TABLE TALK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 199, 22 August 1900, Page 1

TABLE TALK.

_—* Chinese resisting at Pekin. , "Graphic" published to-day. Imperial Palacfc, Pekin, is surrounded. More street snapshots in this week's "Graphic." Boers have captured a British force at Klerksdorp. Terrible hardships of missionaries in China, vide cables. The Queen has cabled congratulations to the guard at Pekin. Waterval, North of Pretoria, has , been occupied by the British. . The St. George's.Company opens In the Opera H6tise this evening. The s.s. Elingamite,'from Sydney, came out of quarantine to-day. The Animals' Protection Act was again debated in the House of Representatives last night. A small party of Seaforth High* landers has been captured by the Boers at Reitfontein. Splendid pictures of St. Matthew's new and old churches,, with portraits, in the "Graphic" this week. , v The system of civil service examinations was debated in the House of Representatives last eveningl. ■'- .... The question of ieiijcouraging os-trich-farming has been referred to the Stock Committee at Wellington. Cyclists who carry despatches la South Africa make about twelve miles an hour on rough and sandy roads. . About 600,000 trees are annually planted by Swedish school children under the guidance of their teachers. An old Maori canoe, which has been; on the Avon at Burwood for twentyseven years, was presented to the Christchtirch Museum by Mrs. Brent Eogers. The' Wellington tramway poll resulted in an overwhelming majority in , favour of a loan of £20,000 for the purchase of the tramways, there being 1039 votes for and 68 against. , ' . Mr Adam Braudigam informs the Tapanui (Otago) Courier that he had a crop of Magnum Bonum potatoes on his bush section this year that yielded at the rate of 32 tonsper acre. ] A long discussion .took place in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon on the question" of making provision for the relatives, of. New Zealand soldiers killed in South Africa. • j The Egmont "Post" understands ; that a survey is in course of progress, and well towards completion,, ibr a deviation of the central route tap y ' ''.■, the coal ■field' in the Tangarakau Val- '. ley, on the Auckland-Stratford route; ;•■• • ; The North Otago "Times" states that Mr Sutherland,, manager .of the -,*: *. Benmore station, sent about a million '«' • ova to the Oamaru Acclimatisation <i&'' iil:;Society latety. . The ova were ■ ot>- / ,'. $ tamed from a stream running into one :#.^ '. of the lakes on the station. >. The death is announced of Mrs. James Browne, an old: identity,'"6T Ponsonby Road. The deceased lacly : and her husband were for many'years ) at the Thames. She .was an eartVesk ~ :'.,",•.;, worker in' St. James' !Presbyteria'ii Church. ' She1 leaves' a family of t fon* , , - . sons and six daughters. ' ~,""' .~, 'False, coin.is. sold ~byr/the. coineiifctftti^^^^j^, • the "passers" ai the foliowm^ lau't^-' ; -• • Sixpences (in slari^-, 4/ r6*' * " 5/6 per 40; shillings' ("denas":),'from ,; , 3/6 to 4/ per 20; ;florins: and; lmit- )' crowns: (."twoers" '.and "halfrwhbel» ■'' ers"),-from 3/6.per 10; base sovereigns ' and half-sovereigns, about 3/ each, b In' a local church the other Sunday > .■ j evening (says: the , .Mariborougn ) : "Times"), just.as the preacher got to t ' the line "Phinged in'a' gulf.;of daric despair," the gas went out. The wor- •' shippers were plunged in darkness, and the boy who was responsible :ior ( ' the episode will have to:face the d.M. , - ;in a day or two. f;; ' i ' News from Ngaruqwahia. states that : , the steamer Freetrader, the property > : of Mr T. Davis, which, 'has for 'Borne years been ly^ng idie, is about*to-be ; s called into .use once more, and J Mr. Davis is having her repaired and put in order generally.' She ; 'is now urider t a five years' engagement to 'tow logs I to the Mercer sawmills, and will tie ready to commence;work in about six ; , Weeks' time.' ■ ' ■ ' ' ■ " ';[' : ~ " In connection with the Christchurch". jubilee week in December of this year it has been decided jto entertain old colonists at a lunchetfn, in the'Exhibl- , / ; tioh Hall on the Tuesday afternoon, ; ~ and in the eveningl an entertainment will be given. On the Wednesday. , evening the . Mayor, of CtiristchurcK ■ will give a dinner to old colonists-in the Exhibition Hall. A Maori'ienter" , ; .,-; : tainment will be given on Thursdayj , evening, .and a conversazion,e'dn;;iFri* i day eVeningI.'1.' ,''• '' j '■'/■ : News from the Chatham' Islands : gives the intelligence: that, some'Hve sponges obtained iri 'the/ 'grtiup, whicbl were talien, to England; soin© f tinie , ago by.Captain Cooper, have'been"reported on very favourably. The sponge is described as superior to. anyttiln'g; hitherto discovered in. the jMediter- ',;' ranean / Sea.,,' Captain! Cooper "'haa hrpught out'necessary 'appliahbes Xqr seeu'»iagrthe';.'spbngiß,;ana ( ;' i '>\-;;isti^' ' company is alDQut to start operations at the-Chathams.; ~.--.• , / - The three new forts at Dover, which1 have been in, course of construetibK '. for','tKet;last two,years, upon the cliff? . ' overlooking the channel, were,on,June » 23rd formally i handed ; over by ,the: csons ;. • tractors to the Goveniment; on : thels completion. Besides the; 6-inch guns -.y already at these forts, arrangements ; are 'being made for mounting six 9- _." . inch guns. These guns, like the B-incn , ones, are ;wire-built ; breech-loaders, • with an effective range of" eleveis j miles —more than half-way across the . - channel. \ ' '•',.■> According to the Tuapeka (Otago^ ' "Times" the Lawrence railway st-aa " tion and its. viciiity is still glutted with dredging material of ©very dcs scription, despite the fact that:therK are something like*4o, r .teains. engage^ .in carting it away up-country., Sp.e^ ; '< cials still continue running day and ■ ; night, and though the authorities at . ' the Dunedin end restrict the quantity i of loading forwarded, yet it continues I to accumulate,, and for many weeks > past there has been no visible diminution of it.