The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 1884. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1135, 7 January 1884, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 1884. NEWS OF THE DAY.

Sports were held at Waitotara on New Year’s Day*. Patea was well represented amongst the winners. The Auckland Meat Freezing and Storage Co. are enquiring about a site near the New Plymouth harbour, in view of the erection of branch works. An old man named Mark Wilson, 60 years of age, who lived at Wain awn near Invercargill, committed suicide on Friday* afternoon by* cutting bis throat with n table knife. Ho was taken to the Hospital but nothing could be done for him. At the annual sale of Air Walters’ racing stock at Auckland the other day, a yearling colt by* Musket —Slander was bought by* Mr Pilbrow for 270 guineas. The balance of the stock was withdrawn, the reserves not being reached. A man named Thos. Smith, aged 57, was received into the Invercargill Hospital on New Year’s Day* with several ribs fractured. He stated that the injury was caused through a fall while wrestling in Lurnsden township, about 50 miles from Invercargill. Inflamalion of the lungs set in, and Smith died on Friday*. The police are making enquiries concerning the matter. The Argus states on the authority of its correspondent, 11 The Vagabond,” that the Rev. Mr Chalmers, one of the resident missionaries, who had been recently on a coasting trip to the westward of Port Moresby, discovered a new river, and met with a number of cannibal tribes, who bad never previously seen a white man. Mr Chalmers was well received by these natives, who showed him a large temple, containg an altar and idols, with hundreds of sculls lying round. An American paper states that S. J. Hudson, Belvidcre, II!., who came to Wisconsin lately*, with two children, in search of his runaway* wife, found her dressed in man’s attire and calling herself Frank Dubois. She was living with Gertrude Fuller, having been married to her early last spring by the Rev. H. L. Morrison at the home of the bride’s mother. Many persons thought that “ Frank Dubois ” had many characteristics of a woman. Under this name she bad solicited jobs of painting, and was making sufficient money to support them both. About 5000 sheep (says the Post) purchased by the Gear Company for refrigerating, have been “ stuck up ” on the boundaries of the Wairarapa district, owing to some runs south of Akiteo, through which they would have to pass, being infected, and the inspector consequently refusing to grant a permit. The Government have been applied to, but it is said that, although the company offer to take any precautions that may be required, the authorities refuse to remove the restrictions. The consequence is that the directors are placed in a very awkward predicament, and how they are to get over the difficulty is not apparent at present. For several mornings this week (says the Budget) considerable curiosity has been excited by the strange appearance of two singular looking individuals, who shortly after daylight were to be seen prowling round people’s back premises and looking over the fences, evidently with a desire to commit burglary or incendiarism. So much alarm was caused that the police got an inkling of it, and no doubt a strict watch would have been kept; but the whole matter was suddenly* explained by the discovery that the two persons alluded to were none other than the Borough Valuators, who, having found that they could do their business with more expedition in the early hours of the morning, wisely adopted that course. Of the Electric Exhibition recently closed at Vienna, the letter of a correspondent says “ The Exhibition has been a very important one. Although there is nothing in it very new there is great improvement in details, and specially in the application of electricity to industrial purposes. A great impetus has been given to the electric railway. The line in the Prater, of about one mile in length, Ims been a remarkable success. It has carried 230,000 people during two months, and has nearly paid the entire cost of construction. Speed, 20 miles per hour; but they can give 30. About 10 miles from Vienna, a line up a valley has been opened as a feeder to the main line. Financially the Exhibition has paid, and the Austrians are congratulating themselves on its success. Amongst the novel features of the Lord Mayor’s procession on November 9 (writes the London correspondent of the Otago Daily Times ) was an allegorical trophy on an appropriately-decorated car, drawn by four horses, representing the colonies of Australia, exhibiting bales of wool and other products, also certain distinctive plants and animals, attended by two colonists attired as stockmen. A still more elabarato trophy, borne on a similar car, represented the Empire of India, ornamented with animals, plants, and products distinctive of the country, attended by native dignitaries in costume and followed by two Indian elephants. Another interesting feature of th show was a car containing 30 or 40 carcases of New Zealand frozen mutton, exhibited by the Smithfield salesmen, Messrs Ward and Stimsou, who have taken so great an interest in the introduction of colonial meat to the London public. The exhibition was very heartily cheered.

Her Majesty' the Queen has published a sequel to her “ Life in the Highhlands.” The 6 day's’ walking match for £IOO aside between Edwards and Arthur Hendry', James Hendry, and Hnckstep, concluded on Saturday' night, Edwards winning by nine miles and eight laps. His aggregate score was 462 miles 11 laps. A sermon was recently preached in the parish church of a country town in the heart of England on behalf of the Church of England Temperance Society. After the service the offertory' was collected by a wine merchant, an excise officer, and a brewer’s traveller. Government have sent home the following immigration nominations by' the Inst mail: —Auckland, 97 statute adults; Otago, Wellington, Southland, 24; Hawke’s Bay, 22 ; Nelson, 21 ; Taranaki, 17 ; Canterbmy', 13; Marlborough, 4 ; Westland, 2. The inevitable sea serpent has turned up again. This time it has been seen going down the Bristol Channel towards the Atlantic at the rate of twenty-five miles per hour, and afterwards he was noticed off the north coast of Cornwall. The monster was about half-a-mi!e long, and left a greasy trail behind him. -—The whole number of Popes, from St. Peter to Leo XIII, is 258. Of these 82 are venerated Saints, 33 have been martyred, 104 have been Romans and natives of other parts of Italy', 15 French men, 9 Greeks, 7 Germans, 5 Asiatics, 3 Africans, 3 Spaniards, 5 Dalmatians, 1 Portugese, 1 Candiota, and 1 Englishman. The miners at the Kawnkawa coal mine, in consequence of a disagreement with the managers as to the rales for coal getting, struck work and took the tools out of the mine without giving the usual fortnight’s notice. One hundred and fifty hands are now idle, and the other hands have to be discharged in consequence. Captain Russell, of Napier, has purchased the two-year-old filly, Gretna Green, from the New Zealand Stud Co. Thirteen yearlings are about to be sent by' the company to Sydney. It was also intended to semi the yearling sister of Mhriini-Henry to Sydney, but the directors have decided to keep her. The crops in the Manutahi district arc looking in excellent condition, and a fewweeks favourable weather will ripen the best crops that have teen seen for many' a season. We were shown a few ears of wheat on Saturday, grown in the above district, which will average fully’ forty’ bushels to the acre, and there are many other fields which will return an equally good yield. An unfortunate young man by' the name of Percy' W Hastings, living in Leominster, Mass., whoso body’ below his neck was completely’ paralysed by a fall in a gymnasium three years ago, has learned to paint in water colours, holding the brush between his teeth. An attendant mixes the colours, and puts the brush in his mouth. His skill is said by' those who have seen the results of it, to bo surprising, and his progress is so rapid that hisfriends actually expect Ids paintings to attain celebrity by reason of their artistic value, independently' of the physical dexterity which produces them. The inanaia of a Chinaman at Lawrence look a peculiar form a few days ago. Ah Choi was his name, and when arrested in the local cemetery he was in (lie act of imprinting some Chinese characters on parts of a paling which he had pulled down, was using his penknife for printing the characters, and, as a substitute for ink, was using blood from a cut, about half an inch long, made with his penknife in his third finger. He had pulled down a picket fence several yards in length, and had dug under the grave of the late Mr Hindb with a shovel and undermined the plants and flowers. The Chinese characters made by him were the names of persons. The paling pulled down divided the Chinese portion of the cemetery from the European, When the Japanese warship Riujio visited Wellington her officers were very’ libetally entertained by a large number of the citizens, and the courtesy shown them was so well remembered by them that, when they returned to their own country they forwarded a number of articles of value to those gentlemen to whom they felt themselves moat indebted. By some means, which has not as y'et been explained, the boxes containing them were opened before they readied their destination, a portion of the contents being abstracted, It will probably be a matter of some difficulty to trace the thieves, and it is therefore unlikely that any steps will be taken in the matter. The robbery has, however, very naturally' caused a feeling of disappointment, not on account of the value of the articles lost, but because they were forwarded as a recognition of kindness and friendship shown to the senders when they were far away from their homes. The disgraceful scene which we chronicled last week in connection with the street preachers, was again, enacted on Saturday night. The party of Baptists from Waver!ey who have been preaching in Egmont-slreet several evenings last week, took up their stand on the night in question near the Central Hotel, and commenced their proceedings in the usual manner. The same crowd that attended on the previous Saturday night was as lavish in its expressions of disappproval and in interruptions as before. As the evening wore on some among this demonstrative audience gaining boldness from the increasing darkness took advan* of the occasion for disposing of a large surplus stock of eggs of which by some means they had become possessed. These missiles as might be supposed were in all cases intended for the unfortunate preachers, but for the most part flew wide of the mark and found a target in some luckless individual who was complacently watching the proceedings. It seems a pity that such occurrences should be allowed to take place. The police should either disperse the crowd or the preachers as done in other places. There are a certain class of haymakers who prefer to work by the hard and fast rule of so many hours per day' for so much wages. This may be all very well in its way, but during an uncertain season like the present it will not work. Fanners require to “ make hay' while the sun shines,” and are of course willing to pay for any extra overtime. On Monday morning a farmer in the Bulls district (says the Advocate) aroused his men at 6.30, and, breakfast following immediately’, he intended the men to start work at 7 o’clock. After breakfast the men went ib jh'-ir vvharc, and as they did not turn up in the field the farmer walked across (o their wharo at 7-30. Judge of his surprise when ho found them all stretched on their backs in their bunks, “ How is this men?” ho said. “I asked you to commence this morning at seven o’clock to take advantage of (ho fine morning.” His surprise was greater when one of the men—a new chum—speaking for the others, leisurely pulled out his watch, and examining the same, said, “ It’s not 8 o’clock yet, gaffer. We begin work at 8!”

It is reported about Hawcra that the West Coast Meat and Produce Export Company have purchased shares in the Patea Steam Shipping Company, We are in a position to state that there is no foundation for that rumour. At tho Ashburton races a sharper named Johnson, distributed small prizes and attracted the bumpkins by offering- a HI note to whoever drew a stated number out of a “lucky bag.” A boy drew the number, but the lotteryman refused to pay. The police interfered, with the result that Johnson was sent up for a month, being unable to pay a £lO fine. The directors of tho West Const Meat and Produce Export Company held a meeting on Saturday lasl. Present, Messrs Wilson (chairman), Lysaght, Palmer, McLean, and Norman. It was rrsolved to order a Haslern refrigerator, capacitj’ 900 sheep a week ; also to strictly adhere to the regulation for management which provides for interest at 15 per cent being charged on all calls unpaid on due dates. The secretary was instructed to write to different Steam Shipping Companies asking if arrangements can be made for carriage of frozen moat to port for Horae shipment.