The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1880. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 325, 4 December 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1880. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We are requested to state that the Wesleyans intend holding a Public Soiree at Waitohi during this month. - Messrs Maclean and Stewart will sell, at their Horse Bazaar, Timaru, to-day, at noon, hoises, harness, &c.

The Temuka Road Board advertise for tenders for a number of works, to be in by 10 a. m. on Tuesday. Several refractory Maoris on Ripa Island have been reduced to bread and water.

Ail necessary arrangements for bringing over the Australian cricketers have been completed.

Mr Hirschberg, from Wanganui, reports that pome natives from Upper Wanganui offered to bet him that in two months he would see Moffatt, who is said to have been shot, alive and well.

It is currently reported in Napier that the late Messrs Stoke Bros,, of Milbourne Station, near Kaikora, (Hawke’s Bay), have willed the bulk of their property, valued at £IOO,OOO, to London hospitals. We understand that an invitation picnic, promoted by the Temuka Brass Band, will take place on Boxing Day, in Geraldine Bush ; and that, on their return, the members of the Band intend giving a concert at Winchester, in aid of their funds

The following original advertisement appears in a contemporary “ Marriage. —Butler—Reid. - Qn the 24th nit., at St Peter’s Church, Edwin Butler, bullockdriver, of Upper Hath to Alice Emily Reid, of Wadestown, No cards, no cakes, no nothii g.” A Timaru contemporary is responsible for the following;—“A romantic affair occurred in Timaru on Tuesday, being nothing less than the elopement uf a lady well known in musical circles here, with a knight of the. trowel. The runaways left per express-train for Dunedin on Tuesday ,afternoon, and it is believed to'be, their fly to the ‘ summer land of silence,’ to quote a Victorian poet’s name for his own colony. A husband and father on the one hand, and a wife and mother on the other, are left to deplore the loss of the elderly lovers. Five children are left behind, three on a bed of Sickness. It would seem, however, that the jilted husband places but a small value

on his absconding treasure, ns he has taken no steps to recover h -r, and he seems wonderfully cheerful under his bereavement.

Considerable alteration is taking place -with the- Telegraph line across the rivers Oplhi and Temuka, Dram the corner opposite the Post Office the line takes an easterly turn towards the railway line, when it goes south across the railway bridges, the wires being supported by a succession of outriggers landward from the bridge. This change will lesson the chance of the line being interrupted darings floods in the rivers It was no unusual thing to have communication interrupted for days through the poles being carried away by the flood water ; the alteration will therefore he of seme benefit to the public. It cannot be said, however, that the new poles erected in the township add to its ornamentation. The huge pillar erected in front of the Crown Hotel, liKe the pillars in front of the new Post Office in Timaru, reminds one of Hammons gallows of fifty feet high Tnere seems though a natural sympathy between the Temuka Post Office and the pillar the latter being in the attitude of delivering a gentle bow, as much as to Bay I congratulate you upon your appearance We do not whether it is that Temuka has got the name of going back, or whether it has any political bearing, but it does seem strange that under the Hail and Rojieston Government every opportunity rs embraced to cast a slight upon tlie town The unseemly erection is however quite in keeping with the Post Office and Court House, all having come from the fertile brain of the Government

A scene, the like of which we never heard of before (says the Dunstan Times), took place in the Clyde Courthouse on .Friday last, and but for the fact of sonu powerful men being present there is no saying what would have been the result. The facts surrounding the case are as follow ; —A man named Ballautyne was charged with having exposed. Lis person to a child of tender years —a girl some 10 years of age. The charge having been heard and proved, on the evidence of the girl, though the prisoner strongly denied it, he was sentenced to six calendar months imprisonment in Dunedin Gaol, with hard labour. After the sentence the prisoner was being removed from the body of the Court, when with a spring he rushed at the poor girl, and seizing her, said, “ I have been punished innocently ; I will now do something to be punished fer.” Inspector Hickson, Sergeat M‘Neal, Constable M'Leod, and the father of the girl at once seized the prisoner, but their united efforts for a time failed to make him leave go his hold. The girl, more dead than alive from fright, was at length released and removed to the clerk’s room, where she was attended to. The prisoner was again placed in the dock on the charge of assault, aud received a further sentence of six|raonths. We were not in Court, but we are informed the scene baffles all description—five strong, powerful men struggling over a mere child) four of them trying to protect her, the other, a lunatic for the time being, endeavoring io inflict injuries—and was such a one as our informant would not like to see repeated.

Despite the confidence expressed by the Sydney people in the fairness of the boat race between Hanion and Trickett for the championship, there are many (says aa exchange) who regard the affair with doubt. In the first place, the quickest recorded time over the same course is 23 minutes 15 seconds, while Hanlon’s present lime is 26 minutes 12 secands, w : th smooth water. Laycock’s time rowing against Blackhams when he finished himself was 26 minutes ; while Trickett’s time rowing against Sadler was considerably less than that of his race with Hanlon. Under these circumstances, and with a favorable course, it is difficult to account for Hanlon’s easy victory, and with such extremely bad time. Trickett cannot have been in condition, or the accident to his hand must have interfered with his' rowing capabilities. This is, of course, the alternative that the race was sold—a conclusion, however, not warranted by Trickett’s character and past career.

Although every inquiry has been made by the police of New Zealand, Tasmania, and Victoria, regarding the box of gold, valued at £SOOO, missing from the Tararua during'her last voyage from New Zealand to Melbourne, nothing has yet been elicited to show how or by whom the robbery was effectew||,“ It is surmised,” says the Melbourne Telegraph, “ that the robbery was effected between Port Chalmers and either the Blufl or Hobart To wn, by means of a duplicate key, but of course nothing positive can be asserted with repect to this aspect the question at present. The police will, no doubt, be enabled in time, with the infinite resources at their command, to unravel the mystery, hut it must not be forgotten that the offenders obtained a start of from nine to ten days, which is always a very considerable disadvantage on such occasions. The loss of the £SOOO will in all probability fall upon the shoulders of the Union Shipping Company, if it be not repaired by,the discovery of the treasure, but the loss is ia no way insured against. The position of Captain Muir, than whom no more honest and staightforward officer enters the port, and his subordinates is a moat painful one, and the utmost endeavours are therefore being used to clear them of the odium must necessarily fol-

low so mysterious and unfortunate an affair.”

A new and apparently most valuable method of preserving raw meat, discovered by Professor Artimini, of Florence, and patented in this country (says an English paper), promises to have a great effect upon our markets. According to a report by Professors Barff and Mills, of the Glnsgbw University, and Dr Stevenson, of Guy’s Hospital, meat six month’s old whs found to be perfectly sound and good, the muscular fibre unchanged, and the nutritive properties unimpaired. The material employed is said to be less expensive than salt, and not only wholesome, but pleasant lo the taste.

The Rangitikei Advocate says :—“ Wo understand that the Government do not intend to take any steps to carry out the warrant issued for the arrest of Moffatt’s murderers. As it would be impossible to obtain possession of the perpetrators of the deed without incurring the risk of another Maori war, few persons will blame them for having arrived at their present decision ; but surely the farce ,of issuing an arrest warrant which was ..never intended to be carried into effect, might have been dispensed with without injuring the prestige of the present Ministry.”

A very striking instance of the danger of conveying nourishment to the mouth with the blade of a knife has just occur, red on the Continent. When the last mail left, a decision was about to be pronounced by the Imperial Royal Tribuna at Marburgh upon an action brought by an Italian commercial traveller against the Sud-Bahn Company, to obtain compensation for injuries sustained by him through a railway accident which recently happened upon the line. The plaintiff we are infoimed by an English paper, at the very moment in which the collision took place, was introducing a junk of Bologna sausage into his mouth on the point of a penknife, and the shock imparted to him by the accident]caused him to widen that feature by an involuntary slit some two inches in length. For the pain and disfigurement thus incurred he claims a large pecuniary indemnity. The railway company, however, refuse to admit any obligation to compensate a person for injuries incurred by his own indecorousness of conduct and evil manners, pleading that “ no decent person eats with his <or her knife and that tho plaintiff, having hurt himself in the very act of committing a social delict, must bear the consequence of his offence.”

A new story on light is related by the Montreal Witness:—“Colonel Parijana, of the Public Works Derpartment at Ottawa has a patent new light for marine purposes, which on the score of economy throws Edison’s electric light into the shade. Through some chemical process he produces an everlasting light, which shines us many hours at night as it is exposed to the light in daytime. Once charged with the chemicals, a glass bowl can be placed on a buoy or a ship’s mast and will furnish a light. He claims that it will last for ages, provided it is properly sealed, without re-charging.

One of the latest additions to the list of local industries (says the Press) is the manufacture of honeycomb foundations by machinery, the same being adapted for use in the bar-framed beehives. Mr Broadley, of Kaiapoi, has imported appliances by which he now turns out the foundation of thq ’comb in a manner equal to that made by the bees themselves. The machine, which appears a simple one, is not unlike a small mangle, the surface of the rollers of|which are studded with hexagonal projections. Properly prepared sheets of wax are passed through the rollers, which, as they come out, are found to have received the impression requisite tor bees to commence building cells upon. Among other advantages secured by the use of this material, beyond saving the labour of the bees, is that the increase of drones in the hives is kept at a minimum, whilst the production of honey is largely increased and the combs are kept straight on the bars of the hive. This machine is the invention of an American lady— Mrs Dunham, The manufacture of honeycomb foundation in America extends to many tons annually, and the process adopted by Mrs Du nham, it appears, has the preference among the beekeepers of the American Continent.