COUNTY NEWS.

Patea Mail, 4 December 1880, Page 2

COUNTY NEWS.

A Weekly Supplement of 14 columns is presented with this issue of the Mail. While the Rotoraahana steamer was lying off Napier on Saturday, the lire - bell was rung and much commotion ensued. A kerosine lamp had burst, and caused a momentary panic. The magistrate who was shot recently by his jealous mistress, in a theatre at Dubbo, N.S.W., is lying paralysed, with a bullet in his head. He cannot speak, the brain being injured ; but he is conscious, lively, and cheerful. The English ship Pleione, 1097 tons, has arrived at Wellington after a passage of 104 days, with 196 steerage passengers, principally young women. A Wellington paper describes them as a bonny, healthy collection of lasses. By the time they arc engaged in domestic service, they will be called “ladies.” There arc 99 for Wellington, 11 for Nelson, 11 for Auckland, 23 for Marlborough, 27 for New Plymouth, 20 for Hawke’s Bay, and 13 for Canterbury. The Govenou was “ sworn in ” at Wellington ©n Monday evening. This is how he ivas “ put through.” On the lawn fronting Government House was a small table, with a plain chair, and a sixpenny bible (so says the Chronicle). Sir Arthur Gordon advanced to the table, and the Clerk of Council read aloud the oaths of allegiance to the Sovereign. The Chief Justice, in full robes, administered the oaths, the Governor kissing the bible and attesting his signature to the official record of his appointment as Governor of the colony. A group of officials formed a circle of observers. The swearing-in being complete, the Governor was retreating into the house when the Premier called for cheers for the Sir Arthur Gordon. A weak sort of cheer was given, as if the colony’s Ministers and officials had not recovered the shock of a ten per cent, reduction in salary.

The handicap. weights' for Marton-r i Rangitikei meeting will appear on Tuesy day in ,the Mail'. \ .>’ " ■ \ ■ Land held by the City of Glasgow Bank committee in this colony is to be retained till prices improve. For stealing two sheep at Pungarehu camp, the native Wi Rakiara has been committed for trial.

The horse Luna won the Spring Handicap at Wellington this week; not Lara, as erroneously reported by the telegraph.

Gold is discovered at Stewart Island. A quartz reef is found running from Port William to Patterson’s Inlet. The prospectors obtained a grant of land a week ago. Six EVencli convicts escaped from New Caledonia, and reached Queensland in a small boat, having steered accuretely by a sun-dial compass and a map.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin has opened a subscription to defray expenses in defending Mr Parnell and other leaders of the Land League, who are to bo prosecuted by the Government. The trial is to commence immediately. It has been arranged that the sculling match between Hanlan and Laycock shall take place on the 17th January, over the usual Thames course. Laycock has now raised the necessary stake of £SOO.

Thistles are becoming a serious nuisance in Patea township. They are growing in huge masses on various sections : and if allowed to seed and blow about, the nuisance will increase tenfold. Cannot the Town Board take action, in time ?

The schooner stranded at Patea is to be hauled over the breakwater into the channel, if Captain Bendall’s plan succeeds. He has let the labor contract for the experiment to Mr Cl. Gerrie, for £IOO ; and the timber slips will be laid next week. Captain Bendall is superintending the salvage for the underwriters. But when is the enquiry into the stranding going to be held ? The facts will have to come out, and it is better to elicit them by formal inquiry than to leave the question of blame in the present unsettled state. We intend to open the question on behalf of the Patea public, if it be not otherwise taken up.

Prizes at the Taranaki Agricultural Show, held on Wednesday, were awarded to chief exhibits thus:—Sheep (Peacock and Pearce judges), W. F. Hoskin, champion ram, silver medal; Leicester ram, H. A. Atkinson Ist and 2nd ; Lincoln ram, J. Old Ist. Cattle—Champion pure-bred bull, Vavasour Brothers, silver medal; champion pure-bred cow, J. Elliot, silver medal. Horses (Mcßae aad 0. Symc judges)— Blood entire, J. May’s Izaak Walton, silver medal; draught entire, G. Bissett’s Lord Raveuswood, silver medal; blood marc and foal, J. Day’s Forest Queen, Ist; blood entire, under 3yrs, A. Standish’s Normanby. Best bush farm, W. Bewley, 314 acres at Inglewood.

Turn’s last fuller confession of the Opunaki crime appears on the fourth page. The prisoner was embarked yesterday for Wellington. A telegram to the Post says Tuhi has made this statement : “ I had no desire but to kill her. It was a momentary impulse, and I acted on it.”

William Holtz, whose leg was amputated on Tuesday, is in a weak condition, but was cheerful enough yesterday to laugh at the report of his death. That report was so general on Wednesday evening, and believing it had come directly from the Hospital, as was stated, it was inserted in the Mail at a late hour. The amputation was made a little below the knee, to preserve the use of that joint if possible, though it is still uncertain whether the arterial injury will permit sufficient circulation to preserve the lower part. Of course some risk must be incurred in trying to preserve the use of a man’s limb. The printed report of Holtz’s death was read to him in bed as a piece of cheerful news.

A circus troupe in Wellington had to Tuesday’s performance, for fear of* the gale blowing down the canvas tents.

In America, where sacred subjects are treated with easy levity, a "religious journal asked, “ How shall we get the young men to church ?” A Philadelphia journal, not very religions, replied : “ Get the young ladies to go first—you bet.” . , „

Mr Jackson’s sale of eleven pure-bred bulls, purchased by Mr Donald Fraser after the Christchurch show, took place on Tuesday, at Wanganui. The attendance was large and the bidding spirited. All were sold at prices which arc considered good for the lot. They were knocked down thus;—22nd Duke of Derrimut, 205gs, Mr D Fraser; Esau, 105gs, Hakaria ; Lord Lovell, 130gs, Wirihana Hunia ; Invincible Ist, XOOgs, Mr G Y Lethbridge; Captain Cook, 65gs, Mr Jas. Hamilton ; Caliph, 55gs, Mr H Sergeant; Pelops, 27i-gs, Mr A Higgle ; Tribune, 20gs, Mr Bradley; Knight Errant, 87£gs, Mr J Cameron; Spreydon, 45gs, Mr Gower; Major, GOgs, Mr Akers.

Wellington is proud of the eclat with which it received Governor Gordon ou Monday. We are told the affair was a distinguished success; and the Chronicle does not hesitate to say that “ Wellington, like the British Lion, when fairly aroused, can do its duty and make a half-day’s holiday out of scanty and uninteresting materials.” Now this is a fact not generally known; for if the British Lion, when fairly roused, makes a half-day’s holiday out of scanty and uninteresting materials, what sort of materials would he require when really hungry—when on the rampage ? A scanty and uninteresting baby might serve the British Lion tor a half-holiday snack; but how much would he want when he goes for a whole day’s outing ? The Wellington lion swallowed a real live Governor on Monday, and yet complained that the “ materials ” were scanty and uninteresting. What a maw that lion must have !

A new method of making bread was “ discovered ” by a Mr Selby, assistant steward on the barque Alex, and a Wellington paper brought the invention under notice in an interesting article which caused the bakers of Wellington to make anxious application to be let into the secret. The steward of the barque has now let them into the secret. He says : “ I have to give an unqualified contradiction to the statement. There has been no invention at all. The real fact is that Mr Selby did not know how to use malt and hops, &c ; he prepared an idea of his own, and spoilt good flour, as I know to my cost, having suffered from indigestion for seven months by the discovery. The bread was always sour, as can be testified by the crew as well as myself.”

Mu Huust, M.H.B. for Auckland, has been acquitted. He was arraigned at the bar of public opinion for that he, with knowledge aforethought, did exhibit or cause to be exhibited a pig: to wit, a black pig with whitish spots, the said spots being covered with lamp black or other oleaginous pigment, with the object of deceiving the judges at the Auckland Agricultural Show, thereby obtaining a prize to which he, as owner of the spotted pig, was not entitled. Mr Hurst has pleaded that the pig’s beauty spots were colored without his knowledge; and he produces his servant’s affidavit stating that two pigs exhibited in Mr Hurst’s name last year were “ dressed ” in the same way while Mr Hurst was absent. The affidavit does not say the spotted pig shown this year was blacked without the owner’s knowledge, but Mr Hurst says he did not know. He assures the public that the pigment put on the spots was not for the pig meant. The committee of the association are satisfied to the extent of saying they only meant the disqualification as a disapproval of this kind of “dressing” for a pig. That is perhaps a sufficient dressing for Mr Hurst. The popular verdict will be: “ Not guilty, but don’t do it again.”

It is decided that the Australian cricket team which visited England will play matches in this colony, against all challengers. •This horse Hailstorm is scratched for the Napier Cup. Foul Play and Natator are scratched for the Dunedin Cup. Mr Carr, proprietor of the Empire Dining Rooms, Wellingion,died suddenly on Monday, through the bursting of a blood vessel. His partner in the business had died only the previous week. Mr Milroy’s filly by Dead Shot was found dead on Thursday morning, near Patea Institute. The top of the skull was fractured, probably by a strong kick from a horse. Another native report says Moftatt was not killed. Some natives came down the Wanganui river last Friday, bringing wool from 100 miles inland ; and one said, “ Look here, yon pnkehas think Moffatt dead. I bet you Moftatt not dead. I bet you in two months you see Moftatt. He alive.” This report comes from a correspondent of the N.Z. Times. Mr Fergus, of Dunedin, has returned to Patea in connection with the harbor railway contract. The pile-driving is now progressing rapidly with steam machinery, and filling-in the foreshore will soon be commenced. The railway line is being excavated from the creek towards the roadway; and along the cliff frontage the excavation is about half finished. The timber taken out of the schooner Jane Anderson will probably be landed at the railway wharf, as per contract, at the expense of the consignor. The ironwork for the large bridge crossing the river at the bend is being manufactured at Dunedin. That was an interesting proposal by which the Government were asked to give sixty thousand pounds as the price of capturing certain natives who shot Moftatt up the Wanganui river, or are reported to have shot him, for his death is now doubtful. 0. Laird and G. Harrison offered to lead a hundred men into the Tuhua country, armed at Government expense ; and if the murderers were captured or slain, each of the hundred heroes should receive a rcwjirtl of 100 acres on tLe Wainiate Plains, These centurions were to go filibustering up the country, killing any natives they chose to kill, and doing their best to bring on a native war. And that is supposed to be bar-parlor wisdom. Eodanow Watches. —Attention is called to the price-list of the Kodanow Manufacturing Co., of Boston, published in another part of this issue. It will be seen that the prices quoted arc immensely lower than Englishmen are accustomed to pay even for inferior watches. The firm was established in 1849, and has gained prize medals at the Exhibitions of Loudon, Paris, Vienna, etc., for excellence of manufacture. The climax of novelty in the insurance business has been reached in Austri a where a company' recently proposed to insure people against getting married. Hard to beat—an old carpet.