Untitled

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 295, 17 March 1881, Page 2

Postal. —Mails for the Australian colonies and England, per Orient liner, close at the Bluff to-morrow (Friday), 18 th instant, at 11.30 a.m., per Arawata.

Fire at Sumner. —A fire occurred at Sumner last night, when a largo house belonging to Mr C. W. Duckworth was destroyed. Sons of Temperance. —The Now' Zealand Gazette of 10th March notifies that the “Helpmate Division” (No. 10), has been duly registered as a branch of the Grand Division (No. 10) of the Sous and Daughters of Temperance, under the Friendly Socities Act. Napier Races —These races took place to-day, but the only event of which we have received the result is the Maiden Plato, which was won easily by Grand Duchess, Firefly and Primrose filling the other situations. Miss Domett was left at the post, and was consequently never in the hunt.

The Dog Tax. —The people of Waipu (Auckland), abhor the dog tax. At a public meeting recently held the following resolution Was unanimously carried “ That any collector of the said dog-tax visiting Waipu be considered socially on a level of degradation with the common informer, and bo treated as a voluntaiy outcast from all possible association with any respectable member of society.”

The Ashburton Buidoe. —The dork of the County Council, Mr Mainwaring, has received a telegram from Mr Burnett, Assistant-Engineer, to the effect that the Ashburton bridge will be blocked against alltrallic, between 8 p.m. to-morrow, 18th inst., and 7 a.m. on the 19th, Saturday, in consequence of re-decking. Those persons wishing to cross, must do so before 8 p.m. to-morrow, or they will be debarred until the following day. Service of Sono. —On Monday evening next, a service of song will be held in the Presbyterian Church. The choir of the church intend giving “ Eva,” which is taken from Mrs. Stowe’s well-known work, “ Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The service lias been highly spoken of in Dunedin and elsewhere, and with the well - known abilities of the Presbyterian choir, will no doubt draw a good attendance. Dr Stewart will contribute the connective readings. The Late Rev. David M'Kbe. —The following item, clipped from the Irish Times, will no doubt prove of interest to our Presbyterian readers : —“ We are informed that a private fund, initiated in Dublin, in aid of the widow and children of the late Rev. David M'Kee has closed at the handsome total of L 925. This is a very gratifying tribute to the worth of the deceased clergyman, and indicates, the esteem in which his memory is held by those amongst whom ho laboured with so much acceptance for nearly ten years.”

Arrest. —Last week, our readers will remember a man named Shipton, a barman at the Moth von Hotel, reported to the police that some person had entered his room in the hotel, and took LSG out of his box, leaving him without a penny. Two or three persons have since been arrested on suspicion, but no trace of the money having been found on them, they ivere liberated. Something made the police doubt Shiptou’a statement, and the result was that he was arrested yesterday by Constable Neill, and the sum of L 42 found in his possession. Remarkable Occurrence. —A case of recovery from apparent death is recounted by a Swedish newspaper. A few days ago a landed proprietor in the neighborhood of Christiania died, or apparently died, after a short illness. His body had been laid in the coffin, the lid of which, however, had not been screwed down, in a room where some firewood happened to be kept. The evening of the same day the widow sent her daughter, a child of ten years old, into the room to get some of the firewood, and as the child was hastily gathering an armful, she heard her name called in a low voice. She sprang down stairs in alarm, and several persona hurried up to tho room to find the supposed dead man in jicifcct possession of his senses, and apparently quite well, although dreadfully shocked at finding himself in a coffin. He described his sensations on recovering consciousness as those of a man awakening from a pleasant and refreshing sleep. A Lost Child. —The other day, says tho Nelson Colonist, a little child, of some two or three years of .age only, wandered from tho house of its parents at tho Moutore, and for thirty hours tho baby was missing. The father of tho little boy, Mr W. Kramer, together with a number of friends, searched the country all one night and tho whole of the succeeding day without success. Towards nightfall, however, tho child was discovered some six miles from homo, and he had made his way by some means through the roughest of the country, the ground being covered with high manuka, amongst which were numerous swamps, and when found this little babe was nearly starved to death, indeed, it is almost a miracle how ho survived tho wot and exposure, for ho was completely wet through, and of course ho had nothing to cat tho whole time.

Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association. —Messrs Contes and Co., of Colombo stroct, have just completed the silver medals ordered some time ago by the above Association ; nud the work has been executed in a manner that must win high commendation. These medals, which are of sterling silver, have a diameter of 2 A inches, and are proportionately thick r The obverse design presents, round the edge, the title of the Association, and with this is an admirably executed landscape, in raised and frosted work, showing the railway bridge over the Ashburton, the expanse of tussock, and the back ground of downs and peaks. The landscape appears to be almost identical with that which forms the seal of the Ashburton County Council ; but on the medals under notice it is partially hidden by a shield, bearing the arms of the old Provincial District of Canterbury. On the reverse of the medal is a raised laural wreath, with the words “ A warded to ” in raised lettering, and a largo plain surface on which to engrave names of recipients, &c.

Post Sessional. —The Hon. Major Atkinson addresses his Patca constituents at Patca on Monday next.

Reported Death or Sullivan.— Our cablegrams to-day announce that the murderer Suilivan is reported to have died at Wagga Wagga last week.

Postponement of Sale. —The sale of household furniture advertised by Mr W. J. G. Bluett, in our yesterday’s impression, is postponed till further notice.

Greymouth Jockey Club Races.— These races, which were to have been held to-day and to-morrow, have been postponed until Friday and Saturday, owing to rain.

Deceased Persons’ Estates. The personal estate of the late Michael Cauchey, Ashburton, which is under LIOO has been placed in the hands of the Public Trustee, Wellington. Again. —At the District Court, Hamilton, yesterday, Mr M'Tavish brought an action against Mr J. Ivess fot alleged wrongful dismissal from the editorship of the Waikato Mail. The damages were laid at LIOO, and judgment was given for LSO and costs. Dcfandant gave notice of appeal.

The Grand Jury System. At the circuit of the Supreme Court, at Lawrence, yesterday, Judge Gillies expressed an opinion that the time had come when grand juries should be abolished in trivial cases, as the circumstances of the colony had much altered since the framing of the enactment relative to the same. An Education Board in Difficulties. —The Hawke’s Bay Education Board has no funds to effect the commonest repairs to the existing schoolhouses, the LI,OOO allotted as the Hawke’s Bay share of the building vote being exhausted, as well as L 2,000 that the Board had saved from the general fund, which was used to complete existing contracts. At a meeting held on Tuesday, Mr Sut ton suggested, as the last resort, that the Board should imitate other Education Boards, and overdraw at the Bank, leaving the Government to pay ; but the other members would not consent. Rough on the Legislators. —The following is an extract from a speech delivered by the Governor of Queensland at the breaking up of the Ipswich Grammar School: —“ You boys will have a chance in the affairs of the colony, and I hope you will mrke better use of use of it than some constituencies have done, and trust you will not, like them, assist in sending drunken bankrupts to Parliament. I can say some things that, other people could not, and I do not care whether they are pleased or not ; but I think every rightminded person in the colony will agree with me in what I have now said.” The Forthcoming Exhibition. —The goods are arriving rapidly, and will be placed in the Hall as soon as the places are ready for the different classes. The upper room of the Hall will be devoted to the New Zealand pictures, coins, jewellery, and articles of veriu, and in the main hall will bo placed the more delicate articles. The pictures are very numerous, and will be hung all over the wall space, both in the main hall and ante-room, &c., and on the stage will be placed choice collections of pot plants, drapery, Ac. A triumphal arch is to be erected over the side entrance, and the passage leading to the inside door will be decorated with flags and evergreens. It is proposed to allow the privilege to ladies to enter by the private entrance to the gallery, which will be set apart for their convenience, and save them from any uncomfortable crush.

Expelled from an English Order.— Happily, expulsion from an English Order is a very rare occurrence (says a writer in the Whitehall Review of 25th November), and last Friday’s Gazette, containing a Royal “ direction” that the name of Mr James Craig Loggie should be erased from the register of the order of Saint Michael and St. George, was on that

account all the more noticeable. As plenty of people will be wondering what it is all about, here are the facts. Mr Loggie, originally, I fancy, a sergeant in the Sappers, took charge of some Houssas in the Ashantee war. This was at the very commencement of the campaign even before Festing went out, and a O.M. G. was the prompt reward. Subsequently he was made Civil Commandant of British Sherborough, near Siera Leone, and while

holding that post misappropriated the public funds. Ho is now undergoing two years’ imprisonment. I cannot remember a single instance of expulsion—at all events, nothing of the kind has happened for years.

A Romantic Suicide. —A St. Petersburg telegram says : A touching story is rold by the Notxe Vrenuja of an event that happened some days ago in one of the principal hotels of that city. A young gentleman from Moscow, who had been staying a few days by himself in the hotel, one day ordered dinner to be served for two, and then went to the railway station evidently to meet his expected friend. He returned to the hotel alone, and at dinner time, as his door was fast shut and no reply could bo got from within, the police were sent for to break open the door. They found tho young man stretched across the table, shot through tho heart. On the table also, was the photograph of a young lady, and the fragments of a letter was found about the floor. Another letter was found addressed to the proprietor of tho hotel, stating that tho young man had shot himself in despair because the young lady whom he had been expecting had not kept her promise. Half an hour afterwards the postman brought a letter from the young lady herself, stating that she had missed the train, and would not be unable to come till the next day. The scene when she arrived, and was informed of the tragedy that had taken place, can be bettor imagined than described.

The Industrial Exhibition. Tho Management Committee mot last evening, his Worship tho Mayor presiding. It was resolved that no one should bo admitted into the exhibition until after the Governor had inspected it. The Secretary stated that he had received several exhibits for presentation to the contemplated museum, and it was resolved that tho Mayor be requested to apply to the Government for a portion of a reserve at tho corner of Cass and Burnett streets, for the museum. The following gentlemen were appointed a Provisional Committee, viz , Messrs Bullock, Jameson Passmore, and his Worship the Mayor, and Messrs Wood, Compton, and Mayo, woreappointed a Decoration Committee. Tho Secretary was instructed to write to Inspector Broham, asking for an additional number of police during the days on which the Exhibition was open. It was decided to erect a close boarded fence, 6ft. Gin. high, round the enclosure when the tents were placed. The question of providing a luncheon, to be given to his Excellency, was next discussed, and it was decided to make it a recommendation to the Reception Committee to issue complinientary tickets to the Royal Commissioners, and the Presidents of the Christchurch and Dunedin industrial Associations, the members of the County and Borough Councils, the Industrial Committee, and also all acting Judges. It was also decided to ask the President to deliver an address at the close of the Exhibition. The meeting then adjourned.

Mr T. Bullock advertises a sale of apples, to take place after the horse sale on Saturday next, Mr lames Clark advertises the Wcsterfield mill as now open. He is also a cash buyer of grain. A notice re Charles Sheppard appears in another column. The order of masses at the Roman Catholic Chapel appears in unr advertising columns. ]). Oliver requests the owners of grists now lying at the Westertield mill to remove them. Mr W. J. G. Bluett will hold an extensive sale of live and dead stock at Elgin on the zßth inst.