LOCAL AND GENERAL

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 177, 2 August 1888, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The native footballers beat Otago by a point to nothing in the return match. At the R M. Court yesterday, Robert Mayer was fined 20s or 48 hours’ imprisonment for being drunk and disorderly at Ormond on Tuesday night. A Maori who was shot in the arm during the late native disturbance, died in the Auckland Hospital on Tuesday, while his arm was being amputated. There was some heavy play at baccarat during the Manchester race meeting, says the World, and one night a noble lord lost £16,000, but got it back within £1,200 before morning, With regard to the application made to exclude those who neglected to prove in the first instance in S. B. Stewart's estate, the Chief Justice, in commenting on the application, said he considered it a very improper one. A Wellington telegram says:—The ship Pleione which has been ashore on the Waikanae beach about four months, and whioh was floated a few days ago, was successfully towed into the harbor on Tuesday, and was taken to the patent slip for repairs. An old resident of Gisborne, Mr W. T. Fryer, died suddenly yesterday morning, at the age of 55. The deceased was highly respected by all who knew him, being of an industrious and unimpeachable character, and general sympathy will be felt for Mrs Fryer and the other relations. Our contemporary does perpetrate some extraordinary jokes at times—always at its own expense, too. In a cablegram last night, with regard to the Melbourne Exhibition, they informed their readers that it was received on April Ist I Up top, and keep the day celebrated all the year round.

Our attention has been called to the condition of the lamp at ths Turanganui bridge. The glass of the lamp has been broken, and the wind causes the gas light to act so unsteadily that it is worse than useless, because it is sufficient to frighten any passing horse. Attention to the matter may prevent possible accidents. In the “ long-lost relatives ” of Lloyd’s Weekly, Mary Connor is enquired for by her mother who last heard from her in New Zealand. James King is enquired for by his parents, who last heard of him at Dunedin in 1876; also Henry Skinner who is sought by his mother, who last heard of him in 1885, at Selwyn, New Zealand. In the Supreme Court yesterday, before the Registrar, Mr Greenwood, a bill from Mr M. Macdonald, against S. R. Stewart’s estate, for £35. was taxed by ten guineas. It transpired that part of the amount was for work done during a period in whioh the solicitor had not paid the fee required by law, thus rendering himself liable to a penalty. Two guineas costs were allowed. The usual weekly meeting of the Presbyterian Literary Association was held on Tuesday evening. There was a moderate attendance. Three short essays were delivered, on “Improvement of the Mind,” “Volcanoes,” nd “ Love,” by Messrs T. Adair, E. Parnell, and G. Johnstone respectively. The papers —particularly the last named, which was of an amusing nature,—came in for a good deal of criticism.

In connection with a statement made a short time previously, a match between F. Penfold, of Christchurch, and F. Hooper, the local ped., has been arranged to come off on August 25. The contest is to be for two hours, and we believe it will be for the championship of New Zealand for that distance. Penfold has a great advantage in reputation, and there is no doubt he can break the previous records in Gisborne, but from all that has been seen of Hooper's qualities, there is every reason to believe that he can also manage that, and with training do much better besides. Both men are taking every precaution to make themselves fit, and already a large amount of interest has been awakened in the event. A Lend jn correspondent writesl have had an interview with a gentleman well known in political circles, who has recently been travelling in South Africa in order to study the South African question. He thought it necessary, among other thing,a to pay a visit to the new Delagoa Bay Railway, and made a trip in a special train as far as the terminus at the Portuguese frontier. He tells me that this termnius was unlike any other with whioh he is acquainted in the old world or the new. It was surrounded by aliigators, and when his train arrived he found that the stationmaster, the porter, and the telegraphist were all upon the roof of the station—not from the fear of the alligators, who were always with them, but in order to avoid the attentions of a lion who had been pacing the platform during tfle forenoon. Under these adverse conditions it is not surprising to learn that freighters do not avail themselves of the advantages offered by the company.

A lecture was recently delivered in Sydney by a sanguine inventor, in whioh was then described “ the steamer of the future.” This wonder of the time to come is to rush along over the surface of the ocean at express speed —sixty miles an hour—and, in order to do this, it is only necessary, according to the lecturer, to construct her according to the following formula : - She must be 800 ft long, 55ft wide, and 60ft deep ; she must be flat bottomed, with a profile at the bow ressembling a barge turned bottomed up ; there must be six propellers of 10ft to 12ft in dia-meter-three on each side, and each driven by a separate engine, the actuating and motive power being oil. Should it be necessary to stop her suddenly in her headlong career, mechanical means would be devised for forcing up the stern, and thus converting the whole vessel into a break, bringing her to a dead stop in two minutes. The question irresistibly presents itself: Where would she be when brought to a dead stop in so novel a fashion ? Would she not have been forced by her momentum many fathoms below the surface of the ecu '!

Mr John Morley has undertaken to write a paper on Matthew Arnold for an early number of the Universal Review. An Oamaru paper is wroth at ‘ the pettifogging policy of singling out Oamaru for financial slaughter.’ The Australia is expected from South early to-morrow morning, and the Tarawera from Auckland at about noon of the same day. Lately Mr Levestam gave the House an illustration of the unreliableness jf ‘ Hansard’ reporting. In the course of a debate he had said that * one grain of strychnine would kill a man, but a larger quantity would not.’ He found he was reported as saying that ‘ one grain of opium would kill one man, but it would not kill another.’ At the meeting of the Fire Brigade last night it was decided to issue a challenge for a return football match, the proceeds from the gates to be devoted towards the next trip of the representative team to take part in the annual competition. After the last match it is a certainty that a large number of people would like to see the return match, the teams being so even. The object in view is a good one, and holidays are very scarce just now, why not have a half-holiday for the occasion ? Our Melbourne correspondent writes:— We have rather an equivocal kind ot visitor here just now in the gentleman whom one ot weeklies designates “His Disgrace the Marquis ot Queensberry. ” He came out with the London Gaiety Company as cavalier servente. He is no doubt rather a good-looking man, tall, well-made and handsome, but looks dissipated and fast. Why I mention him, is because he has been much talked of last week in consequence of acting as referee at the Burke v. Slavin prize-fight. His entry into the arena was one hardly consistent with the dignity of a British Peer, for he climbed through a window and stumbled on to the platform where the fight was taking place. Altogether, I am afraid from what I have seen of the noble Marquis that he is rather a black-sheep, and I hope he will not contaminate our Melbourne youth, for he has already collected around him a gathering of sporting young bloods who worship at his shrine.

That dawg I On Tuesday we recorded an incident of a dog that had sagaciously stopped two smaller dogs fighting, in Christchurch. This was nothing in comparison with what a clever dog did after the last meeting of the Harbor Board. Mr Gannon was in fighting trim, and went for slanderers right and left, and expressed his elation and pride that they had such a Chairman on the Board that he could go before Camr—Whitmore and Co.— and show that they (the members) were that thin that their purity could be seen as though they were composed of crystal that even Mr Levi, the optician, could find no blemish in—that the dear old ladies in the Uppah House had cleansed and purified them, till they were as white as a bleached lily, if it is necessary to bleach that emblem of purity.—Mr Chambers thought it quite unnecessary to paint the lily or adorn the rose, while Mr Dickson hinted that the paint was not as clear as the lily— Indeed it was a grave mistake that they had ever given anyone an opportunity to paint them, and the crystal was to him just about as clear as mud was to a blind man.—The Chairman saw an opening, and attempted a thrust, when he said some members had talked nasty.—Mr Dickson was too obtuse to see that even.—The Chairman said they had made reference to “ cookery.”—This remark caused several members, including Captain Kai himself, to leave, as though the reference to the culinary department had reminded them that supper time was nearing.—Mr Dickson was down on the cookery racket, and Mr Gannon and the Chairman looked as though they meant to be down on Mr D. The Press representatives thought they were in for a scene that would have stood twelve headings, and would have gone down with their readers better than did the deaths of the German Emperors, when the sagacious representative of the canine species, probably also attracted by the mention of “ stewed boraok,” walked oft with Mr Gannon’s hat in mistake for a newly.prepared dish. “ Beg your pardon, Mr Chairman, but somebody's dog has run oil with my hat,” and off went the dog, and ditto did Mr Gannon, and ditto did the remaining members. But further furiosities were avoided by one fortunate circumstance— Mr Gannon had on a pair of Garrett’s best watertights, and directly he lifted his foot the ever-wise dog knew that he must give way to quality, and so he surrendered the hat. This is a positive fact, and anyone that doesn't put faith in newspaper yarns had better call in and get Mr Garrett to show them a specimen of the boots.—Ad.