NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 89, 13 November 1880, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

Jordan's Art UniOll.— We nre given to understand Mi at the tickets m Mr. Jordan's Art Union nve c;oir>.g off rapidly, so that those who wish to secure tbe chance of n prize have no time to lose. The Mayoral Chair.—Notwithstanding thai. Monday at noon, is the last hour at which canuidato.s can be nominated i"or the Mayorolity of Palmerston, election gossip lias for the last few week been of the most metijri'e characier, and candidates are conspicuous for their .absence. If, however, there is to be a contest., or even an oocupaut of the Mnyovnl Clnxir, they will need to dec-lnre themselves, as otherwise they will be too lute. Valueless Paper.;— At the Feildnig Conri on Tuesdny John S. Soiners, was broußht up before Mr. Letlihrirlge, J.P., eluirgod with issuing valueless cheques. As the offence wits eomnv'tfe-'d m Pa tea, the aocus«d was remantled thither. Theie wjis a irentleman of that name formerly a tailor of Fox'on, but latterly baring seme connection with the milling interest near "Keilding. We trust, it is not our old friend who has fallen into the hands of the Phillistines. Our Gallant Defenders.— Major No:il;<\ the officer commanding the District, was present on Thursday when the monthly inspection of the Palmerston Rifles toolc place He made all the officers and noncommissioned oißrers put the corps through the mami.-.l exorcise, and nt its 'conclusion expressed himself highly pleased with the result.. Ho intimated to those present that the firing for the district prizes would take place on the morning of the next, inspection. Wo are given to understand that the competition for the handsome Cup presented hy Sfi-jrean! Batehelar will take place on the following morning. The Fitsherbert Goldfleld.— We have to thank Mr. Doards for the following information with regvrd fo the progress of the prospectors, which he forwarded to v* since ou" last publication :— " Re your local of this date m reference to the supposed Fitzhbrberf. 'goHfleld. Ton accuse me of not keeping my word m reference to the promise mnde. Nothing is yet known as to the quartz being gold-bcanng, which was brought m by Nathan Holt and party last week. A small quantity has been sent to Dr. Skcy, Wellington, to be tested ; and on receipt of the report, the prospectors will inform you of tho resulr." We trust for the sake of those who have spent, so much time and labour m the venture, ns well as for the grand results which would nccrue to the town, that Dr. Skey's verdict will be a favorable one. Cricket. — We understand a very, interesting g!ime is to be played on the Palmerston ground this afternoon, being the First Eleven of the Club, against All Comer? under the Captaincy, of Mr. Thompson. At first sight the game would nppear n very one-sided affair, and victory a foregone con-clusion-for the Eleven, but we are not quite so sura of such a, remit. The Captain of the All Comers would be a host, m himself, beside which it. must be borne m mind he will be at liberty to have cither eighteen or twenty-two m his team. At all events no mutter which way Ihe game goes, we have little doubt its prosecution will create a deal of interest and amusement, and br ; ng a considerable number of spectators to tbe ground. The following are the names of ! the Eleven, whioh with Thompson instead of Turner, will |>lay Feilding next Sntur.diiy : — Messrs. Lloyd, Charles, Benson, Mfifon, Snnsnn, Watson, Staite, Reeve, Pirani, Marriner, and Turner. The Late Land Sale. — The very high prices renli=nfl at the sale held In si week by Messrs Kennedy Macdonalcl and Co ; and above all, the fact that all the lots m Mauawatu were purchased by settlers m the County, is a most convincing proof that llio?e who know the land be«t ho.ye not lost faith m it* worth or value. Those who attended the sale spenk m tho very highest terms of the manner m which it was conducted, the proceeding being alilce satisfactory to the vendors and purchasers. The qwners of the property had instructed the auctioneer (d sell without reserve, not even claiming the right of one bid. The consequence of that was that although there was some teen competition for ccrtninlots, there were not a few amougst the purchaser who dropped upon some excellent gifts, the whole transaction being carrier! on m a fail* legimate manner which reflects credit njjon the auctioned.

Tlie Feeding Athletiq Sports ; — The Committee oj the ITeilding Animal Sports are already m the field, with an excellent programme for Monday, tho 27th, Boxing Day falling on Sunday. We do not recollect the ex>et amount of prize money giypn la3t yeai\ but this year between £130 and £140 is set dqwn for the yarious events, of which there are eighteen. The principal race is the Manchester Handicap, of one mile, for which a firsc prize of £15 is offered. The Champion Race is for £7 ; the District Cup, £8 (but no person can compete who has pot been resident or working m the Manchester or Kiwitea Ridings during three months) • and the very high prizo of £10 is given for Tilting m the R ng. Of course, it will be understood that for all the above event's there are second and third prizes. There can be no doubt, now that there is to be no clashing of local interests, that the attendance will be such as to as to fully reward the enterprise of the committee. 3MEr. Amesbury's Sale.— We were pleased to hear that the sale held by Mr. Amesbury on Thursday was by far the molt successful of any held since the establishment of the Borough Sale Yards. A large number of cattle and sheep were yarded, every one of which were disposed of at a satisfactory prices j but strange to say although there was an excellent- lot of horses submitted for competition, there appeared to be no demand whatever. Since the sales were inaugurated twelve months ago Mr. Amesbury has had/to contend with a number of difficulties, and to puss through a time of unusual depression, and it is needless to say that he has gone through tho ordeal with indomitable perseverance and pluck, not, however, we are afraid without leaving a very large balance on the wrong side of the ledger. We are therefore heartily pleased to see that Thursday pressaged the c'awpingabrigl .fc?r future and that h« is likely ta meet the reward of his energy and enterprise. The obstacle which militated against him m the past has been (he high reserve put upon cattle by the vendors. On Thursday, we understand there was no reserve, and the consequence was that every lot was satisfactorily quitted. Collaring the Canines.— The subcommittee appointed by the Borough. Council — consisting of Councillors Mowlem, Jenssen, and Dungan — met an Wednesday, m order to take action with regard to the new Dog Registration Act, which comes into force on the Ist of January next. The new Statute makes provision for the appointment of certain registration offices, where dogowners sluill call and themselves register the dogs of which they are possessed, giving all the details, and having them entered m a book m much the same manner as a birth or deatii is registered, any one failing to do so is liable to a fine of £5. As, however, it would be necessary fop the registration officer to hunt up and prosecute all defaulters, beside destroying all unowned dogs within the Borough, it was thought that the Town Clerk would be unable to devote the time, and tenders are to be called for the office. The Committee further order the calling for tenders for a supply of the necessary collars, which are to be black so as to distinguish them from those used by the County. The Sweets of an Editor's Life. — In those troublous times, when every sigh of the winds sends for a shriek of defiance towards us, and every blast from Terrace End breathes threats. of annihilation of our journalistic career, it is pleasing amidst the ruin of our shattered hopes and fortune to be called upon to chronicle such a pleasing event as the following,..-o<Qn Wednesday _we received from Mrs. Membery, of the Rarigi-" tikei Line, a magnificent bouquet, composed of a number of large cerise roses, of the Princess Louise variety, with some boautiful white Queen of Day intermingled. The donor informs us that the bouquet was culled from very young trees, which have been flowering for the last six months. At the same time Mr. Memhery kindly forwarded us some excellent new potatoes, an action which brought to our mind that Mr. William M'Douall haß paid us a similar courtesy a few weeks ago, which we had forgotten to acknowledge. Although the spuds were very '' flowery," gallantry commands us to give the palm to the other floral present. A Strange Phenomenon.— The following rather strange occurrence has been related to us by Mr. Alexander M'Donald, of Awahuri, and therefore may be thoroughly relied upon. It appears that a little while ago he was sinking for a well on the grounds attached to his new residence at Awahuri, when the borLg was stopped sit a considerable depth by what appeared to beasjlid rock. Tho hole was abandoned and another sinking made about thirty yards away from the spot, but after a certain depth was reached the result was the same — ', hard rocky substance was encountered. In order to overcome the difficulty and solve the problem he bad implements made at tlie blacksmith's, and after some trouble brought to the surface a hard conglomerate substance, something like a cheese, spotted all over with white ; but the strangest part of the story is that after being exposed to the action of 'the air for a little while the white spots changed into a deep blue and remained that coloi". Mr. M'Donald sent a large piece of the mineral into Wanganui for assay, and according to the dicta of the metallurgists of that town the mass is a, conglomerate of copper, gold, silver, tin, lead, and coal. In order to be thoroughly satisfied as to its composition, Mr. M'Djnnld informs us he is about to send a specimen to Wellington to Dr. Skae. An Awkward Predicament.— An awkward, but tit the same time, a some* what anuistn" occurrence took place not a hundred miles from Palmerston during the vast. week. The hero of the ctory, whom we shall cull Brown, had been imbibing rather too freely, and during the night time was seized with some kind of a fit. His wife being highly alarmed hurried to the nearest neighbor, and requested Jones to go to her house and have an eye to Brown while she went for Dr. Robinson. Like a good Samaritan, as he is, Jones complied with the request, but meanwhile Brown l.iad become quite conscious, was quite oblivious of the fit, and seeing Jones walk into his house nt such an unseasonable hour, gave himself up to the poss&ssion of " the greeneyed monster,'' which culminated m an- ' other attack of unconsciousness. Matters were not made much better when on recovering again he found the disciple of As- . culapius squeezing his hand, and feeling his pulse. Of course matters were next day satisfactorily cleared up, and the " monster" put to flight ; but Jones swears he will think twice m future before he proceeds again on such an errand of mercy. The Bainesse Case.— Om> readers will be pleased to learn that the charge against Messrs John M'Lennan and Christopher Simpson has, as wo fully expected it would, fntten. to the ground. The adjourned hearing took place on Wednesday, and certainly after such evidence as, that tendered by Mr John Stevens, — the first expert evidence which could be procured m the Colony, — the Bench had no option but to dismiss the case. That gentle - mun asserted that he had examined the j h^vd which formed the groundwork ' of the charge and estimated its value at £821 10a I further that La giving £1000 Mr M/Lennan

had given an extra good price, and it must be borne m mind that this estimate wsa formed before the alleged fpadulent saje took place. As of course the charge consisted m disposing of tbe cattle for onefourth its real vclue, and while the prosecucould bring no evidence to prove the gre nter value, the defence produced expert evidence to the contrary, it would be strange if a conviction could follow, and consequently we are surprised to learn that the Bench took time fco.consider before finally delivering judgment. Very " Tin "like a Whale! — A whaling captain declares that a new breed of whales made its appearance m the Arctic seas. They are supposed to have come from tht open sea at the Pole. They are very j much larger than the old whales, and very gentle and confiding. In former days when a whale was harpooned the rest of the herd thrpw up their flukes and made off. The new breed do not seem to mind m the least the capture of one their number. — New YorJc Maritime Register. Providing for the Future^A Russian gentleman, who speut years collecting the lead paper of Champagne bottles I m order to mate a coffin for himself out of these relics of his favorite beverage, went lately to. New York and was drowned m a canoe partly. By a strange irony of Providence he remains without a coffin, the body not having^Jbeen found. The monument of his fblly^s ; t64?be seen m the shape of a leaden coffin, bearing, the mark Cliqutoet Cie all over it. Save your. Pennies.— lt has been determined to introduce m this colony the new system of postal savings bank deposits lately originated m England by the Post-master-General, Mr Fawcefcfc. It consists m the issue by tbe postal officers of a bank cnvd ruled into twelve square-., each large enough <o hold a postage stamp. Any depositor can fill up these squares with penny postage stamps, and so soon, as the card is full he has only to present, it at. the savings bank when the sramps will be obliterated and tbe filled-up card accepted as a deposit is the usual way. A New Light. —A new story on light is related by tbe Montreal Witness : — " Colonial Pprijana, of the Public Works Department at OKawa has a patent new light for marine purposes, which oa the score of economy, throws Edison's electric light, into the shade, Through some chemical process he produces an everlasting light, which shines as many hours at night as it is exposed to tbe light m daytime. Once charged with the chemicals, a glass bowl can be placed on a buoy or a ship's mast and will furnish a light. He claims that it will last for all ages, provided it is properly sealed, without recharging. A Narrow Squeak. — A curious m. cident occupied on Saturday, night to the drawer of the first favo.ite m the L6.0C3 consulation on the Melbourne Cup. Shortly after the result was announced a list of the drawers of horses was read out a well known cily hostelry, and the bdlder of Progress's number, on scanning it through, failed to discover his good fortune, With the remark that " another not* had been wasted" he threw his ticket at tha Hebe who presided at the bar. His astonishment when he learned next day that his investment was much more profitable than he had anticipated can be imagined. In a hot haste he repaired m search of \,he lost ticket, and discovered that it had nofc been d«Bi -oyed. If Progress lands h'm a handsome sum be should remember tlie.fcliougfifi^toeM^f ths MysteriotiSf if "ipHnßj^oas. — The following startling circumstance relative to the Kyeburn murder is related by the Mowing S^.'ald : — ln connection with the murder there is a, very singular circumstance. M>. Andrew Marshall, father of the boy Marshall, who gave evidence at the trial, owned some land near Mrs. Young's house, and an the morning of the murder his pitchfork was found stuck m the gi-ound outside the door of Mr. Young's house. Mr. Marshall was one of the jury at the inquest. He became insane shortly after tbe tnurcer of Mra. Young, and was received into the Lunatic Asylum at Duuedin, on or about the 18th of August. The hallucination which Mr. Marshall suffers is peculiar. He says that he committed the Kyaburn murder, and thinks that the police are after him. A Soldier's Speech.— Lord Chelmsford's speech m tbe Lords, when defending himself from the charges made against his administration at the Cape, was quite a surprise to the House. Tbe noble lord, who is fifty-three, looks thirty-five, and his manner is as youthful and engaging as his appearance. He has a fine voice of great, flexibility, and he knows how to use it with effect. When he was giving " for the fir3b time a true and faithful account of the proceedings which led up to the disaster," his action, like his language, was both picturesque and dramatic, and a soldier's story has seldom been more effectively told to Pax-liament. The close of the story, when, baring wrought up his hearers to tbe excited expectatiou of a graphic description of the battle, the 'descriptive, sentence, was most telling. " What did our men do ? All they did do was what they did — to die like noble and gallant soldiers." Beautiful Mrs Langtry.— An Ame. rican paper- thus discourses on England's most famous beauty : — "Tlie most beautiful woman m all England is Mrs Langtry. It is said that she ia so sweet that when you look at her you feel citerpillar3 crawling up the small of your back, your heart becins to jump like a box car, a streak of lightning goes down one trouser leg and up the other, and escapes up the back of your neck, causing the hair to raise and be filled with electricity enough to light a- circus tent, and that, when looking at her, yonr hand clutche3 nervously as though yon wanted to grasp something to hold you up, and a sense of faintness comes over, you, your eyes roll heavenward, your head falls helpless on your breast, your left side becomes numb, your liver quits working, you breath comes hot and heavy, your lips turn livid nnd tremble tout teeth chpw on imaginary taffy, and you look round imploringly for somebody to take her away. If all this occurs to a person from looking at bar, it would be sudden death or six months' illness to shake hands with her. If she comes here, there is on«« bnlcl-hcarted man going into the country, where they are not so bad. You bet'l" A Careful Statesman.— The Weln lington correspondent of the 'LyUelton Times "is responsible for the following : — "It is said that when the merits, and claims of varioii3 public men for the AgentGfenoratahip were under discussion by the Cabinet, and Sir Dillon Bell's name had just been ment'oned, the Hon. the Colonial Secretary startled his colleagues by asking, with that expression of countenance peculiarly Dicksonian, 'Has he got that bvaw coat yet ?' It was elicited tint Mr Dick referred to the Court suit with which the Colony provided Sir Dillon Bell when he went to London m connection with the withdrawal of the Imperial troops from New Js?alan<*. The collective knowledge of the Cabinet could nofc at a moment's notice answer tbe question i but Mr PAsi. x \ \?

said, that Sir Dillon th« benefit of the doubt and his vote. Although it is a fact that the fashion of the Court dress has changed materially since Sir Dillon Belle ambassadorship, consideration for the Co* lonial Secretary's feelings, and gratitude for his support, will doubtless prevent a similar charge again appearing m the Supi plcmentary Estimates." The Memories of the Past.— The last survivor of the Battle of Trafalgw is, it appears, now m Paris m yery straitened circumstances. His name is Henri Blanc, He was born at <3-ruissan», m the Ancle, m 1787, and m LSOS, at the age of 18, •mba~kecl on th,e Mo.i}t Blanc, a vessel comprised m the squadron commanded by Admiral Vil» leneuve. Subsequently he was taken a prisoner to England, where he remained till 1824. Although he is now m his ninty-foar.tb, year, he retains all his faculties , it is said, bis powers of memory being singular]/ strong. Not only does he remember the. names of all the different .vessels engaged on the memorable day, but be loves to recall to those around him every episode of tha battle of which he was.au eye-witness. Tht pension allowed this old sailor amounts m all to about £10 a year, and a third of thU pittance is served to him from a fund set apart to the provision for the want* of such, as belonged to the army or navy under the First Empire, Mo doubt he receives little gift from persons who visit him to hear him, 1 relate his souvenirs of the battle of Tra--1 falgar j but, as it seems nevertheless he is m grrat want, something might be done t% provide him with a modest competency for the remainder of his days. The Australian Cricketers.— la a private letter from. England, a correspo.n- --< dent to a Victorian paper is assured by a friend who was present at tae Scarborough 1 match (and the others which took place before the gallant fight that broke down all " ugly " feeling on the part of the English-l men towards our brave cricketers) that th». throwing of Franks, the bowler, was cvi-< 1 dently intentional, and done with the set. 1 purpose of disabling our men, Blackham had one cf his little fingers permanently ■ injured, Spofforfch had the middle finger of his right hand broken, while Percy McDonnell and Alick Banner man were als^diaabling. My friend tells me that thejflu-ow-t ing was repeatedly challenged, but no satisfaction could be obtained from the English umpire who was placed at Frank*' end. .Th, Riv. Mr. Cole, a clergyman m Yorkshire, has written a very good letter, to. the Yorkshire Post on, the subject. He says the Australians were beaten unfairly, and that tbe umpire should have no-balled Franks m the first innings, and that m his opinion, his bowling was nothing but throwing, th». same opinion being freely expressed on tha ground by many good judges of the game. However, " all's well that ends well," and" '■ m view of later, events, w.e had better let bygones be bygones. The remembrance of these little matters will not, however, tend to decrease the enthusiasm of the reception, that is awaiting " our boys ", upon their, arrival. An Automaton Man.— After » vmr of patient labour a very ingenious automa-. ' ton has just been completed by Mr. Horn-, burg, of 535 George-street (says the Sydney-. Echo). Its speciality is tb-\t it walks — ■ walks m the same style and with much the. same motion as a human being does. The. place occupied by lungs, heart, and other indispensable organs m the human frame, are represented m Frankenstein — Mr Horn-, burg's creation — by machinery, and the... rattling and gasping sounds which emanaU, from him would he anything but reassuring if they followed the. exertion of gentle walk-" ing, when undertaken by an ordinary per-, son. Frankenstein is about sft 6in high ; and his wooden head has been carded and painted into the shadow.y resemblance of a well-known politican. He is well dressed, and as he stands at rest has a vacuity ofgaze, and a general listlessness of demeanour which are triumphs of gentlemanly impas*. siveness. His mo ;ire power is steam, sup-. ■ plied to him by means of a. horizontal tube, :on which one hand rests. The tube is con-' nected at one end with a tall lipright exhaust pipe, into which the steam from a. little engine, close by passes. As the automaton man mores, an eccentric m the hip, ! revolves, and lever action- bends tha. -knee, raises the toes from the ground, and throws the foot forward. The* the foot drops, and the other one repeats the auction, the '■ imitation of walking being very good. The Cloven Hoof. — A London cor. respondent tells, a story of a recent performance m. one oi the provincial churches, which, he says, occasioned not a little talk •as well as some amusement m the neigh- ' bourhopd. The, organist of the church is a very clever performer, bi?t unfortunately for himself, he is sometimes actuated by ' a spirit of mischief which leads him unto awkward scrapes. Occasionally, it seems, he I had slyly played scraps from operas at the i close of the service, instead of the voluntaries or chorales wbich are alone permiasablc J. during canonical hours. The clergyman found out the trick the organist was playi ' ing, and told him not to repeat it, and the expei t performer promised to respect the '. prohibition. • On the following Sunday, i ■ however, be brok.e out worse than ever. He i began to play out tbe. congregation to th« > grand strains of Luther's " Ein Festeßurg ,"• > which was given forti&sime on the grand organ ; but, applying one of- the soft stop 3. to the pedals,' he played m slow time" • '.' Tommy make way for yonr uncle." The. i effect, as may/be imagined, was comical m. m the extreme.; but if the wicked- organist had not carried his funning any further he. ; might have been pardoned. Not copfrfent ; however, with havii g his revenge m pianis:. simp, he gradually diminished the tone of--1 the choral- and increased. that o t f the music-; i hall melody, and ende.d bj extinguishing, 1 Luther altogether, and bursting out on, the grand organ with ". Tommy, make room i for your uncle." My informant (adds the. • correspondent), who is a member of the. congregation, and himself a musican, says, the performance was one of the cleverest things he.has hard for a long time, although, ; the joke was too profane to be pardonable. Need it be said . that the organist is now^. out of a silution ?-