entitle-the,-holder to a place on the deck, ■while the holder of a share of fifty dollars is to have the privilege of using the'beat cabin. Special provision is to bo made for the animals that may accompany their masters.”

Worn('ii arc now being employed to a large extent in London, by the law stationers, copying. At this occupation they earn from 30h to-40s per week. M omen could find a considerable amount of employment in New Zealand, copying- deeds and other legal documents which are copied and engrossed by men. In many of the towns in Switzerland much of the work of the banks is performed by women, and defalcations and embezzlement are unknown among them.

The varieties of wood produced in different parts of the world are far more numerous than most people are aware of. At the Paris Exposition of 1867 there were from forty-five different countries, no less than 3760 different kinds of weod exhibited ; 395 coming from Europe, 252 from Africa, 858 from Asia, 20C froip Oceanica, and 1398 from America.

A story has been narrated to tho Kyneton Guardian upon the most unquestionable authority, which would appear to indicate that the terms of intimacy, existing between Ministers and prisoners of the Crown, are occasionally of a much closer nature than the outside public would consider desirable or edifying. Shortly before the late Ministry were ejected from office, one of their number presented himself at Pcntridge, and desired an interview with one of the confinees—a seven years’ man. Under , the circumstances of the case, the interview would have, been against rule, and, to their credit be it said, the authorities positively refused to permit it to take place, in spite of all that the Executive Councillor urged to the contrary. Finding his efforts unavailing, the Minister was obliged to content himself by leaving Ids card for his incarcerated friend, having first pencilled upon it the message, “Keep your pecker up,-old man" —a piece of friendly advice which, at that particular time, might have been giver, to the giver with very obvious propriety.

If the Londonderry journal is to be believed, a bona fide sea serpent turned up lately in Lough Swilly. Mr John Hanna saw it, and he furnishes a thrilling account of the interesting creature. He says it is most voracious, carrying off everything it gets hold of, sometimes approaching the shore in search of its prey. Its culminating audacity was reached when to the surprise of all, it suddenly attacked and carried off an ancient steed, the property of the lord of the soil, wh.cn enjoying a holiday, had wandcrc'.t too near too teach.

The Lyttelton Times of Saturday last s.jj's :—“Yesterday a race for £IU a-sido was run on Latimer-Square between a man

named Stafford and a horse, ridden by its owner, the distance being fifty yards out ami in. Stafford gained live yards at the start, and still more in rounding the post for home, hut the horse gained rapidly in the last fifty yards, ami Stafford only won by about three yards.” Accounts'of the late floods in the Piako district are no less distressing than those already received from Waikato. Mr George De Thierry, who lives, at Kercphi, at the junction of the Piako and M aitoa, had his house washed away with all its contents, hi?j pigs, fowls, and crops of corn and potatoes. AlrDe Thierry barely managed to escape with bis children to a piece of high land near, wlieie (hey remained two days and nights with scarcely any covering. The Water flowed over the house and for five miles wide on the flats, across which a vessel of 40 tons might have sailed. Air De Thierry stated that during a residence of 24 years in the Piako, he lias never seen a similar flood.— Star.

The Milwaukee News says :—-There was a 3’otmg girl at the police station recently, not over sixteen, with prepossessing face and good figure, whoso body and limbs are covered with scales about the size and similar in appearance to the scales of a fish. Medical gentlemen who have examined her say that she presents the most, extraordinary case of malformation on record. These scales have the chameleon like function of changing their colour. The scales on her arm, while the writer Was present, changed twice from a pale amber to blood-red, and black again. They do not overlie each other as in the ease of fish of reptiles hut appear to he embedded in the tlesli—in a sort of mosaic woik ; and in colour changes, the transformation does not take place at once in all the imbricated plates, some turning red, while others retain the amber colour, which seems to be the primary hue. A desperate and almost unknown operation (says the Crestciclc Advertiser ) was performed on a man named Milter, at the hospital, recently viz., tying one of the main arteries, close to the heart itself. It appears that the patient was admitted ’recently, suffering fr*m what is termed “ aneurism of the arch of aorta-,” and ns the passage of blood was so much interfered with as to cause the man to become delirious, and to threaten death from suffocation in a -few hours, it was decided to attempt something for his relief. A quantify of line iron win- and catgut was inserted through an opening made into the artery, with the object of causing the blood to clot. Notwithstanding the large amount of blood lost during the operation, it has so far proved of benefit that ,be patient has become sensible, and up. to this time is going on favorably,