PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1881.

Patea Mail, 1 March 1881, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1881.

The inward ’Frisco mail left ’Frisco on the 14th, two days late. A frost at Foxton did much damage to root crops on the 22nd February. A Nelson telegram says the Rifle Association firing commenced yesterday, the mayoress firing the first shot at three o’clock—without making a bull’s eye. The total entries are 153, and about 130 had arrived at the camp yesterday. Weather beautiful, A robbery took place on Sunday night at a Dunedin hotel, the Prince of Wales’s, £175 being stolen from the bedroom of Mr Waters, landlord.

At a meeting of Pye’s creditors held yesterday, the question of agreeing to his discharge was postponed in expectation of an arrangement. Mr Batkin, one of the Commissioners appointed to inspect the various offices of the Civil Service, has been prosecuting examinations in the Government offices in New Plymouth, and left for Hawera on Saturday. A cricket match between Otago and Canterbury at Christchurch has resulted in the Canterbury team winning in one innings and 240 runs to spare. Canterbury made 381 in first innings. The Otago team was disposed of for 77 first innings, and for 64 in second innings. Mr R. Stout is mentioned as probable leader of the Liberal party in the next Parliament. Mr Ballauce suggests that Mr Stout would command the confidence of the party, if Mr Macandrew would have the goodness to refrain from dividing it by pressing his as a prior claim. These party arrangements may suit the aims of office-seekers and office-holders, but in our opinion they serve rather to retard the best interests of the colony, by raising false issues whenever an important measure is introduced from one side or the other.

The Kakaramea entertainment takes place to-morrow evening. The total entries for the Wanganui Autumn Meetings have been as follow: —7 in 1879,62 in 1880, and 80 in 1881. This year there are-17 entries for the Maiden Plate, in 1879 there were only o entries. Surveying in the Parihaka district will be completed within a fortnight. The land is pegged off in sections, but nobody cares for the risk of settling so close to Te Whiti’s stronghold. Not a single section is taken. The old camp at Waihi, so long the outpostofcivilisation, is being dismantled and gutted. The buildings are now all down, and there will not be an A.C. left there ten days hence.

Rain has fallen after a drought of eight weeks. It will be remembered that heavy rain fell on Monday -morning, January 2nd, and there have been two light showers in the long interval, but so light as not to settle the dust. The copious rain of Sunday last came none too soon, nor was there enough of it for the thirsty brown pastures. One of the great stock sales of the district takes place this week at Owen & Lethbridge’s Ruatangata station. Mr P, R Jackson will offer stock and implements on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The stock comprises 800 head, some pure blood, all well-bred; 11,000 Lincoln ewes and wethers; 120 horses ; with 400 rams and ram lambs.

The Dunedin Herald learns from a private source that a large Scotch paper manufacturing firm have now en route for Otago a complete plant and machinery for a large paper mill for the manufacture of printing paper. Sir William Fox’s Protege. —Te Whiti has gained another convert, and this time one who is well-educated, and versed in the English law. It will be remembered by some that after the engagement with the natives at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu in 1868, a native boy was taken prisoner, and as he seemed to be an intelligent lad, he was sent to school by Sir W, Fox, and educated. After a time he was articled to Dr Buller, with a view to his studying the law; and from all accounts the boy showed decided talent for that profession. This native is now about twenty-three years of age, and had every prospect of a successful career before him; yet he has abandoned everything and surrendered himself—body and soul—to Te Whiti. He is now at Parihaka, living as the other natives are living there. From this it is very evident that it is impossible to civilise the natives ; and it is only a waste of time and money in attempting to do so.—Taranaki Hei'ald.

The Cricket Match Town v Country was played at Patea on Saturday. • Each side had only nine men and one innings ; and the Town team so far had the best of the game, which will be resumed next Saturday. The Country team missed Fetch and Read as strong players, and the Town missed Jacomb and hatching. The pitch was rather bumpy, but considering the long absence of rain the turf has kept in condition well. Subjoined are the scores : Country.—First Innings, Finuerty, b. W. Dasent - - 3 Drake, b W, Dasent - 0 F. Horner, c Pringle - - 13 Arundel!, c Dixon - - I Shiel, b Coutts - - - 0 F. H. Horner, c Coutts, b Dasent - 6 C. Dasent, c Coutts - * 0 Corrigan, b Coutts - - 0 Pearce, b Coutts - - - I Campbell, not out - - - I Extras • - - 10 Total - - - 35 Town.—First Innings. Coutts, b Horner - - - I Dasent, c Shiel, b Horner - - 3 Tennent, c and b Horner - - 12 Dixon, c Coutts, b Horner - - 21 Taplin, b Arundell - - - 9 Horner, b Horner - 3 Black, b Horner •• - 1 Barchinsky, not out - - 3 Boulden, b Horner - - - 0 Extras - - " - 14 Total - * - 72

Mr Skeet, dentist, will visit Patea early in March. Over £ 100 was taken on Thursday last at the fancy fair held in the New Plymouth recreation grounds.

A change in the head-mastership of Patea school is about to take place. Mr H. H. Dyer, who has managed the school over seven years, has accepted an appointment under the Wellington Board to the school at Karori, near Wellington, and the change is intended to take place at the end of the current month. In his letter of resignation, Mr Dyer says ; “ I am deeply grateful for the many kindnesses that have been shown to me as master, both by the different committees and the parents generally ; and whether I have been successful or not, I have always honestly striven to do my duty in school matters.” This modest claim is certainly true. Mr Dyer has worked with unmistakable zeal, and his success as a teacher is considerable. His dicipline is perhaps a little easy, but if this be an exception his school management has been decidedly successful in all essential matters, A successor is not yet named.

William Hudson, who was sent from the Patea Hospital for treatment in Wellington, has been forwarded to the Christchurch Hospital, where he will be under the care of Dr Wilson, oculist to the institution. The Lyttelton Times, after referring to the earlier efforts to cure Hudson at Patea, says he was forwarded in August last to the Wellington Hospital. Whilst there Dr Diver performed an operation on the better eye, with a view of strengthening its sight, but the eye afterwards became very painful and worse. A second, operation was performed on the same eye, ending in total blindness. After some correspondence with the Christchurch Hospital Board, the authorities in Patea made arrangements to have him forwarded to that institution to be placed under the treatment of Dr Wilkins. The man arrived on the 17th inst., and judging from his action when being led, he seems to have quite lost his sight. The Times says, however, that Dr Wilkins, who has seen him since his arrival, has great hopes of affording his patient relief.

Ax Autumn Show of root crops, cereals, and flowers is projected by the Patea Agricultural and Pastoral Association. A sub-committee has been appointed to arrange details and fix a date; and any suggestions might be forwarded to the president or secretary. The middle of March will be rather late for most fruits and flowers, whereas a month earlier would catch these in perfection. Roots and grain, however, should make a strong show in March, and the later fruits and flowers would help to form a varied display of district produce. Floriculture has not become a feature in the district as yet, but the most practical device for encouraging the culture of flowers as a refining recreation is the regular recurrence of a flower show, for which amateur florists would prepare with the zest and pride of professional gardeners. A first public show of flowers must be a haphazard collection, there being a few, and only a few, fanciers of flowers who grow them at present in the neighborhood of Patea. Flowers under glass are a rarity at present, it being so easy to grow them with some approach to perfection in the open, on the sheltered side of a dwelling. It is not a little surprising that the cheap and charming luxury of a lean-to glass fernery is not seen attached to cottages -in this district. Nothing would be easier than choice native ferns to grow with success in this climate; and there are abundant ferns of a choice small kind, and others of splendid subtropical foliage, to be had for seeking in the bush. These might furnish a cottage fernery with a rich variety of foliage which would be the envy of those who keep costly conservatories at Home. Once start the fashion and give an impulse to this kind of cultivation, and the Association will soon be able to look with pride and satisfaction on the good results of its directing efforts.

James Taylor, of Kakaramea, lias been arrested on a warrant for stealing a saddle value £8 Bs., in April last year, the property of Cyril Dasent. Maria McCauly is in custody on a warrant for causing a nuisance near Mr Odgers’s Hotel, Patea. An armed party of natives are reported to have gone up the Mokau river with the object of turning back Barry, the gold prospector.

Mrs Garrard, at Auckland, was charged by her husband with ill-treating and threatening to poison him. Garrard is an “ unemployed ” agitator, and his wife said in court that he was a loafer, who would talk, but would not work. At Timaru, on Friday, a boy named George Healey was shot over the region of the heart with a bullet fired by a clerk named Holthouse, who was practising with a pistol. The injuries are serious, but are not likely to prove fatal. Commenting on the tour of the Australian cricketers in New Zealand, the Wellington Post says—We may candidly recognise that Wanganui can furnish good cricketers as well as lunatics, and, in accounting for the solitary defeat of the Australians in New Zealand, may allow a fair share of causation to the creditable play of the

Wanganui men. Mr T. K. Don, who represents tho Melbourne Leader , ami is on a visit to New .Zealand for the purpose of collecting information for publication respecting the colony, has visited Southland and the chief agricultural districts of Otago, the result being that he was surprised at the excellence of the crops and the extent to which settlement had proceeded. On the Taieri Plains, Mr Don saw some, to him, wonderful crops of wheat, oats, and turnips. The latter were estimated to go 40 tons to tho acre. As far as he has gone he is convinced that New Zealand, though heavily burdened with debt, is a country of immense resources. At the Thanksgiving service for a bountiful harvest in Christ Church, Wanganui, on Friday evening, the Rev Mr Toogood was assisted by the Rev Mr Tudor. The church was suitably decorated. Over the communion table a large star had been formed of wheat, oats, and barley, relieved by a back ground of crimson cloth, while at the foot of the table corn, flowers, and fruit were massed together to form a bank. The reading desks were decorated very prettily, the bright colors of the flowers shewing up most effectively among the bunches of corn and flax.

Hone Werahiko, an intelligent travelled native, who is also a good gold prospector, has proposed to the King natives that he should be allowed to prospect the Tuhua country, being convinced from what he has seen of the country that it is gold bearing. He has offered to instruct natives in the art of mining for gold. The Auckland Herald has been shown specimens of worms found in tne bronchial tubes of some sheep belonging to Mr Joseph May, which have died, also worms of a similar appearance, found in the earth. They have the appearance of coarse white cotton thread. Those found in the lungs of the sheep are about five inches in length, while those found in the earth where dead sheep have been buried, ranged from 9 inches to 15 inches in length. Mr May forwarded a letter explaining the symptoms and the supposed cure, viz.: fumes of sulphur and turpentine. He finds that they generally attack, lambs and poor sheep, and supposes that as the worm is very sluggish the strong sheep when attacked are able to cough them up. The American Stockman (Chicago) thinks that when intercourse between Australia and the Pacific Slope becomes more rapid, purebred bulls will be more likely to be imported fx'om Australia tlxati fiom Britain.

An unusually large cheque was paid by the English Government at the latter end of November. The amount was £1,000,000, and it was for drawback to brewers on account of store malt. Lord Napier of Magdala strongly advises the retention of Candahar. Two aboriginals in Queensland fought a duel with waddies. One was killed, and the other was seriously injured. The Meynoll hounds (England) while in full cry were run into by a railway engine on the Midland lino, and several were killed.