NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 105, 5 January 1881, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

A Disagreeable Visitor. —On Monday morning., about half -past eight, Palmerston was visited by an unwelcome visitor, m the shape of an earthquake, which, herajded its^ approach by a slight clap of thunder. Its course appeared to be from East to Wast. A Genuine Treat. — As will be seen bjr our advertising columns, Mr. Grattan Riggs . .T?i-U ..?Pl?.?! ir afc the foresters' Hall, this and to-morrow evenings. We have nevar seen Mr. B.igg»,but from the manner m vrhicn he is spoken of by the Press, we can proniise. that those who bestow their patronag«cwill enjoy a genuine treat. The Gold Field. — Messrs. Tiller, FaUoon, and party have returned to their operatibns at the gold fields. We understand they are progressing very favorably, haTing tunnelled about fifty feet and expect to strike the reef very shortly. They are working hard iv four-hour shifts for 16 hours a diiy. The Wesleyan Concert,— We are informed that a con ,-rt m aid of the funds of the Wesleyan Church, will be given on January 22nd. From what we hear a very choic* programme, consisting of songs, choruses, and recitations, is m course »f preparation. The programme will appear m tk future issue. Change Of Officers.— The railway officials at Halcombe and Foxton have been changed, Mr. Batt going to Wanganui, but we have not heard where Mr. King is des% tinad for. We thoroughly agree with our Foxtoa contemporary, that the idea of amalgamating the railway and customs will end m signal failure, just as we predicted that intended amalgamation of the railway and postal services a.t Folding ttiU aever Yiovh

Bushfelling m Yogel - street.— Tenders have been received by tho Borough Council for the above work as follows : — Thos. Schlager, £1 17s per chain ; Franklin and Baker, £1 8a per chain ;. S. Gedge, £1 5s 6d. The latter was accepted. A Welcome Return.— Palmerston received a New Year's gift m the shape of one of its townsfolk— Mr. Henry M'Neil — who hiM"been"»»*liibit:ionißing for the past three months. Mr. M'Neil is a citizen whom we cannot spare, and therefore we welcome him from his holidays, hoping that he returns to us with renewed vigor and energy to pursue the good work which he has commenced. New Year's Eve. — The New Year vras not allowed to be ushered m without the sounds of revelry, w« will not say harmony. Long before " the witching hour " the revellers armed with their musical instruments (of torture) paraded the town, and serenaded each house, from whence they would not stir until largess were bestowed. In most cases they were successful, and to their credit be it said that we have heard no complaints of those eccentricities which were indulged m laßt year. Doctor's Canes. — It -was formerly the practice among physiciara to carry a cane having a hollow head, the top of which was gold, pierced witk holes like a pepper box. The top contained a small quantity of aromatic powder, or of snuff, and on enter ing a house or room where a disease sup posed to be infectious prevailed, the doctor would strike his cane on tho floor to agitate the powder, and then apply to his nose. Hence all the. old prints of physicians represent them with canes to their noses. More Slaughter on the Railway Line. — The slaughter of cattle on our railway does not seem to slack off, for we have to chronicle the death of two more unfortunate cowa ; one was killed la6t Thursday between the Oroua Bridge at Feilding and that place, by the train for Wanganui, and one near Halcombe on Monday by the train for Foxton. Cattle and horses evidently cannot stand the shock, but a mob of pigs, that the engine ploughed through near Feilding some little time back, did not seem much the wor»e, but were only terrified at the promiscuous somersaults they were compelled to make. Mr. Howard's Readings. —We are sorry to atate that, the readings • that were to take place on New Year's Eve at the Foresters' Hall, never took place owing to the very scant attendance. The weather was propitious although it had been threatening, so we can only account for the apparent apathy of the Palmerstonians by the fact of it being New Year's Eve, and therefore a wish to spend the time-honored Eve m, the usual social manner at home or with their friends. We can assure them, however, that they have missed a treat, Mr. Howard's readings being very popular and highly appreciated wherever he has been. The Wesleyan Sunday School PiC-nic. — The annual pic-nic m connection with the Wesleyan Sunday School was held on New Year's Day m Mr. Marsh's paddock, Terrace End. The weather during the morning looked very threatening, but towards the afternoon it cleared up, and visitors soon began to make their appearance on the 'grouad. Those connected with the Sunday School done everything m their power to make the gathering a success. A " Merry -go -round, " kindly constructed by Mr. Lao and a few others, was very entertaining to the little ones, cricket being indulged m by the grown-up part of the gathering. At about five o'clock the bell rang for the children to have their tea, after which the teachers and visitors sat down to a very good spread. .The prizes were then presented by the Mayor, Mr. Linton, and three cheers were heartily given for Mr. Marsh, and likewise for the teachers. The proceeds went towards paying for the prizes which were given to the children. Some miniature athletic sports were got up for the amusement of the school children and small prizes given to the different winners. Tub Hobeoeß op A Battle Fibld. — Father Thomas Jackson, army chaplain with the troops m Afghanistan, gives a fearful account of the battle fitld of Kushi Nakud. H« says :— " Th« sight of the dead and dying along the road was enough to drive one mad. Even dogs laid down and died for want of vrattr. It will scarcely be believed m Eng•land, but I assure you it is true, that soiti", even the officers, broke open the medicine chests and drank the medicines to save them» salves from perishing of thirst. Making a Gain out of a Loss. — There is a good story told concerning one of the candidates afc the recent elections m new South Wales, who forefeited his £40 deposit. A number of persons fait satisfied that he had no chance of being returned, and that he would not risk the deposit by being nominated and going to the poll. The oandidate was just as confident the other way, and supported his confidence m himself by offering to " lay odds " that he would be duly nominated and contest the election. It is said that he bet two to one at fir^t, and afterwards three and four to ona. until he stood to win more than £10D. On the day of the election he paid his £40 and went to the poll, and though he forfeited his deposit, he won his wagers clearing over £60 by the transaction. Sizb is Nothing-. — Over-big horses for any purpost are a mistake ; so the eornoration of London found out. When they started to do their own scavengering, instead of contracting for it, they selected all the giants they could get — 17 hands was preferred. ■The mistake has been found out ; sixteen hands is now the favored height. These do more work, are less subject to roarintt, snd are altogether more htalthy. In th« Queen's stables, the itall horses aro chosen as near seventeen hands as may be got. The other full sized carriage horjts ar« rather over than under sixteen: hands. The pace expected from them from Buckingham Palace to Paddington station is about fourteen miles an hour. But th« Crown Equerry, Colonel Maude, has said that work and a better pace is to be h*d from carriage horses under sixteen hand* rather than over, A " DOTTBTEUL " COMPLIMENT. — The villian of a play always meets with execration from an English gallery, and sometimes I even with rough handling, but fortunately I the missiles at command are not usually I more fatal thnn nuts or orange»peel. It is different m Nevada. Mr. Edwin Booth says that tha most genuine compliment he received was on the occasion of his performing lago for fch c first time at Grass Talley, at a new mining camp. Ths axidience, which had not seen a play fop years, was so incensed at his apparent villinny that they pulled out their shooters m the middle of the third act, and began blaaing »way at the stage, Othello had the tip of hia dose shofc off at the first volley and Mr. Booth escaped by rolling up the •tage on his stomach, *nd disappearing through a door. A speech from the manager somewhat calmed the house, but even then Mr. Booth thought it best to pass the night. m tbe theatre, as aumberß of the most elevated spectators were making strenuous efforts to indues the Vigilance Committee to try and lynch " tho infernal sneaking «v*s« " a.q they eaU«d kirn,

A Strakgb Caudal Appendage. — Here is a lit bio anecdote for our bee-keeping friends to f>tova up amongst the records of apiology. We give it on the authority of a Tiinuru paper : — "A son of Mr W.G. Allen, of this town was engaged the other day m the jurenile pastime of kite-flying, when he was rather astoniehod at a »udden change m the appearance of the tail of his kite, the appendnge becoming visibly enlarged and of a densely black colour. Theyoutbfulgeniu9 had read of Benjamin Franklin drawing lightning from the clouds, and elated at the prospect of some wonderful scientific discovery, he proceeded to explore the phenomenon by drawing m his flyer. HU amazement, if not disappointment, may be imagined when, on reaching the ground, he found that a young hive of fugitive bees were clustered to the apparatus. Sees, when B warming, select eurieus sites at times, but this is the first instance, so far as we are aware, of a hive swarming oa the tail of a kite m mid-air." Otjtda. — The following communication to the Atkencßiim, from an Edinburg correspondent, is 6aid to accurately descrihe the situition of affairs at the Edinburgh Philososphioal Library m l-elation to Ouida's novels : — " It maj be of interest to your readers to learn that the Directors of the Edinburgh Philosophical Institution have recently given orders for Ouida's novels to be withdrawn from circulntion. A large number of her novels lie on the shelves. No such order has been given regarding the magazines m which some of her short sto ries first appeared. The morale of these works was, we believe, recently discussed by the Directors of the Pliilsospliical Institution, and though it was not generally considered that they were ' all bad,' serious objection was taken to several of the series. No formal resolution was come to on the subject, but m compliance with the wishes of some of the directors, the whole of the works were withdrawn from circulation, and all applications for the volumes uncompromisingly refused. It is said, however, that since Ouida was brought specially under their notice, some of the directors of the institution have gone m for a hearty course of reading of the objectionable aovels, with a view, probably, to qualify themselves for officially deciding the question when it again comes before them." Feminine Advantages. — A woman's glove is to her what a vest pocket is to a man. But it is more capacious, and m ninety-nine instances out of a hundred it is much better regulated. A man will carry two hundred dollars' worth of small change, four matches, half a dozen tooth-picks, a short pencil, and a pack of business cards m his vest pocket, and yet not be able to find a nickel, or a match, or a. toothpick, or a pencil or a card when he wants it. Not so with ft woman. She has the least bit of a glove, and m that glove she carries the tiniest hand and a wad of bills, and memoranda for her intended purchase of dry goods, and car tickets, and matinee checks, and may be a diminutive powder- bag. We have no idea how she does it— how she manages to squeeze those thousand and one things into that wee space. But she does it every time and the glove never looks the least discomposed, or ruffled. And when a woman wants nny article concealed about that glove, she doesn't seem to have the least trouble m the world m getting at it. All that i» required is a simple turn of the wrist, the disappearance of two fairy fingures and the desired article is brought to light. It is a wonder that no savant can explain. Ms. Fboudb ok Ireland. — Mr. J. A. Froude considers, m the Nineteenth Century, the history of the connection between England and Ireland. He condemns the recent Liberal legislation, actual and attempted. His idea as to the true remedy for Irish grievances is indicated m the following passage — which may, however, be thought to point at an alternative conclusion : — "From the ruined fields and wasted potato gardens, from a million miserable cabins where human being* have lived under our charge for twenty generations more like wolves than men, the silent cry appeals to vs — Take charge of us. rule us, guide us, help us out of our wretchedness ; and the remedy, it seems, which we are to try next, is to be the extension of the borough franchise. The Irish require order and we give them anarchy. They ask a fish and we give them a scorpion. Let no one say that we live m an age of scepticism. The faith of England m the present object of her worship is worthy of all admiration; but if we offer sacrifices to liberty we should offer them at the expense of ourselves, not of others. It was England which iutroduced landowning and landlords into Ireland as an expedient for ruling it. If we choose now to remove the landlords, or divide their property with their tenants, we must do it from our own resources; we have no right to make the landlords pay for the vagaries of our own idolatries. But liberty, as now understood, is a local divinity, peculiar to th« modern English and Americans, and will never save Ireland. Protestant ascendancy i» gone. But what Protestant ascendancy really meant, must he realised m aome new shape, or there is no hope." Determined to Gtve his vote. — On last Thursday, says -the Goulburn Penny Post, an old mnn, about 70 years of age, passed through here, enroute.to Braid wood to vote for the election. From what the old man told us, it seems that he had been up at Temora, and coming from there to Young he received a letter at the latter place from his wife, the purport of which was that Mr. G-reville would require every vote he oould command this election. The poor old man reckoned what funds he had, and finding he was too short to pay train and coaoh fare, at once started on foot, managing to make some place of accommodation each night, with the exception of last Wednesday. He had started from Murrnmbateman that morning, intending to reach Bungehdore that night, but darkness overtook him some five miles from here. He at once made a fire near, a big gum tree, and had scarcely completed it when i-ain commenced to fall. He had no blankets with him, and beins proteoted from the storm by a poncho he stood, most part of the night, with one side against the tree, the other facing the fire, and by changing positions at intervals succeeded m keeping himself pretty dry. The next mnrnins; being fine, he resumed his jonrney, not complaining, of his hardship?, but wishing he had 500 votes at his command, and he would «tive them all to Mr Oreville. Lei U* hope the old man's desire was granted, and Mr Gbeville got' m. An American Eagle. — Some three months ago, says the San Jiostf Mercury, while, .hunting: m the mountains east of the Twelve-mile House, Mr Buffington captured a young American eagle. At the time the bird was quite small, and from appearanoe but a few weeks old. Mr Bufßngton had his pet confined m the yard at the back of his shop, and the many and curious monkey-shines indulged m by the mountain bird are really arousing. Measuring some eight feet from tip to tip, and weighing forty pounds, with talons three inrhesinjength, there is but small chance for any dogs residing m. the neighbourhood* For as sure as a canine makes his appear* anrce, the eagle spreads his heavy wings, and with & loud scream he lights upon &« back, of the terrpy-Btriqkf)» a,og.

The scene that follows is one of gr*at interest. The dog, without further notice, darts through the side . spte jand out into the itreet, with the eagle^ attached te his back, and that, too, m * manner to stay. ' Down the street j hej goes at a break-neck speed. At a ais£ tanee of about two blocks the eagle bid's the dog an affectionate adieu an<? quietly 1 returns as though nothing had happened. The tame experiment is is gone through whenever the dog can be procured It does not seem nenessary to remark that dogs of any description are seldom seen m that part of the town, and the same dog never more than once.