The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23,1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1001, 23 February 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Mr Archibald Forbes telegraphed from Hawera this morning that he would, lecture at Patea on Saturday evening, and would spend to-day at Hawera. This arrangement is the best that can be made under the circumstances, as perhaps the weather may have cleared up by tomorrow, A painful ; accident happened to Mr Bassett, of Mace and Bassett, on Wednesday through which he will be laid up for a lime. While assisting in the raising of some gear and using a crowbar, the gear gave way, and fell upon the crowbar, the point of which was driven through Mr Bassett’s big toe of the left leg. It is stated that, the Taranaki team to be sent to Auckland will probably consist of Messrs Beresford, F. Bayly, C-. Bayly j Foley, J. Caddy Davies, Read, Riddiford, Farrington, Pulton, Wanklyn, and J. Cunningham. We (Star) are not aware, though, that the team has been official!}' selected. In consequence of the visit to Auckland, it is not probable that any Hawera men will go to Wanganui to play against Nelson. The somewhat dingy looking building used as a Court-house and Lands Office is being enlarged by an addition of tight square feet of space to the Resident Magistrate’s private room.- This protuberance to the end of the edifice has all the resemblance of a scullery or washhouse attachment to a residence. On Sunday, the services in the Wesleyan Church will be conducted by the Rev, J. J. Mather, who has been appointed a colleague to the Rev. J. A. Luxford. Mr Mather’s duties commence at the beginning of April. He is now on a visit to the scenes of his future labours. He has the reputation of being a fluent speaker and zealous worker. A London correspondent of a Bombay paper writes :—“A pi'ominent Loudon literary man the other evening gave me some curious information respecting the effect which newspaper reviews have upon the circulation of new books, and the relative value in this respect of the various London daily and weekly journals. Supposing the Times reviews a book on Monday, the probability is that Mudie will have 50 applications on Tuesday for the work. A notice in the Standard will similarly bring 40 applications, the Daily News 30, and the Daily Telegraph about a dozen. A review in the Times alone is considered successful. Of the weekly papers the Spectator has the most influence. A notice in its columns will produce a great demand at the circulating libraries. It is a mistake, therefore, to assert, as was done lately,’tliat reviews.have no influence upon the sale of books.” The discovery of a valuable silver lead is reported from the west coast of Tasmania. New South Wales entries for the Amsterdam Exhibition are filling up satisfactorily. The City Council of Adelaide have determined to erect abattoirs on a gigantic scale. The profits of the New South Wales Whale and Oil Company for the last year are £148,130. 3944 tons of sugar have been exported from Queensland during the past six months. The Feilding Star t in announcing its intention to come out as a tri-weckly after March 1, thus modestly refers to the power it has exercised. “We have endeavoured to deserve the steady support o'f the settlers in the Manchester Block by a firm advocacy of ever}' project and movement calculated to benefit the settlers and district. We have prevented grievous injuries being done to the district by a negligent Government, and have also obtained concessions in the timber and railway tariff, for the benefit of sawmillevs and fanners. In these efforts we have never overlooked the fact that we were only paying a debt of gratitude to those from whom we had received such liberal support.” "Wednesday’s Hawera Star says :—“ A very savage assault, committed at Taiporohenui on Sunday, was the subject of an investigation at the R.M. Court to-day. There were some Maori races at the pah, and a native named Tarawha went out there and interfered with a horse said to belong to one of the Minninex family. John Minninex pulled the native off the horse, and beat and kicked him severely ; so much so that this morning Tarawha was carried into court, and had to recline on the floor while he gave his evidence. Mr Parrington had been retained for defendant, and appeared on his behalf. The assault was not denied, except as to the kicking, but provocation was pleaded, it being stated that when Tarawha was pulled off the horse he threatened to burn down Minninex’s wbare. However, the Bench could not admit this plea, and fined defendant £5 and costs, with a term of imprisonment as an alternative. The money was paid at once.

Mi*: d .O\ 'F. Barker invites lenders for hand threshing a quantity of linseed. - Mr E: C. Horner, Manager of the Patea County Land and Building Society, notifies that- payments will be reccit'cd on Monday evening, from 7 to 9 o’clock. Mr W; Co went advertises a sale of furniture, to take place at St, James’s hall tomorrow aftenioon at two o’clock. Mr F. R. Jackson will hold a ram fair at the Plawera yards,tosinorrow. Diarrhoea and choleraic diseases have lately been, very rife in Ghristchurch. s ’■? It* is’ expected that by the 'end of the present month the Austral will be floated. An Australian paper states that it is by no means rare to see girls smoking pipes in the streets of Ballarat. The Young Men’s Christian Association of Christchurch intend to erect a building of their own Jo cost nearly £3OOO. - . It is one of the signs of the times politically that the long defunct National Reform League has been revived in Melbourne.

Over 200 German farmers from South Australia are about to settle in the Wim.-, mera, between Wcrracknabeal and Lake Corrong. It is suggested. that the Melbourne; Hospital should set opart at least one ward to test the value of the non-alcoholic treatment of disease. The present fruit season in Tasmania has been wonderfully good. From one or two districts alone 500 tens were sent to the jam manufactories. A recent arrival was robbed of £IOOO somewhere in Melbourne in a single night. The thieves were considerate, enough to return the empty purse. __ According to Mr Davilt the greatest height to which Irish heroism can rise is to live on other people. The electric current, on a telegraph wire, would traverse the length of the earth’s equator in two seconds. The number of railway- servants killed in England averages about 500 a year, and the number injured about 3000. The total exports of British produce last year amounted te £242,000. The imports were valued at £411,000,000. The South American Republic of Chili is threatening the , federated States of Columbia with hostilities. English advices state that the prospects of the French and Spanish vintages are depressing in’, lb e extreme. An expedition into the interior of Tasmania is being' organised. It will prospect as thoroughly as possible a lateral area of about one hundred miles, by three or four miles, over a district which has been hitherto almost untrodden. The latest thing in Sydney tramway accidents. A tram car, an omnibus, six cabs, three carriers’ drays, and 18thcentury carriage, and a venerable lady and gentleman, got mixed in a marvellous manner, hut came out clear, and without damage. ; , The latest attraction of the Salvation Army at Reading is staled to have been “ a war dance by the redeemed maidens.” Dr Smiles is about to publish a biograpy of the veteran engineer, Mr James Nasmyth, the inventor of the steam-hammer. According to Matthew Arnold the French are wanting in morality, the Germans in civil courage, and the English in lucidity. The Minister of Public Works has taken steps to diminish the Sunday goods traffic on the railway in New South Wales. The question of the expense of maintaining the warship Wolverene is engaging the attention of the New South Wales Government. Hydrophobia is unknown in Australia. Dr Hewlett suggests that if we wish it to remain so wo should quarantine imported dogs. The Sydney Art Gallery has been open fifteen Sundays, three hours each Sunday, in all forty-five hours. The number of visitors during that time was 45,670, making an average of 1015 per hour. All were orderly and well conducted, and no complaints of any kind reached the trustees.

A most extraordinary and painful phenomenon has lately occurred in Warsaw. A lady died under somewhat peculiar circumstances, which gave rise to a report that her death had been caused by her husband’s ill-treatment. Hence, Several weeks after the interment, her body was exhumed for post-mortem examination, when it was found that in the grave a perfectly healthy child had been born. This gives a startling new meaning to the word “ posthumous,”

In criminal life it has often been observed that a strange fascination exercises itself, attracting the evildoer to the place which, above all, from its association with the crime itself or its punishment, should be the most shunned by him. An instance of this occurred some time ago at the Water Police Court in Sydnejv A man had been arrested on a charge of having brutally assaulted and robbed,fn company with two others, a man passing through a park at midnight. The prosecutor, whilst giving his evidence in Court, said, “ I recognise the man in the dock as one of those who assaulted me ”; then, looking at the crowd in the place in the Court reserved for the public; said, “ And I see the two other men who aided him in the Court” 1 The exits from the Court were at once blocked by the police, and the prosecutor then picked out the two remaining offenders from among the crowd, and they afterwards received sentences of three years’ imprisonment each.

Mrs Burley, wife of an hotelkeeper at Adelaide, was found dead on the footpath, and is supposed to have walked out of the window during the night.

The new Manawapon-bridge is reported,, to be two or three feet - too low, and the coaches have .great difficulty in getting up. the .hill this side-of it.

There was only a brief sitting of ; the R.M, Court this morning. ’J: Neill, saddler, sued and obtained judgment for ten shillings against J. Nicholson ; and, in a suit by the same plaintiff against Williams Bros., in which £7 12s 9d was claimed, the parties agreed to an adjournm> nt, with a view to an amicable settlement, , ?• The pearling boats in Western Australia have had a fair season. The Brisbane butchers are agitating for the abolition of Sunday trade. At a native meeting to be held at Mokau on Monday, the throwing open of lands to Europeans will be decided on, and the Government urged on to -commence the railway at once to connect Taranaki with Te Awamutu. The ranks of Sydney general medical practitioners are said to be overcrowded,: and it is added that in the country no districts of any population are now without a resident doctor. The Government has decided that East Taieri bridge, which it was originally intended to bpild of iron cylinders with wooden superstructure, shall be built solely of iron. A sum of £14,000 has been subscribed for the endowment of the now diocese of lliverina, initiated some time since by a munificent gift from the Hon. John Campbell, M.L.O. The number of tourists to (he Lake country has this year been more than ever, and “ the season ” is likely to continue for several months yet. A large number of tourists have availed themselves of the through ticket system. Two soldiers on sentry at the Curragh military camp, Ireland, were frozen to death on the night of December 12, There is no record of a similar occurrence happening in Great Britain, and the order has gone forth to change the sentries hourly. A proposal to effect a federation of the various colonies has received some .consideration in Sydney, but has been postponed as being premature. Architects state that the scarcity of skilled labour and inadequate supply of bricks and other materal has caused many largo works in Melbourne to be postponed. It is said that there has, perhaps, never been a year in which so many dwelling-houses have been erected as in 1882. The excitement outside of the Argus Office towards the close of (he last'cricket match, England v. Australia, is said to have reminded many of the state of excitement when crowds outside of the same office awaited the latest news respecting a somewhat different contest for supremacy between France and Germany thirteen years ago.

The average yield of the wheat crop in Victoria during the present season is estimated at 8.9 bushels per acre. The total yield for the colony is 8,807,100 bushels, a quantity which is 1,397,000 bushels less than last year’s crop. After allowing for seed and home consumption, the surplus for export is estimated at 2,357,000 bushels of wheat. “ One of the Staff” of the Yellow Ribbon Army writes to a London paper to explain its programme —‘‘Moderate drinking,” and invites its readers to carry on “ this” great work for the defegce of our liberty and existence.” ; The • great work is the defence of England against the united forces of General Booth, the United Kingdom Alliance, the Blue Ribbon Army, the Band of Hope, and others, who according to “ One of the Staff,” are about to Boycott, all who believe they have a right to drink what they please. This impending . national. disaster : has aroused the General Hicks to be the saviour of society, and all moderate drinkers are requested to adopt at once the yellow ribbon, which can be worn inside or outside the coat collar. What with the army, the volunteers, the Salvation Army, the Blue Ribbon Army, the Green Ribbon Army, and the Yellow Ribbon Arrnj, England runs a risk of becoming the most military nation on the face of the globe.