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Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 88, 19 October 1878, Page 2

There was hut little business transacted at the Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, only three cases being called. The first was the adjourned case of Ensor and Smith v. Rogers. Mr Jameson appeared on helialf of defendant, but Mr Johnston, solicitor for the plaintiff, being too ill to attend, the case was adjourned by consent to next Court-day. A debt case (J. Mutch v. J. Topp) was adjourned on the application of Geo. Bolton. Martin Dunn sued for judgment against M. Breenn for £lO 16s 30, balance of a set-off account admitted good at the last sitting of the Court. Judgment was given for the amount claimed, and costs (LI 9s) and solicitor’s fee (LI Is). Mr Jameson appeared for plaintiff. Hot north winds, the usual clnarcteristics of this mon-h, have been the rule for some time past, but so far as this district is concerned their unpleasantness was the worst feature about them, there being sufficient moisture in the land to prevent injury to crops at present. It is nevertheless drying very rapidly, and a much longer continuance of them is by no means to be desired. The crops, with a few exceptions, continue to look well and promising. Rolling is now being pushed on, the weather lately having been very favourable for the work. The root crop, potatoes and carrots, should now be got in as soon as possible, the land being in good condition for preparing to receive the seed. Grass is now abundant throughout the district and should the summer continue favourable, a considerable quantity of bay will doubtless be secured to replenish the altogether exhausted stocks.

A meeting of the Waitohi Flat School Committee was held at the School-room on Monday, Octol er 14th. Members {'resent : Messrs Talbot, Currie, Moore, and Liston. Corresponded e was read from the Board of Education in reply to the Committee, siding that the amount paid to the Committee’s credit for incidentals is the amount decided upon by the Board as share of Government grant. From the same, stating that any expenditure on works which cannot be paid for out of incidentals must form the subject of a special application. From Mr Mority Bowron, canvass’ng agent for the Australian Mutual Association, asking to be allowed the use of the School-room for one evening, for the purpose of giving a lecture. The Chairman stated that lie had replied, granting the application, which was approved of. The Chairman stated that lie had written to the Board, representing that th? amount granted for incidentals is insufficient, and enclosing a schedule, in order to explain the Committee’s position. Also asking the Board’s sanction to the cost of repairs to School-house. No reply had been received on either subject, Mr Malian imported that the attendance having considerably increased during the past quarter, the desk accommodation is now too snrdl, and that the room is not large enough to accommodate any further increase. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Currie, that two new desks be procured, and that those now in use being very shakey, be strengthened with iron stays. Mr Currie and Mr Moore agreed to visit the school during the month, in order to see if it is too much crowded. Mr Mahan was authorised to procure a door-mat and brush for the use of the School. It was resolved that the Board be again written to in re repairs to School-house, also to ask sanction to expenditure on desks, &c.. The meeting then terminated. Apple trees are now in full bloom, pouches and plums are further advanced, the fruit being already set, but all give promise of an abundant crop, unless we have the misfortune to get a severe frost. Those little pests the parroquets seem to have deserted us, or at least their numbers have greatly diminished lately. Their presence in the fruit garden is by no means desirable, and it is to be hoped that their departure is a fact, and that it may prove permanent. An inquest was held on Friday, 11th instant, at Thomas C nnelly’s farm, near Winchester, before A. L?G. Campbell, Esq., coroner, on the body of Midi ael Connelly. Mr Quinn was chosen foreman of the jury, and the following evidence was taken : —Thomas Connelly deposed : The deceased Michael Cunne’ly is my son. He was 16 years and 9 months old, and was' always delicate. About 5 p.m on Wednesday, the 9th instant, whilst I was sitting in the house reading, my man servant (James Garrick) ran into house and called out, ‘‘Michael is dying.' I then rushed out to his room in a lean-to attached to the house, and saw deceased lying on the bed, dead. When I saw him last he seemed in his usual health. Some time ago he had .inflammation of the lungs. About six weeks ago I took deceased to Dr Townsend’s, in Christchurch, for medical advice. He told me that Michael’s heart was very weak, and ad vised me to let him knock about as usual, and not send him to school. James Carrick deposed : I am a laborer in Thomas Connelly’s employ. On Wednesday evening, the 9th instant, at about 5 p.m., I asked deceased to open the gate to let some horses in. He did so, and one or two minutes afterwards I saw deceased’s face change in an unusual manner as he was going to his room. I followed him into the room, and found him lying on the bed breathing heavily. I then ran out and called his father, who immediately came out, but deceased was dead. Ho did not complain tc me of being ill. J. S. Hayes, sworn, stated ; I am a duly qualified medic al practitioner, residing in Ternuka. This morning I made a post mortem examination of deceased. I found the lungs partly congested and adhering to the sides, and also showing traces c f old pleurisy. The heart was very much diseased, showing a very great valvular insufficiency, to which I attribute deceased’s death. The jury returned the following verdict: “That Michael Connelly died on the 2th instant from heart disease.”

B The Royal Marionettes are advertised to appear in Temnka on Thursday next, and following evenings. The entertainment has been taking well in Christchurch for the last three weeks, and is highly spoken of by the Chi’istchurch papers. The 1 Press ’ speaks of their performances as “ clcvei’,” “admirable,” and says, “ The admirab'e manner in which the whole of the Marionettes are worked, adds greatly to the illusion which the audience unconsciously fall into, of believing the figures to be endued with life. The transformation scene is worthy of any pantomime.”

A committee appointed by the Ashburton County Council to restore communication over the Rangitata traffic .bridge presented a report to the Council at their meeting on Wednesday hist. The report states that the northern embankment had been carried away for a length of 400 feet, and the river was flowing through the breach with great velocity. The report

recommends that the bridge be lengthened in preference to again raising am embankment. Mr H. P. had been engaged to report upon the description and cost of the necessary work. Trial piles were to be driven to ascertain whether tlie bridge can be extended in a less costly manner than by sinking cylinders. If piles can be driven the cost will not be mnuh more than half. The report was adopted by the Council, and the action of the committee confirmed. < (

The weather during the last few days has been very changeable. This week, heat and cold, storm and calm, rain and fair, have alternated so rapidly that those whose favourite topic of conversation is the weafiier, must havehacla cheerful time. Those, on other hand, who would endeavour to explain so frequent and sudden changes, must have been in despair. The heavy shower of Thursday afternoon must have clone “ a power of good,” by refreshing pastures and young crops after their semi-parching by the previous day’s nor’-wester. Thursday’s rain does not appear to have been very g eneral, as the river was not perceptibly affected by it. We have just bad a stroll ivnnd the Public Domain, and, noticing improvements, came away with the conviction that Mr Alfred Cox deserves the thanks of the whole community for the attention he gave to this matter when a member of the Provincial Council, lor, to nis exertions chiefly, we owe the munificent grant of 130 acres fur a public park for Arowhenua. The section was well chosen, having level lands, slopes, and terraces, and an abundant supply of water. We note with great satisfaction the rapid progress that the trees of many climes are making in growth. Most prominent among them is the abundant foliage of the pines, which seem to take to their new home kindly. A complete belt is now J planted around the whole of the upper flat, about a chain wide, and extending to nearly three miles in length. A walk, nine feet wide, runs along' the centre of the belt, trimmed with a gentle slope to the sides. It is now sown in grass, which, when well set, will form a fine velvety path for a pleasant promenade. Small gates are p’aced at each end of the approa' h from the Milford Road, giving easy access to the grounds The cottage built of brick, neatly picked out, has all the appearance of the historical lodge which guarded the approach to the old baronial hall. From the road the ranger’s lodge looks very handsome indeed. The architect, we believe, was Mr Williamson, C.E., and we understand that he gave the plans and specifications as a gift to the Commissioners. New entrance gates to the cottage have just been completed, the contractor being our townsman, Mr K. F. Gray. They are built in concrete walls, and bang on two massive pillars, well finished in the same material. The gates themselves are made of wrought iron, six feet high, and twelve feet wide, with tvo wings of twenty-one feet each, topped with iron railing to match the gates. The concrete pillars are well finished, with panels and mouldings on each side of the wings, which aresome three feet high, tastefully finished with a moulding on t"p. With a few seats placed along the plantation, a pleasant walk could be enjoyed by those who wish to enjoy a breath of pure air while contemplating the works of nature. One tiling we are ambitious to see carried out, this is to have one of the neighbouring creeks brought round below the terrace, and a fish pond formed, when the pleasant pastime of angling could be enjoyed by all without let or hindrance. This work could be accomplished for about £l5O. We hope the Government will generously place a sum on the estimates for public parks and the cemeteries, as was done last session. The park is managed by a Board of five Commissioners, appointed by the Governor for life. A considerable sum of money has been expended upon the works from year to year, the effect of which is only now becoming apparent. Before leaving this subject wo would invite the public to prevent the children from plucking the flowers, or breaking down the trees.

It was advertised in the Christchurch papers that railway traffic over the Rangi tata bridge would be resinned yesterday, but the repairs were not sufficiently advanced to permit of this being done. In all probability trains will be allowed to cross to-day. The special parade of the No 1 Company was fairly attended. It was not dually decided whether or not the Company shall attend the demonstration at Dunedin. It will be decided in a few days, and most probably affirmatively. The entertainment given at Winchester on Tuesday evening under the auspices of the Good Templars of the District passed off most successfully. The musical portion ran without a hitch, and the Rev Archdeacon Harper’s lecture on “Common Superstitions” was intensely interesting, as well as amusing. There was a very good attendance, indeed, and the majority were so well pleased that a wish is freely expressed that the entert linment may be repeated.

By a fire at Reefton on Tuesday, five shops and premises were burnt. None were insured. It is stated that a gold field has been discovered 200 miles west of Black Hill, Queensland. There is a large quartz mountain, and a good show of gold. The amount of beer tax which will have to be refunded in Dunedin is £IO3O.

Langdown’sreefs, distant 12 miles from Ahaura. are causing great excitement. Three hundred miners are there. A supposed rich lode of antimony has been discovered. Dr Hector is to visit it. The working requires capital. The antimony lode is on the same line as Langdown’s reef. WW €ir\ rniefalro if ia +.r*

What an unprofitable mistake it is to suppose that sheep do not require water. We invariably give them the opportunity of settling that question themselves, and it is surprising to see how much they drink, especially milk-giving ewes, and also all sheep when eating cake, meal, &c., in addition to their green food, I attribute my trilling loss in sheep and lambs to their having constant access to water by means of an iron tank watercart (CroskilTs) which I have used for 30 odd years.—J, J. Mcchi. The ‘ New Zealand Times,’ in an article on the opening of the Wellington-Wai rarapa railway, says of Sir Julius Vogel and his work :—Tiie credit of an inventor or of a discoverer of some great truth is not claimed for him by the most ardent of his admirers. He had a clear insight of the needs of the hour when he attained to office ; lie had the courage of his opinions, and the capacity and the power to impress these opinions upon the people, and to carry them with him in the great work which,- in the face of many obstacles, he set on foot, and which his successors in office have not ceased to prosecute with more or less vigor np to this time. Settlement is the work of colonists ; the raw material of the land has to be turned into beef and mutton, wool, and “cereals,” and the men who do this by their capital and then labour are the men who make the country. A bridge or a mile of road which renders the land acceptable to the people is better than a volume of stump speeches, as the tangible benefit of a shipload of - immigrants is worth all the visions of future ages and tbeir countless millions which have illustrated stump oratory in New Zealand in all this year. To-day is the festival of work ; and the name of the workman will be loyally remembered in connection with what has been accomplished.

The Supreme Court, Christchurch, was occupied most of the day ou Saturday with the trial of Eckius Hoff for the murder of his wife at Oxford on the Bth of July last. Following the direction of the judge, the jury returned a verdict of Guilty, with a very strong recommendation to mercy. The prisoner had been for several years so grossly illtreated by his wife and a man named Barrett that—as one of the witnesses said— the soul was crushed out of him. It was only when in liquor that he roused up, and then he became a perfect fury. It was in one of these paroxysms of jealous rage that he killed his wife. The Yictorian Government is under stood to be waring* in favor of a direct mail service to England via Suez, in which the ste; mers from Suez would call nowhere but at Aden. The impression is, says the ‘Press,’ that by su h a ser vice the time between London and Melbourne would be induced to thirty-six or thirty-seven days, and between London and the Bluff to forty or forty-one days The Postmaster-General is of opinion that our San Francisco service might be improved so as to bring ns within thirtyfive days of England by that route. The ‘ Press' thinks it is of the utmost importance that New South Wales and New Zealand should make strenuous efforts to make the ’Frisco line an efficient rival of the proposed Yictorian service. If this is not done, t u e latter service will got a large proportion of the earning that should go towards paying for the American service, thus causing a serious loss to the colony. The founder of “ Cobb and C 0.,” unlimited and everywhere, is no more (writes “AEgles” in the ‘Australasian’). Freeman Cobb came to Melbourne at the end of 1852, or beginning of 1853, with Geoige Mowton, to form a branch of Adams and Co., famed in the United States as express carriers. Melbourne was not ripe for that business, and Mr Cobb, who had express waggons with him. bought liorsrs and commenced that coaching system which has made Cobb and Co. famous over the Australian Colonies. After living in America for some time the old sjnrit of enterprise was aroused within him, and he went to the South African Goldfields, and started Cobb and Co. there—and there he died. Adams and Co. brought with them the two first buggies landed in Australia. The best friend I ever had bought one of them, and Mowton kept the other. The good people of Melbourne were highly amused at the notion of those light spider-like vehicles travelling over bush roads. But the buggies survived the ridicule.

The population of the County of Geraldine, according to the late census returns, is 9872. The town of Tcmuka contains 795, Geraldine, 498, Pleasant Point, 342, Winchester, 238. The Levels Road District is the most populous, with 4133, Temuka next, with 2561. Geraldine, 1966, Mount Cook, 913, and Mount Peel, 299. The suburbs of Timaru are included within the Levels Road district.

At a meeting of the County Council, Oamaru, Oct. 11th, Mr Duncan Sutherland stated that Maorios in the Upper Waitaki had been going about the town with tomahawks and loaded guns. They also yarded settlers’ sheep and killed them for their own purposes, while, if the shepherds interfered, they had tomahawks branished in their faces. Their lives were threatened. The Natives had also ploughed up some of the settlers’ land. The following resolution was carried This Council would respectfully wish the members for the district in Parliament to call the attention of the Government to f'e lawless proceedings of the Maories in this County, especially at Otekaike and Omarama, and as this state of things has existed a long time, the Council hopes immediate action will be taken for the protection of life and property.” The Auckland Diocesan Synod resolved to establish a “ Selwyn Memorial.” The objects are to found a Chaplaincy for ministering to the gaols, hospitals, lunatic asylums, and old people’s refuge. One subscriber has promised a hundred pounds. In deciding a case at the Dunedin Resident Magistrate’s Court lately, Mr Bathgate, R. M., stated that he discountenanced altogether the principle of bringing experts to speak as to the value of anything, unless both parties concerned were present at the time their estimate was taken.

Professor Black, lecturing in Dunedin lately, said that chemists could account for the presence of gold in reefs as a fine powder or dust, but no one could yet offer an explanation for its appearance in a nugget form. Hoff, who was s ntenced to death for the murder of his wife at Oxford, has been reprieved, his sentence being commuted to imprisonment for life. A foreigner threw himself in front of the train shortly after leaving Palmerston (JST..T.) The train was going at 12 miles an hour, when tire cow-catcher brushed the prostrate man to one side. His injuries are not serious. At a meeti g of the Christchurch Board of Education, held on October 17, a number of letters were read from school committees threatening to resign unless a more liberal allowance was made for incidentals. The Board passed a resolution, which is to be forwarded to the Minister for Education, asking the Government to allow the Board to fix the incidental scale according to the necessities of the various schools under the old system. At a meeting held at Nelson on Wednesday evening it was resolved —“That this meeting cordially approves of the determination of the Nelson members to use every form of the House in opposing the Railway Construction Bill, unless the Nelson and West Coast section of the main trunk line is included, and an appropriation made. Dr Hector has examined Langdon’s line of reefs, and has full confidence that the discovery will lead to the opening out of an extensive reefing district, as the slate formation is continuous for sixteen miles in a straight line from Langdon’s Creek to Case Creek. Five distinct lines of reef have been already discovered, and it is reported that some extraordinary rich specimens have been sent to town from the head of the Ten Mile Creek, which appear to support Dr Hector’s opinion. The following extracts from the Deluge Tablets, discovered a few years ago in Ninevah, of which a very graphic illustration is given in a work entitled ‘ Sacred Biography, History and Explorations,’ will be read with interest at the present time, when floods are occupying so much attention. While the account differs in various details from the Biblical narrative, the two stories agree in their main features : —I caused to go up into the ship all my male servants ana ray female servants, the beasts of the field, the anima 1 s of the field, the sons of the people, all of them, I caused to go up. A flood Sharnas made, and he spake, saying in the night, t; I will cause it to rain heavily ; enter to the midst of the ship and shut the door.” A flood he raised, and he spake in the night, “ I will cause it to rain from Heaven heavily.” In the day I celebrated his festival. Fear 1 had. I entered to the midst of the ship and shut my door. The raging of a storm in the morning arose from the horizon of Heaven, extending wide. . . . The spirits carried destruction ; in their glory they swept the earth. ... The flood reached to Heaven. The surface of the eirth it swept. It destroyed all life. . . . The strong deluge reached to Heaven. Brother saw not his brother, it did not spare the people. In Heaven the gods feared the tempest, and sought refuge. They ascended to the Heaven of Ami. Six clays and nights passed, the wind, deluge, and storm overwhelmed. On the seventh day in its course was cabned the storm, and all the deluge which had destroyed like an earthquake quieted. I perceived the sea making a tossing, and the whole of mankind turned to corruption. Like reeds the corpses floated. I opened the window, and the lite broke over my face I sat down and wept. ... I perceived the land at the boundary of the sea. . . .