LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 361, 29 March 1871, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A bushman named John M'Leod, has been drowned while attempting to cross the Wai-, wera River, Thames. . An eccentric thief at Kilmore, in Victoria, stole a page of a newspaper, in type, as " locked up "by the printer The " forme was found under a bridge, with the type all in "pie." Mrs Burns has presented the gown and cassock of the late Rev. Dr Burns, for the use of-fche moderator of the Dunedin Presbytery, and the moderator of the Synod. While the Governor was in Dunedin he received a petition forwarded to him from Christchurch, praying for a commutation of the sentence of death recently passed upon the man M'Leod, for the murder of his wife. Joseph Conn has been found drowned upon tlie beach, near the foot of the Waimea Track, Westland. andthe Coroner's jury were of oninion that the deceased was drowned whilst attempting to cros3 the Hokitika river, he being at the time in a state of intoxication He ha'.l°i wife but had no family. The ' Charleston Herald ' states :— it is estimate.! by those who are in a position of judging, that the loss sustained by this district during the past three months of dry weathor does not fall far short of L2i>,9oi>. Steps are being taken by a number of gentlemen in Christchui-ch to form a company for the manufacture of the coarser q-oalities of paper from flax tow. Tha capital required will be LI O,O JO, and it is proposed to gut it subscribed in LlO shares. According ta a Ballarat paper, a lady in that city, carries on somewhat extensively the rearing of silkworms. She has now, it is said, sjme 12/JJO cucoons rexdy for winding. The ' Lyttelton Times ' thus refers to one of the difficulties tlie Acclimatisation^ Society has had to contcnJ with :— The worst enemies to the feathered tribe, whether native birds or valuable imported varieties, are the lar^e number of wild cats with which the country is now infested. The partiality of cats for young pheasants is well known, and has ren<lV-od the t.isk of pheasant rearing in the Society's gardens one of uonsidera jle difficulty. The first year saw tlie cats triumphant, every pheasant, quail, or other bird liberated falling a prey to pussy's claw. A A five years' war of extermination has resulted in the total destruction of 3Ji) cats in the gardens alone. Tlie 'New Zealand Herald' speaks of a new method of marking, which has beer, used for the first time at the Colonial Prize Firing at Auckland the other day . — ln the old style it was usual to hoist out flags after every" shot to denote where it struck ; but there were objections to this system, as the flags would not often blow out, and so lead |to Confusion. The new systum is a very I beautiful and simple one. A circular piece of tin about a foot in diameter, is fastened to the end of a long rod, and after every | shot it is held up from the butt, and then is ! pointed to tho pai-t of the target where the I shot h-is struck. Ie is white for an outer, I blue for a centre, and red and white for bull's eye. There is not the slightest diih'culty, therefore, i:i making the eilect of every s'.iot pcrfee-ly clear to the slioo^rs. Thanks are due to Colonel Harrington fur bringing the j system in vogue; in this province. At ,i meeting of the Duucdin Presbytery on Wi'ihiesda]', tliu folio wing petit.oa was ! umniuvonly adopted f t transmission to the I Executive Council, the Legislative Council, lanlthe Ho',i3e of R 'jjivseutacives : — Uaco | the Ho-.jorable, &o. Tho memorial of the ! Rev. the Pivsbytery of Dn.iedin, humbly | skewoMi, that whereas it is understood by j tho Presbytery that a scheme of general edu • ! cation forth-.i whole of Now Zealand wiil be ! laid before tho Loglsktu'-e at. its next session. ' The Presbytery desires respectfully to cxi piv-it it; opinion that any sys'em of eduaa- ' t.on dusigued for tiie country at large should 1 be national, in contra'Usiinerion to denoinina- | tional, inasmuch as the latter has been : found at once expensive, unsatisfactory, and 1 iue'livient. Tlie Presbytery w.m1.l further 1 express its opinion, thai in any Bill cst.ili.ihing a national system, provision bo mads for ; the me of tho Sacred Scriptures in all the i school*, subject to the control of the local eonun t ec. The Pr s'.y'e.y would take tho ! lib-Tty of di-.iwing the ; t eurion of ti.e As--1 semMy t ) tlie system of ]>n • )lio od leation whie'i lilvj been estaMishe.! and in operation in Otago for a nu:nber of yens, and whic'ri i has given ample satisfaction to the co.iimu'iity j at- large. Further, your in •moivili-ta would -express rhei'- opinion that thecloiails of a-iy pan | of publici n--,l;-ueiio;i wlii ;:i in ly b •proposed, • should be laid before the country prior to I such pl.iu being fia diy a l-jpted. At the meeting of the W.is!c Lands P.oard on Wedn -. lay, the Biard dccUiied the aj>- | plication of M'isars Driver and Macdoiiuld. I for a new lease of Rui 07. Messrs Gillies ! and Street ('for Mr J->lm Scot) applied to havu valuation allowed for improvements on that part oHJun 4loiucluded. within the township of Kiulooli. and uliicii hud been eroctC'l bofore that township had been surveyed. It was resolved thac the improvcm.-nls should be valued and paid for by the purchaser. . Messrs Gillies and Street (for Mr P. M I Boult) applied to purchase s') acres on Run 1 419, and to which the runholdev hid conI scnted. The application was agreed to. The j application of Messrs DuigeUy. Nichols, and I Co, on behalf of Mrs Ann H;dge and Philip Oakden, for a lease of Una od-i., under section 05) of the W.isto Lauds Act, and 12 of the Hundreds Regulation Act, was declined. Messrs Council and Moodio, (for Captaia M'Kciizie) applied to have plans of prempI tive right on Hun IG3 approved, and the applicant declared the purchaser. Approved, subject to survey correction. Messrs Gonm.'lf and Moodie. on behalf of Mr Hugh M'fntyro, applied to have plan of pre-emptive right on 107n approved, and the applicant declared the purchaser. Application approved, subject to survey correction. Mr John Gillies recommended that Mr 13. Healy and Mr W. Hcndessy be allowed valuation for bnildings they erected on wrong sections iv Fairfax. It was resolved that the auctioneer be instructed to withhold sections with improvements on them for sale. Messrs Connell and Moodio, on behalf of Messrs S.viug, Glendining, and Brown, requested to be allowed to reduce an application for sections '61 and 62, block, VII, Tuturau, to 50 a.res, aud t > have the de])osit they had made applied to the p ivment of the reduced area applied for. Agreed to. Mr Mann, for Ml" P. Grant, applied for reduction of fee payable on saw-mill license for sections in block IX and XI, Mannga'UA. Reducsd to LlO per annum. O.i the application of Mr „ William Keall, another m -nth wa3 allowed for survey of the ground on which a church is proposed to-be erected at Waipori A letter wa3 read fro,u ranger Irving respecting the unlawful depasturing of sheep .-on the West Taiori Hundred. It was resolved that .the ranger hake. such action as is best-calcu-lated to protect the interest of the license holders.

Potty robberies have been prevalent in Ohristchureh of .lafce. A shirt, pair of breeches and gaiters, have been made out of New Zealand flax in Cluistchurch. A call from the Hatnpden congregation to the Rev M. Baird, lias been sustained by the Dunedin Presbytery. The success of the various agricultural shows is drawing attention in Adelaide to a proposal to hold an intercolonial show of produce and manufactures in that city.. The new Government Eouse at Wellington, has now been completed, and the furnishing of the building is being proceeded with by a Ohristchureh firm. One of Thomson's Road Engines, six-horse power, has been imported by a Mr Bruce of Waimate. Canterbury. Its cost, including all charges of transit is L3DO. A curious theft was committed on the Queen's wharf, Nelson, a few days ago, being nothing less than that of the Bishop of Nelson's gown, a silk dress, and some papers A public meeting was called for the purpose of ro-organisating the local Acclimatisation Society at Qtieunstown, but the object failed, through the waat of attendance. The Superintendent of Canterbury has declared the province of Ot igo, together with other paits of the Middle Island, infected districts within the meaning of the Diseased Cattle Acts, and making regulations concerning the transportation of cattle from those districts into Canterbury. The General Government has declined to permit the formation of a Volunteer 11 ifis Corps at Waimate, Canterbury, upon the ground that th-y are not anxious to increase the number ot Volunteer corps, and t:iat they we short of arms. Sir Henry Barkley, the new Governor, arrived at the Cape on December 31, and was warmly welcomed The diamond lieids on the banks of the Vaal River continued very productive, and gems of great value were to leave by the outgoing mail steamer for England. The diamonds shipped during 1870 were estimated in value at L 220,000, including tho Star of South Africa, valued at LI J, 500. Oamaru is the spot for onions. The ' Times ' says :— Mr R. Lear showed us the oilier day an onion of unusually large sizs, grown by him. It measured 18.V inches iv circumference, and weighed lflb. At a recent public moating held at Queens- ■ town, the following motion was passed : — That the arrangements for the reception of the Governor be loft a carte blanche with the Municip il Council, and that they be requested to receive Her Majesty's representative in a proper manner. The ' Thames Advertiser ' says :— Some idea of the enormous richness of the Caledonian mine may be formed from tha fact that between the Bth of February aud the Gtli of March, or within one month, consiably over L 84,000 worth rf the prcci'-us metal has been lodged to the credit of the company in the Bank of New Z jalaud, as the produce of the mine during that time. Regarding the recent floods in the_Wairarapa district, the ' Mercury ' s.iys : — Tho ac counts tint we have received of the damage done to the road between Feather ston aud the Pakuratahi arc worse than anticipated. There are 40 slips on the hill, and 7 bridges and culverts completely destroyed. In addition to this iv many party the road is totally Wiisliod away, and the time it will take to repair it for dray traflic, is estimated bvanoxp .-riencod ru;.d ua i at 3 months if IJO man are employed at. once Tiio Tlikiiios Advertiser' tolls the following singular circa instance : -On Wednesday mJrni'.ig, as i\ir Wiseman, of Shout'and, proceeds I upstair; to hii bedroom, ho happened to sec in Mr Bach's yard, in the rear of his house in Scaly street, Thames, the son of the latter, about two years of age, standing beside the mouth of the well, and the thought fl ishad across his mind that his position was not very safe. R-ememb-ji-iug tlie accident, by which Mrs Norton's child lost his life, through falling into a well, only a few days ago, and prompt .-a byijthe thought, he looked out in time to s.-e the boy walk on the cover over the .veil, which, not being secure, gave way, an 1 tho boy disappeared into the water, the oovor immediately assuming its former position, so that even if people had bean passing no one would have soon the bod} 7 , or suspected that it was contained therein. Mr Wije.ii.iu instantly hurried down, and succeeded in' saving the lit Lie fclLw from an untimely eid. A ijO'jd story comes to us from the Welsh circuit. During a recon t ass ; ze, at the conclusion of the d:ty's business, a comin >n juryman applied to Mi Justice tJannon, who presided at the Glamorganshire Asnzjs, f>r permission to be excused from attending as a j juror oa the following day. " Oil, my Lord, 1 am extremely desirous of being able to attend a funeral to-morrow, and cannot do un- , less your lordship gives me permission to be ■ absent," said the" applicant. Mr Justice Hannea, anxious to oblige the juror on suoh an occasion, immediately gave the required permission. Upon leaving the Court, his , I lordship was informed by the under ShcriiT that the juror who had jiut obtained a day's leave of absence, was an undertaker. The first sod of the Southern Trunk Railway v.-a,3 turned by his Excellency the Govornor on the 18 Lh instant. Th..- si:e chosen : was a paddock belonging to Mr E B. Cargill, at Kensington, where, shortly after two o'clock, between 300 and 400 people assembled. An address was read by Mr Blair, the engineer, and to which his Excellency responded H;s Excellency then lifted with a spade a sod which had been previously cut, placed it in a barow, which he wheeled a few yards and then overturned. A similar thing was also done by Mrs Capt. Cargill ; and several hearty cheers were afterwards given. The spade and barrow had been made expressly i the purpose. A prayer was then offered by the ivev. D. M. Stuart, and the ceremony having been concluded, his Excellency, ac- ■ c unpanicd by several ladies and gentlemen, proceeded to a marquee and partook of luncheon. The usual toasts were proposed and i responded to, and the proceedings teruiin- ! ated. It is not often a youngster is met with who possesses the presence of mind and pluck i shown by a lad named Alfred Ashlon, living . in the neighborhood of Moorabool Palls. He 1 was out (says the ' B.illarat Evening Post,') in the forest with a number of woodcutters, and wa3 playing a few yards distance from : them, on Thursday, Avhen he was bitten on ' the extreme end of the ringer of the left hand i by a snake, which he mistook for a piece of charred wood. The youngster at once ran ■ to the men. and, laying his finger on a log near at hand, asked one of the number to cut it off at the first joint. This was demured to at first, but upon the brave little fellowsaying tlisit if they did not do as he wished he ; would io it himself, one of the men severed i' the poisoned portion. The lad bore the ope- , ration with great firjiness, merely ejaculating " Oh my," as the axe's edge passed through the membsr. The little sufferer is progressing as nicely as any ova could wish.

A boy two years of age has been, drowned at Shortland, by falling into an open well. A reporter on the staff of the ' Wallyall Chronicle.' Gipps Land, has been apprehended on a charge of bushranging. New post and telegraph offices are about to be eracted at Naseby. Mr Goodfellow of Dunedin, is the contractor. Opposum skins are being largely exported from South Australia to England, to be manufactured into gloves. A runholder near Kaikqura has bought fifty ferrets to keep down thb rabbits on his run. Mr Warden Pyke has intimated that, for the future, his courts will be closed against mining agents. ■ Mr "W. W. Wilson, barrister and solicitor, has arrived in Clyde, and intends to practice in the various Wardens' Courts in the Dunstan district. There is every reason to believe that the telegraph line will be completed to ISaseby, and the office open for business within six . weeks from this date. His Excellency the Governor has further prorogued the 'meeting of the General Assembly from the Bth day of April to the 22nd day of May next. At a meeting of the Dunedin Presbytery, on Wednesday last, a unanimous call from Piilmorsfcon to the Rev Jamas Clark, of Rivertjn, was sustained. A new industry has been started in "Victoria — the making of casks for tallow, &c, by steam. TLe necessary machinery is added to existing saw mills, and the cost of cask 3is reduced to a minimum. Tiie • Lytt'eton Times ' says " A reliable authority informs us that he saw no le*s than 3JO black swans in one roob, quietly floating on a lagoon at the mouth of the river Ilasswell, one day lait week." There are at present in Auckland upwards of a dosen of candidates for admission a3 barristers and solicitors. The inhabitants of that c'ty are much to be com miss orated under the. threatened dispensation. An Auckland paper sa3's the barque Farninghain is daily expected from Sydney, to load for New York. A large quantity of gum is being stored for her on the Quaonstreet wharf. J Two Maori chiefs named John tha Baptist and Hemara, have been drowned while attending a reg-itta at Waiigaaui, ia the province of Auckland. Mr Haast, President of the Philosophical Institute, Canterbury, has arrived at the conclusion that the moa has been extinct for about five hundred years. A new local industry has sprung up in Auckland, iv the manufacture of colonial ovens adapted to the character and requirements of brick hearths. The English ranges are found to be far to expensive for people of slender means, and the simple colonial-mac! a oveu is therefore substituted. The ' Wairavapa Mercury' says : — A method of " raising the wind" for the ensuing races wa3 adopted last Saturday by some Marries impounding about 760 sheep belonging to Mr John M'Kenzie, of Caterton. The damages were laid at 2d, and the pound fees amounted to 6d a head. The money was paid under protest. An ingenious plan is aaid to have been laid bafore tiie Academy of Science at Paris for floating an aerial telegraph by h:illoons. A captive "balloon would be sent up with another (free) balloon, to which it w.mld p y out wini, the manager of tae free balloon a,!-,. taching tninuce balloons at intervals to the wire in" order to keep it high iv the air, Hi n descendin^at a s :fe distance from the enemy. The ' News of the World ' 'says :— " The Hon. Julius "Yogel, Colonial Treasurer ami , Postmaster-General of New Zealand, left San Frauckco for Washington on the 13th inst. ; Through the courtesy of the Centr J Paciiic R.iili-oad Co-iipauy, a special private car was appropriated for his use and that of his suite." ; Fancy J ulius ! What deeds of darkness was he up to' when he required a private car for his • mighty person and suite ? How much will , New Zealaud have to pay for this private car, and does Julius intend to hire a private ■ steamer to bring him back to Wellington ? A correspondent of the • Hawke's Bay . Herald' states that the hot. springs at Tokano, . near Lake Tuapo, have "in scores a.id scores of instances, proved efficacious in removing rheumatism, gout, and cutaneous disease 3 of every description." It would be des,' : able, he says, that some qualified scientific m*n , should report upon their thsrapue ie propcraES, panning out whab are the diseases , to which each spring is calculated to prove remedial,' for there are all varieties at Taupo. "" A few days ago some parties fishing fr m the Nelson "wharf ha uuxl up a fish generally known as the " sr.ing ray." Mr Wilson, chief officer of the Wild Duck, feeling interested , in the capture of the fish, approached to look at it, and placed his foot on the a umai's hear]. As quick as thought, the fish whipped round its tail, and struck him on the leg, just below tho ca'i, driving the jagged spike. ■ with which the tail is armed, compleely through the flesh, thus inflicting an ugly and painful wound. Mr Wilson fainted, but medical assistance being procured and restoratives administbved, he somewhat recovered the i -fleets of his misfortune, a ; though it is likely to be some time before he will be in a fit state to attend to his duties. By the storm of Matanzas, in the island of . Cuba, on the 7th and Bth Octobsr last, 400 houses wore swe t ,t away, 1000 men, women, and children were, destroyed, hundreds of persons who escaped with their lives were reduced to poverty, 82,000 head of cattle were drowned, whole plantations and far us were devastated, and upwards of a dozan vessels wrecked on the Florida reefs. One of the moat painful incidents connected with the terrible event was the partial destruction • ef the cemetery at Matanzas ; numerous coffins and partially decomposed bodies having bsen washed out of the graves and vaults, and scattered about in hideous conj fusion. It is estimated that the losses inflicted upon the island by fchis -whirlwind and flood will exceed four million sterling. ■I '