LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 255, 13 April 1880, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We learn that the New Zealand Rai'way time-tables «ill be considerably a tered about the 15th lust.

Recently some gentlemen assembled by invitation at Professor Faber’s residence in H-inover street, Hanover Square, and had explained to them the working of the “ Talking Machine,” which the Professor har now perfected. This machine, by the successive improvements it has undergone is now capable,of imitating the human voice in a very extraordinary manner. The mechanical arrangements are necessarily v.-ry i omplex, but they are likew iso most ingenious, and Professor Faber may certainly be congratulated upon the success which he has achieved in producing a machine inter-Ming to scientific mm, and at •the sam • me tabulated to a!Ford amusement ’ll-.; : HU-U’-'iof! t-O the pilh.’k. ]l is understood that Professor Faber would not be disinclined to listen to any reason-

.ride propo-dtioii on the part of a scientific

society to secure posses-.iou of this curious madu’ue. and in the interest of tiio public

perhap>s some such society may he induced jo come to an arrangement with that objiv f. At a meeting of the Canterbury Anglers Society on Saturday night, Or Campbell stated teat (ho Iron' pmced in Little Fiver and Which ha ! grown to a large size, were being poisoned by the water being im progiirted with sawdust from tho timber mill erected along the hank of tin* river. A max (name at present unknown) fell off a train near IFkaia on Friday night and was ki.lod. He was a laborer, and was sntling on the platform. His body was a-good , oal mangled. A copy of tno Salt Lake Tribune received at Auckland strongly denounces i'lV- Mormon Eiders who visited New Zealand, and says Unit one is an expelled i\l. sm>, another an Atlichd, and a third a fraud. Ax article on l( Education ” by the l?ev. J. Maters (taken from the Ciutha Leader) appears in another column.

At a meeting of the Wellington City

Council on Friday night; re recent resolution passed by the Fire Brigades, a Committee was appointed to confer with the Brigades ; and it was resolved to go on paying the Brigades as usual, until tho Committee came to a, decision.

A coArnniviEXTAnT farewell dinner was given to Mr Joseph loess, lato proprietor ox Ino Ashburton. Mad in tho Somerset Hotel, Ashburton, last Thursday night, it being tho occasion, of his le-ivincr tho district for Paten,, where he will assume the; proprietorship of the Paten- Mail.

We would draw attention to a sale or rams by Messrs .Ford and Go at the Ham and Ewe Fair, near Winchester, to-day Such breeders as Mr Crigg and Mr Marcroft is a sufficient guarantee of the genuineness of the stock Coo.l blood in the sire, every brooder knows, is of very great importance.—Messrs Maclean and .Stewart will also sell several lots of stocK at the Winchester Fair to-day.

Mr Gray's fialo of live and dead stock cm account of Mr Rogers, will take place on Wednesday, Mill Inst, instead of Tuesday, as previously advertised. This is brought about chiefly through fho advertisement being by some means overlooked in Saturday’s issue As Mr Rogers* is fully decided to dispose of the lot, bar-gains may bo reasonably expected

Two scyero shocks of earthquake, and a number'of smaller ones, were experienced at Oamaru on Friday. The first took place about ten in the morning, anti the second about ten in tho evening. No damage was done, although the shocks were sufficiently severe to startle the inhabitants of the town.

It affords -us great satisfaction (says the Bruce Herald) to intimate to the sporting frateruit} 7 of Tokomairiro that Mr Daniels hon secretary to tho local Coursing Club, has succeeded in securing tho services of Mr J. Conway as judge of tho Ail-aged Stakes at tho forthcoming meeting in connection with this Club. •

.bf flic li.M. Court, Christchurch-, cn Tuesday last, at tho conclusion < f the case of Foder v Prince, in which tho plaintiff’ was nonsuited, Mr 11. Prince banded Llo> tho amount sued fur, to tho H.M., for some charitable institution, leaving His Worship to dispose of it as he thought fit.

Owijro to fho coursing season not opening till May 1, the All A.god Stakes, ad. verlisod by the o C.G, Club, will not bo "iin off til! some time in alny, pwbabiy immediately after the- - Puppy. Stakes, on the hGih May,

We would draw tho attention of tho r e who have children going to Sunday school from George Town,' to tlio danger there exists in allowing them to go over the railway bridge for a near cut, instead if going by tho traffic bridge. On Sunday Inst a son of Mr M. Conel'y had a narrow escape of his life by fading through the bridge,and had it no), been for his fallii g on soft ground the accident might have been fatal. As it was tho boy has severe concussion of the brain and other injuries, winch, wo are as ured by Dr Gumming, will take considerable time to recover from As this is the second accident that has occurred, we warn parents for the future

The heaviest rain fall ever experienced in Tomnka took phice on Sunday morning last at about 130 a.ra.; fortunately it did not last long or the result might have been serious. Tho rain was followed by thunder and lightning, which lasted for fully an hour afterwards.