The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1002, 26 February 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY .

On Wednesday next, as will be seen by advertisement, the usual Autumn Show of flowers, fruit, and vegetables will be held in the Harmonic ,Hall. The season has not been all that could be desired by' florists, but still it is anticipated that the exhibits will be numerous and of good quality 7, especially' in the class fruit : one exhibitor alone expects to req die 12 doz. plates. In addition to the articles mentioned in the schedule, it will bo seen that some others have been added, which will no doubt cause much competition. A large attendance of the public in,, the evening is confidently' expected, as a first-class musical programme has been arranged. The downpour on Saturday night had the effect of diminishing the attendance at Mr Forbes’ lecture, but, nevertheless, there was a fair audience. The lecturer gave some of his experiences while on duty as a war correspondent. . He-first described the ideal correspondent, what he was expected to do in the present times of extended electric telegraphs and complex military movements. He must be a man who could live without food for a week, ride anything that came along, • write a fine round hand for a telegraph clerk, who knows not a word of his language, and then ride back to the scene of battle without a moment’s delay. His description of his travelling carriage and its inmates was amusing, and gave an insight into some of the discomforts attendant upon the profession.- Incidents connected with the Franco-German War, the Commune, Afghan and Zulu Wars were graphically told, and their recital was frequently applauded. There was much that was interesting in the lecture, but its chief attraction was the fact that lue listener saw and heard the man whose intrepid dash and bravery made London ring with his praises. Mt Forbes proceeded to Wanganui this morning, where he will deliver his full course of lecurcs.

-The heavy rain of Thursday and Friday ceased during Saturday, but in the evening came again with a tremendous downpour. The river yesterday was considerably swollen, and the water rushed down to the sea with great velocity,, carrying with it quantities of timber. Along the banks several people were busy catching what they could of the floating debris and the “ take ” in some instances is said «to have been very satisfactory. Mr Samuel Black was nearly carried out to sea on, a drift punt he was trying to secure. . The punt proved/unmanag cable, and only for Mr Black being successful in throwing a rope to Mr Henry Lawrence at the end of the wharf he -would have fared badly. No damage has. .been : done -to; the railway works, and the entrance to the river has been cleared to a wonderful extent. The spit on the northern side lias been swept away, ?nd the channel is now wide and deep enough to admit a large steamer. Large bodies of water poured down Bedford and . Leicester streets, cutting deep channels out of the .new formation and flooding Mr Wood’s cottages to a depth of some inches to the great discomfort of the inhabitants. Mr Wood complains that this has been the case whenever there has been heavy rain during the past two years, and thinks that the Borough Council have been dilatory in carrying out improvements which would relieve his properly of storm water.

The ships Lady Jocelyn and St. Leonards sailed from Wellington last night. Sir John Hall and family were passengers by the former vessel.

The New Zealand Herald calls attention to the dilapidated condition of the grave of Captain Hobson, the first governor of New Zealand, which is said to be in a most disgraceful state. The Government, last session, stated that they would fulfil a promise made 40 jears ago by the then Government, to put it in repair and place a more permanent stone over the tomb but nothing has yet been done. The new Post and Telegraphic office at Wellington, now in the course of erection, forms a conspicuous object from any part of the harbour.

Fresh tenders are (o be called for Hawera Court-house, those sent in being considered too high. Our attention has been called to a reprehensible practice indulged in by some volunteers. They were shooting at the butts yesterday, and the measures taken to warn passers by that firing was going on were not, our informant says, sufficient to prevent the risk of accident. The red flag was placed a few feet above the target instead of on the top of the sand hill, where it could be seen by those approaching from any direction. We have our own opinion about volunteers practising on Sunday, but, if that sort of thing is allowed, every precaution should be taken to prevent accident, otherwise instead of a horse or a bullock being shot, we shall someday have to record that a human being has fallen a victim.

The Premier is expected to return to Wellington some time this week. Immediately after Mr Whitaker’s return Major Atkinson will go South on a lengthened torn-. Traveller ” writing to the Bud-got says : “ Sir,—On reading your Saturday’s issue, I find .that one of the hotel-keepers at the Waitara considers the remarks made by Constable Day to have been absurd. If the remark was absurd it is nevertheless true. The Waitara boasts of her river improvements , of the large number of substantial buildings recently erected, her imports and exports, and the number of vessels continually lying at the wharf, and I.think, it nearly time they could boast of an hotel where, at least, one portion would be set aside for the accommodation of Europeans, where they would be free from the molestations of a crowd of drunken Maoris.”

In a recent issue of a New Plymouth paper the following paragraph occurred “Wc,are forbidden to mention which church it happened in, but when the plate went round the other Sunday a gentleman who put sixpence in it immediately commenced a search amongst the coins already deposited, which ended in his finding a threepenny bit which he pocketed for his change.”

The Hawke 3 Bay Herald says that the Maoris don’t quite se?m to understand the English “ institution ”of lawyers. For in. stance, two years ago Mr Lascelles defended one Ariwcra tc Something in> 5 suit’brought* against him by one llolfe, a lapidary. Yesterday Mr Lascelles appeared as Rolfc’s ad ’ ocate in a new edition of the same claim. He a-ked Ariweva a few , questions, whereupon Ahe much tatqoed old native gentleman responded “ You were my man once, and you know all those things. Why do yon ask me whatyou know ?” It is to be feared that Ariwcra will never be properly civilised. /

A telegram from the Thames says : There is a heavy flood in the Ohinemutu Eivdr. The two bridges on thc Tauranga Road, and the Owhawa bridge, arc destroyed. The Pacroa steamer, the wharf and sheds, have washed away. The Te Arbha coach .was stuck at Comata Creek. and the passengers had a narrow escape. Cattle are swimming in the paddocks between Pacroa and Puke. The storm is heavy in the WOtekami Valley. It will take several thousand pounds to repair the damages. Rain is still falling. Mr Milner Stephen gave a public exhibition of healing at the Gaiety Theatre, Christchurch, on Saturday afternoon'. There was a large attendance, and several patients were operated upon, with good results in some cases.

A method has been discovered of making ivory out of potatoes by boiling them in dilute sulphuric acid. Potato ivory is- not. very unlike tbs. ordinary “ vegetable ” kind, but is said to be of a more even “ grain,” as well as easier to turn, while it is not so liable to split when exposed to the influence of a very dry atmosphere. Potato ivory is of a creamy white tint, hard, durable, and elastic, it being even adapted, it is stated, for the manufacture of billiard balls. There is no difficulty in dying or colouring the material either during the process of preparation or afterwards, and altogether it would seem that this new product is -one which is capable of an immense number of useful applications. To its other good qualities it adds that of being exceedingly cheap. As a proof of the good impression produced on the native population in Egypt by the. recent British intervention on behalf of Arabi, the correspondent of the Standard mentions that public prayers have been offered in many mosques, not only in Cairo, but also in the provinces, for the Queen of England, as the Mirror of Justice. a-fact is probably without precedent in the annals of the Mahomedan world.

A number 1 of ' Chinese women have formed a league to destroy the practice of footbinding. They pledge themselves not to practice it, and . will not permit thensons to wed women whose feet, were everbound. Dr Pirrie, for twenty years professor of surgery at Aberdeen University, died a short time ago,-aged 73. He was one of the most famous , surgeons in Scotland, and only resigned his chair in the university about two months ago, s Another old country mansion, with a large portion of its valuable contents, has been destroyed by fire—Stanford Court, twelve miles from Worcester. The building was insured for £IO,OOO, but the furniture was not insured. A Municipal Association has been formed in Sydney embracing all the Councils in tlic colony. The object is to enable all the municipalities to act as a whole in watching over and protecting, municipal rights and privileges throughout the colony. ’ Tlio Napier Telegraph points out that some caution is necessary to be exorcised in buying a pack of cards lest, unawares to buyer and seller, a pack specially manufactured for sharpers should pass into the possession of the purchaser, A pack shown to our contemporary was gilt-edged at the rounded corners, green scroll backs with gilt shading. By holding the back of tbe card at an angle to the light the denomination of the card is plainly pictured in the gilded shading. Honest people, ignorant of the ways that are dark afid the tricks that are vain, might play with such a pack of cards described without any suspicion that they were being cheated.

Romance is not yet dead, in spite of all Iho croakings of latter-day cynicism. The other da}’, at Ipswich, the marriage of Count Carl Esterhnzy with Miss Mary Charters, of Stoke Park, was duly celebrated. The details up to the happy event afford more than sufficient materials for a realistic story. A boat capsized on the Nile—the occupants struggling in the water until the gallant rescue by the Count, who was passing in his yacht. Further acquaintance ripened into affection, and the happiest consummation of all.

Messrs Nolan, Tonka, and Co. will sell by public auction .on the farm Waipnpa* Hawera; the stock ami farm implements of J. Livingston Esq. Full particulars will be found in the advertisement which appears in another column.

Mr W. 11. Skcet, dental .surgeon, of New Plymouth, is at present in Patea and may be consulted at-Mr Gower’s, Pie will leave to-morrow at noon..

The writer ofNotes ” in the Timaru Herald says : —“What is the value of-a man’s hand ? That depends a good deal on circumstances.'The other day a greaser at a cotton mill at Blackburn had his left arm cut off while greasing a bevel wheel. He sued the millowner for damages, and Bounty Judge Hulton, finding that negligence had been shown in not fencing off the wheel, awarded him £IOO. A few days later a boy was knocked down by a tram car at Leith, and so injured that one of his forefingers had to be amputated. He sued the Tramway Company and. a. jury gave him £l5O damages. It is not stated what there was so very precious about the boy which made ono of his forefingers worth fifty per cent.'in Ore than the 1 whole hand of a full-grown greaser. Boys are pretty plentiful .and their fingers are always up to mischief. But at the rate, allowing £l5O for each finger and the thumb, and say £IOO for the rest of the member, this expensive youth should have got £BSO, if the tramway had cut his hand off. If it had cut his leg off, the damages must surely have run into thousands ; whilst, if by a sad accident it had deprived him of his head, no tramway company in existence could have stood the racket. He is, no doubt, a ‘ dear ’ little fellow ! Yet, wc dare say, a greaser baa his feelings too, and it must be sorry work greasing with one hand for the remainder of his life. The moral of (he.two cases is,'T‘Nothing like a jury when you go for damages.’ ” The Napier papers report the death by drowning of Captain Baker, of the s.s. Staffa, at Opotiki. Plow the accident occurred is not slated.

The fall .of.the tall chimney at Bradford, England, 1 on -the' morning of Dec. 28th, nut only killed thirty-six persons, and injured fifty others, mostly women and children, but did damage to the extent of sixty thousand pounds. Sir Hugh Allan, the noted Canadian shipowner, died at Edinburgh, on Dec. 9th, aged 72. Ho had a large fleet of vessels trading to various parts of the world. In 1856, he obtained the English Government contract for the first line of Allan steamers from the St Lawrence to Liverpool.

A man named Doyle has been arrested at Dunedin on a charge of firing a revolver at one man named Robertson, on Wednesdays night. The men had been retiring at midnight, when Doyle rushed from his room with a revolver, and aiming it at Robertson’s head pulled the trigger. The cap snapped but the chamber was empty, and Doyle then rushed upon his intended victim striking him a blow on the face. On examination it was found that the revolver had three chambers loaded, the others being.empty. But for this the man, Robertson must have been foully murdered Mrs. Mary Austin, who lately died at Washington, had forty-four male children, eleven of whom survive. She had triplets six times. She was a doctor of medicine and surgeon, and served through the war with the rank of major.

There was lately moored on the Thames at Westminster a little steamer destined for pioneer mission work in Africa. As a piece of engineering, the steamer is a little, wonder. It can be taken into 800 pieces, any; one of which a man will have no difficulty in carrying., Th e Lake County Press says;—“ We are informed by a gentlemen who lately crossed; Yen’s Pass, 'Greenstone,- that he was tracked by a couple of ferocious dogs —a half-bred foxhound and a bloodhound —and .with'difficulty; escaped from them by mountings his horse and putting spurs to it, they paying no heed to his whip. Had he been' on foot it is very probable that his life 'would have been sacrificed Arabbiter that he afterwards met informed him (hat there were sixteen of these brutes in one pack that he was aware of, and that it was unsafe for, any person to come through the Pass without firearms, owing to their ferocity.” At a .meeting of (he creditors of Messrs Craig and Smyth,' of Christchurch (says a 1 local paper), the Mephistopheles of the firm denied in positive terms that ho had ever drawn a cheque. “ Come now,” said the chairman, “ do you mean to say that you have never helped| yourself to any money from the firm ?” “ Oh, yes, I have taken some of the cash. How much ?” “ About £100,” “ Sure it was not £2OO ?” “Well, it might be £2O0 —couldn’t say.” “ Did yonr partner know of your taking this money ?” “ No, but I entered it all in a memorandum book.” “Did your partner ever see that memorandum book?” “ No.” But perhaps the funniest thing was when Mr S. asseverated that the devil had tempted him. “Oh, never mind the devil,” cried Mr Joyce, “just fell us all about the business.” • A rcmaikablo and fearful suicide took place recently at Low Moor Ironworks, near Bradford. A young man named William Clegg, stoker at the works, was scon ascending the ladder attached to the furnace. When h,e arrived at the top of the ladder ho threw himself into the seething furnace. I’he furnace was stopped, and the scorching remains of the deceased were discovered. When taken out, on being exposed to the air, they crumbled to dust.

In the fertile district of the Ashburton Forks, says the Lyiielion Times, a Mr Church has threshed out his wheat, which averaged 67 bushels to the acre.

The Wailii reached Wellington this morning at 4 o’clock. Mr W. Covvcm held two sales on Saturday. The first was at 12 o’clock, when portion of section 15 to 25, fronting York street, was offered for and sold for £lB5. The furniture sale at 2 o’clock passed off /with fair success, a largo quantity of the goods being sold at rates in favour of buyers. There arc a few bargains still on hand. :. Mr Cowern will hold his monthly cattle sale at the Lincoln-street Yards, on Wednesday, March 7. ! To-morrow evening the Patea Rifles will be drilled by Scageant-Major Henry preparatory to the encampment. As it is probable there will.bo a large exodus from the town to attend the review, an effort is being made to have the Saturday in Piaster observed as a holiday. On the "motion of Mr Mcßae, seconded by Mr Delamore, Mr James Slater lias been appointed chairman of the Licensing Comimittee at Kakarnmea. : The following is a curious example of the formidable power of molecular forces. The Italian ship Francesca, loaded with rice, put into port on May 11 at East ; London, loaking -conaidcrnbly. A largo' force of men was at once put on board to pump out the water contained in the ship and to unload her ; but in spite of all the activity exerted the bags of rice, soaked, in the water gradually, arid? swelled Sup. Two days asferwards, on May 1 13 the ship was violently burst asunder by the swelling of her cargo.

Cucumber growing is carried out to such an extent in America as few persons besides dealers have any idea .of. It is estimated, says the American Prairie Farmer, that the Long Island farmers alone grow 300,000,000 a year, the average price in large lots being about a,dollar per 1000. A Chicago commission man estimates that 1,000,000 are'handled annually by the trade in that city.

Among the gossip circulating in sporting circles (says the Melbourne World) is that during the present year a party of English footballers will visit Australia, and play a series of matches with the leading clubs here. Such a game doubtless would excite a great deal of attention, and they would not only have a profitable tourj" but exercise a beneficial influence upon the game in the colonies.

“ Anglo-Australian ” in the European Mail writes “ I do not know whether any Colonial astronomers have been pajring much attention to the remarkable spots now appearing on the sun. They have attracted much scientific notice here. It may not be generally known that the initial scientific observation of sun-spots was first made by Galileo himself. * It was, however, reserved for Dr Alexander Wilson, of Glasgow, to discover, in 1769, that all the so-called ‘spots’ on the sun are really openings in the body:of that luminary, and, a later investigator, Scliwabe, lias shown that enormous discharges take places from these appalling pits or gulfs. In one case it has been estimated that a body of fire—-hotter than any of the instruments could register at 1000 miles distance —is ejected from ah opening having an area of 7000 square miles—for the height or space from the surface of the sun of 200,000 miles!”

A showman was making a -great fuss at the front of his exhibition of the wonders he had inside. A man standing in the crowd, with a little boy beside him, cried out,l’ll bet you a sovereign youcannot let me see a lion. ” “ Done,” said the showman, eagerly ; “ put; down your money.” The man placed a sovereign in the hand of a by-stander, and the showman did the same. ' “ Now walk this way,” said the showman, “ arid I’ll soon convince you. There yon are!” said he, triumphantly ; “ look in that corner at that beautiful Numidian: lion.” “ I don't see any,” responded the other. “ What’s the matter with you ?” asked the showman. “I’m blind,” was the grinning reply, and in a-'few minutes the blind man pocketed the two sovereigns and went away. , ' .. / ;

The death of -Mr Trollope - (says the Pall Mall Gazette) removes one of the most prolific and popular of contemporary English writers. We should be afraid to count the number of volumes that will be set dowh to his narne in the catalogues, but,they cannot fall far short of those of Voltaire or George Sand, each of whom must approach three figures, Mr Trollope’s work is of very unequal merit. It was honourable to his taste for literature that he should have maintained through one of busiest lives of our generation his taste for the classics, but bis hooka on Cassar and: Cicero are worthless. He was a conscientious traveller, and his descriptions of the politics, manners, ways of living, of South Australia, above alTof the West indies, are as good as such things can be. It is, of course, by his fiction that he must be seriously judged, and here, too, there is the same inequality as there is in his work ns .a whole. His early Irish novels are really admirable ; the social humour and mellow satire of the clerical stories are unsurpassed in their own pleasant vein. That the next generation will have allowed most of Mr Trollope’s immense collection to drop out of memory is very certain, but not many writers have given to their contemporaries more genial and harmless pleasure.

The Government arc still without any definite information from the New South Wales Government as to the intentions of the latter touching the renewal of the contract for the San Francisco mail service.

Last month’s returns of New Zealand immigration and emigration show a balance of 779 in favor of the colony, the total number of arrivals having been 1170, and the departnes 691.