The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1882.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 975, 22 December 1882, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1882.

There will be no issue of the Mail on Monday. With this issue we present our readers with a Christmas supplement and the compliments of the season. The Telegraph Office will be closed on Christmas Day; and on Boxing Day it will be open from 9 to 10 a.m. At the land sale on Wednesday, thirtysix cash sections were sold, realising £7,568. The acreage was 3000. About 2000 acres of deferred payment sections, 14 in all were disposed of, realising £3305. The highest price given was for section 20 block IY, Carlyle, which brought £9 ss Od. We learn that since the sale several more applications for sections have been made and there is no doubt'that they will all be taken up before long. .The Privileges in connection with the forthcoming Caledonian gathering will be sold to-morrow by Mr Cowcrn. The monthly meeting of the County of Patea Land and Building Society will be held to-morrow evening. A Lodge of Instruction in connection with the Patea. Kilwinning Lodge will be held this evening at 8 o’clock. A special meeting of the Waverley and Waitotora Pacing Club will be held tomorrow evening at Ballam’s Hotel, Waverley to arrange the programme for the autumn meeling. The Catholic Picnic will be, held on Boxing Day, in Mr H. McCarty’s paddock. The arrangements are well forward, and the youngsters are likely to have a good time of it, as plenty of games will be provided, while the refreshments will be on the usual liberal scale; The banquet to Sir J. Vogel, at Christchurch, has been postponed until bis return from Wellington,

A capital day’s amusement is likely to be met with at the Kakaramea Sports on Tuesday. The entries have come in well, and, as many of the competitors are engaged in the larger meeting on New Year’s Day, considerable interest is taken in their performances. Onr friends may rely on a good attendance if the weather keeps fine. The Presbyterian and Wesleyan Sabbath schools have united to hold their annual picnic this year. The outing will take place in the Domain on Tuesday. In connection with Presbyterian Church matters in this district we learn that the Presbytery have arranged that the charge of Manutahi and Kakaramea be united, with Patea. These three circuits will therefore fall to the charge of the Rev. Mr Thomson. The Rev. Mr Torry, under whose care they were formerly, extends bis labours further up the coast, Manaia and Opnnake being in bis circuit. Manaia races will be held on Boxing day. There are eight events on the card, and the meeting promises to be a successful one. A ball will be hold in the evening. Mr Currie announces that he has a Christinas tree for the young tolk. The services in the Presbyterian Church on Sunday next will bo conducted by the Rev. A. Thomson, who will also preach at Manutahi in the afternoon. The Rev. J. A. Lnxford will conduct Divine service in Wesleyan Church, morning and evening, and at Kakaramea in the afternoon.A cable message has been received in Wellington from London, bearing date 19th instant, stating that the following vessels had sailed prior to that date ; Ship Wellington, for Port Chalmers, with 319 immigrants ; and Crusader, for Lyttelton, with 381 immigrants. Two boys attacked a Chinaman in Dunolly (Victoria) lately, and fractured his skull by pelting him with stones. A constable found him lying -in the street where he had fallen, and lie died next morning. The boys were promptly .arrested. At the inquest on the body of Mr S. Saunders, of Wellington, who was found drowned in the harbour, a verdict was returned that death resulted from drowning whilst suffering from an apoplectic fit. The country settlers in South Canterbury are fully alive to the advantage of having a port handy for the shipment of their produce, instead of having to send it to Lyttelton, There has been a proposal laid before them by 1 lie Timaru Harbour Board to borrow £IOO,OOO to continue the construction of the breakwater, and the result of the polling was an immense majority in favour of the loan. Some 1300 votes were recorded, and of this number only 25 said that (hey did not want the harbour ; that is to say they voted against borrowing the money. The Harbour Board have reason to feel highly gratified at the almost unanimous acceptance of their proposal. It shows that their labours are appreciated, and encourages them to proceed with the work with increased confidence and energy Districts like Timaru, thcresidents of which have the foresight to submit to a rate of 3d for the sake of saving a £, are bound to become prosperous. By-and-by we hope our turn will come. At the meeting of the Wanganui County Council on Wednesday, it was -resolved to extend the County boundary to the Waitotara river, so as to make the County and the Wanganui-Waitotara Highway districts coterminous. New Zealand oats are selling in Melbourne at from 3s 9d to 4s 3d, duly paid. During the five Sunday afternoons on which the Art Gallery in Sydney has been open the total number of visitors has been 19,61), an average of over 3600 each Sunday. The Auckland papers are very rough on Beale’s cricketing team. After referring to the doings of the piemicr eleven, one writer says :—But what about this extraordinary crowd of cricketers (?) who are now dragging Auckland’s reputation through the mire on the West Coast ? Who are they, where do they come from, and by what authority do they dub themselves the second eleven of Auckland ? These aie questions hourly asked by indignant Auckland citizens who object to have the place disgraced by the exhibitions of such self styled cricketers. I am sincerely sorry to hear that one of them has been suffering from sunstroke in Wanganui. But I have heard not a few in Auckland express the unchristian wish that all-of them had been snnstricken a little bit before they started on this illstarred expedition. Our apology to our Southern friends must be that we have sent our best and our worst elevens. A telegram from New York reports the salvation from destruction of a train containing GOO passengers by the noble courage and self • sacrifice of an engine-driver named Joseph A. Tieg. The furnace door of the engine having been opened by the fireman to replenish the fire, while the train was travelling 35 miles an hour, the back draught forced the flames out so that the car of the locomotive caught fire, and the driver and fireman were driven back over the tender into the first passenger car, leaving the engine without control. The speed increased, and the volume of flame with it. There was imminent danger that all the carriages wonld take fire, and the whole train be consumed. The passengers were panicstricken. To jump off was certain death; to remain was to be roasted alive. The cngiueclriver saw that the only way to save the passengers was lo return to the engine and stop the tram. He plunged into the flames, climbed back over the tender, and reversed the engine, When the train came to a standstill, he was found in the water-tank, whither he had climbed, with his clothes entirely burned off his body, his face disfigured, his hands shockingly burned, and his body so badly blistered that the flesh was stripped off in many places. He was taken in a state of unconsciousness to the hospital, where very little hope was entertained of bis recovery. ]

The Taranaki Herald winds up an article on our County affairs as follows : “ What steps the members of the Patea County Council propose taking we have yet to learn, but we should think the lesson the ratepa}’ers have been taught should be a sufficient warning to them not to put the same men into office again as Councillors, for it is very evident they have sadly neglected the interests of the County by their gross neglect of their duties.” One of the historical institutions of London has been partially destroyed by fire. Hampton Court was built by Cardinal Wolsey on the site of the manor house of the Knights-hospitallcrs, and 4n 1525 was presented (o Henry Vlll.—perhaps the most splendid offering ever made by a subject to a sovereign. Here Edward VI, was born ; here his mother, Jane.Seymoun died ; and here Mary, Elizabeth, Charles, and other English sovereigns have resided. Much was , pulled down, and the grand inner court built by William 111., who made it his principal residence in 1694, when the gardens, occupying fifty acres, were laid out. Here, also, was held in 1604 the conference at the instance of James I. between the Puritans and the Established Church, which led to a new translation of the Bible. It was also celebrated for its gallery of royal portraits and the cartoons of Rnffaelle. Of late years the apartments of the Palace have been tenanted on royal nomination by the relatives of distinguished persons who have died in the service of the Crown. A curious and inteieating return lias just been' completed by direction of the Government showing the respective nationalities of nominated immigrants sent for during the past six months, and other particulars. It appears that in (ho last' half year year. 3855 nominations were received, and of these 603 were of relations in the nearest degree, that is to say, husbands nominating wives, or parents children, or vice vena ; 3031 were in the next degree of relationship, such as brothers, sisteis, and cousins (but not aunts) ; there were 182 more nominations of friends, and 45 were people sent foi to supply some particular new trade about to be started, for which no labour could be procured in the colony. Next as to nationalities. Of the total 3855, no fewer than 1510 were InMi, but of these 904 were single women chiefly coming out as domestic servants. There were 1445 English, including 375 single women, 862 Scotch, including 224 single women, and 65 “ foreign,” 13 being spinsters. The total deposits received on account of these nominations in six mouths amounted to £10,455. All those nominations have been duly forwarded to the Agent-General, and the people will be sent out as soon as possible. The Rev, Mr Buddie, in a recent lecture in Auckland on his early experiences amongst ttie Maoris, said that when he (Mr Buddie) landed on the beach of Kawhia with his wife he busied himself in getting his stores out of the Boat, and while so doing, to his astonishment, saw his wife hoisted shoulder high hj' a party of stalwart natives, who immediately trotted off with her inland. (Laughter). He followed up the track as speedily as possible, being only a young married man then—(laughter) and found that they had got her comfortably seated in a species of chair which they had improvised, and were carrying slung on poles shoulders high, palanquin fashion, and in that way his wife was carried comfortably over the. ranges to Whangaroa. . The European Mail says The Hon. M. Holmes, who is an extensive proprietor of land in New Zealand, has just shipped from the Clyde a very valuable selection of high-class Border Leicester sheep, consisting of five shearling tups and eight gimmers, from the well-known stocks of Lord Pol wartli, Mertoun ; Messrs Clark, Oldhamstocks Mains ; and Miss Stark, Mellendean. The animals have been selected by Mr James Archibald, Overshiels, There is probably no one in New Zealand who has done more for the improvement of the livestock of the Colony than the Hon. M. Holmes. He has imported in recent years superior Leicester, Lincoln, Romney Marsh, and Cheviot sheep ; shorthorn and polled cattle, Clydesdale horses, arid Berkshire pigs. His last-imported Clydesdale stallion, Young Banker, has never been beaten in any show-yard in the Colonies, and is acknowledged the most successful sire there.” A terrible calamity has befallen the family of Dr Edward Seguin in New York. On Tuesday evening his wife’s brother, Dr Amidon, called at his residence and inquired for Mrs Seguin and children. The servant replied that they were absent. This was considered strange, though Mrs Seguin had said she would take the children to the Central Park. On (he house being searched the guestroom was found locked inside. On the door being burst open, the mother, two boys, and a girl, the oldest being only six years old, were found dead. The children had been blindfolded, (he hands of each being bound behind the back. The children bad been shot, the bullet, after passing through the bead of each of them, lodging in (lie wall beyond. It is sup 7 posed that the mother induced the children to join in what they thought was a nursery game, and that they were then murdered, the lady afterwards committing suicide. She bad been in a desponding state of mind, but was never deemed to be insane. Eight million bricks are made daily on (he Hudson in summer. The annual output, if the bricks were laid end to end, would encircle the world five times. Three million tons of clay are used every year, 8000 men and boys are employed, and the wood burnt in the brickyards costs £165,000 per annum.