LOCAL AND GENERAL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 2536, 7 December 1891, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

'Gould, with all his millions, has to walk the streets'at night to induce sleep. ; The " Manawatu Times " has had to invoke the aid of another printing office, owing to la grippe. The Prince of Wales attended a grouse drive in the Highlands, and, as usual, shot in kid gloves. The San Francisco mail arrived here on Sunday night at ten o'clock, by special train, and the contents of the bags were all sorted by eleven o'clock. A pneumatic inner sole for boots has been brought out. It is made of hollow indiarubber inflated with air, and is intended for people who have tender feet. A gentleman was about to sell his estate, at Braintree, Essex, owing to failure to find water after several borings. At a Last resort he decided to try the divining-rod, by which means water was quickly discovered. An English firm of manufacturers recently took out a patent for some new fabric. Linen of the same texture has since been discovered wrapped round the mummies of people who lived in the time of Moses

1 hose who love*the pleasures of the mazy dance will be glad to ro:e that a public ball in aid of the school jucnic fund is announced to take place on Friday evening 18th instant in the Hinds school room. Tickets 2s 6rt each (to admit lady and gentlemen) may be obtained of any member of the School Committee. Mr H. Atkinsons, the " Australtui Or pheus," who was "dissoversd" by Mr J. L. Toole during his recent tour in the Antipodes, has been specially engaged by Sir Augustus Harris to give his reinarkab'e vocal imitations of numerous musical instruments in the programme of the Promenade Concert at Convent Garden. The odour of the eucalyptus is said to be a disinfectant against influenza. It is recommended that bunclies of the blue gum be hung in every room in dwellings, and that a few bruised leaves be carried in t'.ie pocket ■. It could do no harm and might be of good to hang some branches in the schools, churches, and other meeting places. There has been intense excitement in Bendigo, as there was recently at Ballarat, over a local option poll. The local optionists sought to reduce the hotels to 15, while their opponents voted for the existing number, 39. There were 1150 votes polled, and a majority of 7G was obtained for the existing number, the local optionists r.hus getting a beating, as they had also done in Ballarat. Mr Edison has for some time past been engaged in collaboration with Mr G. P Lathrop in writing a romance on the future | of electricity. The author's object (the "Athenaeum" says) is to forecast the future of invention in all departments of human activity and to depict the probable conditions of life in the twenty-fifth century. The book will be illustrated by Mr Edison himself. There were on view at the door of Mr Harry Friedlander's shop this morning seven fine specimens of trout caught in the Ashburton river by a phenomenon of an angler—one too modest to give his name when he has a full basket. The fish scaled 501bs in all, but be it known they were weighed after the cook's knife had removed offal. The individual weights were— 31bs, 41bs, Blbs, B!b3. B£lbs, 91bs, 91bs. The "Temuka Leader" saya that Mr VV. Fleming, of Geraldine, has brought with him from Australia two young male kangaroos. He experienced considerable difficulty in keeping them alive during the sea voyage, both animals having a severe attack of seasickness, but by care and attention Mr Fleming succeeded in landing them alive in Geraldine, where they are at present, and appear to be doing wel!. The brass band in connection with the Canterbury headquarters of the Salvation Army arrived in Ashburton on Saturday evening, and took part in the immediately following service at the barracks. The band was also the leading feature of chree meetings on Sunday, as well *« the open air functions of the Army. Tlltff Were nine instruments at work and the excellence of I their playing had the effept qf drawing I crowded houses at all the meetings, which were of the usual character, A woman named Alicia Florence Henderson, who was arrested at Ts rew York for cruelty to the youngest of her 14 children, was found to be living with her loth husband. She was first married on June 10, 1803. Her husbands continued to die or divorce themselves, and she continued to marry |uutil the extraordinary number of 14 partners qf her joys and sorrows had been laid away. The longest period in which she remained married to any one man was three years. Mrs Henderson, etc., is now a handsome woman of 45.

After their experience of the past week (says the "Star") the Dunedin Jockey Club will probably recognise that racing is being overdone by having a four days' spring gathering. . . • . The attui lance for jthp four days compared unfavourably with the corresponding period of the previous year. The investments through the fotalisators showed a shrinkage of £5,501, and as the club will be called on to disburse a sun> of £351 odd as the Government tax, it will be readily recognised that from a financial poj«t of view the meeting was not tf. success, in thajb the plfjtlj will jus£ about make ends meet oyer \t,