The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 30. Local and General.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 196, 30 July 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE POVERTY BAY STANDARD. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 30. Local and General.

R.M. Court.—There was no business at the R.M. Court to-day.

J Battery.—The members of the corps will parade for Government inspection on Thursday, the 31st inst, at 7.30 p.m,

N. Z. Hops.—New Zealand grown hops are realizing 40s. per cwt. more than Australian in the London market.

Gisborne Institute.—A lecture on the microscope will be given by the Rev. J, E. Fox to-night, at the County Council Chambers. Ladies and gentlemen are invited.

Partnership.—Messrs. Scott and Standring, of the Masonic Hotel, have give notice of dissolution of partnership, as dating from the 26th inst,

Working Men’s Political Association.— A meeting of the above Association will be held on Thursday evening, at 7.80, for the purpose of transacting important business.

C, Smith & Co.—At Messrs. Carlaw Smith and Co.’s sale of household furniture to-day there was a good attendance, ’and fair prices were realised,

Clearance Sale.—Mr, J, Cantie begs to announce that he will commence a great clearance sale on Saturday, August 2nd, when he will offer the public goods at an unprecedented reduction of price.

In Bankruptcy.—ln the Supreme Court yesterday, before G. L. Greenwood, Esq., Registrar, Mr. W. R. Robinson applied for an order of discharge in the case of A. Y. Ross, a debtor. After hearing the evidence the Registrar granted the debtor’s discharge. Extra Grant.—At the Borough Council last night, the Chairman stated that he had a short interview with the Honorable Mr. Mitchelson, the Minister of Public Works, when he came ashore on Saturday, and urged him not to neglect to give them the extra for the Turanganui bridge, and he replied he would see to it when he gut to Wellington.

Customs Revenue.—A return published in yesterday’s Gazette shows the total revenue

for the Customs during the quarter ended 30th June last to be £320,304, as against £345,550 during the corresponding quarter last year. The falling off in the revenue derived from spirits amounts to £11,564 during that period in wine and spirits the decrease is £3,385, while in tobacco, cigars, and snuff there has been an increase of £4084.

The Pritchard Family. — This clever family made their first appearance before a Gisborne audience last night in McFarlane’s Hall. Miss Kate Pritchard fully sustained the high reputation she has gained as an accomplished actress and vocalist, whilst Mr. McGuiness proved a whole host in himself. The “ Child Performer ” is a perfect prodigy, and rendered the various shades of character, songs, and flute solos in a most perfect manner. There will be an entire change of programme to-night.

Lawyers.—Last night whilst discussing the Engineer question, Cr. Townley said he had with him a certain legal opinion, and asked Mr. Joyce if it would convince him. Cr. Joyce said it would if it was an honest man’s opinion. Cr. Townley said he was not acquainted with the author. Cr. Joyce—ls he a lawyer. Cr. Townley—Yes. Cr. JoyceThen I don’t believe it, because lawyers are not honest, I only know of one honest lawyer, and that was Josephus (Loud laughter) I mean Joseph of Aramathea.

Water Marks.—A short time ago a sensational will case was being tried in France, when the case was quickly decided by a most unexpected incident occurring. The will was read in Court and handed up to the judge, who on examining it, found that the paper it was written on had a water-mark dated 1879, whereas the will was dated 1878. The instrument was immediately set aside as fraudulent, Woring Men’s Candidates.—ln thanking the Christchurch North electors for returning Sir Julius Vogel, Mr, J. T. Mason thus referred to the working men candidates: — “ They had spoken about the working men. Well, he was a hard working man of New Zealand, and he looked upon them pure and simple as the noblest of God’s creation. But for all that, he would not have allowed his name to be connected with the people who ran in the working man’s cause. It was an indignity to every honest man to have his name ridden through the streets by the Working Men’s Political Association. They should all resign and start a new company,”

Another “ Nobleman.”—A London telegram in the New York World says:—Another scandalous escapade on the part of an English nobleman is the talk of the town. This time it is the Earl of Aylesford, who is well known in America as the owner of a ranch on the staked plains of Texas, on which he resides most of the time, and where he has large herds of cattle. He has lately been prominently before the law Courts of England in the role of an injured husband withthe young Duke of Marlborough as the villian in the domestic circle. He got drunk at theDerby and refused to pay his fare home on the railway. He struck an employee, was thrown heavily to the ground, and had his leg broken in two places.

Gourmonds.—Some time ago the New York papers were full of the gluttonous prowess of an individual who had engaged, under heavy penalties, to eat a brace of quails every day for a month. Later still, another idiot undertook to eat thirty eggs at a sitting every day for the same period, and the sporting world of New York mustered in force daily at the appointed hour to witness the performance. But a certain Charles Pearsall, of the same city, has just achieved a feat of voracity which throws the efforts of his predecessors completely into the shade. He undertook to eat sixty eggs at a sitting every day for a week, and he did it ; and, what is more, did it without bringing the slightest pressure to bear on his appetite, or rather swallowing capacities. It was, indeed, only a sense of delicacy which forbade him from following Oliver Twist’s example and “ asking for more ” on each occasion. We have heard (says the St. James 1 Gazette) of a person with “ a wolf in the stomach,” but Mr. Pearsall’s anatomy would seem to be a perfect menagerie of these inconvenient and expen. sive quadrupeds. Attacks on Souakim.—On the night of the 27th ult., 500 rebels made an attack on Her Majsty’s ship Albacore, which was anchored on the south-east of the island, the least guarded quarter of the town. The electric light was turned upon the rebels and frightened them away. On the night of the 29 th

some 200 rebels fired on the town and forts, the fusillade lasting two hours On Sunday night about eleven o’clock, the rebels, about 200 strong, made a determined attack on the town at all points. The forts at once returned the fire, and were supported by the guns of the fleet, and all available forces were landed to support the garrieon. Artillery and musketery fire was kept up for four hours continuously, when the enemy retired. There was no loss on the Egyptian side, and so far as can be ascertained the enemy left oaly two killed and one wonnded on the field. On Monday night the rebels made a vigorous attack on the town of Souakim, driving in the pickets and advancing right up to the lines. Here, however, they were driven back, and were pursued by cavalry. Two of the attacking force were killed. Osman Digna is very aggressive, and promises to come in ferce on the town. His men, too, are gathering their lost courage, and it is likely enough that some lively times are before the garrison.

Antecedents.—A writer in a contemporary says :—ln a very beautiful song in “ Boccaccio ” the heroine laments that “ the happy past comes back no more.” It is probable that some of our political heroes heartily wish they could echo the sentiment. To them “ the happy pastcomes back at election times in a manner that can hardly be thought to be full of unmixed delight. An American gentleman, who was “ requisitioned ” to stand for Congress, asked for time to consider his decision. He hastened home, found his wife, and demanded of her whether she had ever done anything of which she was ashamed. “ Had she a brother who had ever done anything of the sort, or a sister, or any other relative within the proscribed degrees ?” As the result of his enquiry he decided, very wisely, not to stand. For the sake of their own self-respect, it would surely have been well if some of our own candidates had stood out of the political arena. Social life in New Zealand was not always of that pure and exalted character which it has now attained, and there are probably very few who have reason to be entirely proud of their early

experiences in the colony. To say this is, of course, only to say what is true of even the best men; but as it seems to be the recognised way of discovering a man’s fitness for political office to rake up everything in his past life that is to his discredit, and as it is certain that what people do not know they will invent, it is not surprising that most men who are really best fitted for it decline the honor of serving their country in Parliament.