LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hastings Standard, Issue 451, 15 October 1897, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Two sharp shocks of earthquake were felt in Hastings about 6 o'clock last evening. All claims against the estate of the late James Boyle must be rendered to Mr E. H. Williams by the 31st inst. On the last trip of the Kahu from the Chathams she brought 200 sheep from the islands. Thirteen cases of typhoid fever have occurred amongst the nurses in the Auckland hospital this year. An exhibition of the latest thing in cycle lamps will be given at Gr. H. Vickers depot to-night. Large quantities of wool were received at the local railway station to-day from Twyfoi'd, Frimley, and liaukawa stations. The Brunner disaster cases will be resumed in the Wellington Supremo Court on Ist November. Messrs Richards and Fielding advertise that they are making the best bread in Hastings. Two more theatrical shows are due in Hawke's Bay shortly—Gardner Bros.' Musical Comedy Company and the Paul-ton-Stanley Opera Company. Harry Shrewsbury, who recently suicided in Auckland, is said to be a brother of the well-known cricketer.

The heavy winds of the past few days have played havoc with the fruit trees in this district, and the harvest will not be nearly so great as the early part of the season promised. A portrait of Captain Russell, leader of " Her Majesty's Opposition" in the New Zealand Parliament, appears in the latestissue of the Sketch, together with some passages from the new edition of Mr Gisborne's " New Zealand Rulers and States men."

Notice is given that after November Ist the rate of interest in the Post Office Savings Bank will be 3 per cent, on sums under £'2oo, and per cent, over that amount.

At the Wellington Kennel Club's Show to-day Messrs Hyde and lioss (Lower Hutt j were awarded the championship in English setter dogs, and Mr Hunter, of Porangahau, the championship in English setter bitches. The various conimittes associated with the Floral Fete to be held in connection with St Matthew's Church on the Frince of Wales' birthday are working assiduously to make the affair a huge success. Judging by the energy so far displayed the fete will prove worthy of the district. Information was conveyed to the police last evening that the servant girl of Mrs Aulsebrook who had been sent to Hastings with a horse and trap early in the afternoon for provisions had not returned, and as the horse was a frisky one fears were entertained that a mishap had occurred. The whole police force was engaged in the search and Constable Butler spent some hours on the flats, but nothing could be elicited as to the girl's movements. This morning she returned to her mistress as though nothing had happened. She had met her sister in Hastings during the afternoon and the pair had driven to Napier, where they spent the night. The Flying Jordans opened in Napier last evening. A Hastings man gives it as his opinion that it is the best show in the world. The troupe is headed by the five Flying Jordans, aerial artists of great repute, whose performances on trapezes and other paraphernalia away up in the dome of the tent is claimed to be a revelation. Mario and Mario, the horizontal bar performers, are the best in their line, Mr Frank Mario being the one who leaps from the first bar to the third, clearing the middle one. Miss Virginia Aragon, the wire walker, is a pretty, dark-eyed Parisienne, who has appeared in all the great amusement places of the world. The remainder of the company includes Howard and St. Clair, in their clever comedy sketch " Walter Wellington's Visit" ; Little Thursday, the wonderful dancer ; Olaf Sclirader, the champion bicycle rider; the Stanfields, the clever comedy artists ; Miss Eva Clements, the dashing seriocomic ; the Hadjia, the great eccentrics; and others.

A Maori prophet has arisen in the neighbourhood of Repongaere, and his weakness is " spirits," not the ordinary spirits of commerce, which can be procured at sixpence a time, but the more valuable and less visible variety, which are supposed to haunt churchyards and deserted houses, and to occasionally put in an appearance at spiritualistic seances. Against all such the prophet in question has instituted a crusade which he is carrying through with a degree of energy that would do credit to a better cause. As the church was full of these spirits he resorted to the drastic lemedy of burning it down, but —alas! for the vanity of human hopes and aspirations—the spirits escaped before the flames had time to reach them, and a good church was destroyed without any beneficial result. But the prophet is a man of resource, and, despairing of massacring the spirits cu bloc, he has conceived the brilliant idea of destroying in smaller quantities—in fact, taking them seriatim, as it were, and drowning them, like blind puppies in a bucket of water. His plan of operation is to watch carefully until he see a spirit—and he sees a good many in the course of a day and suddenly, after the fashion of a person catching flies, ha makes a dive for it catches it up in his handkerchief, and carefully for one would not pe cruel even to a spirit—he shakes it out into the water, aud as he watches its ineffectual struggles for life and freedom he reflects on the Infinite service be is performing to a spirit' riddeu Jt£erald»

Mv W. Y. Dennett sells at his auction room to-morrow, furniture, drapery, &c. Messrs G. 11. Vickers and Co. hold their usual weekly sale to-morrow afternoon. Mr Campbell Colquhoun. lie proprietor of the Ivinetoscope, has changed the views in his machines. He is now showing a novel and intensely funny pugilistic encounter betwen two cats, a French dancing girl rehearsing, a cock fight, a scene from a nigger farce, and the ever new Jubilee procession. The motions are natural and the pictures pass easily before the eyes without the straining, dazzling effects produced by the Ciuematograpli. Large crowds are attracted to the show daily and nightly. Persons interested in works of antiquity will for the next few days have an opportunity of inspecting at Mr Hunt's stationery depot a pair of genuine Sevres vases. An estimate of the prodigious amount of labor and skill expended in the manufacture of these beautiful ornaments (every piece inlaid being bound in metal) can only be arrived at by a close inspection. The art of manufacture of this class of work has, we understand, been lost for over 5200 years. The vases are the property of a gentleman in the district, and have been placed in Mr Hunt's hands for sale. Dr Pascall's Pills cure Indigestion, Heartburn, Costiveness, Headache, Furred Tongue, Wind, and all symptoms arising from a disordered state of the liver, stomach, or kidneys. They cleanse the. bowels, and act like a charm in removing all impurities from the blood, toning and refreshing the whole system. Is 6d and 2s 6d per box. Agent—A. Eccles. —Aijvt.