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Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 784, 26 June 1877, Page 2

JOwing to the pressure of advertisements 'miny items of interest are held over, amoilgat them, midnight athletec sport3, double events, and 'Polar Expedition.'

Acoobding to a Wellington contemporary it has been decided by the Resident Magistrate at Marton that a man who let3 ,out a horse on Sunday cannot recover damages, if the hor3e sustains any injury. The ground of this decision is stated by. the Wanganui papers to have been that defendant was nob bound by a contract made on Sunday.

New, Roman Catholic Church fob Cambridge. — We understand that the Roman Catholics of Cambridge have taken/ steps to erect a Church in that townßh'ip. On Sunday after Mass a new , committee was formed for that purpose. Said committee ccnßist3 of the following gentlemen : Messrs Robert Kerr, Charles O'Brien. John O'Brien, and Bernard Montague.

Debating Tournament, HAMiLTon v. Cambuidge.— The Cambridgo Debating Society will be called upon at an early "date to show what it is made of, A debate has been arrauged for Monday next, to take place before a public audience in Cambridge, in which four gentlemen from Hamilton will take Bide3 against four of the Cambridge Debating Society. Subject will be Secular v. Denominational Education, Particulars will appear in advertisement in our next.

Imported Cattle. — The ' Lyttelton Times ' of a- late date says :— l By the Ringarooma, which ariived a few days ago, Mr Robert YVilkiu received tßree small cattle (two cows and a bull) from 1 Mr Dougherty, of Melbourne, They belong to the Brittany breed, and are very unique in their character, not being larger tLeu a good sized abet p. They are famous for their milking qualities The cattle may baseen upon Mr Wilkiu's property at Pupanui, that gentleman having imported them for his own use.

Bcirnt Clay. — A correspondent in the ♦ Queenslander ' says :— 'Pe'fcaps ib ia not generally known tbat burnt c!ay is ouc of the best absorbeiit3 we could possibly have in the cow-shsd. Scattered round the milking bails, ,it absorbs the mois Jure, and, composted with the sn ainp eith, leaves, weed?,. &C, it makes a valuable manure for root or green crops. I bave'used burnt clay ashes in my milking yards and sheda for the last five years with satisfactory results, and, having seen its advantages, would not now go back to the wasteful system adopted by so many of our dairy farmery. As a manure, composted as above, it is invaluable.

Ybstebdat the flags were flying in Hamilton and Ngatuawahia to the surprise of many whe wevo conjecturing what public holiday had come unexp.eetidly upon th«m. It soon, however, became known that the bunting was flying in eomrnemoration of one of those auspicious events which ke^ps the world tcoing— Mi* Robert Harris, of Hamilton East was yesterday n: orning matried by tho Lev W Calder, to Miss Bloomfield. The marriage took place from the house of the brother of the Bridegroom, the Koj-al il otel, -Ngai'ua'wahia, and the ceremony having been performed the happy coupio ttaitcd by steamer for M-.roer en route to Auckland.

TllE liAMILTOX ChCJUOH Coix'ClEJttT it hai ben dtC-uKd. shall be held at L-; Quesua'a 11 all, instead of the BniTack ttoom, aud i<s -»v ill be seen by the advertiaimiv.i 1 -, whieh appears elsewhere, will take place 'on Tbusday evening. . Tue sft'iir promises tu be a great success judging l;y ■ (-.lie list, of tiioao who have Already piomisel to assist both ia the vecal and iustruinentiil lin^, the latter

portion b-ing strongly represented. Aa the moon will be at its fall and the weather -pronjig 2s to be fine a large number of friends of the church may be ex-

pected to attend, considering the ob jest for which the concert ia htld.

War Soabe in Paeis.— The following is>n extract from a Paris lady's letter; - People are positively timorous about expending an unnecessary centime iu ptcseuce of the darkening future, Many sales of artistic treasures have beeii countermanded till after the European

war, now considered to be imminent. No purchasers were to be found willing to lock up capital in pictures, tapestry, and antique furniture. Many families in Paris that were in the habit of taking furnished villas in the suburbs during the svmmerj have this year given up their town l'esidence for Bix months, and transported their chattels directly t > the country. Hence why the streets of Paris are blocked with furniture vane flying, as it were, the capital ; as formerly iis shelter were sought before the siege.

Publicans License Fb>es. — At a late Licensing Court meeting in Ancklaud, it was repre-ented by counsel that ia other Provincial Districts the license fees charged to publicans were much, lighter than in Aucklaud, being only £30 in Wellington and Christchurcb, and £20 in Dunadin, for 10 o'clock licenses, where in Auckland the foe is £40. Representations were aifice made to the Groyernmcnt, and we learn from Saturday's • Herald' that Mr W J Suiter received a tslegram from. Wellington in reply to the petition sent by the Licensed Vicmallers praying for a reduction of the license fee, stating that the Government were favourable to placing the Auckland publicans on an equality with the publicans ia other parts of the colony in regard to the amount of licensing fees chargable Death of a Ngatihaua Chief. — Oar obituary notice contains a reference to the death of a chief of the Ngatihaua tribe well known in this part of the country, Tenei Ponxxi, a resident at Tamahere. Ttnei Ponui, who was the possessor of some well cultivated farms in the Tamahere district, and was a good specimen of a native business man has been some lifctlo while ailing, and died . of consumption at nine o'clock t on Sunday morning. The prob-

able successor to his property will be Tuhakarino, thoagh nearly a score of claimants are, we understand, already in the field. His death will doubtless be the cause of a great gathering of the tribes, especially of his own, who will meet to hold the usual tangi over bis remains. . = .

A Ooereßpomdekt who writes anonymously — a fortunate matter for himself or we should perhaps rather say herself judging from ' the ..handwriting — asks who is the. writer of the. letter Bigned ' A Protestant,' which lately appeared in reference to Church matters in Hamilton. The writer then, as" wide of the mark as it is possible to be, singles out a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church and assails h ; m for meddling in matters relating to the discipline of another church. Now the merest ty vo in newspaper matters should know that he might as well ask a priest to reveal the secrets of the confessional 03 a newspaper [vn^n to divulge the name of the author of any letter or article which appears in the paper with which he is connected. This, rule of duty obtains throughout a newspaper office from the top to the N bottom. We may also say that it is a silly impertinence on the part of any one to attempt to fix such authorship as our corresdondeut would appear to do.

The PLOTiGHiNa Match. — Oould not oar Waikato Storekeepers and others take £ wrinkle from the action of Auckland tradespeople, and assist in making the Cambridge Ploughing Match, to come off on the sth of July next a most unqualified success.- f We learn from the 'Herald' that:—" In addition to the money prizes to be offered for competition in the annual ploughing and draining matches, to be held at Otahuhu next Wednesday, under the auspices of the New Zealand Agricultural Society, the following special prizes have been presented by the under-mentioned gentlemen :— Mr Dickey, Ist class, axe, spade, and fork ; T and S Morrin, 2ad prize, collars ; Cruickßhank and Miller, a large copper kettle ; Mr Perkins, a two .guinea prize ; Mr Johnson, saddler. Ota* huhu, pair of back-bands ; Mr Morgan, pair of back-bands ; Mr Green, Bnoemaker, of Auckland, pair of watertiofhta; Mr Wiseman,, pair of bridle winkers ; Mr Dunwoody, set of swingtrees ; Ireland Brothers, pair of draught names ; Crage and Co., oilskin coat ; Mr Allison, pair water- tights ; Portsr and CoJ, drawing tools j Mr John Hall, quarter of beef ; Mr A Wallace, aet of swing-trees ;Mr Webster a collar ; Mr Mclntire, of Onehnuga, a special prize. Jumping match : Mr Jones, Sadler, a bridle j -Captain A' E Isaacs, first-class saddle and bridle.

TORPEDOES,— The advance in the construction of torpedoes is about to revolutionise maritine warfare. One of tbe latest* inventions is what ia called the Spar torpedo. The 'Times', sayss— "The • spar torpedo,' is carried in a boab, no matter how small, and explodes by contact or elecfcrioity. Wo published lnsfc week ■a roost remarkable account of experilneuta at Cherbourg with n torpedo boat of Ihis kind, [t was a little vessel, called tho Thornycro'ffc, which was almo9fe submatine. A. very small part of it was above water, but it was of Sufficient size to carry engines and two lateon sales, and it was worked by a leutenant, two cnoineei»i, aud a pilot, The French Admaral had two disabled ships injsuccession towed out to sea at a speed <«f 14 knots an hour. The Thornycroft, however, was able to go at a rate of 19 knots an hour— a rate not attained by any vessel in the squadron. She very soon Qought up her prey, delivered her a blow with a torpedo which projected from her bow, and rebounded. 'A rent as big as •? house was made in the Bide of the ship attacked, and Bha sank at once. The Thornycroft only spun round and round for a few moments, and then returned, uninjured to squadron from which she had started. A vessel of this kind is scarcely descernible id the water j and even if she were detected, she is so Bmall that it would be difljoulb to hit her t and and a-balf-dosan Thorn yoroft3 attacking a large vessel would be a most dangerous foe, There expense ia qnit trifling compared with that of great ship3 of war; they could be nmltiplied indefinitely, and no doubt they could be carried aboard otber ahipi and be launched from them as occasion might require." One result qf suoh inventions will be greatly to facilitate the protection of ports against squadrons, however formidable.