LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1018, 17 October 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Shocking Accident. —One of the buttresses of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, fell and completely beheaded four women. Protested His Innocence to the Last. —Patrick Walsh has been hanged in Galway for the murder of Patrick Lyttou, He protested his innocence to the last, and said a witness swore falsely. Divorce. — \t the Divorce Court, Wellington, a rule nisi was granted in the case Brown v. Brown and Bashford, This was a petition of the wife for a divorce on the grounds of adultery and desertion. Expensive Promise, —Another breach of promise case, in which £IOOO damages are claimed, is on the tapis at Wellington. The plaintiff is a well known Hebe, and the defendant is the landlord of an hotel in the city. The Late Dr Posey. —Mr Gladstone acted as a pall-bearer at the funeral of Dr Puscy, and Cardinal Newman walked beside the cotlin. The flags of Oxford were halfmast high, the dignitaries of the University being present. The Timabu Agricultural Show. — Messrs Maclean and Stewart sold by auction last Saturday the right to sell refreshments on the grounds during the furthcoming siiow. The sale realised £llO, which is £ll more than was obtained last year. Narrow Escape of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lorne.— The special train which brought the Marquis of Lorne and the Princess Louise to Sail Francisco met with an accident at the foot of Costa, near San Francisco Or. leaving that station it was run into by a switch engine, which was badly broken up and had to be removed. The Princess suffered an abrasion of the shoulder, and the collision threw the party in the train off their fee'.

Tn Whitt ox the Comet.— lha Maor s at Paribaka have received a message from Te Whiti to the effi.cc that ths comet is going to fulfil all his prophecies about the end of the world. The comet will decide who are good and who are bad in the world, and he advis b all good people, both Maoris and Pukehas, to go to Paribaka and wait for the coming of the end of all things. The bad people he advises to keep away from Parihaka, as they would only contaminate the good, and would bringdown greater vengeance on their own heads.

Eire Alarm. —On last Sunday a fire alarm was raised in Titnaru, but it was found that it was only the chimney of the Hibernian Hotel that was on fire. No damage was done. Seizure of the Irish World. —The New York Irish World has been debarred from the English mails. Sereral bundles received by express in Liverpool were seized by the Customs authorities. Attempted Suicide. —A girl of the age of 21 years, named Jane Elizabeth Q-ray, attempted to commit suicide in Dunedin last Sunday by throwing herself in the waves at the ocean beach. She was rescued man exhausted state and now lies in the hospital. A Profitable Mine. —The famous Harden Gully United Mine, Sandhurst, has declared its two hundredth dividend. The total profits distributed by this company reach the largo emu of £780,000. The product of this minc(for the last twelve years is 12 tons of gold, and its prospects are still flourishing. During the last six years ®perations have been chiefly confined to the 668-feet and 745-feet levels, where there is still an immense body of quartz to be worked, which is estimated to keep the batteries employed for another six years.

Brought to Her Senses. — A pair who eloped from Sydney arrived at Auckland about the 23rd ulto, and hare been traced about by the mother and sister of the wife, who endeavoured vainly to get the wife to return to her husband. The mother then cabled to Sydney, and the husband put the law in motion, the police receiving informs, tion as to certain property the husband alleged to be in possession of the couple. As a warrant was about to be issued the wife yielded, and returns by the first steamer to Australia with her mother. Her companion is an unmarried man, and resided in Sydney, and is expected shortly to fall into a considerable sum of money in England.

Something Uncommon.— A Hindoo lias been appointed Acting Chief Justice of Bengal during the absence of Sir Richard Q-arth. Native opinion i* equally delighted and anrazed. The elevation of the new Acting Chief Justice to an ordinary Beat in the Higli Court is admired as a strange exhibition of liberality. His nomination, even temporarily, to the presideney appear portentous. Organs of Native opinion are now canvassing the s*lection with a view to consider whether the Judge deserves his dignity. To them it is simply a sign of a victory accredited to Hindoos in some imagined competition of r aces. An- Ironclad Train.— “ The ironclad train,” so often referred to in the war telegrams. seems to have been a singular affair. In front was an empty waggon. This was intended to shunt on ahead—the train stopping suddenly from time to time—to explode any mines which might have been laid beneath the lines. Then came the first ironclad truck, witli the Nordenfeldt barrels projecting in front like the horizontal pipes of an organ. This truck was followed by three others crammed with bln l j ickcfcs ensconsed behind sand-bags. Then came the engine, behind which there were three more ironclad trucks filled with men. Close behind the tram followed another with the

reserves. Attempted Suicide at Wellington.— The following are further particulars re the attempted suicide of Mr Lewis on his wedding morning:—“The town is full of rumors as to the injury Mr Lewis did t» himself, but as his most intimate friends and medical advisers show a disinclination to disclose any information, there is of course a difficulty in ascertaining to what extent Mr Lewis suffers. That he cut his throat appears to be generally admitted, and it is said lie also inflicted other injuries on himself, the nature of which, however, are not considered very serious as regards his ultimate recovery. The young lady has received a most severe shock, being in a comatose condition, The affair has caused considerable excitement in the town.

Heroism. —A case of heroism with results exactly the reserve of those at Gunnersbury is reported from Switzerland. At the Gunnersbury station two men risked their lives, but did not lose them, in an unsuccessful attempt to pull the station-master out of the way of an engine. On the St Gothard line, a few days ago, just as the sound of an approaching train was heard in the Pomengo tunnel, a large stone fell from the rocks above upon the line at the outlet of the tunnel. A railway servant in charge of the line at this spot succeeded by a great effort in pushing the obstacle aside just in time to save the train, but ho himself was caught by the engine and killed on the spot. There have been a good many victims to the establishment of railway communication between Northern Europe and Italy through the St Gothard, but this man was a martyr, and we cannot doubt that Switzerland, which does net forgot her heroes, will do her duty to those he has left behind him.

Across tuts Atiaskc ix a Rpwixo Eoat. —According to the Kelnisclie Zeitnn<r, a young Norwegian is about to attempt a feat of almost unexampled daring. He proposes to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat which he is having built for his own use. It is 12ft in length, Ift wide, 2ft to 2J.ft in depth, and has a covering before ami behind, Aso called floating anchor will it is said, se: vc to keep the bow of the boat in position when the occupant of the craft is asleen. He thinks the G-ulf Stream will he]p him considerably in his journey. He will not of course, be able to cook during the voyage His victuals will consist of biscuit, preserved meat and vegetables, condonsjd coffee, and 50 gallons of water. His early experience in lus native waters makes him entertain no fear from any storms that he may encounter. He has some idea of taking a wager on the accomplishment of his task within 100 days, but the main object of his experiment is to show what a hardy Norseman can do in the way of enduring exposure on the open •ea,

Burning of the ’Brisco Mail. —Addi • tional particu'ars of the burning of the mails on the Alaska are to hand. Ten sacks of letters were destroyed, is a gold watch and two or three sovereigns were found among the ashes, it is believed a portion of the registered mail was consumed As the mail, room is in the centre of the vessel, is lined with iron, and was moreover properly secured, it is believed the fire was caused by combustible matter enclosed in the mail. The sacks from Australia for Great Britain are not opened in transit through the United States, and the presence of dangerous articles cannot be detected there. Most of the injured mail matter was made up ac Sydney. The purser of the Alaska informed the officials of the New York Post-office that a full report of the facts will be made to the British postal authorities on arrival of the vessel at Queenstown.

Transit of Yenus —The party of United States coast survey officers who are coming to New Zealand to observe the transit of Venus consist of Edwin Smith, of the U.S. Coast and Geographical Survey; A. G. Pritchell, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at the Washington University, St Louis; August and Story, of Boston, photographers ; and Gustave Therklkull, of Washington. They will probably take up their station at Auckland, After finishing their transit observations, their instruments will be sent to the United State* in charge of the photographer*, and Messrs Smith and Pritchell will continue a series of pendulum experiments at Now Zealand, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokio, The pendulums used are the famous Kater invention, the property of the Royal Astronomical Society of England, and lent for this pnrposo to the Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey. Th# ultimate results of these pendulum observation is to discover the force of gravity, and from that, of course, to determine the figure of the earth. They are made under the direction of the United States Coast and Geodesical Survey, and in concert with the observations by English scientists all over the world. Four German expeditions have left, Hamburg for Connecticut, South Carolina, Costa Rica, and the Straits of Magellan to observe the transit of Venus, Phrenology, —Professor LIo Medo, the great American phrenologist, arrived here yesterday afternoon from Timaru, and will Iteture in the Volun teer Hall this evening. The professor would not have left Timaru so soon only that ha did not like to break his engagement in this (.own a second time. He had intended to come to this town a week ago, hut was detained through pressure of business which he has not finished yet, and which will necessitate his immediate return. This, at any rate, proves that he was successful to the extent of making the people of Timaru believe in his cipabilities as a phrenologist, and is the best recommendation he could bring with him to this town. The Press wherever he has appeared has spoken very highly of him, bat the fact that he has been thus besieged ia Timaru is a more convincing proof of his abilities. We therefore anticipate a treat in th# Volunteer Hall this evening, when, in addition to exhibiting diagrams of the head and brains of notorious men and lecturing thereon, he will give readings from Shakespeare, read bumps, and delineate the character of those who present themselves. He may be consulted privately during this week in the Wallingford Hotel.

Messrs R. Wilkin and Co., will sell next; Saturday, freehold farms. They will hold a sale of show stock on October 26th; Messrs Maclean and Stewart will attend Winchester Pair next Thursday, On Friday next they will sell on the premises of Mr E. Best, LeCren’s terrace, Timaru, the whole of his household furniture and effects. On Thursday, October 26th, they will hold their annual sale of exhibited and other stock.