The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1008, 12 March 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

The Napier reached Wellington at 6 a.m. yesterday. She leaves there again this afternoon.

. Volunteers are reminded that an inspection parade will be held to - morrow evening at 7.30. Cr Dixon has resigned his seat in the Borough Council. Nominations for the vacancy will be received by the Returning Officer till Wednesday, 21st inst,, at noon.

Section 7, Block xxxvi, with sixroomed dwelling house, was sold at auction on Saturday, by Mr W. Cowern, for £225. The purchaser was Mr 0. H. Dickson, contractor. The seventh meeting of the Wanganui Trotting Club was held on Saturday, the attendance as usual, being limited. The winners were as follow : Maiden, A. Simpson’s Dotts ; Handicap, 1 mile in harness, Mr Lingard’s Jack ; Wanganui Handicap Trotting Race, Kirkwood’s Darkie, 1 ; Tandem, Mr Creswell’s Millie and Rambler ; Consolation, Kirkwood’s Our Pony. The adjourned meeting of the County Council, will be held on Wednesday at noon. Although the great storm predicted by the American astronomer has not yet come around this wa} T , there was considerable wind and rain through the greater part of last night. Our telegrams give no intimation of any unusual weather although a stiff gale appears to have been blowing at Auckland and Wellington. Mr W. Dixon, painter, has filed a declaration of insolvency. The Wanganui Education Board are calling' for fresh tenders for the addition to Patea School. They are also advertising a contract for painting, particulars of which will be found elsewhere.

Mr Redmond, M.P., Land Leaguer, is expected shortly to visit Auckland, and several committee meetings have already been held for the purpose of giving him a welcome. Bishop Luck has addressed a letter to the clergy of his diocese, urging them not to countenance Redmond on his public appearance as a delegate of the Land League. It is stated in a Press Association telegram that several of the secular clergy intend disregarding the Bishop’s directions. Some excitement, we can hardly term it a scare, was occasioned (says the Poverty Bay Standard) by a rumour that Te Kooti was to arrive by Saturday’s boat. This canard was industriously circulated by two or three practical jokers, and those who had vowed vengeance upon the coldblooded murderer girded up their loins, and determined to have his life’s blood on the moment of his landing. Suddenly it leaked out that it was all a hoax and the self-constituted executioners adjourned to one of the best-known hostelries and — and talked politics. Public Opinion gives the following as a cure for burns, scalds, &c. ;—Saturate a soft piece of linen with alcohol, lay it over the burn, then cover it with cotton or finely-picked oakum. This is the most cleanly dressing that can be adopted. It may be thought that alcohol applied to a burn will produce more pain ; but try it, and VQU will ViP. ngrao.fi bly surprised to observe how quickly it will allay the pain. Subsequently disturb the dressing as little as possible , wet the dressing occasionally with alcohol, and the result you will find better than by any other method.

The London correspondent of the Evening Post states positively that Lord Derby, the lately appointed Colonial Secretary of the Gladstone Cabinet, intends to take an early opportunity of making a flying visit to Australia and New Zealand, after the close of the present session. Should this be so, he will be the first Imperial Minister who has ever visited the colonies to judge of them for himself.

A curious canoe adventure is reported from Lyttelton. Some members of the boat club in the borough resolved to row to Sumner by night. They started at twelve o’clock, and paddled away vigourously all night, enjoying the trip exceedingly. At sunrise it was discovered to their great chagrin that the painter had not been cast off, and that they bad remained at the same spot where they had taken leave of their friends, by whom they are known as “ the explorers.” A recent Sydney telegram says Mr Redmond, M.P. and his brother have arrived here, but the recent revelations about the Assassins Committee have interfered with successful agitation. The local Irishmen are determined to oppose them if they overstep the mark. The Picton correspondent of a contemporary writes The Picton harbour has lately been visited by an enormous shark. Several persons out boating having seen the fish in question, which is stated to be from fifteen to twenty feet in length. A party of men returning from the Kenepuru Sounds to Torea the other evening were followed for over two miles by this sea monster.

The Wakatipu correspondent of aeontemporary writes: —“During the recent hot weather a bachelor settler in this district, hailing ‘ frae the land o’ cakes,’ received a visit from a gentleman, who asked for a drink of tea. Our bachelor, who conducts his establishment upon the principles of the canny Scot, complained of the frequency of callers, and grudgingly poured out some tea into a dirty pannikin. A conversation showed that the visitor was also a Scotchman, and that both came from nearly the same place. Yet this did not soften the host towards his visitor-. Upon taking his leave the visitor presented his host with his card, which read—‘Lord Gordon Lennox.’ Picture the dismay of our bachelor, who, being born on the Duke of Gordon’s estate, had been trained to look upon the ducal family as second only to that of the Queen.”

Tenders for the erection of the new Court-house at Hawcra close at noon tomorrow.

Speaking of Major Atkinson’s intended “stumping” tour, the Timaru Herald says :—“ Major Atkinson is decidedly the best politician now in the Lower House. And, on the whole, he is a very good speaker. He has a dry, rough, rather unpleasiug delivery ; but there is a blunt solidity about his style that commands respect, while his unraistakeable grasp of his ! subject holds his audience very firmly. He never flounders or twaddles, but even in dealing with mere masses of figures he always contrives to give a sustained and sustaining interest to his remarks. There is a rough, straightforward goodfellowship about him, too, that is very taking. Everybody likes Major Atkinson, and his bitterest political opponents have no persona! feeling against him. He is bound, wo think, to be well received wherever he chooses to address the people ; and considering the really substantial services that he has rendered to the Colony during his long and active career, so he ought to be.” The New Zealand Times has good authority for saying that the vessels of the Australian squadron are assembling at Wellington, for the purpose of holding a most important court martial. '

The London correspondent of the Wellington Post says : —The projected introduction of the Indian mongoose into New Zealand as a cure for the rabbit pest has been a signal for an ocean of correspondence on the subject in the newspapers. Experts have decisively affirmed that the mongoose is harmless, and its introduction into Jamaica as a rat exterminator has increased the revenue of the island £150,000 per annum. The local papers speak highly of the prospects of the hop harvest in Nelson this year. The area planted is set down at 529 acres, and an average yield is expected, bar accident, of 1200lbs per acre. This gives a total of nearty twice as largo as the quantity estimated to have been used by New Zealand breweries last year. In the gaol of Davidson, County Tennesse, is confined, according to the Nashville American , a man who is charged with murder, and who nightly, in a fit of somnambulism, repeats in pantomime the crime, of which he is supposed to be guilty. He rises from his bed, and having peered about his-cell and into;the corridor to assure himself that he is not observed, rolls up his bed clothes into the semblance of a man, sets the figure on a chair, takes a broom from the place where it is kept, raises it to his shoulder, goes through the motion of discharging a gun, creeps stealthily up to the bundle of clothes, carries it one corner of the cell, scrapes at the floor, as if digginga "hole, lays down the bundle, and carries out the form of burying it and covering the spot with leaves. He then carefully examines his clothes as if looking for blood, washes his hands, retires to his cot, and sleeps soundly the rest of the night. In the morning he denies all knowledge of the crime and of his ghastly rehearsal of it. The Lake country was reported flooded on January 30. The Derwent-water and Besenthwaite were united by the rising waters, and a portion of Nesswick was submerged.

The Bishop of Killala has issued a pastoral denouncing secret societies.

Russian Nihilists now in New York, with Herr Most among them, declare that the Czar will not be crowned on May 28. Leo Hartmann is very busy.

According to a Press Association telegram from New Plymouth on Saturday Parihaka was almost deserted when Te Whiti arrived, the majority of the natives being engaged at work in the bush. As soon as the news reached them, however, they lost no time in assembling at Parihaka and greeting the chief with songs of welcome. A number of niggers were assembled this morning from various directions, and it is stated that a large meeting will be held on the 18th of this month, Te Whiti’s regular annual meeting day, for the purpose of inaugurating the meeting again, when representatives of all the tribes in the district are to be invited.

A few days ago forty young draught mares were shipped from Lyttelton to Victoria. During the past six or eight months between twenty and thirty thousand pounds worth of the best of the Canterbury horses have left the colony for Sydney and other outside markets.

A report has' been received by the Brisbane authorities from Woody Island, Hervcy’s Bay, that the Alfred Vittory, Captain Boer, which arrived the other night, reports picking up a boat containing a man named Gilboy. He says that he left San Francisco on the 12th August last for Australia, and had been 162 days out when picked up. He had been nearly starved, having capsized his boat twice and lost most of his provisions, watch, compass, &c. The boat was only 18ft long. The man is an American, about thirty years of age. Gilboy is now lying in the hospital ill with typhoid fever.

From a private telegram received from Hobart recently, we (Southland Times) learn that the whaling barque Asia arrived at Hobart, on the 25th instant, with a full cargo of 72 tuns of sperm oil, valued at £6OOO. The Asia arrived at Stewart Island in November last an empty ship, and in less than three month’s cruising off the Solanders had netted to her owners equal to £2OOO. Invercargill merchants burn their fingers over Longwood fehares, and throw away thousands whilst strangers make a fortune at their back doors.

A recent issue of the San Francsico News Letter has the following on the subject of the Australian mail line :—“ The ten years’ contract of the Pacific Mail Company for running the Australian line is soon to expire, and the colonial Governments interested have invited bids for a continuation of the service. There are likely to be three or four competitors. First, of course,, comes the Pacific Mail Company, which has prior claims overall others from the fact that it is in possession of the route. Its position will, however, be hotly contested. = The White Star Line, which has just commenced, to run steamers, to the Hawaiian Islands, will, it is understood, be competitors. The Oriental Line, that runs via the Suez Canal between England and the Colonies, will bid. There, are possibilities in this service that are very far from being understood at this end, which would not be the case if we were the commercial people we ought to be. We are making much fuss about the Hawaiian islands, but there are other islands on this route before which the Hawaiian group sinks into insignificance, and which are capable of producing sugar enough for the whole world, and that is almost the least of their uses,”