LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXVIII, Issue 10, 13 January 1892, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

♦ Nelson Coach.— The coach passengers to-day are : Messrs Smythe and Cooke. A. Fabm fob Sale.— Mr J. White, Com- ' mission Agent, has on offer one of the best l farms at Spring Creek, on easy terms. Tenders. — For the supply of piles for tbe • Picton section New Zealand Railways, the tender of Messrs Bragg and Yarrall was accepted. The Langstone. — Two seamen are wanted for the above vessel. Applications should be made at once to Captain Tate, or John Holmes and Co, agents, Dividend. — Tbe National Bank announce fc that the dividend of five per cent rej cently declared is now payable at the branohes ia the colony.

Cnoßiii Society. — A general meeting of the Choral Society will bo hold this evening after practice. A full attendance of members is reqaestei. Almanac— W« have received per the local agent, Mr C. Griffiths; a copy of the alraanso sent oat by the Standard Accident Company, the chief office of which is at Dunedin. Dnon>3. — At the meeting of the Blenheim Mistletoe Lodge on Monday night, P. A. Bro. J. H. Scott was chosen as delegate to the Grand Lodge of Australia. Delegates will aesomble at Melbourne m May. Sai»e of Stock.— Catalogues of the sale of stock, and dairy and farm implements, to be he'd on thcDrunidoan estate Wakapuaka Nelson, by Messrs Sharp and Sons on the 2oth instant, are to be obtained at the Express Office. ' Puomenade Concert. — On Thursday evening & promenade concert and coffee supper m aid of the Wesleyan Church Debt Fund will be held on the Panama house grounds, commencing at 8 o'clock. An excellent programme has been arranged. Tbia with the services of the Garrison Band should draw a large attendance. Pioton PircsnYTßmAN Chot.cij. — We have to acknowledge the receipt of a complimentary ticket for the St. Paul's Preßby. terian Church tea meeting at Picton on Tuesday next, m connection with the laying of the foundation stone. Mr Aitken, of WoUingtori. will perform the ceremony, and i it is anticipated that the Revs. Paterson, Ogg and Elliott, of Wellington, and Robb, of Blenheim, will be amongst the sneakers after the tea. It ia intended, wo behevo, to hold a bazaar about the middle of the year m aid of the building fund. Tub " Moon Travelled" Smvtiib.— A characteristic letter from this energetic imDre'asario, forwarded m an envelope which bears the •' 0.H.M.5.5." (On H. M. Stanley's Service, we prosume) reached us today. Mr Smytbe points out that he is genorally m Blenheim about this tiroo of the year, tho last occasion being last New Year with Madame Burton, and now he is bringing " the foromost man of the world." The letter goes on to say •• although he had only four months to do all the colonies m, I promised Mr Stanley that ho should see Blenheim." How ia tbat for high ? Mr Smythe arrives overland to-night from Nelson to make the preliminary arrangements for Stanley's season, which opens on the 20tb. '• Mb Hutchison's Libel Action. — Thursday's Post cays :— The Premier was to day served with a writ m an action for libel at the suit of Mr G. Hutohison, M.H.R., ari3- --! ing out of the speech delivered by the Premier at Patea on the 7th of last month, when he was reported to have stated that although Mr Hutchison had before his constituents described the Payment of Members Bill as a dishonest measure, he bad not told them bo bad signed a paper m the lobby of I the House m favor of tho Bill. The latter part of the statement is declared to be false and malicious, and tho Premier not having retracted the allegation when asked to do so, tho action is the result The publisher of the Wanganui Herald, m which newspaper the report appeared, is joined as 6 defendant. The damages claimed ara nominal, 40s, we believe, Mr Hutohison declaring his object to be a public vindication. Hobticultdrai. Society— At a meeting of the Committee of tho Blenheim Horticultural Society, held last night fit Draper's Royal Hotel, there were present: Me3srs Chirm (chair), Higgs, F. Adams jun. , F. C. Litchfield, Furness, Hillmer, Bailard, Ball, and Gillespie (secretary). It was decided to hold the Autumn Show on the 24th and 25th February, and tho following judges were appointed :— Pot plants, cat flowers, and button holes : Messrs Higgs and Donald, referee Mr Hale; bouquets and floral devices : Mrs J. Allon (Picton) and Mrs Hiley, referee Mr Higgs; fruit and vegetables: Messrs H. . Dodson and J. Hale, referee Mr Higgs; children's exhibits (second day): Mrs J. Allon, supervisor Mr J. Rayner, sen. Staging committees were appointed as fol-lows:-Pot plants, Messrs Chirm and Adams: bouquets and cut flowers, Messrs Furness and Ball; fruit and vegetables, Messrs W. Fryer jun, and Hillmer. The President and Secretary, with Messrs Furness and Bailard, were authorised to make all arrangements m connection with the forthcoming show. A letter received from Mr Stratford, sen., suggesting that a rose show should be held m the spring, was held over for consideration by the general meeting. The President was instructed to make arrangements for another covered van, and it was decided to erost a staging acro3B tha front of the hall, to facilitate the work of the staging committee. j Making up Bouquets.— At the Committee ! meeting of the Horticultural Society last night, the following letter from Mrs J. Allen (Picton), was read: — "I am sorry to see that the Committee are still- binding the competitors down to trie old-fashioned style of bouquet, and enclose a clipping from the Wellington Evening Press on the Bubject, I was hoping to see freedom of style encouraged." The extract was as follows :— " The small, prim, flat bouquets which we generally see at the shows, are no more tasteful or fashionable than is the coal-scuttle bonnet, and yet, more lightlyarranged bouquet* have never had a chance against) them. Why is this? Surely the judges mu3t be rather behind the times. Look at the bouquets sketched m the Queen with the Court dresses; how large and loosely arranged they are. AsLordOnslow ! says, the bouquets used here are scarcely half the size of the London ones. Fashion able bouquets are frequently arranged with trails of blossoms, and greenery hanging from one side, and others have ends of ribbon finished with tiuy bouquets. In dressing violets, and m fact most flowers, they require to be worked up on a fine wire. In Sydney and Melbourne the bouquets or posies shown m the flower shops are beautifully arranged m this manner." The Com mittee decided to withdraw the rule restricting the size to nine inches, and leave the style and dimension of bouquets to the discretion of exhibitors. Mr Stead's Anniversvby.— A London correspondent who does not like Mr W. T Stead at and price writes thus of his latest Act :— Tuesday, being the sixth anniversary of . that good man Stead's " release from Holloway after " doing his bit o' lime " for outraging Mi 33 Elizabeth Armstrong, was kept as a high day and holiday at the Review of Reviews offices. Mr Stead had invited a numerous company to rejoice with him, and by way of a joke (some folks have odd notions of honor) received them guised m prison dress. P.M.G. men and women naturally mustered m force, and the curious fame's who "boom" the cause for which :W.T.S. suffered were easily picked out. George Lewis surveyed the motley gathering with a brooding professional eye. Altogether it was a quaint reunion. The Original Cain. — The Marton Mercury takes the following from the Yorkshire Post, " What's your name ?" asked a former Mayor of Leedß to a prisoner at the Bar. " John Cain," was tho reply. " Oh," said his Worship, " then you are descended from the original Cain who slew his brother ?" " No," the man answered— he stood on a charge of drunkenness— "l am the man who was slaved." Tho Court was m roars of laughter as the penalty of 5s and costs was imposed. I repeat the story as told to me the other evening by one of the oldest solicitors of Leeds. It. is a story which shows the pleasantries experienced occasionally m Police Court trials."