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Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5834, 20 November 1880, Page 2

Mr and Mrs J. T. Tylee arrive from England by tho Rotomahana this morning.

The new Petane school-house is now finished, and will be occupied on Monda3 r next. It is an exceedingly neat structure, and the contractor seems to have done his work in a very creditable manner.

The new Snider medium rifles for the Rifle corps were distributed yesterday morning, and. by the afternoon a number of the members had had their aims cleaned and wero at the butts trying them.

The verandah -floor of the Post-office at the Spit has been lifted and an asphalte flooring laid down instead by Mr T. Waterworth. The change was not without need, as the old wood flooring was quite rotten, and there being some two feet of vacuum beneath, it might have proved anything but a pleasant man-hole.

A meeting of members of the several Friendly Societies in JS T apier was held last evening to arrange upon the disposal of the proceeds of the late fete. The balance-sheet was read and adopted, aud after a great deal of discussion it was decided to leave the disposal" of the balance 'in hand to tho Fete Committee. Mr 0. T. Williams resigned his position as secretary to the committee.

A man named Patrick Collins, who was sentenced at the last sitting of tho Supreme Court to six months' imprisonment for larceny, and whose sentence will expire to-day, will on his release from tho gaol be arrested on a charge of horsestealing at Greytown, aud will be sent on to Wellington by to-day's steamer. At the time the offence is alleged to have been committed Collins was known by the name of Robert Ryan Weston.

Captain Russell, M.H.R., has received a letter from the Government stating that piece-work will be offered to those settlers in the bush who require employment. This is as much as could be expected, nor can the settlers anticipate making large wages at tho prices at which the w T ork will be offered. When the Government is asked to provide work for the unemployed it can only be looked upon as a temporary expedient, and the wages should be fixed afc little above a living rate.

An entertainment in aid of the public library was given in the Oddfellow's Hall, Waipawa, last Thursday evening. The whole of the performers were amateurs living in Waipawa, and the trouble they had taken to get up an entertainment for so good an object was highly creditable, and they certainly deserved a larger amount of support than they received. The first part of the programme was musical, the entertainment concluding with a screaming farce entitled " Do you know me now ? " which was highly amusing from its intense absurdity. A dance took place after the performance, aud a considerable number kept it up until the early morning.

There was a very fair attendance at tho Theatre Royal last evening on the occasion of the benefit tendered to Madame Franzini. The entertainment was the best yet given by the company. Madame Frauzini's performance on the bicycle elicited frequent bursts of applause. She also sang several songs with a good deal of taste and expression, "Take me home" being the best one. Mis Aiuice Thornton danced the sailor's hornpipe with much spirit, and w r as loudly applauded. Mr Swau sang " There's lifo iv tho old boy yet," and was loudly encored. He sang " True Blue " iv response to the recall. Mr C. Monteith sang a humorous song, " I'm leaving Tipperary," which elicited a recall. Mr Hayes singing was as usual much applauded. Tho performance concluded with tne "Drunkard's Child," the parts in which were taken by the Thornton family.

An accident, which it is feared will result fatally, occurred on board the ship Waikato in tho harbor yesterday. One of the stevedores named Thomas Maher was engaged in stowing wool in the main hold, when a double-dumped bale was rolled down the hatchway. The men above gave the usual warning, and Maher went to a place of safety, but just as the bale was going clown he rushed out again, apparently to get something. The bale fell on another bale and rebounded, pressing the unfortunate man against the iron ladder leading up the hatchway. Ho exclaimed " Oh, Mac, why did not you kill me outright," and then became insensible. The life-boat was got out, and the poor man was placed on board on a mattress, aud was taken with all speed to the hospital, under the charge of the third officer. It was then found that his spine was injured, and last evening he was not oxpeoted to livo through the night. Maher is about 35 years of age, and has been resident at the Spit for about three months, being known as a sober and good workman. So for as we are aware he had no connections in New Zealand. I

At a meeting' held at the Kaikora Hotel on Thursday evening it was decided to form a ltacing Club for tho Waipawa County. It was also agreed that the first meeting should be held on New Year's Day, on the Kaikora course.

This courscisonoof thebestin the province, a good grand stand and other accommodation being already provided, and if tho residents of the district come forward in a liberal manner — as they seem determined to do, judging by the money siibr scribed on Thursday evening— fche annual Kaikora gathering become of some importance. We ciranot but think, however, that a mistake has been made in fixing tho meeting for Now Year's Day. It will clash with the Racing Club's meeting at Petano, which has been fixed for a long time, and apart from the apparent thoughtlessness of puttting down tho -Kaikora meeting for uhe same day, tlie success 6f the latter must be seriously affected By tho Petano meeting. Town sportsmen will go fco Petane, and the best horses willj'also be thore, leaving only local horses for Kaikora. The Woodthorpe County Meeting will also take place on the same day. The time for receiving entries, and making other arrangements, must also be too short.

The London Times says : — " Mr Bradlaugh has brought before the Colonial Office the case of several Maoris imprisoned without trial in New Zealand for fourteen months. One has died and others arc ill-.'*

American papei's report that about 30 miles from Santa Fe, the capital city cf the Territory of New Mexico! the soil on which the village of Placitas stands has been f ound'to be strongly impregnated with gold. The public authorities of the Territory have commissioned some experienced engineers to report on the case. Some spots have been found very ricb in the precious metal, and the soil (" dirt") has been sold at the rate of 3 dols a pound weight.

Last month a poor woman living in the parish of Camberwell, Christchurch, gave birth to four living children. They all, howevor, died within three days ; and the four little bodies were interred in' one coffin, and with one funeral service, at the Oamberweli burial ground, at Honor-oak. Yet the undertaker was compelled to pay at tho Burial Board offica four fees of eight shillings each, as for four separate bodies, four separate receipts being given. The trial of Sergeant William Marshman on charges of fraud as a marker at the Wimbledon competition was concluded on September 16 at Gosport. The Deputy Judge Advocate having summed up the evidence, the Court was cleared for deliberation. After an interval of twelve minutes the Court resumed, when Major Blake announced that the finding of the Court was a verdict of "Not Guilty" of the charges. Sergeant Marshman's sash aud sword were handed to him, and ho was ordered to return to his duties at once. There was some applause outside the Court on the finding being mado known.

Gladstone in custody ! By virtue of his position as Chancellor of the Exchequer Gladstone holds the post of Master and Worker of the Mint, and thus becomes liable to the judicial proceeding known as the " trial of the pyx." The " pyx" means, in English Mint language, a certain iron safe into which specimen pieces from each, batch of each gold and silver coinage are placed. On a set day the Lord Chanceller summons a

jury of goldsmiths; he charges them with the assay of the pieces in the pyx, aud pending the result he delivers into their custody all the officers of the Mint. From 1290 a.d. no precedent exists for the punishment of the Queen's coiners when they fail of their duty. The pyx pieces having always been of true weight and goodness, the coiners have always been acquitted. At the recent trial the result was as usual, and the Master of the Mint is safe for another year. A London correspondent of a provincial newspaper points oufc that " the rapid rise of Sir George Strachan has been very noticeable, and his appointment to a temporary Governorship at tho Cape shows how implicit is the confidence which Mr Gladstone has in him. Indeed, the Prime

Minister entertained a profound regard for this useful, able, and, on the whole,

lucky colonial servant. Sir George Strachan at one time acted as aide-de-camp to Mr Gladstone, and the story of the origin of this appointment is as follows : — On one occasion, at a dinner at wliich wore Mr Gladstone and, as he was then, Mr Strachan, tlie former, in striving to recollect a Greek quotation, was played false by his usually good mernoiy> A young gentleman sitting opposite came to the statesman's rescue. Sir George Strachan, who was the young gentleman

in question, obtained a good classical education at Aberdeen University. This stood him in good stead, and, indeed,

from all evidence, it really looks as if that

opportune Greek quotation has been the making of him." The incident related is, we believe, correct, and occurred during

the visit of Mr Gladstone to the lonian Isles.