The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1877.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 189, 31 January 1877, Page 2

The Patea Mail. PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1877.

—— ' A meeting - of the Patca District Agri- ■ ilimit and Pastoral Association ComItco, was held on Monday last, at the ■rotary’s office, Carlyle. Present ■'smi's 11. E. Mcltao (in the chair), Pca•k, G. McLean, 0. Hawes, E. 11. Morgan, J. Morgan, (L W. Ganc, A. Hunter) ! [onderson, E. M. Honcy/iclcl, C. Syrncs, IP. Wilson. The minutes of the proons meeting wore road and confirmed, ho Imsinc.sswas of a general nature, con:cted with the forthcoming Show, which ’;] be hold this year on the Kith March, m Stewards were appointed, and algos for Leaping Match. It was deled to sell the gate and booth, at ancm, and a suh-Committce was appointed make arrangements for hurdles, and her matters connected with the-yard. ;

A meeting of the Paten Yvest Pond jnanl was held at (he Hoard’s ollice, 'arlyle, on Monday, the 20th hist. ]’rent : All the members. The minutes of o previous meeting were road ami omi- : -med. A letter was read from the Chairaan of the Patea County Council, ivqncstig the Board to furnish a copy of the . alnation List, and make certain other turns, with reference to the Valuation ist. It was resolved, £< That the Sccre'■v he instructed to inform the Chairman , County Council (hat. the roll is not real ; that when it is revised, Hie Comr can obtain a copy. Tenders are to be. led for i’alli ii" bush on Crompton ■d, and several sub-Committee’s wore iuted to inspect a number of roads ughout the district, and report at next .din" on the way to expend money oted for their improvement. We have to direct the attention of our ■inters to (he sale of Stock, advertised in anther column, by Mr Win Dale, to be I at Kakaramca, mi Friday next, at 1 :’i■ ick, when a largo quantity of good ■ Ime Cattle will bo offered ; also, 20 head vi ar-old Steers, (it for the butcher. On f blowing day, lie will sell at Hirst’s : >rf, about 25,000 feet Building Timber, i wards at, his Auction Mart, furniture ■’■ merchandise ; and on the Dili Feb., ' ;!■.(> yards adjoining the Oco Hotel, a : of Live Stock will take place.

•' ... . • it i.i'j. I.i;. M.i Aliijiiliiy oveiling, for 11 io purpose of forming ii Clnl.i. The following .gentlemen were elected a "nmmiltee of management —Messrs Long, Harris, Turner, Black, Potto, and Iv-Rs. Ji wan decided ;■> meet in I Ik; Tuu-ii Hail every Wejnes lay night for practiot;.

'Tito .Id lll rlli .Annual AVe-leym Conference is now being hold at (Jiirislcimrcb, and tlm appointments for the Wanganui and Taranaki District, for 1 577, have been iixed as follows : —Paten, Rev. J. Law (with a grant of ToO) ; Taranaki, Rev P_ W. Dill ; AVnngamd. Rev R. Bavin (Ghairnian) ; Uangitikoi, Rev S. Lawry i Manawfitn. Revs V/. Uanneß and T. Cr. Hammond.

'l’b" challenge fool-race, of 100 yards, between AV. Williams and Dixon, for To a-side, came o.T on Saturday afternoon, the former healing the hitler by a little over a yard. A ludicrous incident is reported by the lirisinl Post to have occurred tin ring Air and Ali-.s Bandmann’s performance of “ Hamlet” at the new Theatre Royal. An elderly gentleman who bad taken a seat in the dross circle remained a quiet spectator of the piece until the closet scene, in which Hamlet slays Polonions. Seeing the sword of the prince plunged through the arras, ami the body of the aged courtier fall se'cmingly dead upon the stage, ho jumped up in a state of evident trepidation, and, exclaiming, “ It is most disgraceful that all these can sit quietly bore and sec an aged person deliberately murdered,” rushed out of the circle. The box-kc:*pcrs endeavored to calm Ins fears and to explain to him that it was all a dramatic illusion, hut bo refused to be convinced and bounced out of the house.

Dr Wilkes, in bis recent work on physiology, remarks that “It is estimated that the 1 miles of every adult person require to be fed with lime enough to make a marble mantel-piece every eight months.” It will be perceived, says Max Adder, therefore, Unit in the course of about ten years each of ns eats three or four mantel-pieces and a few sots of front door-steps. And in a long life I suppose it is fair to estimate that a Healthy American could devour the capital of Washington, and perhaps two oi three medium-sized quarries. It is awful to think of the consequences if a man should be shut off from Ids supply of lime for a while, and then let loose in a cemetery. An ordinary tombstone would hardly bo enough for a lunch for him.

From Berlin a remarkable zoological fact is reported worthy of Mr Darwin’s attention. dome negroes, who are at present in the German capital, having visited the Zoological Gardens, the whole animal world of African origin collected there was thrown into a stale of excitement, partly even of ecstasy, at the sight of these dark familiar faces. The African elephant became so exuberant in his joy that ho capered about, performed a kind of solo dance. The giraffes galloped in their cages to and fro with such energy that the negroes had to bo requested not; to stop any longer there lest an accident should befall the animals. Even the dignified lions seemed to show by an unaccustomed expression that they were quite alive to the occasion. The power of remembering their native country through an association of ideas arising from the appearance of black men and the strength of their affection for their African home, was exemplified by this noteworthy scene. If such feelings can be evoked by vague Hashes of recollection among wild beasts, observes the Examiner, how much more cultivated must be the mental faculties of domesticated animals whose progenitors have through long ages boon associated with mankind.

A new reaping and binding machine made by the W. A. Wood Company’ New York, was put to a practical test on ground on Mr Doom's farm, Biccarton, where a crop of oats avci aging about fifty bushels per acre was growing. The oats had been knocked about considerably by the recent wind and rain, but, notwithstanding this, the machine did its work well. The oats wore cut, hound with wire into sheaves of the ordinary size and thrown out of the wav. 'Several gentlemen interested in agricultural matters were present, and expressed themselves thoroughly satisfied with the result of the trial. The machine was drawn by,two horses and Its working, if properly understood, will cut and bind at the rate of about one aero per hour. Onlv one man is required to attend to the machine, and the wire used for binding will not cost more than about oigbtecu-peucc per acre.

The following very sensible remarks wen; made, by Air W. McLean, one of the candidates for the Rccftou County, at a public meeting the other day : —“Ho had liecn accused of taking exception to one of the candidates personally canvassing. He had done so, and repeated the objections there. It was tampering with the, liberties of the voters, and with the right of the ballot. Ho did think that it was stretching matters a little too far for a candidate to go from door to door begging for votes. Ho did not care whether he was elected or not, he would never resort to such a practice, and ho would say, further, that he would never sit for any constituency for which he had to beg the votes necessary to return him. The, Ballot Act gave a man the right to vote according to his own conscience, and it was asking a man to set aside his own conscience in the matter to make him pledge himself to vole in any particular direction. To show that he meant what he said, he released every one of his requisitionists from their pledge. They were as free as the wind to vote for whom they pleased.’’