LOCAL AND GENERAL.

His Excellency tho Governor, Lord Onslow, was a passonger for Dunedin by the oxpreßß train to-day.

Ab will be soon by an ndvortisoment a leoture on, a very interesting subjeot, numoly " Ireland, Rome, and Freemasonry," will bo given m tbe Oddfellows' Hall on Tuesday next by Mr B, Hughes.

Our readers hardly need reminding of tbat popular event m tho-Oddfollows' Hall to-night, the Caledonian Sooiety 'a Spotoh Concert, for which a very entertaining and varied programme has been prepared, with fino weather the hall is Hure to oro.wded to tho doors.

Gold m considerable quantities is said to have been found m the Danube, near Prosburg, where bocioga are being mado ior the construction of a now bridge. The preoious metal is secreted m a kind of olay about eighteen metres bolow tbe bed of the river.

Tbe indemnity paid by Franoe to Germany after tho {War of 1870.71 amounted to five milliards of franoe. If this sum had been paid at the rato of five francs for every minute ainoe the beginning of the Christian era up to date, the total amount would not have been paid yet.

Mr H. Zandor, who is well-known as an enthusiastic oolleotor of ooins,' is about to -end bis largo apd valuablo collection to the Dunedin fixhi-ftjon, b§ having rooeived an applioation from tho JGumwißeionero to allow them to be shown there. The ooins hayp afi boen arranged m dua order m oases and those desirous of inspecting thorn before they are aont to Dunedin may see them at Mr Zander's shop to-morrow.

The London oorrospondont of tha " New Zealand JJorald " writeB .— Tho death of Ira Paine, the ofiuppipn shootist, from Bwallowing a glass of ice-cold ffiilk on a hot day, reoalls to mind notoable scones m whioh he played a part, If I mistako not, this is tha man wbo shot an apple o# the head of th^ late Mr S. Pultord m the Auokland Theatre; Pulford moved (or jra said ho Woved), and the bullot scored Pulford's head with a gpmewhat painful impromptu parting. Tho old fellow always swore be neve? felt the saino aftor, and unquestionably bislskqdl Wf.__f.GGjawhat damaged. Pain? performed maH the oolonies, m faot, ho bad beon several times round the world. Ho died woll oft.

Tho ■* Auokland Star's " Homo oorrospon. dence contain.) the following interesting items: -Sir Juliua Vogol's intercuts aro, Z hoar, intimately bound up with those of the Simpson Railway jOompaDy, a whioh bas been banging firo for nearly a year noty. If it goea through Sir Julius will pc m olover again. — Mr Murdoch, late manager of tbo Bank of Hew Zealand m Auckland, is also a through passenger for the oolony by the Yarra, —Mr Montgomery expresses himself grofltly scandalised that Now Zealand should have boen the one Australian colony to hang back from helping Ibe dookora, and avers that had the strike continued ho should have oabled out urging his friends and the Labor Unions to come forward.

fl aJflis.? a ? %* L \ Bee ! WIU a be 5 A Borlin merobant named Gutmann reS 1 } 8 ° r thß . Eft B fc . Coa , B * SO A fc ' 7 rondar <-<- oently reoeived an offioial lotter from London vacant by tho resignation of Mr Graham. informing him that a person named Worberry A oat kept at a swimming bath m Albany wb .° nR d gained £1180 from bim m a law is said to be an exoellent awimmor, and to 3U ' (; 2{} 7°*™ ago, hadoonfossod on hia death liko tho water, into whioh she will diyo iv be d that ho had only won his oase by perjury, pursuit of fiah. V no dooeased has, accordingly, m his will, . „ _ , m , . , 'eft Gutmann the above sum, plus the legal i ft „,i _ \ ? en l? n 3 P Bkfl £ al !? pI T. neQ " A , c , k ' oxpanses inourred and oompound interest, land, takes his «• constitutional " on tho lake * , m a pair of wooden boots with muoh ease . • mo B P r °ad of oanoer m a small oommunefl and suooess. *ol Normandy (St Sylvostre do Oouroelles)

I A frost laßt Saturday night did a good doaj of damage on swamp lands north of Christ, ohuroh* It Beriously damaged even th 0 young grain orops. A Lyttelton youngster named Baker got hold of samo gunpowder on Tuesday evening, put a lighted match into it, and was badly burned about tho hoad, and face, hair and oyebrowa being burned off. Tho Howard whioh arrived at Melbourne from Kaipara on tho 13th met. experienced most violent weather on tho voyage across, and is making water. In order to Bave the vessel 40,000 ft of kauri had to be jettisoned. Tho Premier's health continues m a very unsatisfactory state. Ho is snfloring from nervoua exhaustion and gastric trouble, and it is doubtful whothor he will be able to ba prosont at the opening of tbe Exhibition.

A witness undor cross-examination, who bad beon tortured for several houra by a lawyer, at last aßked for a drink of watar. •« There," said the judge, "I think you'd hotter let the witness go now, as you have pumped him dry." The "Mail" saya that the Oamaru Garrison Band havo taken part m six band oontoatß m the paßt cix yeara and a half, and have boon live timoa first and onoe second, the latter at Oamaru m the Easter contest of 1886.

At the Hospital for inourablea at Lovendeghem, near Ghent, a patient beoamo mad recently. He killed with a razor two patients and the lady superior, and wounded 27 patients, two of them mortally!

Sinoo 1849, 513,278 new houses hata been built m tho London metropolitan distriot, and 3132 are Btill m oourso of orootion ; 1853 miles of new streotß havo been finished, and the populotion has increased from 2,473.758 tn 5,690,576.

Says the Napier " Telegraph " :— As showing the differenco botweon iho stato of tho pasture last year und that of the present time, a sheep farmer informs ub tbat he has more grass on a thousand aoros this soason than he had on his wholo run last year. The wholo of tho Ahuriri plainß just now proßenta a pioture of verdure, and wealth of vegetation.

Acoording to the " Estafette," a projeot is on foot to dig a maritime oanal from Bordeaux to Cette, and by means of canals to unite the Rhone, the Saono and the Seino. If carried out, vessels of heavy tonnago, as woll as torpodo boatß and swift orniaera, will be able tojtraverso France m safety from the English ohannol to the Mediterranean.

In a number of "Lloyd's Weekly" reoeivod by a reoent mail, appear two notifioationa under tho heading of "Now Companies." One notification is the proposed formation of a oompany, with a capital of £250,000, to work the New Zoaland petroleum and tho othor is a notification of a oompany with a capital oi £250.000 to work tbe New Zealand ironsand.

An individual who had beon looking on fhe wine when it waß rod entered the e__tabliahmont of ono of tho largest photographing flrmß m Wellington the other day, and m a maudlin, tipsy sort oi ' way intimated bis desire to be " taken." «« Shi want to bo taken when I'm drunk— hio—l'm drunk, yer know, yoßh, I'm drunk, and I want to Bee what I'm liko— bio— ," and with that he made his way upstairs to the operating room.

Some idoa of the valuo whioh may be oreated by agricultural industry cornea to ua from Amerioa, and should prove of ospeoial intorost just now. Tho latost and most roliablo official statisiios give the value of farm mortgajzos m tho United States at £1,017,927,537. Tho average interest on thoae mortgagea, with the direot aud indireot taxof. and tho uohool tax, mako a total of £261,032,015.

At yesterday's sitting of tho Wesleyan Distriot mooting now being hold at ChristahvraV, n icbcjlU IUU ID in-**, ml tho Ufltu-.lsn-mont of a soparato Conference for New Zealand was oarried by 18 to 9 votes. Ray Mr Buttle votod with tho noos but " roservod tho right to vote otherwiso if ho got more light bofore tho Oonforenoe."

That is a pleasant story that comes to hand about the loave-taking of Prinoe Goorge of Wales and the crew of the torpedo boat 79, wnioh ho oommandod during tho manoeuvres. Whon tho ponnant of this littlo VCBBOI was hauled down the royal oommander thanked the orow collectively for thoir behavior and tho work thoy had dono, shook hands with every man m turtf, and then gavo to eaoh of thorn his photograph and also a sovereign.

Tho frequent attacks of illneßa to whioh tho Popo [is now subject havo given rise m Rome to many conjectures as to tho future Pontiff. A correspondent of tho "Roma," who signs himself "1?. G.,*' and appears to ba wejl informed, has written two articles, m whioh, after eliminating some eminent cardinals as impo-Bib'e, ho Bhowß why it ia probable that Cardinal Luoido Parooohi, the vicar general, born m 1883, is likely to booomo tho successor of Lao XIII.

It appears that, whilo the iuoreaae m deposite m oonneotion with Irish Savings Banks during tho years 1877-87 was only 74 per oent m EDgland and m Sootland 108 per cent, m Ireland tho inorease was 121 per oent. In the Irish Post Offioe Savingß Banks and Trustee Banks, boing tho banks ueed by artizans, agricultural laborers, and small farmers, tho deposits m 1888 amounted to £5,140,000, showing an inorease of nearly 50 per oent.

Tljo Gualois fella the following story, whioh, it Bays, is 'f absolutely historical " :■— M. Julea Ferry was pri&sidont of tho Qounoil when Pranoo was at war with Qhina. m_ Jerry wanted to strike terror into the hearts of thi Celestials, and tbis is how he proposed to do it :— Ho telegraphed to Admiral Oourbet, who waß m oommand of tho Fronoh lleet, to ast him how many Bhipa he oonld dotail to bombard Pekiu within forty-eight hours. Pekin is not on the ooa.it.

Tfja following prioos were boing received ie I London on fith Pot, for shjptqents of frozen ! meat from Now Zealand ;— f?er Tongarirb— Sheep, 4Jd to sd ; iambs, fid to 6d ; beef, 3 Ad to §d. For Ashleigh Brook— Sheep, 4}d to ils; $ijo capgqeg qj the Arawa and Elderalij Wore reported to haye arrived jln good pon. d>!.ion. TJ7.O following "prioes were being realised for various kinds of njsat :— Prime Scotch, 6s to #9 <}d per stone { prime Rngljab, ii Hi to 6a 4<l ; Continental, (fa to $s lOd 1 prima Now Zealand, 3a 4d 1 Sydney. 2s lOd to 38; River Plate, 2a 8d to Hh A Bank robbery equalling m audaoity thi Kimborley Park robbory of a fow monthß BKfl was recently committed at Ifrugerslorp, Houtb Africa; Two mon named John Lewis Moß wac and Richard Turpin entered the Standard Bank, and, presenting their revolvers at Mi Stewart, tho manager, demand the keys bl tho Bsfo, Thoy thou bound and gagaed him aq well aa tho assistant, t^d mado otf witl! &AOOO m gold and Wes. 'Soy had ton mmutoa start pf tho poliop, but they we« pursued on hqrsebaok and overtaken fa } e _,l than an houp. Tbp .obbors, finding thomeelve. hard pressod, dismounted and fired at theii pursuers, but none qf thejr sbqtß took effoot Moßwan was then wqundefl by a shot from tbo Sorgoant of Polioe, and immodiatoly a fi or , wardß Turpin throw up his bands and B ur< redorod, They woro thon soourod and taken baok, and the wholo of tho stolen money was Fepoypred,

Keating's Cough lunges cure C'o^h Asthma, Bronchitis, Medical testimony states that no other medicine is so effectual m ths cure of these dangerous maladies, Ono Lozenge alone (,'ivcs case, one or two at any time ensures rest, For relieving difficulty m breathing thoy nre invaluable, They contain i no opium nor any violent drug, Sold by all Chemist., at is i-&d and 2s 6 each, Thk bkst Khmkdy for Indigestion.— Norton's Camomile Pills are confidently recommended as a simple remedy for indicestion, which is the cause of nearly all the diseases to which we are subject. Norton's Pills, with justice called "Nature 1 * strengthener of the human stomach." act as a powerful ton ie and gentle aperient, are mild m their open tion, and safe under any circum* stances* Sold m bottles at is r j£d as od ' by aU tae icioq vendors throughout tha worl

attracted tbe attention of Dr Arnaudet, aa tbe disease has attained to 15 per oont of. the total mortality! The oaees were principally males, and as a rule tho cancer was looated m the stomaoh ; honoa Dr Arnaudet thinks that oanoer is oontagious, and is propagated by ' water ; for although the sufferers ware not water drinkers, thoy drink oider, whioh is diluted with tbe pond water of the distriot. Thore are few waters whioh are really safe to drink, unless previously boiled.—-" English Mechanic " A correspondont Bends us tho following : — The half-holiday seems to be a good thing for , tho anglers of tbis distriot. On Wednesday last no less than five of the followers of this sport were to bo seen m the river bed below the bridge. Not many fine fish wero taken, although it was considered a good day. Mr Shury, Mr Moss, and Mr Kidd eaoh got ono from l_lb to 21b, but the fish would not

take freely. Thero are plenty of fish to be had olose to tho bridgo, and anyone wanting a few hours' good fishing haa only to strike m at tho bridge and walk down, and if tbe fish aro taking oan get a few niae ones. The river is m splendid order just now and the fish ate pretty plentiful.