PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1881.

Patea Mail, 4 January 1881, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1881.

Major Kemp was taken ill last Thursday, and Dr Tripe has prescribed for the patient without seeing him. The Governor’s private secretary returned from Parihaka on Friday, but no official explanation is vouchsafed. Mr Edward Hardcastle of Wanganui, barrister, has been appointed District Judge for the District of Taranaki, vice Shaw, transferred to Wellington. Constable O’Brien has been transferred from Patea to Wellington, and Constable McPheely has been moved from Waitotara to Patea. Mr R. Woon, magistrate of the upper Wanganui district, chiefly among Maoris, terminated his service on Friday, retiring with a pension after very long service.

| Hobart-town is to be named in future Hobart only.

The steamship Northumberland will be despatched from Wellington to London during January. The report of counterfeit florins at Wellington proves to be founded only on the dull ring of a few genuine coins. A fearful hailstorm passed over Canterbury on Saturday. Stones one and a half inches long fell at Hayland station, Ashley, killing several sheep and turkeys, and breaking glass, &c. The storm was local. The Nelson cricket team beat the Wellington team on Friday on the score of one innings. Wellington had 238 runs to pull up in the second innings, and managed to score 47 for two men out when the stumps were drawn. A gardener of the ornamental school is about to settle at Patea, probably on the “ extension ” flat southward of the fellmongery. It is also understood that a sash-and-door factory is to be built near the Patea bridge. This ought to open an up-river trade in timber. Following the drowning of two young men in Wangauui river on Christmasday, one body was recovered washed up on the sea beach some miles south of the river, on Saturday evening. It was that of Farnie, and an inquest held on it yesterday resulted in a verdict of accidental death. The body of young Wilkinson is still missing.

The highest value for improved farms in this district has been reached within the last few weeks. Since the sale of the Middlemas farm of 300 acres, part suburban, at about £l3 10s per acre, a grazing farm of 120 acres near Waverley has changed hands at £ls an acre ; and more recently Mr Hughes sold 80 acres, part of his farm two miles from Patea, to his neighbor, Mr John Patterson, at £l4 10s per acre, without buildings. This last transfer of grazing land without buildings represents probably the highest value yet reached. The Presbyterian Sunday-school picnic took place in the Recreation Ground yesterday, and was quite a success, being attended by young and old of all sections of the community. Sports and games were kept up till about 5 o’clock, on ground near the lake; and the young folks and some elders adjourned to the church section, where tea was provided. Sports and juvenile hilarity went on with renewed zest till darkness closed the fun. It is a pleasing feature to see the different religious sects meeting and mingling at these social gatherings; and it is to be hoped that before long the public Recreation Ground will be made attractive, and become a general resort for pleasure parties, as in other towns.

The barque Telegraph which grounded in the river after crossing the bar, was got off on Friday evening, the next tide after the mishap. Had the captain not been a stranger to the river, he would not have run so close to the west spit. No damage was done, except that he prudenty got out part of the cargo of coals to prevent straining on the keel. The vessel is now in harbor. Some persons at Wanganni have been seriously informed that this was a “ wreck,” and that there is “ something radically wrong ” with the Patea river. This river is narrower than the Wanganui, and is therefore radically wrong. If a craft grounds on the side of this river, it is the fault of the river in having a side ; whereas when a craft gets on the mud at Wanganui, and sticks there more than a week, it is the fault of the craft, not of the mud ; and the occurrence is not a “ wreck,” but only a stoppage. None but Wanganui connoisseurs are expected to understand these distinctions.

Eodanow Watches. —Attention is called to the price-list of the Rodanow Manufacturing Co., of Boston, published in another part of this issue. It will be seen that the prices quoted are 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