LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 248, 30 March 1880, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Caversham alio -.vs signs of improvement T.,e valuation list for the borough is higher by LSOOO (his year than st. This means an increase revenue from rates of about L3OO.

At a meeting of the Dunedin Mod : cal Association on Wednesday, it vm resolved —“ That in the opinion of this society it is unprofessional mid improper thtt any of its members should keep op'-n shop for the sale of druggists’ sundries, and should advertise of ids fees. ’

A shocking story comos from Birmingham, which shows how careful people ought to bo in using the electric light. It appears that at the finite Theatre several designs aro lighted by a number of electric lamps. A. M. Bruno, one of the pr. hestrn, although warned not to do so, took hold of the brass connections when the lamps were not in use, and thus received the full force of the current generated by a power ful battery, which supplies all the lights in the building and grounds. Ho was unable to disengage himself, and pulled tho wire down. When released ho was insensible, and though restorutiveo worn applied, he died in about half an h ur London gas is certainly bad enough, but it is better than what an irreverent young man called bottled lightning. The Braidwood Dispatch states that ore day recently Mrs George Williams, of Nimbi Nimble, near Corang, left her child, about seven months old, sitting on. the floor of the house while she went outside. She was only absent for a few minutes ; when she returned a sight met her eyes which threw her into a state of the utmost consternation. Her little girl was sitting on the spot where she had left her, and round her waist was coiled a large brown shake, the child playing with its tail. Tho mother thought that she saw the reptile biting her child’s breast; she thereupon procured an Iron hook, which she fixed in the child’s dress, and lifted her outside the house, the snake meanwhile uncoiling itself. The mother, snatching her up in her arras, ran up the creek to oho spot where some men were at work digging. They immediately examined the child, but could see no raarks t The snake wis ultimately killed. An individual who had formerly been in business as a stockbroker lately died at Lyons, leaving a fortune of 1,800,000 francs. When the seals were removed; in the presence ofjthe relatives, a will written entirely in his own hand was found, under which the deceased left his property among his brothers and nephews. Just as they were congratulating; one another on their luck, however, a second testa, ment came to light, annulling the first, constituting one of his nephews, a young man named Maldras, a completely uneducated ploughman at Montolimar, his sole heir, and leaving the original heritors to reflect as best they might over the adage about the distance between the cup , and the lip. Maldras, on finding himself thus unexpectedly a millionaire, is said t to have been so dazed by the good news as to have lost bis power of speech during two days, fears being indeed entertained for his rea-

son. The Countess Boiagesllna, the famous dauseuse, who is 70 years of age, having lost her fortune, is now teaching dancing and deportment to the daughters of the elite of London. Sho retired early from the stage, while yet bouquets rained upon it, together with princely offers from the great opera houses.

Frank Amoor, one of the hard labor gang, was killed at Wellington on Thursday by a fall of earth. Ho was sentenced in October to 12 months for larceny. He leaves a wife and family. His conduct in gaol had been exemplary, and he had sent in a special petition for remission of sentence, which the. Chief Justice had sent to the Government with his approval endorsed. A pardon would probably have been granted in a few days.

A man named Wm Noble was drowned last Wednesday in the Wainuioru River, near Masterton, North Island, whilst attempting to cross. According to meteorological observations made at Christchurch, the rainfall for the six months ending June, 1879, was 12 950 in, and for the last half year ending December 10'230. The mean for the 16 years lias been 24’699 in.

The coacli traffic lias beep resumed between Foxton and Wellington, and all but one obstruction removed.

We have been shown a genuine curiosity in the shape of an issue of the London Times of October 3, 1708. It Inis 16 columns, and contains nows of the “ Victory of Nelson over the Vouch at the N’ie,” and full particulars of the B ittie of the Nile. The owner has been requested tn publish it in the exact form as first nubhshod, so he has consented to do so < n condition a sn licient number of orders are given. We should thus advise ev£r b) iy to obtain a c py of this genuine curios

A COMI'ASY is talked abmit bcingforme 1 at Christchurch for the purpose of buying laud to form a cricket and recreation ground, to which admission can be ■ barged.

Some of the Dunedin Naval Bridge threatened to return horn- on Thursday if drier ground than Anderson’s paddock was not given them to encamp in.

Tee Native Land Purchase Commission have b -en sitting at Kiv rion, Southland, l«te'.y. It will meet at Christchurch on April 2nd.

Thirty debtors obtained discharges in the Supremo Court, Christchurch,on Wednesday. A very good day’s work for the l.nvy. r -. 'From tin- Dim. din.ollio’al meteorological, rop rt for JA bi nary, 1830, it appears that the moan temperature was above the aven-.go at all stations. Tim highest shade temperature was 91.6 dog. at Christchurch the lowest 37 deg. at the same place. The rainfall was greatly under the average, b-dng less than two-tenths of an inch at Wellington, Nelson, and Christchurch. We learn that the Governor has approved of the resolution cf the Dunedin Savings Bank Trustees, by which the sum of L 2190 from the surplus profits will be handed over to the Benevolent Institution as a further endowment.

Out of the L 50,000 voted last session by Parliament for school buildings through out the Colony, the Government have apportioned L7OOO to Otago.

Threshing is in full swing on the Plains (says the North Otago Times) in many instances from tho stook. Some fortunate farmers have ns a return for their labours the handsome yield of 46 to 48 bushels of wheat to the acre. Tho railway authorities are making preparations to meet tho coming demands on their resources, trucks from all available places being placed in readiness along the line.

Tub Russians at Cronstadt in tho Baltic and Nicolaieff in the Black S ui, are preparing for the immediate despatch of further munitions of war ..nd inen-of-war to the Pacific to protect the Amoor.

Tub Defence Commission in London lias taken much valuable evidence, and will re-assemble at the end of May. Tiny are very anxious to obtain colonial opinion and have invited the colonies to scad wit-

nesses. The Oil Springs at Poverty Bay have been purchased (says a telegram) by a Sydney company of speculators. A pair of trousers (says “the Otago Daily Times), identified by the police as having formed a portion of the suit worn by the accused man Butler, when ho left Dunedin on the Sunday morning of the murders in Cumberland street, were found on Thursday by Ranger Youngman. They were found near to where the coat was previously found.

The Annual Ram and Ewe Fair in connection with the Temuka and Geraldine Agricultural and Pastoral Association, will be held on the Society’s grounds, near Winchester, on Tuesday, the 14th day of April. Entries can be made with the Secretary up to the day of the Fair, the fees for which will be the same as in previous years. Up f o Friday evening, sixty thousand bags of grain had been carried for week on the Chris!church section and branches.

The Wellington Tramway was sold last week to Mr E. W- Mills, ironmonger, for L 1.9,250. Two sharp shocks of earthquake were felt at Wellington at 5 o’clock last Wednesday morning. Judge Richmond, of Auckland, decided last week that where a bailiff enters on land to levy an execution, and takes tho necessary stops to realise, but the parties settle before tho sale, tho bailiff can claim poundage. H M‘Leod, aged 14, was drowned at Dunedin on Tuesday while bathing. He had got out of his depth. The deaths of two immigrants by the Earl Granville at Auckland arc reported, namely, Margaret M'Meaney, widow, and Bridget Kairns, aged 23. A London cablegram says tho Pos e blames tho Roman Catholic Bishops of Nottingham and Salford for the language used by them in relation to Irish affairs. The Presbyterian scholarship fund ia enriched by a donation of LIOOO from Mrs Henry Somerville, Good Friday passed off quietly in Tetnuka. Beyo' d. the church services, there was nothing worth mentioning.

The open season for game commenced at 12 o’clock yesterday, and, being a holi. day, a large number of sportsmen availed themsolv's of the opportunity of an outing amongst the ducks, etc.

Henry T. Read, who was arrested ou a charge o' embezzling the funds of a Building Society in Warrnambool, Victoria, was taken South to-day, the warrant of extradition, signed by His Excellency the Governor, having been received on Saturday last.

The Dunedin Naval Brigade ransacked a shop in Ashburton last week. A noble and praiseworthy thing for u hand of the “defenders of our hearths and'homes” to do. We sincerely hope that their action will rcce've the reward it richly deserves.

A monster sewi ig-machine has ju.-t been manufactured by the Singer Manufacturing Company at their Glasgow factory. It weighs over four tuns, and could not sit o- the floor of an ordinary room* much less b'- admitted at the door. It is in some respects a machine of new design, uniting much simplicity of . construction with great strength of parts, and is adapted for general manufacturing purposes of (h>« heavier sort, although specially made for the manufacture of cotton 'belting—an article which is just now taking the market as a cln ap ai d serviceable substitution for gearing and ordinary leather belting used in driving the machinery of the workshop or the factory. The machine, of course, is driven .by steam power It has been made for a manufacturing firm in Liverpool, who have orders for over 70,000 feet of cotton belting awaiting fulfilment, so that the value of this mammoth sewing machine will thus bo early and satisfactorily tested.