LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 228, 24 January 1880, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

M.U.1.0.0 F.—A meeting of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows, Arowhenua Lodge, took place at the Royal Hotel, Temuka, in th ir lodge room on Wednesday last. The minutes of the previous meeting being read and confirmed, the following officers were duly installed for the ensuing term of six months: —Bro. Elliott N.G., Bro. Weir V.G., Bro. Louis Secretary, Bro Washington taking the P.G. Chair. The officers elected were then duly installed in their respective offices by Bros. Leach and Washington, P.G. After some business of a minor nature, the meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the installing officers.

The Eclipse Harvest Ale.— Lovers of good ale should lose no time in try'ng some of the Eclipse Harvest Alo. The drink is of exceptionally fine quality", and is not only useful in the harvest field, but it will, also be found a very pleasant dinner ale, being of good flavor, wholesome, and appetising. It can bo obtained either at Mr. Franks’ brewery, Temuka, or at fhe Eclipse Depot, Gain’s Terrace, Timaru.—(See Advt.) Auction Sale."— Mr K. F. Gray (onr local auctioneer), instructed by the trustee in the estate of Mr M. Dunn, will hold an auction sale, at Temuka on Monday next, of 45 acres of foxglove and tartarian oats, ready for reaping. There is no re serve placed upon the crops, and ihe sale will commence at 2 o’clock.—(Advt.)

The Lincolnshire Delegates. The delegates from the Lincolnshire farmers, Avho are at present on a visit of inspection to New Zealand, will arrive at Christchurch from Auckland this morning. The Coursing Season.— At the request of the Canterbury Conrsbig Ciuh, the Council of the Acclimatisation Society has dec'ded to lengthen the coursing season Avhich will accordingly open on April 1, and dose on July 31.

Bee-keeping. —The Acclimatisation Society has <lei i'lecl to up a number of the New Zealand bar-framed beehives introdueod by the Rev G. Wilks, in order that the public may be enabled to make themselves acquainted with the system. Mr Wilks has promised to explain to the members of the Christchurch Council the mode of working these hives to the best a d va n ta ge. —Press;

The W aim ate -Plains. —The Government take possession of the Waimate Plains at once, and have had distributed among tiie natives printed notices to the effect that the Government had decided that the commission shall hear only the complaints of any native who will be in a position to prove an individual title to any land, but any question relating to confiscation will not bo listened to. Timaru Cricket Clue.—A match has been arranged for to-day between the married and single members of the Timarn Club. The respective sides will be composed as follows .‘-—Married Fowler, Hninersley, Knubly, Squire, Messon, Fraser, White, Lind say, 11. Evans, Hammond, Ziosler, Barnett, Howley. Single Craig, D’Emden, Blundell, A. God by. Mansfield, Lough, Reid, Seaton, Wood, Gordon, Tennant, Eichbaum, Archer.

The Variety Company. —The Variety Company will perform in the Volunteer Hall on vVednesday next. There is some noted performers in the t r oupe, and t good programme is provided. Shnld the evening prove a pleasant one, wo shall expect to see a bumper house. Mk Reilly’s Advt. —Mr Reilly (late with Mr B, Wallis) begs to inform the people of Temuka that he has an establishment in Timaru, where all sorts of upholstering and cabinetmaking can be done. —(See Advt.)

Pleasant Point. —The Peasant ..Point school monitors were presented with a few prizes fur their past diligence as scholars; and that, during Mr Henri’s absence, they might assist Mrs Henri in her extra duties.

Anothee Row. —We learn that a serious fracas has occurred at the Cambridge races. The rider of Grey Monius was suspected of having sold a race, and was pulled otf his horse and very severely handled, his collarhone being broken. Fuller particulars will no d mbt be received in due course. j.nr Jvr.T.r,T Uaub,— Four mm were dip- "■ ‘ ■>innerh).»‘ with the telegraph line at

Jf km uk A ScnooK. —'.flie annual election of The Committee will take plaee‘at fhe dchoolhousc on Monday evening n *xt, the 26th inst. at 7 p.m. Ail householders are urgently requested to attend. Arrival. — The An mo Bow, of Tiraaru, arrived tliere from Newcastle yesterday, making the passage in ton days. This is one of the fastest. trips yet made to that port by a sailing vesfoh

The Rangitikei Crops. —The recent rains have done much-damage to the heavy.crops in die ttavigitikei district, some of which arc already “ tossed and laid ” very much. Reaping operations will also bo appreciably retarded through the sam l cause. A Practical Joke. —A practical joke was pernotratvxl (says the N.Z. Times) at Kaiwarra, near Wellington, on Tuesday last, the victim being a respectable middle-aged A male resident of the village. One of the in *u woo had been .summoned to attend the inquest in the capacity of a juryman, had turned down tin? corner of his summons, and written there mi the name of the lady in question, the summons then being put under the lady’s door. As the body of the summons did not contain the name of the m i inal recipient, the lady naturally enough thought it was really in-, tended for her, and her distrevs "'as very great in consequence. She appealed to the coroner, who inquired into the matter, when it transpired that the affair was a foolish hoax at the lady’s expense. F earls. —Emerson never packed more sense into a sentence than when he wrote, “ G-md manners are made rip of potty sacrifices. ” —-lie who travels with Ids eyes open cannot fail to see that others, as well as liimse.f. have their discomforts and drawbacks, and.he will thus be ail the more disp .sed to meet Jus own with a brave spirit. —When a young man has learned to wait, he has ma - to rod die hardest lesson in, life. Few truly; learn it, but. t:c who does has gamed knowled e of the fundamental pi inciplcs of all success, and need not fear that all other things necessary wi.i bo added unto him.

Mrxc *. h Suri’BlSK. —On Monday afternoon the lightning struck a pooler magazine near Brighton, 1 linois, containing Dl, ooolb. of powder. Vou can just imagine how astonished the lightning was the next moment.

A Tough Ber,T„ —“ /Eglos ” writes : in a township rather a long way up the Darling—say a couple of thousand miles by water above Kclmca there is a lively young Irish doctor. Bcrtio (Jamnbell, the squatter, drove him out to the station to prescribe for his sick overseer. Going through a mob of

cattle said the doctor, ‘ By George, that’s an old fellow,’ pointing to a bullock. ‘ What the mischief do you know about the age of bullocks,’retorted the owner. 1 Sure there's the brand on him,’ said the doct Jr, ‘ 8.0., 77.’ ”

American Nicknames. —The nicknames of people in the different States are very amusing. The inhabitants of Alabama arc called Lizards; of Arkansas, Toothpicks; of C diforui i, • Gold-hunters ; °f Colorado, Rovers ; of Connecticut, Wooden Nutmegs ; of Delaware, Muskrats ; of Florkla, Fly-up-the-Creeks ; of Georgia Buzzards ; of Illinois, Suckers ; of Indiana, Hoosiers, of lona, Hawkeyes ; of Kansas, Jayhawkers ; of Kentucky, Corn Crackers ; of ijud.-i .na, Creoles ; of Maine, Foxes ; of Maryland, Crow Thumpers; of Michigan, Woivenies; of Minnesota, Gonhcrs ; of Mississippi, Tadpoles ; of Missouri, Pukes ; of Nebraska, Bug-eaters ; of Nevada, Sage Hens ; of New Hampshire, Granite Boys ; of New Jersey, B tvs, or Clamcatthers ; ot'N-w York, K ticwho -kers ; of North Carolina, Tar-boilers, or Jucuoes; of Ohio, Buckeyes ; of Oregon, Webfeet ami Hardcasos ;o” Pennsylvania, Penances and L'vitherhoads ; of Rhode Island, Gun Flints ; of South Carolina, Weasels ; of Tennessee. Whelps ; of Texas, Beethoads; of Vermont, Green Mountain Boys; (f Virginia. Bead less ; of Wincnnsin, Badgers.

Fast Trains —The f.latest trains now run at the following speeds on the I'ntii named ;—Great Western SMJ- miles, Great .Northern 5L miles, London and Brighton 47 k miles, London and North Western 47i miles. Midland 4f> miles, London, Chatham, ami Lover 45 miles. South Eastern 45 miles. Ge-at Eastern 44 miles, London ami South Western 44 miles per hour. Illfou- Fishing.— At (he meeting of the A colonisation Society held at Christenin' h on Thursday, a d -potation fi'om the Angling Sm.iety wailed upon them for i lie purpose of bringing under their notice the imsnortmarnikc practice of cros---line fishing, and the use of night lines, which is little be<tor than poaching, and is of common occurrence. One of the deputation (saj T s the Press) stated that he had heard a person boast that he had taken two hundred and fifty trout out of (he river since the commem'ement of the angling season. Eventually i was determined that a committee of the Acclimatisation and Angling Societies should meet for the discussion of the whole question, with a view to putting and end to the practices complained of. Property in Greymouth. —Referring to a case recently heard in t.ho District Court, Greymouth, the local Argus says : —Somn strange revelations were made as to the influence of Maori rent on the value of property in Greymouth—such as selling a large public-house to a man of straw for or.e shilling in order to get rid of the rent liability, etc.

Love After 'Marriage. —Friendship of a snblimited sort is what love becomes after a year or so of marriage, and he who is friendly to the very depths of Ids soul enters into this state happily, and is ready for all the delights that follow. But a man who is capable of nothing but that fleeting affection which ever pursues anew object, and cares for no woman when she is won, hates the domestic tiesand becomes detestable in consequence. It is the man who would die for his friend and for whom his friend would die who makes a miraculously happy wife of the woman to whom he scarcely knew how to make loVe when he courted her. 1 Something to Talk About. —An Ame rican paper rather sleepily says it was a curious thing to sse a horse in lowa recently pull the plug out of the bunghole of a barrel and slake his thirst. We do not see anything extraordinary in the occm'renee. If the horse had pulled the barrel out of the bunghole and slaked his thirst with the horse, or if the plug had pulled the horse out of the barrel and slaked its thirst with the bunghole, or if the bnngho'o had pulled the thirst out of the horse and slaked ifs plug with the barrel, or if the barrel.had pulled the horse out of the bunghole and plugged its thirst with a slake, it might be worth making a fuss about. A mooting will be bold at Newcastle to-morrow 1.. ■ consider mean* to alleviate • fxifgbio- nrnongtt miners in I

A Russian Expedition. —Nows hag reached Bamarcand of the arrival in Afghan Watery of the Russian ecientihe expedition despatched to survey tlie Amu D-irya. The examination of the river, with its principal affluents, is reported to have resulted in establishing the fact of th'dr being navigable. A Fat Dams ee.—Svdvvy Smith ohw' remarked of an inordinately stout 1 dy, whose'dimensions were being souvuvliat humourously commented upon in his presence, that “ won; she to rise in revolt against the constituted authorities, it would bo necessary to read the Riot Act and di-perse her !” We wonder to what extravagance of comical speculation,' the witty I 'anon would have bomi stimulated had he jived to take cognizance of a young person of Russian birth, who is about to visit Central and Western Europe for (he pu.pos-s of turning h-r extraordinary corpulence to profitable a « count, and whoso fatty fame has gone b -fm-o her, preparing tli I public mind . for a snr wise upon a scnl-i of unprecedent'd magnitude. At pr.-seut this adipose phei omenon resides at the lowly -village of Bolscliin-Grodui, in the Government of Tula She is but ten years old, and she turns the scale at four hundred and eighteen pounds. A damsel who, witldn a decade, has attained a .weight of near'y 30 fdon". is ind *ed a marvi-1 hitherto unrecorded i - ' the annals of .physiology. When she shall set forth upon her travels, which she is about to do under the guardianship of an eminent showman, she will be compelled to take her p ! aco in (he luggage van, for no entrance to any lailway carriage at present in existence is wir e enough to admit of her passage through it. A subtle provision of her ponderous pe nliantics would seem to have inspired her godfathers and godmothers at Imr baptism whoa they gaw her the singulary apt name und-r which she will make her appearance before admiring timings. She was christened Fafinitza.

riiDI.TKX! O VIS. A link li i correspondent to the Chrmteliuf'-h Star writes : Y/iii'.n walking through a crop of wheat with -sir John Bam hie at his larm at Kyle w i came across an oat plant, which, from its extraordinary size, attracted, imr attention. Upon pulling the plant np, it was found to hare grown from one seed, and tilled out to the extent of 22 distinct straws, eaeli having an immense head of grain, and upon counting the seeds contained in several, it was found that they numbered from 300 to 350 on ea ;h straw. This woidd give a result, taking the lowest timnher as an average, of C6OO grains of oats, springing from one seed, which must be considered as an extraordinary yield. Pursuing the calculation a little further, it will be seen that if it we"O possible to grow an acre of such rats giving each plant a square foot, a result of 287,490,000 grains would be obtained, which, allowing 10,000 grains to a lb weight, would give 4G9 bushels to tire acre.