The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1126, 17 December 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1883. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Hercules was scratched for the Wellington Cup this morning. The sale of race privileges for the Auckland Summer Meeting has realised the sum of £625.

The officers in the Bunk of New South Wales, New Plymouth, have had a bonus of 10 per cent, given them. The Sydney waterworks are estimated to cost £1,800,000. They are to deliver 155,000,000 gallons per day. A fine young female elephant, in Calcutta for the Zoological Society of New South Wales, has just arrived in Sydney. The Maoris will have fairly large crops this year, their plantationshaving escaped the late boisterous weather with slight damage. It is understood (hat the Jesuit College near Dunedin is to be discontinued. The principal, Father O’Malley, intends going to Sydney. A grand specimen of the Californian B'dinon, weighing 12ibs, is being exhibited in Christchurch. It was caught in the Opihi river. One hundred and twenty candidates havo entered this year for the district scholarships connected with the State Schools in Auckland. Messrs Barton and Knight notify that they will attend at Waverloy every Monday between the hours of 9.30 a .in. and 5 p’.m. The firm are also advertising money to lend.

The Christian Socialist says that in the vast Russian Empire in a year 161 unfortunate people wore killed by wolves, and in the single city of London 151 owed their death to starvation in one year.

Mr Kenworlliy has forwarded us a copy of the Star almanack just issued. It contains a quantity of well selected matter, and the mechanical “ get up ” is exceedingly creditable. The crops in the Weston, Waiareka, and Maerewhenua Tables districts (writes the Oamaru Times) are looking capital, and given fine weather the harvest promises to be as good ns many wo have hitherto had in North Otago. It may interest many of our renders (says the Post) to learn that Mr G. E. Barton, solicitor, who at one time resided in this city, has disposed of his farm in the Hokianga (Auckland) district and returned to Great Britain. Messrs H. E. P. Adams and A. A. Gower were elected on Saturday to the two vacant seats in the Borough Council. The Returning Officer is now calling for nominations for councillor to fill the vacancy caused by Cr McCarthy’s retirement.

Mr Gower, chemist, has just unpacked a large assortment of all kinds of novelties in fancy goods, toilet requisites, &c. His establishment will be found (o contain articles suitable as Christinas and New Year’s presents, in bewildering variety, and at exceedingly moderate prices. Nominations for the Wairoa Highway Board dosed on Saturday. Messrs Walter Symos and James Nicholson were elected for No. 1 Ward unopposed. For No. 2 and 3 Wards there will be a contest, which has been fixed for Saturday next. The names of the candidates arc given elsewhere.

Profiting: by- their experience of Inst 3’enr, the Maoris Ibis season are evidently determined to allow no “ pnkeha ” the opportunity of regaling: himself on their fruit. A boating party were 3'esterday stopped n short distance beyond the pah, and were subjected to a rigid cross-exami-nation before they were allowed to proceed. A Baltimore paper claims for that city the champion sneezer of the United States. This gentleman has, however, unfortunately met with a sad accident. Being engaged in a competition a few days back, he indulged in an effort of extraordinary magnitude, and it is stated that so violent was the concussion produced that he dislocated his shoulder.

There was a large attendance at Mr Cowern’s auction rooms on Saturday, when some of Mr Tennent’s properties, and a leasehold of the Domain Board were offered. Despite the persuasive eloquence of the auctioneer, not a single bid was elicited. People had evidently come to buy the small goods submitted afterwards, all of which found purchasers. The well known and trustworthy “ Fidelity Company” of Dunedin have an announcement in this issue. Sportsmen were liberal in their patronage of the last consultation, and everybody was well satisfied at the way things were managed. Those who like to have a pound on the great sporting event of the colony, could not do better than invest in the Company. Rather a novel experience happened to a foal belonging to Mr A. Wood on Saturday evening. It appears that Mr Wood was waiting at the station, with his buggy, to which was attached the mother of the foal, when the train left for Manutahi. The foal immediately started in hot pursuit, and succeeded in getting across the first cattle stop, but came to grief at the second. It was, however, extricated with some little difficulty.

An accident occurred at the foot of the Patea Hill yesterday. A person was driving a cow down the hill and when at the bottom his horse slipped and fell into the ditch at the side of the road where it remained firmly fixed. With the assistance of a spade and willing hands the horse was, however, soon released from his uncomfortalle position, A shocking case of barbarity recently came before the Coonnmbie (N.S.W.) Bench, when Ah Ping, a Chinaman, was charged with ill-treating his child. According to the evidence, it appeared that the child had been guilty of theft, and to punish him he was tied by the thumb to the verandah of Ah Ping’s house, his toes being allowed to just reach the grouud. Ah Ping pleaded guilty, and swore that the punishment adopted was in vogue in China. The Bench fined the defendant £lO, or four months’ imprisonment.

At the usual weekly session of the Star of Paten Lodge, 236 1.0. G.T. held last Wednesday, it was resolved to make arrangements for the re-organisation of the Juvenile Temple “ Star of Egmont.” The executive committee appointed were Bros T. North, C. Bayliss, and L. Charles, and Bro the Rev. Alexander Thomson, superintendent. Elsewhere will be found a notice calling the first meeting, and we arc requested to impress upon temperance people the importance of thus bringing forward the little ones in support of the cause, and that the first meeting may be made a success.

Some time ago a man holding a comfortable position in Wellington received a letter from bis father in England, intimating his intention to forward him a present of £2OO. The son foolishly throw up his situation, expecting to be in receipt of the money by the next mail. Several months, says the Post, have elapsed, and yet no further intelligence is to hand respecting the promised cash. The man and his family have meanwhile been subsisting on credit, got heavily in debt, and the Benevolent Institution has been obliged to supply the family with rations. During the progress of a case of desertion heard at the Wellington Resident Magistrate’s Couit the other day, Captain Harkness, of the barque Fusilier, informed the Bench that few people in this quarter of the globe were aware of the difficulty which masters experienced in getting crews in New York. There was little trouble in inducing men to place their names on the articles, but his experience was that it was no easy thing to get them out of the harbour. Frequently the men were chloroformed and taken out of the ships by people interested in retaining them in port, and for some days before ho lift New York for Wellington ho had been obliged to place an armed watch on board in order to prevent the sailors from being taken away. The omission of a single word in a statement sometimes makes a tremendous dilf; rrnco. When the members of Durham Diocesan Conference were ono day about to separate for lunch, an amusing incident occurred. The secretary (the Rev. Canon Tristram) gravel}’ announced, “At the Bishop’s reception this evening dross will not bo necessary for the ladies !” The Bishop, unconscious of the mistake, added, “Nor for gentlemen cither!” There was a titter when the first announcement was made, and the company broke out into a laugh as the Bishop spoke, the latter himself joining in it heartily when ho perceived the error. Canon Tristram, however quickly put matters right with the explanation, “Of course wo mean full dress.”

Our old friend, Mr William Hoskins, Iho veteran actor, whose many wonderful , impersonations have made his name familiar throughout (lie colony, having fallen sadly into tho sere and yellow leaf, and become unfit for the more active prosecution of his profession, has entered upon the work of training aspirants for histrionic honours, near Melbourne. Than Mr Hoskins there is no man more capable of performing the work, for he is not only a perfect actor, but he has had the benefi of a classic education and is the best Shakesperian scholar extant. It may be mentioned that Mr Hoskins was, considerably over a quarter of a century ago, the tutor of Mr Henry Irving, the most popular actor of tho day. Barbed wire lias come into such general use that wc thought it would not be long before some appliance would be invented, whereby farmers would be enabled to barb tln.-ir own ordinary fences instead of taking tbe wire down and replacing it with tho manufactured article. This matter has received the attention of a clover and enterprising firm at Oamaru, Messrs Woodcock and West, and after a series of experiments the firm have perfected a sec of tools which makes the barbing of fences already erected an easy' matter. Tho coat is somewhere about 20s for fifty chains of fence. Messrs Woodcock and West will be happy to supply particulars to anyone who will write ; and, bearing in mind the reasonable price mentioned above, it seems to be worth while for farmers to make enquiries. Tho invention has been largely' used in Otago.