Local Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 408, 14 November 1874, Page 2

Local Intelligence.

The licensing meeting for the district of Lawrence which was appointed to be held at the Court House. Waitahuna, at noon on Tuesday, the first day of December, will bu held instead at the Court House, Lawrence. This alteration in the place of meeting is in compliance with directions contained in a recent issue of the ''New Zealand Gazette," as will be observed from the advertisement. Tenders are called for removing the Presbyterian umnse from the Dunstan Flat, and reerecting it in Alexandra. % We lately described the dilapidated state of this building, and recommended the Presbytery to take some action towards its repair. We are glad to observe the Church Committee purpose removing the building to Alexandra. Its present site was selected, we believe, to be handy fo r the clergyman whose labours embraced both Alexandra and Clyde, but these townships having, like the Jews, and Samaritans, no dealings with each other, frustrated the object in visw, and the situation of the building has from the fiist proved to be h. mistake. ]Mr. WilLiam Waug'h has just completed the purchase of Mi. 11. Endy's property at Miller's Fiat, and contemplates extensive improvements in the way of fencing and laying down a large portion hi English grasses, Stkknuous efforts, we are informed, are being made to get up a medic.il guarantee fund ac the Teviot, as Dr. Niveu has offers from ' other districts. I Thk lamb crop in the Mount Benger district j we are glad to leain is turning out better than j was expected, and will be very little below the ; r vertigo. | A corhfspondknt informs us that the slioitI hoin hull King of the IkUtei (lies, lecently purchase! by J. F. Kitching, E>q , of Moa Flat Sf.ition at Mr. Bell's great sale, i 3 three years ' oid and weighs 19G0lhs. Sfikxpwashing has commenced on the Teviot station. A GOOD many of the recently imported new claims aie making their way into the interior of Hie country, rwENix Water Company shares have been offered for twenty-five shillings this week, owing, we are informed, to certain complications having arisen through the Gabriels Gully Quuitz Company having threatened to forfeit their lease. On Monday and Tuesday evenings Smith's original English and Continental Combination of Classical Artists will give their illimitable enteitainment in the Commercial Assembly lloom. From the Dunedin and Provincial press this troupe seems to surpass anything of a similar kind that has performed in New Zealand. In Dunedin the company had a long run of excellent houses, and they were equally succrssful in Invercargill. They have been performing up-country to large audiences, and will arrive in Lawrence on Monday. From advertisement the role of each member will be observed. Writing of one. of their performances the "' Southland Times " of a recent date says . ■- " Considered collectively, the entertainment was admirable, and the same term applies to the individual performances. Mr, Turner is a pleasing serio-comic and falsetto singer, and for rendeiing grotesque melodies St. Vincent surpasses in .ivtkfcio nm'tli-pw/vokiMg power any singer we can call to mind. As yet we have said nothing of the celebrated gymnasts, Verletti and Aircc. Verletti on the horizontal bar is undeniably great, but Airec on the trapeze is, in our opinion, greater. But both are artists of the first water, and their performances excel in artisticness anything of the kind which has ever before appeared in Southland, or, indeed, New Zealand. Both are indescribable, and must be seen to be appreciated, but of Airec we will say that anything more entrfiueingly graceful and thrilling than his performances on the trapeze is scaicely imaginable. This school at Wnipori has now a daily average attendance of 40 pupils. From the " Clutha Leader," we observe that out of the 130 pupils attending the Balclutha School, who were attacked by measels. about 20 are still suffering, the remainder being convalescent. Steps are being taken to raise funds for the Havelock Annual Christmas Sports. We believe it is the intention of the promoters to include Tuapekain the privileges this annual gathering. The programme of the various events to take place will be made public in due course. A Mr, Gkieve, of the Taieri. won the £500 prize in Mr. Dodson's monster sweep, and Mr. Morries, of Havelock, the second prize of £200. Last year, it will be remembered, the third prize in a similar sweep fell to the lot of Mr, Tan ton, also a Havelock resident. The practise o setting fire to the grass still continues. We are informed that some one maliciously disposed set fire to several tussocks on the Waipori ranges on Sunday last, the consequence being that a large area of good psistmage was destroyed. It is time that some stringent measures were adopted in order to check this destruction to the natural grass on ' the commonage. Feed is not; so plentiful for cattle that it can be allowed to be destroyed in such a heedless manner. By some unaccountable error the Victoria Deiby was represented in our last telegrams as being won by Stockbridge, whereas Mi-. Tait's Melbourne by Panic was the winner. The coirect position of the horses will therefore be : Melbourne, 1 ; Sfcoekbrulge, 2 ; Scanmag, 3, We draw attention to Mr. M. Hay's sale of cattle, horses, &c, at Shumate's yards. Wetherstones Eoad, on Wednesday, 18ch November, at j two o'clock. Mr. Hat v/ill sell by public auction at his sale room, Pvoss Place, this (Saturday) afternoon, at three o'clock, the whole of Mr. A. B. Matthew's household furniture. Mr, Hay reports having sold Mr. Matthews's freehold property at a satisfactory price.

The measles epidemic continues to spread in tlie Tuapeka district. We are informed that with three exceptions, every family having children connected with the Lawrence Grammar School has been visited with the malady. Tho School, we believe, will not be opened for a week or fourteen days from this date, j THE R.M.s Court was occupied till <}lose on twelve o'clock last night, 011 the case of Hilly. the Corporation of Lawrence, a claim of £47 10s. The evidence was fully gone into, and Mr. Carew reserved judgment till Monday next. The report of this and other cases will appear in our next issue. Mr. Burton has returned to his photographic gallary, and is being well patronised, There were eighteen applications made at the District Land. Office; Lawrence, on Tuesday last, the 10th inst., for the purchase of land in the Beaumont and Tuapeka districts. In the Beaumont, district there were eight applications covering an area of 588 acres, and 10 applications in the Tuapeka West district embracing an area of 1843 acres. There were uofr any applications in Dunedin for the Deferred Payment land or thu land for sale. The annual soiree in connection with the Slue Spur Presbyterian Church wiU take place in the Church, on Tuesday evening next. After the tea, a public meeting will be held, when the following rev. gentlemen are expected to take part in the proceedings : — Messrs Allen, J. Skinner, J. Menzies, and W. H. Beck. The Ee<r. J. Cameron will occupy the chair. At the anniversary soiree of the Oaraaru Lodge of flood Templars, held last week, the Rev. Mr. Todd delivered an address in which he is reported to have said :—": — " As perhaps some present were not aware of the origin of the name Good Templars, it might be interesting to them to know that the Order derived its j name from the Knight Templars, a religious and military order founded in a.d. 1118. The members of that order took the vow of chastity and poverty, and agroed to protect by their arms the pilgrims of the Holy City—Jerusalem. They were called Templars because the Order was first established in the house of Baldwin 11., which stood near the Temple of Jerusalem. The Order of Knight Templars existed for about 600 years, and was then abolished. The Good Templars were established in America, in imitation of the Knights Templais, ami might iv a sense be considered ** a religious and military older " -religious because they undertook a good work, and looked for assistance from God ; and military, because they were banded together to fight an enemy to man's moral and social well-being, although their weapons were of a moral instead of a carnal kiud. A very good story was given in the old Hebrew book of laws, tratlitioiia, and explanations, called the Talmud. It was there told that while Noah was planting a \ineyard (he didn't vouch for the truth of the story, but it inculcated a good lesson), the Devil came to him and asked him what he was doing. Said Noah. ' Planting a vineyard.' Quoth the Devil. ' And what's the use of planting a vineyard ? ' To him Noah, ' Its fruit is good aud sweet, fie&h and dry, for grapes or rasins, and the wine gladens the heart of man.' 'I>et us go slianss,' said thq Devil. * Agreed,' said Noati ; and forthwith the Devil went away and brought !mck a lion, a lumb, a hog. and a monkey, lie killed them and mingled their blood with i.liesoil, and these helped to make grapes. The moral of the story was this, that he who eats graces or rasing forthwith begins to think himself a lion, and falls into mischief ; if he continues to drink until he is not sober he becomes selfish and unmaunerl}-, lilce a hog, null if he gets drunk jumps and jabbers about like a nioukey, It was a shrewd old jew that wrote that stoiy. _