LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 182, 30 June 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Melbourne Argus deliberately charges the plain clothes police of Victoria with dellaying the., execution of warrants so as to give the criminals the opportunity of escaping. There is a charming advertisement m the Sydney Herald of May 31st :— " A French Sir, married, desires any occupation whatever, beg would prefer an employ for tho French writings." Curious reasons are often given for insolvency. Here is a neat one. A schoolmaster at Geeloug filing gives the cause of insolvency, " Marriage of two daughters who had principally supported him." The richest racing prize ever won m Australasia was the Champion Stakes, ■ when Flying Buck won a stake of £2,650. This was the horse that had to be kept m slings before race the owing to stiffness. A masquerade ball was recently given at the La Salpetriere Insane Asylum, m Paris. The inmates were allowed full liberty m the matter of costuming. By a strange irony of Fate there were three of the poor unfortunates attired as Folly! ■■ : Edward Grigg was charged at the Wellington B.M. Court with using obscene language towards Joseph Hildreth a member of the Salvation Army, on Sunday last night at the barracks. The prosecutor stated that the accused had on previous occasions behaved m an unseemly manner m the Tory-street Hall, and, acting under instructions, he declined to permit the defendant to enter the place, and thereupon the latter used some exceedingly opprobrious epithets towards him. The defence was that Mr Hildreth had irritated the defendant by designating him a larrikin. The Bench considered the offence proved, and inflicted a fine of 20s or 48 hours' imprisonment. ' In the Horsham districts, Victoria, mice are a greater pest than rabbits are m New Zealand. One farmer at Kalkee i recently sowed 16 acres of wheat, and the mice walked off with the whole of it. Although Melbourne swarms with rats there is not one to be found m Ballarat. Some years ago a couple were brought from Melbourne m a goods truck and escaped, and there was an immediate rush for the intruders, m which scores of people engaged. The chase occupied hours, and did not cease until they were found aud destroyed. ' J. ■ The Australian Eleven will play their first match against an All-England 'Eleven on the 10th July, at Manchester. On the 30th instant they commence a match with the Players. The lattter match, m view of the decisive victory of the Gentlemen over the colonials, will be looked forward to «with great inter • est. Saturday being Coronation Day, His Excellency the Governor held a levee at Government House at noon, at which hour a royal salute was fifed by tho D Battery of the New Zealand Artillery. So far, says the European Mail, the frozen meat imported from the .River Plato has not met with that competition which usually attends the arrivals from our Australasian colonies, and especially from New Zealand. The reasou is not far to seek. For the most part the. carcases sent from South America have been very small and of inferior quality, and while sound descriptions have realised as much aB 5d to 6£d per Ib, it has been difficult to -dispose of the remainder at j 4d to 5d per lb. We have now more immediately under notice the cargo per Wexford, consisting of 9432 sheep, the last few hundred of which have just beon placed upon the market. The last arrival of frozen sheep from New Zoaland at 6d to 7d, and from Australia at sid to 6fd, the carcases m each case being described by the butchers m " excellent condition" and " good sizes." The European Mail learns that M. de Harven, of Antwerp, is projecting a mission to New Zealand with the object of prompting emigrants from Begiutn to that colony, and of increasing the commercial relations between the two countries. Mr R. Laishley, junior, of Auckland, who is still on the continent, had an interview with the enterprising gentleman, the other day, and gave him a deal of useful information concerning the advantages which the colony offers for the introduction of European labor and capital. M. de Harven; it appears, is supported by many of the leading men of Antwerp, anil should his report be satisfactory the movement cannot fail to be of advantage, to bpth countries. Anew native Indian journal has, aocording to the Madras Athenaeum, been started for the express purpose of advocating the re-marriage of Indian widows and the reduction of wedding expenses, which Indian custom rendered costly. In tho recent number of the new organ we are told seven Hindoo widows announced their readiness to re-enter the inarriago state.