LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1062, 1 February 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Winchester Fair.—Farmers and others are reminded that the above fair takes place to-day.

Insurance.—Mr John M. Olliver has been appointed agent in Temuka, for the Australian Mercantile Insurance Company (Limited)

Precentor for the Presbxterxan Church.—Applications for the above office will be received up till Tuesday next. Applicants are to state salary required.

Licensing Committee.—Messrs Talbot, Paterson, Meyer, I nsor and R. A. Barker were; yesterday elec cd Licensing Commissioners for the Temuka Dis ric'. Full details appear elsewhere.

A Stubborn Minister. —lb is stated that the Rev. C. Fraser, of Christchurch, has declined to give up the keys of his church to the deputation appointed by the congregation. The reverend gentleman was married last week. Direct Steam Communication.—A cable message has been received by Capt. Rose, manager at Wellington of the New Zealand Shipping Company, to the effect that the British King, the first of the Company’s direct line of steamers, left Gravesend for that port on Friday last.

Cricket,— A cricket match between the All-England Eleven and an Australian Eleven was won by the English team with 69 runs to spare. The Englishmen have now been victorious in two out of three contests. Additional matches between combined teams representing Australia and the Hon. Ivo Biigh’s Eleven are projected. Supreme Court. —At the Supreme Court Dunedin last Tuesday, John Forston, who was someday* ago convicted of attempted rape on a married woman at Nasoby, was sentenced to seven years, and W. E. G. Heath, for criminal assault on a girl nine years old at Taieri, also got seven years. Edmund Pinch, ou a charge of rape on a Maori girl at Mourki, was acquitted.

Bout. —Ahorse attached to a cart, both the property of Messrs Siegert and Fauvel, bolted from the establishment of the owners last Tuesday. After travelling the main street for a short distance the horse essayed to]turn up Commercial sUv.i, i.-e cart turned on its side, and in this position was dragged till opposite Mr W. G. Aspinali’s residence. Very little damage wn done. Skobeiofp’s Opinion of War—The Paris correspondent of the Daily News states that in a conversion he had with the late General Skobeloff, the General said: ‘ I hate war. On my honor and conscience I detest it. Before God I tell you that I do. I have had 21,000 men killed under mo in one campaign, and have realised all that is sickening, cruel, odious, atrocious in the military profession. The Czar’s Coronation.— The mystery about the Czar’s coronation increases. It is now asserted that although he was not crowned during his recent visit to Moscow, he was anointed with the holy oil, in order that the succession of his son to the throne, in case of his own death may not beqncs'ng The anonr ing with oil symbolises the Divine sanction, and the fact of the ceremony haring been performed has been set forth in a protocol and deposited in 'the State archives. The story seems probable enough, but is liable to be set aside in favor of some other when occasion arises. The imposing public ceremony is now fixed for May next.

Destructive Finn.—The woolsheJ of iho Kaikorai factory, Otago (Ross and Qlendinning’s) was des’royed by fire early yesterday morning. The following are the insurances on the building and s'oek : —National Office, £3000; Royal, £IOOO, New Zealand £3OO Later news states that the fire at Ross and Gtlendinning’s broke out at six o’clock. The stove, which contained a large quantity of wool was totally destroyed. The loss is considerably above the insurance, as'a large supply of wool was just taken in. The factory was uninjured, being some distance away. The Frozen Meat Trade. —The profits of the frozen meat trade are (says the St. James’s Gazette) known to bo very large, but the business is not without serious risks, chiefly due perhaps to bad packing or im perfect freezing at the port of embarkationirregularities, however, which naturally become more rare with experience. But the I ' o is one very serious risk to which the trade is and apparently always will be, exposed,namely, a breakdown in the refrigerating machinery on board ship. That this danger is not an imaginary one is shown by a case that occurred within the last week. One of the largest and best New Zealand shipments (per steamship Marsala) consisting of 8000 prime carcases from the best runs in the colony, came to grief for this reason. The machinery went wrong during the voyage up the Red Sea, a id the whole of the meat, valued at over £>ooo, had to be thrown overboard, A few months ago a similar accident occurred on board one of the fine steamers of the Orient line. In that instance, however, the results ware not. so cli-as'rous, as the vessel was on her outward voyeg-; ; but she had to bo put into Plymouth and laud the whole of her fresh stores*’ .

evening the members of the local volunteers, to the number of about 33, assembled in the Volunteer Hull, under command, of Captain Young, for the purpose of being sworn in under the new regulations. Captain Newell, the recently appointed Adjutant for the district was in a tendance. '.Thirty-three men were sworn in before S, D. Barker, Esq., J P, and others were sworn in yesterday, making in all about 38 members. The Government prizes won by local volunteers at the recent competition were distributed by SergeantMajor Morgan. The proceedings then terminated.

Divorce Court.—The following divorce eases were heard at Auckland last Tuesday before Mr Justice Gillies: —Wilcocks v, Willcocks and another. This petition was filled by T. L. Willcocks for a dissolution of his marriage with Mary Price Willcocks, on the ground of adultery with C. E. Fordeiy the co-respondent. Evidence was taken as to cohabiialion between the respondent and co-respondent and the birth of a child by Mrs Willcocks. His Honor, in addressingjthe jury, said, although the respondent and corespondent, had fied a petition denying the adultery, they had not produced evidence to disprove it. The jury without retiring gave a verdict for the petitioner. Snowdown v. Snowdown and another. Mr Hesketh appeared for the petitioner, and applied that the rule nisi ob aiued at a previous sitting of the Court be made abso ute, Lytele v. Lytele. This was a petition filled fay Hannah M. Lytele for a divorce from her husband on the ground of his adultery with Mary Jane Willows. The case sprang up out of a bigamy case in the Supreme Court, The petitioner proved her marriage with the respondent, and Mary Jane Widows also gave evidence as to her marriage with the respondent, not knowat the lime he had a wife living. His Honor granted a rule nisi for a dissolution of marriage. The Bishop of Melanesia. —As characteristic of the exemplary Christian charity displayed by Bishop Selwyn, of Melanesia, the following circumstance is nar rated by a Sydney contemporary. Towards the end of September last a promising girl of seventeen, was stricken at Norfolk Island with typhoid fever. The doctor called in at onco, isolated the patient, and the house in which she resided was strictly quarantined. When her parents were worn out with nursing the poor girl, Bishop Selwyn, who heard of the sad case, proffered bis services, and in his mission of charity, he, in fact, broke through the quarantine. Night after night, this kindhearted prelate rode down from the mission station and took his seat at the bedside of the dying girl, notwithstanding her dangerous condition, and, acting as her physician, he never relinquished his charge until her death, which took p ace on October 2nd. One dark night, while riding to the house where his patient lay sick unto death, the Bishop’s horse stumbled over some young cattle lying on the road, and he was thrown headlong and severely bruised. There was a violent thunderstorm raging at the time, and the Bishop came near losing his own life, but nothing daunted he remounted and rode on to the house of sickness where duty called him. Many deeds such as these have on deared Bishop Selwyn to the hearts of his people.

The Mining Accident at Creswiok.— The Creswick Advertiser gives the following account of messages from the dead, found in the drives of the Creswick mine:—‘Two more of the miner’s billy-cans have been dis covered, on which the departed ones sent messages bidding good bye to their friends. On Benjamin Bellingham’s were scratched the words--'My dear mother. My dear brother. J.B.’ ‘We are all happy. BE.’ These words must be a comfort to the young man’s widowed mother. The following were scratched on Clifton’s—' Good bye, dear mother, sisters, and brothers.’ Also, ‘ Phil lippa, my dear girl.’ Signed, ‘John Tom Clifton.’ Before the word Phillipa are three ether words, but these are rendered very indistinct from Thom is Chegwin having written his name very largely over them ; but from some reason the latter was unable to finish his name, and it now stands on the can • Thos. Chegw.’ Presumably the lights may have gone out, which prevented its completion Mrs Clifton says that on the night of the fatal occurrence, she several times endeavoured to hurry her son off to work, he being accustomed to slay at home till the last minute, when at last he said, ‘ You seem to be in a hurry to get rid of me.’ This son has been her great support for a number of years, and by his cheerfulness always endeavoured to comfort her when downhearted. How the New England was Lost.— At the inquiry into the cause of the wreck of the steamer New England, with the loss of many lives, John Lomaire, chief engineer of the vessel, stated that after the chief officer told him he was not to move the engines without his orders, he (Lemairo) went on to the bridge, called the captain down to the upper deck, and asked him if he was going. Captain Mann replied in the affirmative, adding that the pilot distinctly told him that there was sufficient watei in the channel to allow of their going out. Witness then asked the mate of the vessel if he would go up and stand by the captain in case anything should happen. lie saw there was something the matter with the captain. The mate went up accordingly. In the early part of the clay it appeared to him (Lemaire) that the captain had bad too much liquor. lie did not appear to w'ork the ship coming down the river that day as well as usual, and lie (witness) thought this was from the effects of drink. The chief engineer detailed at length what took place after the steamer struck. The president on behalf of the Board, complimented Mr Lemaire upon the bravery lie had exhibited in risking his life to save others, and said if there had been some more like him on the occasion of the wreck there wou’d probably have been far less loss of life. Henry Jamieson, steward on board the New En, r ’and, staled that the agent of the Company came to him at South Grafton before the vessel left, and told him not to give the captain anything to drink.

Cruelty to Animals.—A man named McKean was brought up at (he R.M. Court, 'limaru, yes:erday, charged will cutting a dog’s tail off. After hearing evidence the case was disnussed. Entertainment,—Lust evening Professor Wes ten gave a very amusing entertainment. 4 The audience was a pretty large one, and seemed to fully appreciate the Professor’s endeavors to amuse them. A number of presenfs were distributed. Seeioxjs Fire, —A largo bush fire was raging m the centre of the Carterton township last Monday. Several properties were in serious danger, which was only averted by the vigilance of the settlers. A large hole was burnt in one roof. Two families removed their household goods, and others packed theirs ready to move. The fire-engine was got out, but was almost useless in the face of the strong wind blowing. Once the best part of the town was in imminent danger from large pieces of burning wood drifted by the wind. About 100 acres were on fire, and the smoke was fearful to work in. Rain fell about ten, doing much good. There is no danger now unless from a gale of wind.

A Terrible Fire.—Canadian newspapers , just received are full of accounts of the destruction by fire of the jPoor House at Halifax at midnight on November 6th. The building was of brick, and was five storey in height, and contained 320 inmates, of whom 46 were in the hospital (or sick) wards. Strange to say these 46 helpless persons were placed in the most inaccessible part of the building; and 31 of them, of whom 23 were females, perished miserably in the flames. Some of the victims, both men and women, were seen at the fifth storey windows, and were urged to jump out upon beds, etc. placed below, but the attempt looked hopeless, and as the fire crept up around them they dropped back into the terrible furnace, out of which only two (of the thirty one) human trunks, a few ribs, and a thigh bone, have since been recovered. The firemen rescued one person from the fifth storey, and they and many volunteers worked nobly during the fearful night. One gentleman asked repeatedly to be shown to the sick wards, but found none to direct where they e and smoke and fire soon rendered the stairs impassable. The building was insured for £IO,OOO (50, OOOdols). It was valued, with effects destroyed, at nearly double that sum.

Messrs E. Wilkin and Co., will sell cattle, sheep, and horses, at Winchester Fair to-day.

Messrs Mac’ean and Stewart will attend Winchester Fair to-day, and sell fat and store cattle, sheep, etc.,