LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 2438, 20 August 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Presbyterian Church m America have among their members 5000 Ainerieuji Indians, The great organ of St Giles' Cathedral, Erlinbu gh, is the largest m .Scotland. Jt. has cost nearly ±'5000. The Licensing Justices of Stornaway m the far north of Scotland have refused renewals to all the liquor dealers. : The amount paid m pensions and gratuities m Victoria during the financial year elided m June 30 was £1(51,574, being £107,441 pensions ; £30,841 m annuities for infirmity, and £12,057 as compensation to widows and children under special votes. Toxteth, one of (he outskirts of Liverpool, with a population of .10,000. has no public houses, no pauperism, no .'hereditary and chronic paupers. There are excellent schools, a death rate of 14 pet 1000, and a poor rate reduced from 2s Gd.to Is. The well-known racehorse Jack, % Burl" ington, was sold, at the clearing sale ab Mr A. Frisly's farm yesterday, for £5 10.*, Mr J. M. Hampton being the purchaser. The old gelding is very dickey on his legs, and his racing days are evidently over. The Tiniaru Harbor Board on Wednesday resolved, on reading the report of the Parliamentary Committee on the New Plymouth Harbor Loan, that it Would be eictremely dangerous to establish the precedent that the State was m any way liable to debenture holders of local loans ; that New Plymouth has no claim to total exemption for harbor rates, but may have an equitable claim for restitution of the original securities. Engineer Marchant has been examining pumping dredges, and reported favorably of the Welman for shingle lifting. At an enthusiastic meeting of the Duuedin Prohibition league, held on Monday evening, it was decided that the executive should at once complete arrangements for starting'a Prohibition newspaper for Inmedin and suburbs, with a free distribution of at; least 5000. ,Jt was also unanimously agreed to forward the following resolution by urgent wire to the Premier:—" The Dunedin Prohibition League urge that women's franchise be included m Electoral Bill, and passed as early as possible this session. Strong feeling m this direction." ' i. That far-famed cricketer Dr W. G. Grace was doubly m his element at the Oval lately. He was assistingat a cricket match, when an opportunity came him to be useful as a medical nian. He is good at need, whether for sport or misfortune. Just before the match commenced, Mr A. Steward, who is well known as a'coursing judge and a cricketer, was practising at the nets. He was bowling to Lohmann, ■when m stopping a hard return the ball struck him, breaking the bone of the right arm above the, wrist. I)r YV. G. Grace was on the spot m a moment, and set the bone thus giving a pleasant proof that he is a specialist m more ways tlian one. Possibly there are some cricketers so enthusiastic for the sport that they would almost welcome slight physical injury if they knew they were to be doctored by so renowned n hero pf the game as W. G. Grace. Here js & dog-story which will take a lot of beating:—4 butcher m Berne was astonished recently at seeing his dqg run into his shop and lay down at his feet the sum of 250 franca m the shape of 200 one-franc notes and one fifty-franc note. He carried the money immediately to the police office, but it was nob until some hours later that the owner was discovered. Another butcher sent notice that he had suddenly lost 250 franca and could not discover the thief, as it had disappeared while he was alone m the shop, and had been m his hand a moment Miefqre he lqsb it. The dog thief, according to the "Berner Zeitung," had paid a visit to his colleague m the shop of the owner of the: notes and when the owner's back was turned had stolen the money and Scampered off with it to. hjs own master. It is possible that the dog had come to h|s owij conclusions' about the value of bank-notes ? •

Sir Preseoft Hewett, the great surgeon, 1 who succumbed to lung disease following on nuliienza last week, was the most precise ami reliable of men. He was never: _lsown to break an appointment nor neglect an engagement during the seventy-nine long.and useful years of his life. The precision- of eye and hanh, which made Sir Prescott such a successful - operator m- critical' 'cases, -"iie attributed to'his habits ot Jifc. He, lived., abstemiously, seldom dined out, and'could never be brought to tolerate after dinner speeches: When m ,-., eossipy'moo'l tfiv Preacott would tell his friends how, but for a jockey's dishonesty, he should nover have become a surgeon. Hewett was meant for the army, and" had his father's filly Mannella won the l)erby of 1812 (for which she started favourite at 7 to 2), would probably have perished a few years later at Waterloo. Sain Chifney rode iVlatm.ella and pulled her —at least so'Hewett pere always declared. ;For the' Oaks', the discredited favourite had naturally no friends. Chifney, however, took a nice bet of 2000 to 109, and won easily. Mr Hewett was ruined, and retired to France and the*would*be guardsman had to take to studying physic, etc., at the Paris hospitals. The London "Globe" has the following description of Mr Maxim's flying machine, to which refmice was made m a cable message a day or two ago :—" Mr Maxim's experimental flying machine is really a steam kite 13ft long by 4ft wide, and propelled through the aie by a light screw making 2500 revolutions a riiin nte. When properly inclined and the screw going at a certain speed the kite moves horizon tally through the atmosphere. With a higher speed it ascends and with a lower it descends. The inventor is now engaged m building a much larger kite for practical purposes. It will be 110 ft by 40ft wide, and be driven by a screw 18ft m diameter. The power is to be supplied by a petroleum condensing engine weighing 1800 pounds, and capable of raising 40,030 pounds of load along with the kite. The estimated weight of the flying machine complete with two engineers on board is 11,800 pounds; Mr Maxim therefore CEtlculates on being able to carry ten or twelve tons of freight or passengers through the air. ,