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Bruce Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 1211, 11 June 1880, Page 3

Not less than 270 persons were relieved at the soup kitchen, Christchurch, on Wednesday morning. The Secretary of the Tokomairiro Farmers' Club announces that the entries for the annual ploughing match will close- on 26th instant. From the Colonial Treasurer's financial statement it will be seen that Ministers propose to take 20 per cent off their salaries from Ist July. Twenty-two prisoners are awaiting trial at the forthcoming sittings of the Supreme Court at Timaru, and the Criminal Sessions are expected to occupy nearly a week. Wednesday's 'Western Star 'says that intense interest is displayed in the approaching wash-up atPrintz's claim, although it is beyond doubt that the result will be highly satisfactory, and will be known to-day or to-morrow. The beer tax has caused great consternation amongst the Christchurch brewers. It is stated that the amount collectable from the five breweries will range from L 3500 to L6OOO each, but we think this must be a mistake. Mr "W. A. Murray has given notice of motion that the honorarium payable to members of the House of Representatives be reduced to LIOO and that no honorarium be paid to Legislative Councillors. This is a step in the right direction. The following notice of a birth recently appeared in the ' Oamaru Mail ' - ".On the 2nd Juno, at her residence, the wife of Frank Dunlop of twin daughters. — Gossips please remain at home and make no remarks." We learn from Balclutha that, at a meeting of the Clutha Presbytery in Warepa Church held on Tuesday, the Rev. G. B. Inglis received and accepted a unanimous call to fill the pastorate of that congregation. His trials for ordination are fixed for Wednesday first. It is evidently Dot intended to grant any more bottle licenses. The Clutha Licensing Court refused an application made by Robert Farquhar, of Warepa. All the publicans' licenses were renewed, and Mr Geo. Townsend's license of the Railway Hotel was transferred to Mr Eitas. AYe remind our readers that Messrs Duthie, Moore & Co.'s will hold a sale of valuable horses, cattle, sheep, buggy, spring cart, &c, this day at 2 p.m., at Mr W. J. D. C. Reid's Eskbmk Farm. The sf me auctioneers hold a sale of fruit and forest trees at Milton, at 7.30 this eveuing. The Rector of the Tokomairiro High School kindly informs us that the scholars have subscribed, in aid of the Benevolent Institution, Dunedin, IS 10a 2Adin money, and the girls have forwarded about 70 articles of industrial work, consisting of pinafores, shawls, slippers, boots, stockings, mats &c. This result is highly creditable to the scholars. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, G. M. O'Rorke, Esq., has received the honor of knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen, a despatch to that effect, from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, having been placed upon the table of the House, on Wednesday, by the Hon. Mr Fall. The usual complimentary forms were gone through on the occasion . Fob their plucky and cool conduct in the arrest of Butler, Constables Townend and C:>l--borne have each been rewarded by Colonel Reeder, superintendent of Constabulary, with thesumofLlO. Promotion, thn Colonel promises, will follow as soon as vacancies occur. The recognition of the services of these constables has been somewhat tardy. All will agree that it was well deserved: — " Daily Times." We regret to hear that the new manse in connection with the Presbyterian Church at Catlin's Eiver was destroyed by fire on Tuesday afternoon. The origin is unknown. This building was only erected last year, and stood entirely by itself in the middle of a good seized

section of sloping ground. This loss will be severely, felt in that as yet young community. We regret to have to chronicle the demise of Mr W. Chapman, sen., who died at Warrington, Canterbury, in the house of his son-in-law, on the sth inst. Deceased was for many years a settler in Tokomairiro, and was highly respected by all. Mr Chapman came to Otago in one of the first ships, and it is only two or three months since he left here for the North. On account of the financial statement, and other matter, we have to withhold our usual parliamentary extracts. However, nothing of very great importance has been going on. We may mention that the " Deceased Wife's Sister Marriage Bill" was read in the Legislative Council on Tuesday for the first time. During the debate on the Licensing Bill, in the House of Representatives, the abolition of bottle licenses was well supported. The Napier brewers have been more lucky than their congeners in other parts of the Colf ony. Somehow a merchant there received information that the beer duty would be imposed and so did a brewer. The merchant cleared out the whole of his stock to hotelkeepers, and one of the latter saved L6O by his operations. Thi'ough some official blunder the police did not receive official intimation till three hours after they had read the news in the paper 3, and consequently all the carts in the town were employed during the precious time in carting beer. After that the whole of the duty collected ! did not exceed L 250. A curious circumstance, showing the danger J which persons run from eating wild honey, occurred near Maketu the other day. A native who was on the search for honey (says the Bay of Plenty Times) discovered a fine hive close to a wharangi bush, and having eaten plentifully of the honey, he was attacked after a few hours with violent pains, similar to those resulting from taking strychnine. No medical assistance was available, and the unfortunate sufferer died in the course of the Right. The bees had gathered their honey from the flowers of the wharangi, which is one of the two poisonous plants to be found in New Zealand. A leap year ball was recently given in Washington (says the New York Hour), where the ordinary usages at balls were completely reversed. Thus a gentleman received his guests, one of the chief ladies of the entertainment i called for the principal gentleman visitor, presented him with a bouquet and escorted him to the ball, the ladies throughout the evening inviting the gentlemen to dance, and escorting them back to their seats. Most of the gentlemen wore very low waistcoats withbonquets in front, and had lace rnffies at their throats and wrists while many of them carried bouquets, and often held them upside down. A discovery of rare ancient gold coins has been made in Germany. On the Goldberg at Maldorf, New Marburg, in Hesse, a large number of rare ancient gold coins have been discovered. They are so-called Bracteates. On the hollow side there is a picture in relief, having three, five, seven, or nine elevated point 3 of a snake-like animal; while the raised side shows a pear-shaped elevation in the centre surrounded by two or three points and a wreath of leaves. The size of the coins is about that of a half sovereign, but thicker, the weight being 1\ grammes, the value, therefore, amounting nearly to a sovereign. A cross, bracelet, brooch, and some other objects have likewise been discovered at the same spot. We learn from an English paper that the success which has followed Professor Nordenskjold in making the North-east passage seems to have woke up the Swedes to renewed energy. Their ambition now is to penetrate the ut moat mysteries of the opposite — the Antarctic Pole. The learned men of Sweden persist in believing that a /ast mass of land encircles the nominal point spoken of as the Southern Pole and intend to persevere with their explorations with a view to an ultimate discovery. They do not believe in Australia being the true Austral region, balancing the weight of the globe, and they still put faith in the tradition of Juan Fernandez, who declared that he found, far beyond New Zealand, a country very fertile, and inhabited by an almost civilized people. An elderly gentleman who was dangling after a widow Jady for more than five yearp, brought an action against her for breach of promise. The lady had amused herself by keeping him on, though taking care in no way to commit herself by promising to marry him. It transpired during the hearing of the case, that she was possessed of five thousand a year, and it was the golden bait which attracted the mercenary suitor, but the widow apparently know the state of affairs, so that when he asked her to be his wife, he was very much astonished to hear the lady indignantly reject him. As a salve to his wounded pride, he requested her to settle £100U upon him ; need I say this was also declined, so the affair was taken into court, but the jury, finding no proof of a promise to marry, dismissed the case, and the poor man only gets laughed at for pains. The ' New York Herald ' remarks that •' the spring opening in the murder line is decidedly lively, " and nobody would (says Truth) be disposed to cavil at the statement after reading a daj''s tragedies. In a southern town several rowdies entered a bar and assaulted a policeman . ■who shot one dead and wounded another. At St. Nicholas a waiter shot dead a commercial traveller who found fault with the quality of the eggs supplied for his 'breakfast. At Slaughtervillc, Kentucky, the marshal having been threatened with death by a citizen, who considered himself wronged by that official, went to the house of his enemy and shot him dead; and the same fate befel a man engaged in a strike; while a colored boy of fourteen cut the throat of a colored girl because she refused to get up to find him a pen. Pretty well this for one day. A startling surprise, after the fashion of the story of Ginevra, was experienced recently by some Styrian wood cutters in Drommling forest, They began to fell a venerable oak, which they soon discovered to be epiite laollo-sv. Being half decayed it speedily came to the ground with a crash, disclosing a skeleton in excellent preservation. Even Ihe bools, which came above the knee, were almost perfect. By its side was a powderhorn, a poroelaiu pipe-bowl, and a silver watch, on wl.ich was engraved the name "H. von Krackowitz, 1512." The teeth

were perfect. It would seem to be the skeleton of a man between thirty and forty years of age. It is conjectured that, while engaged in hunting, he climbed thß tree for some purpose, and slipped incautiously into the hollow trunk, from \ which there was no release, and probably died of starvation. • Harper's Magazine is responsible for the following story : — ln some of the Western States it is usual for the people to engage ministers for | a term of years, he having the option of terminating the engagement by giving a certain notice. The members of a Baptist Church had engaged a minister in this way, but before hall the term had expired wished to get rid of him. He, after a time obtained an appointment as chaplain to | the State prison, so gave notice that he would leave, and on a certain Sunday he would preach his farewell discourse. The people, delighted that they were about to get rid of the minister of whom they were tired, turned out in great numbers to hear his last sermon. Their delight was turned into consternation, however, when he gave out his text, which was taken from the second and third verses of the fourteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel— "l go to prepare a place for yon ; that where I am there ye may be also." Gold is reported as having been discovered in South Africa. The 'tf atal Mercury ' says, " Eumors are afloat regarding the discovery of gold in Zululand. It is quite true that a fine little nugget, weighing oce ounce, has been brought in from the northern side of the Tugela, but it is quite premature as yet to say that a goldfield has been discovered. As for the j Transval, our own correspondent, at Pretoria, writes under date February 21st:— 'There are rumours of all kinds of discoveries of gold being made, but these must be taken at a large discount. The fact appears to be established, however, that the old diggings at Spitzkop, &c, are "looking up" again, fcr in one week 450z of gold were taken out of the claim of Messrs White and King, and 51oz the following week. It is said tbat a larger quantity has since been taken out of the same spot. There is undoubtedly payable gold in Lydenburg district, but there is nothing as yet which will warrant people at a distance " rushing " into the toilsome and uncertain life of golddigging."