The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 702, 26 November 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1881. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wesleyan Church Services.— The list of services for to-morrow to be held in the circuit will be found in another column. Call a Spade a Spade.— Some coffee made from date stones has been imported into Chrischu.eh. It is stated to bo very good.

The Volunteers. A Government Gazette just issued contains a proclamation releasing the various volunteer corps from actual service,, Geraldine County Balance Sheet.— The half yearly hal nee ahvet- of the Garaldine ■ County Council, ended 30th September, 1881,.is inserted in our advertising,, coin inns. A Large Stec.—Thy Thames. Valley, and Rotorua rail way project promises to take a tangible shape. Thirty - two Auckland men, including a number of firms, have siihsciibed for 70,000 shares of £1; each. The Timaru Seat. —From our Timaru files we observe that Mr J. S. Gibson hasannounced his intention of, contesting the seat for that town in the House of Representatives. There are now three candidates, viz, Messrs Turnbull, Partridge, and Gibson. Eating the Leek. —Three individuals, in Ts'maru, having publicly stated that a business firm in that town, had called a meeting of their,creditors, and such not. being the case, have had to apologise for their tongues giving vent to their overdrawn imagination.

The Ad.ei.aide Wheat Harvest.—A special correspondent to the Advertiser) estimates the average yield.of; the wheat harvest at- Adelaide at six., and, a half bushels, to the acre, which on,two million acres will give a surplus of 243,000 tons The total crop is estimated at 4,400,000 bushels more than list yzati.

The Deering. Harvester and Binder—Messrs Henry and Findla}’ have been appointed local agents for the Deering,harvester and bitider. Farmers who are desirous, of obtaining these useful machines should apply without delay as only a limited number ar.e allotted to this district for sale. Claiming, to Register. A curious coincidence occurred at Napier a few days ago. Two men who had been undergoing long sentences of imprisonment in the gaol there, but were release *,.claimed lo be put on the electoral roll, on the g-onnd of a six months' residence. The Registrar allowed the claim as the men were not sentenced for felony. A Well- deserved Compliment. —ln an. other, column, we publish a district ord*r to. the Volunteers who went to the front,, under the hand of Lieut.-Colonel;Packe, thanking them for their services and congratulating Captain Hamersley on their smart and soldierlike appearance, and the steady manner in which they carried out the duties which devolved on them while at the front.

Electoral.— On Thursday evening last Mr Hayhurst addressed the Geraldine electors in the schoolroom, Orari North, there being a good attendance. At tiro conclusion of his speech, a vote of thanks to and confidence in him was passed. Mr Hayhurst has announced his intention of addressing the electors at Pleasant Valley on Monday, next,.the 28th instant, in the schoolroom. We are sorry to learn that, owing to illness Mr Wakefield has not, up to.the present time, been enabled to address the electors as was. his original intention. The Returning Officer has appointed Friday next, the 2nd December,,

The Result of a Good Grip. —MrP. Coira invitee his friends to partake of a glass of the sparkling at the Royal Hotol t, is evening at 9 o'clock. Rate Notice. —We would remind all those who have not as yet paid their rates due to the Temuka Hoad Board that thev must be i-ettled to-day, otherwise they will he sued for without further notice, A Good Saving. —We (Dunedin Mornr ing Herald) understand that by using hematite paint for the railway carriages the department now dispense with varnish, ait 1 thereby save nearly £4OOO a year, Dunedin Show and. Rages. — In another, column we publish. a> notification issued from,the railway, department bearing reference to the Dunedin Show and races- on. November 30th and uecembcr, Ist, 2nd and 3rd; Geraldine. County, Council. The first, meeting of. the, newly- constituted Council was held on Thursday last, when Mr. Tripp was unanimously elected chairman. After some preliminary businetn had been transacted the Council adjpurntiQ til! December 2,01 h. In the Early. Days.— The Waikaia correspondent of the Otago Daily Times writes-;—" We are to have a new lock-up,-and that reminds me of, another tale of the days that are gone. In those antidiluyian times the camp was really a camp—the gaol being a six-by-eight-tent. Ou one occasion a more than usually obstreperous- ‘drunk’ was run in, and handcuffed by one hand to the pole of,the tent. He slept the sleep that follows unlimited whisky, and awoke, with the unquenchable thirst that is an equal cou sequence of the indulgence. No charitable soul hove in sight, and at last, in desperation, ho shouldered the lock-up and marched to the nearest pub, bearing the gaol upon his back i He was duly administered to, and returned to durance with Ins load,” The White Feather, —The members of the Marton Volunteer Company who abstained,from going to the front have been pretty sharply taken to task in the correspondence columns of the Advocate for their supposed want of pluck. In order to show how they appreciated the strictures passed upon them, several of the Volunteers appeared ou parade a few evenings ago with white feathers stuck in their hats. In commenting upon the circumstances the Advocate says:—"lhere is no acounting_ for taste. Tne conduct complained of by our correspondent may have been merely a larrikin freak, but it is a new thing to see British soldieis, whether volunteers or regulars, assuming the white feather as a badge. Probably Major Noake will have something to say about this, curious predeliction for whitefeather distinction on the part of th individuals complained of.” France v Russia. —According to the* new memoirs of Count Kisselef, who acted as Russian Ambassador at Paris . after the Crimean war, it was the Empress Eugenie who decided, Napoleon 111. io make war against Russia. The -story, as told,by Kisselef, is given on the anthoiity of the Empress herself. Count Kisselef observed, “ It is your Majesty who has been the cause of the death of 200,C 30 men, and of the loss of seven or eight milliards of francs!” ‘‘Yes,”'she an-, swere' 1 “ indirectly ; and I.do not repent of it. Such perturbations- are sometimes necessary in the existence of peoples. It was necessary for France to take her rightful place in Europe. She has done this by means of the alliance with England,.and by that alliance she will maintain her influence at home and abroad. ’ A Remarkable Career.— A move ment is on foot, says the Printing Times, with a view to do honor to Dr.-William Chambers, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the existence of Chambers’ Journal, the first number of which appeared ou the 4th of February. 1832. The history of. the two brothers Chambers reads like a romance, and few persons could realise from how small a beginning their present colossal concern arose, if wo had not their own word to vouch for its truth. The career of the surviving brother, Dr William Chambers, is especially full of interest for- printers. Just sixty years ago he set up as printer, without having been taught the rudiments of the compositor’s craft. The total cost of the plant vith which be commenced business was £3, which fact leads- force to Dr Chambers’ own words, that nothing more primitive had been attempted since Gutenberg made his rudimentary efforts in the art of .printing.” The Trunks of Trees. -Recent botmical research has shown that the trunks of trees undergo daily change in diameter.. From early morning to early afternoon there is a regular diminution (ill the minimum is reached, when. the process is reversed, and the maximum diameter is obtained at the time of twilight; then again comes a diminution, to be succeeded by an increase about dawn—an increase more marked than that in the evening. Variations in diameter are believed to coincide with the variations of tension, but they are shown to be inverse to the temperature, the maximum of the one corresponding roughly,to the minimum of the other, and so on. In connection with these investigations it may be remarked that, the height, of n man is greater in the morning, than.in the afternoon, and again,. that, other influences being- suspended, the barometer is higher in. the morning 1

Sale at Pleasant Point. Mr K. R Gray reports (hat at the ub >vb Sale yesterday. a large quantity of stock was yarded. The attendance was large, but a great mj>ny of the lots were passed in, the bids not reaching owners' reserves,. Rain is wanted for the pastures. A Large Claim, Mrs Jones,, who. owned the Gienrowan Hotel, burnt down during the attempt to, capture the Kelly gang, claims the modest sum of £.5000 as-compensatiou fur its destruction-.. A, Board is at th" present time sibling in. Melbourne for the-purpose of- couaidetingthe claim.

Gaming and. Lotteries Act.—The first evasion of the gaming and Lotteries Act,.passed during lust- session has come before <mr notice. On perusing the columns of a ■■ontemporary w« fell: across, an advertisement headed “ Dunedin entertainment/’ The Dunedin Cup has 38; performers;'Publicans’ Handicap, 2 7 , and the City Stakes, 21. It certainly is most cleverly arranged so as not to fall foul of' the Act.

Remarkable Death. —A method that might lie successfully followed by would*. - be suicides is that of “ going off” in the hot springs. On Monday night last a Maori man went to bathe in the hot bath at the edge of the Lake Rotorua, when he. fell asleep, and the next morning was found drowned. A Maori womon wasfmmd drowned in a hot bath near the Post office at Tauranga,under similar circumstances.

Stranding of, the s.s, Penguin. —An official enquiry was held on Monday la<t: in Wellington, relative to the stranding of the s.s. Penguin in the French Pass. Captain Malcolm, who was in command of the vessel at the time of ■ the catastrophe, .is well known, in Timaru, as he was for many years in command of the s.s. Maori and other coastal steamers. At the conclusion of the enquiry Captain Malcolm's certificate was returned to him.

The Late Mrs Mackay.— The funera j , of the late Mrs Mackay took place oa Thursday afternoon last, the cortege being the largest that has ever- taken part,in. similar sad occasions. The service, was read by the Rev D. Gordon, Presbyterian Minister, the lady having been a member • of that denomination. Much sympathy is . felt for Mr Mackay and the youthful fam'ly thus deprived,, by the ruthless; hand of de ith, of an affectionate wife and mother.

i Volunteer ,Reminescexce. —A che-. mist in Wanganui the other day* teceived ■ the following letter, which speaks for itself as being, a very modest, demand;— “ W nganui Rifle Volunteers. Headquarters, October 13th, 1831. Sir, — The offer mad- so kindly by you some mpflthsago to supply, ‘gratis,’ lint, medicines, etc,, to the Wanganui Volunteers whenever their services might he .r*Hjuired in the field, we now willinglv accept. As the force will march in a days on Parihaka, it will be necessary to. have the articles we require at the drid-■ hall by Friday, at 2 pm. at the late-t,, viat :—Splints, about 2 cords; scraped lint, 2£ tons ; bandages, 13 miles; brandy, 45 . gallons ; whisky. 286 gallons—the - latter to he taken medicinally.—l have the •’ honor to remain, Sir, your most obedient servant:” Mr K. F. Gray holds a sale of sundries to-day, at 4 o’clock. The S.C. Board of Education invites tenders for the erection of local school, buildings. Information is sought in our advertising columns by Mr T. S. Lewis as to the ownership ot a waterproof coat found by him.