LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1807, 8 September 1874, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Immigbants.—We understand that about one hnndred and fifty immigrants, who arrived in Wellington, per Strathnavar, will reach Nelson by ' the s.s. Phoebe. The Pbovincial Executive. —We have received ■ a poetical effusion from a correspondent on " The 1 Executive Tour and Things Thereafter." We re--1 ceived that effusion two days ago, and although we 1 have devoted about forty-six hours to it we can't work round it anyhow. In the first place it has do feet, but appears to be composed wholly of yarda and inches. And then the rhyme is not quite the thing. The combined imagination of this office has been put on, but it is all of no use; we can't get "snug tent" to rhyme with " legislators." Neither will ''superfluous" join harmoniously with " like a burr to us." We wanted to print that poem, and in trying to reduce the yards to feet it has been horribly mutilated. Everybody in the office has had ago at it except our devil and he is at it now. His tail is standing out at right angles with his body, and it is evident that he is slightly excited. [Since the above wa9 in type our devil has rushed distractedly out of the office, the tears gushing from his eyes in bucketsful, and as he was seen fiercely making for Havelook at two o'clock this morning it is not likely we shall see him again. Thus our amateur poets will perceive that it is sometimes dangerous to trifle with a person's feelings—even with those of the " devil."] The Goveenment.—Major Atkinson was sworn in as a member of the Executive Council yesterday in I Wellington, and it is generally understood that he will act as Minister of Immigration and Secretary of Crown Linds. Major Atkinson is well up in his work, and will, without <?oubt, be an acquisition to Mr Vogel's party. The City Council Candidates.—lt has been insinuated that the four gentlemen who are put forward as candidates for the vacant seats in the City Council by the Eeform League are to do their best v to promote ths interests of the League to the detriment of the citizens generally. We have been requested to state that such is not the case and that Messrs Levien, Haddow, Stringer, and Lightband, if elected, will not suffer any consideration of that character to interfere wiLh their duties. A letter on the snbject appears in another column. The .Reform League.—The Eeform League held a meeting last night. There was a good attendance and the forthcoming election was the principal topic discussed. Great stress was laid upon the different olauses of the Municipal Corporations Act, and other business of importance was fulfilled. The meeting adjourned till next Monday, Mrs. Palmee's Enteetainment. —Last night, a tolerably well filled house greeted the second representation of the attractive drama of " the Midnight Watch," which, on this occasion, was played most satisfactorily ; the little insufficiencies which accompanied its first performance having been co far amended that if very little required comment then, still less ground for unfavorable critiieism could be found last evening. The part of Coco was far more distinctly spoken, and all the other characters were equally improved, and the text filled up by the practice which the second performance afforded. In euch a limited community of playgoers as ours, the difficulty of dramatic representations of this kind must be acknowledged, for, as Boon as the party are sufficiently practiced and represented to run smoothly and without hitch, they have served their . turn and a fresh piece is wanted ; so that nothing is played sufficiently long to give that perfeofcness of text and study to be found with such representations ' in larger places. The musical portion was shorter ' and far more appreciated than the last. A duett, from Trovatore, was highly successful, a motto song 3 and comic song were each well received, and the ] operatic selection that 'followed was even better sung than before. The concluding farce of " Dandolion's 1 Dodges" was a success. Bills was played in a quiet, but effective style, that, was above the average. J Squire ThornlraJce deserves favorable comment, and tha capital part of Dickey was well cast and very well played. The characters of Madge and Jeames ( were also excellently sustained. The representation 1 was successful throughout, being even a step in . advance of the last performance, and a recall at the j last testified to the satisfaction felt by the audience.

A Correction. —In our report of the City Council meeting of Friday last the Mayor was reported as having said, in reference to the Gasworks, that "in Christchurch the returns were fully £5000 a year, and yet only one man at £3 a week was employed to collect the money and do the work." We are requested to state that his Worship meant that in that place a working manager was employed at £150 per annum, and he looked after the plant, collected the moneys, and took the meters. Tea-totaIiEEES Beware. —Mr. P. Macgregor in his report on the Dunediu Lunatic Asylum, attributes much of the lunaoy among miners to the enormous quantity of strong tea daily consumed by them, and the entire absence of milk from their diet. He asks, " could nothing De done to remedy this by encouraging miners to settle on the land, and adopt a more' rational mode of life ?" A Watery Approach.—The road leading to the railway station afe Auckland is described in the local journals as being in a swampy condition. The Herald says of it, " we were witness to the feats of one gentleman who had to tuck up his trouser t( sleeves" and carry two lady companions a distance of sereral yards in his arms, through the waste of water which occupied the road. To bare the station half-a-mile from , the city is bad enough, but to allow that half mile of road to remain in the disgraceful state it was in yesterday is just a trifle beyond a joke." The telegraph cable between Singapore and Bataria is still silent, and messages are despatched from the former place to the latter by steamers. The last but one of the Government expeditions for observing the transit of Venus (the Some News states) sailed from Plymouth for Christehurch, New Zealand, in the clipper ship Merope, on July 4. The party consists of Major H. S. Palmer, R.E., chief astronomer in charge; Lieut, L. Darwin, E.E., assistant-astronomer and photographer} Lieut. H. Crawford, R.N., assistant astronomer; and three non-commissioned officers of the Eoyal Engineers trained in the use of the photo-heliograph. I

A witness in a case heard before our Resident Magistrate yesterday, with, the view of eliciting the probable loss a butcher might sustain per week through not having a sausage machine, was asked: "Is the making of sausages a profitable part of a butcher's business ?" He replied : "It all depends what they are made of."— Bunstan Times. The three Dunedin journals, and one of the morning papers in Christchurch, the Press, though differing on some points continue to strongly support the resolutions on the subject of Provincialism, and the action of the party who gave their support to the Government. The Bruce Herald gives an account of a shocking case of cruelty to a horse at Balclutha. It appears that the animal was literally flogged to death in the public streets under pretence of breaking it in to harness. A "Washing to Pabents.—Several persons have been fined at the Thames for not having children under their care vaccinated in accordance with the Public Health Act. Coeomandel.—During the last month (A.ugust) the following quantities of gold came from the Coromandel (Auckland) U-oldfield. Oza. dwt. gr. Tokafcea 453 0 0 Royal Oak 52 0 0 Harbor View 32 0 0 Small parcels (both banks) ... 70 0 0 Total 607 0 0 Natural Curiosity.—A very extraordinary natural curiosity may be seen at the house of Mr De Saxe, dentist, 80, Eussel-

3 street, Melbourne, says a contemporary. H 1 is the curled root of a lightwood tree, whict has assumed the exact form of a monkey, j with body, feet, tail, and head all in proper 3 proportion. The tail which has a very ■ natural curl, is 18in in length, and the 5 whole thing is about the size of a wellb developed monkey of the common sort. I When placed in a sitting posture, which the , mimic monkey easily and naturally mainl tains,itis about afoot inheight. Thecuriosity ' was found by a woodman in Fryer's Eanges. ; We wonder whether the foregoing would throw any light upon the Darwin theory.— New Zealand Herald. We take the following from the Melbourne Leader: —What with the free library, a free billiard table, free baths, and ■ a caterer who, in additiou to free quarters, I coal, and light, receives an allowance of £850, possibly to recoup him for bad debts, the members of the Victorian Legislature are not badly off. But they are nothing to the lucky fellows sent to Wellington by the people of New Zealand, who have turned the Assembly into a private club, live there altogether, and manage to lay by the greater portion of their honorarium for a rainy day. A circumstance anything but coraforting to those ladies who wear false hair occurred at the Melbourne Police Court (says the Argus) a wretched female habitual drunkard, with blackened eyes and a face like a bulldog, was brought up for threatening language, and the nakedness of her head attracted the attention of Mr Sturt P.M., who asked what had become of her hair. Her husband stated that she had cut it off and sold it in order to obtain drink. Perhaps some lady is supplementing her charms by the aid of this drunkard's chignon. It is reported, says the Thames Advertiser, that the Native Minister and Dr Pollen are likely to visit Auckland immediately after the close of the session, and that something will then be done towards opening the Upper Thames district. Amusing stories about the sayings and doings of newly arrived immigrants are quite the rage now, and we should not like to vouch for the truth of a good many of them. The last we have heard is to the following effect (says a Southern contemporary):—A new arrival, who had been hired by a farmer, confessed his total ignorance of the kind of work required of him. When asked what occupation he followed at Home, he replied that he was " a glass eye polisher."— New Zealand Herald, An academy of music is being erected in Lydiard-street, Ballarat, at a cost of £11,000. The Ballarat Star states: —One of our leading confectioners informs us that he has sold no less than fifty wedding cakes during the past month. This is surely a healthy sign of the times; or do weddings, like influenza or suicides, come aa epidemics? Hares in Victoria grow so strong that even the best greyhounds—and many very fine animals have lately been imported from England—are not a match for them. A recent coursing match took place at Ascot, when not a hare was killed in six courses. Three of the hares are stated to have escaped by getting up into trees. On September 3rd, 4252 ounces of gold, reached Auckland from the Thames.

We are glad to point out that a large contract for railway gates has been entrusted for fulfilment to a colonial mechanist (says the Auckland Herald). The work of constructing no less than forty of them has been entrusted to Mr Peter Birley, of High-street. He is constructing them of tubular iron, so that they will combine strength with light- J ness; and so far as can be judged from those already completed, are well calculated for the purpose they have been designed for. The New Zealand Herald says:—The new fumigating oven for the Auckland Quarantine Station is rapidly approaching completion at the hands of Mr Heighton, the machinist, of Pitt-street. His part of the work —that is, the ironwork—is being well and faithfully executed, and will absorb nearly a ton of iron. Of course the brickwork necessary will have to be erected on the island. In Mr Heighton's shop other large works are also being carried on, and amongst these are several puddling machines for brickmaking. Heighton'a building, which has not been long erected, is situated in a part of the city which, is rapidly progressing, as evinced by the new Congregational school lately erected hard by, and the number of other buildings springing up every week in \ i the vicinity.