LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1033, 21 November 1882, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Mayoralty or Timaru.—-Mr John Jackson was yesterday returned as Major of Timaru.

Stock Sale. —Mr K. F. Gray will hold a sale of -lire and dead stock at his yards, Temuka, to-morrow. The Attempted Parricide at Auckland. —Albert Edward Long was on Friday committed for trial on a charge of attempting to murder his father, and of attempting to commit suicide.

All Right.— Sergeant McGovern and Constable Gillies visited Pnkekeura-Panui settlement. They believe Savage met his death by drowning and not by foul means as asserted.

A Strange Will.— -The following clause was found in the will of a Yorkshire rector : —“ Seeing that my daughter has not availed herself of my advice touching the objectionable practice of going about with her arms bare up to her elbows, my will is that should she continue after my death in this violation of the modesty of her sex, all the goods, chattels, money, lands, and all other property that I have devised to her for the maintenance of her future life shall pass to the eldest son of my sister Caroline. Should any one take exception to this as being too severe, I answer that license in the dress of a woman is a mark of a depraved mind.”

Boat Race —A boat race (four oared) between the Bradley brothers and the crew of the German ship Gerd Heye came oft' last vSunday in Timaru. The local men won easily. A Test Cask. —At the City Police Court Christchurch, on Friday Elizabeth Tattersall, charged with larceny as a bailee, appeared. She hadhired a sewing machine from one of the depots, paying half a crown instalment, and at once pawned it. The case was brought as a test one. The Bench sentenced her to a month’s impi-isonment.

The Dunedin Show, —The entries received for the agricultural Show this year number 753, as against 758 last year, In Lincolns there is an increase this year, there being 56 as compared with 18 last. Shorthorned cattle show a falling off, but Ayrshire are nearly twice as many. Fat cattle are scarce, only 9 entering as compared with 27 last year. Both in implements and dairy produce the number is much decreased.

A n U nfoetunate County. —The auditing of the accounts of Yincont County has resulted in the discovery of a deficit of about £IOO. The cleric, Mr George Clark, has been suspended, and it is understood admits that he has appropriated the money. His accounts are being carefully gone through by the Government Auditor. The discovery further involves the affairs of this unfortunate county, the struggles for tho Chairmanship of which have become so notorious by deadlock meetings and Supreme Court proceedings. Wife Hunting in Tasmania. —In Tasmania tho female population greatly exceed the males, and hence gentlemen are in a position to be rather “ cheeky ” in their matrimonial demands. Here is a sample of how some of them proceed in seeking wives. It appeared m the advertising columns of the Hobart Mercury, of October 2-4: — Wanted, by two young gentleman—Ho. 1, tall, dark, good position, first-class residence, servants kept; Ho. 2, squatter, tall, fair, commanding appearance, affectionate disposition, with good income—to correspond with two young ladies. Ho. 1 must be musical, domesticated, fond of children and lady-like ; Ho. 2, tall, dark, affectionate, with nu income domesticated, and accomplished in riding. Ho Ginger need apply. Photos exchanged with confidence. Address, Nos. 1 and 2 respectively, “Financial/’ P. 0., George’s Bay.

A Warning to Young Ladies — A Melbourne correspondent "writes : —A case has just occurred in Geelong which exemplifies the great danger of the Tory prevalent practice of fondling and kissing dogs and cats. A young lady was supposed by her friends to be suffering from consumption. Many of the symptoms which developed themselves were closely allied to those which are prevalent in phthisis. The death of a pet cat, which had been allowed to sleep on the same bed as its mistress, afforded a clue by which the obversant medical man was enabled to trace the origin and cause of the disease from which his patient was suffering. On examining the interior orgirw *hc animal, a number of hydatid systs, varying in size from a pea to a marble, were found, and the examination of the patient’s saliva disclosed the presence of a number of hydatids of the same class as those which had caused the death of the cat. Young ladies will doubtless be able, from the above case, to draw the moral that it is less objectionable and less dangerous to indulge in the osculatory practice with members of the human family than with those of either the feline or canine races.

The Suicide of Constable Madigan.— At the inquest on the body of Constablt Maciigau, who recently committed suicide at Pungavehu, Sergeant-Major White deposed—“ I had a conversation with deceased on Tuesday last, when he told me that family affairs were troubling him, and he intended to leave the A.O. Force, and go to Auckland to his brother, and go into business. He imagined that his comrades had an ill-feeling against him. I assured him that such was not the case, and he appeared to be satisfied. He also told me that he was going to work at his trade in Auckland, and he believed if he left his family connections in Taranaki his wife would follow him. He also said that his wife had told him she had not married him for love, but she had done so to spite another man. He said his marriage had been a failure, but ho believed his wife was a good girl if she was away from her family. I told him I was sorry he had told me about his affairs, but he replied that he could not help it. I consider that during the past week deceased had been suffering from strong mental disturbance, and that he was not in his right mind when he committed the act.” After hearing other evidence, the jury returned a verdict of 1 Suicide during Temporary Insanity.’ Death of Mb Seaton, M.H.E.—A deplorable fatal accident happened on Saturday to Mr Seaton, M.H.R., at Dunedin, and has occasioned much sorrow there. Mr Seaton who lived some miles out of town on the Peninsula, had bought a new horse at a public sale yard in the morning, and was driving it, about half past two up Princes street. It took fright and bolted up Stafford street, eventually running the trap against a lamppost in Hope street. The collision freed the horse from the trap, out of which Mr Seaton seems to have been pulled, probably by the reins, and lie was dragged a little distance down the channelling. Two constables picked him up in an insensible state and bleeding greatly, and he was taken to a neighbouring hole!, where it was found by the medical men that his skull was badly fractured. He died within a minute or two of the accident. Mr Seaton was an old settler in the province, had sat in the Provincial Council, and several sessions in the General Assembly, and had at one time gone Home as an etui gra'ion agent. At last General Election he was returned after a contest for the Peninsular, and on Tuesday evening nest his constituents intended entertaining, him at a banquet.

Wesleyanis!!. —The annual session of the Canterbury Wesleyan Methodist district meeting was brought to a close on Friday evening. Statistical returns showed there are in the district 48 churches, 30 other preaching places, 17 ministers, 2 Home Mission agents, 88 lay preachers, 58 class leaders, 1602 church members, (with 122 on trial for church membership), 220 communicants, 227 catechumens, 48 Sabbath Schools, 466 teachers, 5130 Sunday school scholars, and 13,365 attendants at public worship.

Old Enough to Have Known Better. —A somewhat curious breach of promise case (says an exchange) is on the tapis in Nelson, the plaintiff being an elderly gentle man. The action, which will be tried at the next sitting of the Supreme Court, to be held in December, is brought by Mr King, a widower of mature years, against Mrs Crawford, a widow, under the following alleged circumstances : —The plaintiff states that the defendant having promised to marry him, he erected a dwelling-house, &c., upon the defendant’s land in Gloucester street, near the Railway-Station ; but, after its erection, the defendant refused to marry him ; he consequently brought the action claiming to recover the cost of the erection of the house. Chinese Servants for London. — An English paper states Chinese servants are to be at once, and in large numbers, imported into London. “ Servantgalism ” has reach* 1 such a “ pitch ” *that, short of the family waiting hand and foot on Matilda Ann, Matilda Ann has bound everybody in the house to her chariot wheels, and is virtually master of the situation. Bhe kindly condescends to accept “ wages ” for permitting people to enjoy the pleasures of her company, and she further will oblige by eating of the best your table affords. There her duties end, unless the family sits up to have the happiness of welcoming her home, on a return from one of the innumerable holidays she claims as a right. John Chinaman, good tempered, amiable if ugly, master of cooking and laundry work, able to nurse baby, and make an omelette, will find himself engaged the moment he steps foot on our shores.

Contradictory.— -A stabbing case occurred during last Friday night on the North Road, near Waikiwi Creek, Invercargill. The injured man (Maurice Gormon) says he was taking J. M. Gilchrist home to his residence, both being natives of the same locality in Ireland. Near the creek Gilchrist said he was deceiving him, and lay down and would go no further. Gormon went to the creek, filled his hat with water, and threw it over Gilchrist on the assumption that he was drunk. Gilchrist then stabbed him in the groin, saying he “ would remember him as long as he lived.” He then left the wounded man, who made his way to Mr Bain’s house. The police were apprised, and Gormon brought to the Hospital. The wound is not essentially dangerous except from after consequences. Gilchrist was arrested to-day at the Junction Hotel. His version is that Gormon and others attempted to rob him, in support of which he shows a knife-cut through his coat, vest, and guernsey. He is a constable lately from the Lake district, and was sent here to do clerical work, but his been on the sick list since his arrival and in the Hospital. Both men had been drinking together, and had a bottle of whisky with them.

The Comet. —Archdeacon Stock of Wellington, writes as follows to the Wellington Post : —“I have been asked by so many my opinion concerning the coming fate of the world in 1883 by the falling of the comet into the sun, that I should be obliged if you will allow me to write a few words upon the matter. I don’t think that there will be this predicted ruin for these reasons. (1) The comet is said to be a reappearance of the 1843 comet, altered in its motion by the resistance of zodiacal light around the sun. Professor Newcomhe, of America, gives for this comet in his work on astronomy a period of 530 years, writing m 1878, long after the comet had vanished, and when its orbit was well known. It is not known whether the zodiacal light could offer this resistance, for n® one knows what it is. (2) A comet in approaching the sun lose* matter in the tail thrown off the head and left behimd, but this comet was brighter than any other comet, and if it be a reappearance, this is contrary to what should be, as a comet which is reappearing would not be so bright at its second visit. (3) A comet approaching the sun, which has moved in an ellipse, must, if its path be altered by some resistance move in a spiral, rapidly closing up, but at each revolution the comet would lose more and more of its matter, and so at the last have but little left to do mischief with. I do not also see how such a comet witli very little matter could so heat up the sun, as it is said the comet’s mass would be as nothing compared with that of thcjsun, and the heat produced at the spot touched would bo but as a very small addition to that of the whole sun. (4) Professor Proctor, who began tiffs scare, spoke of the comet and its attendant meteors falling into the sun, but because some comats travel in the path of meteoric bodies, it is here assumed that all do so, and that these meteors are essential parts of all cornels. Put these meteoric bodies revolve quickly around the sun like the band of asteroids, which ave only large meteor between Mars and Jupiter. Some of these meteor rings have, as I take it, attended one or two comets, but most certainly it is not proved that every comet has a meteor train. (5) Piazzi Smith, or rather others who have enlarged his pyramid theory, spoke of 1881-1882 as an ending period. I hare never read in any of their pamphlets of 1883 as a terminal year. (G) Por reasons to be gathered by a study of the prophetic scriptures, I believe that before any great change in what is now, the Jews must return to their own land; that the result of the changes to be looked for then will be an increase of happiness to the world under the kingdom of the Lord, and that this ruin predicted in 1883, will not be until the ending of that reign.”

Government Buxldings. —The tender of Messrs Murdock and Rose for alterations t» the Parliament buildings has been accepted at £9600.

Assault ok a Constable. — A brutal assault on a constable was perpetrated at Timaru oh Sunday morning about one o’clock. A man named John Q-reen was being taken to the lock-up by Constable Casey, when he drew a large square bottle from one of his pockets and smote the constable on his left cheek near the eye. The constable fell, but still retained his hold on his prisoner, who thereupon bit off the end of Casey’s thumb. Happily the affair was observed by another constable, and the man was taken to the gaol, while the constable was taken to the hospital. Green was brought up at the R.M. Court, Timaru, yesterday, and sentenced to 12 months hard labor.

Attention is directed to the Geraldine poundkeeper’s advertisement. The Park Board invites tenders for the lease of 65 acres of Park land.