The Arrow Observer, AND LAKES DISTRICT CHRONICLE. Arrowtown, Thursday, Mar 25, 1880. Local and General News.

Lake County Press, Volume IX, Issue 463, 25 March 1880, Page 2

The Arrow Observer, AND LAKES DISTRICT CHRONICLE. Arrowtown, Thursday, Mar 25, 1880. Local and General News.

We regret to announce the death of Mrs Humphrey at Frankton on Tuesday morning. Deceased, although ailing for some time past, only took to her bed about three -weeks since. The funeral -will take place at Frankton Cemetery on Thursday afternoon, at three o’clock. About twenty of the Arro-w Volunteers have gone to the Christchurch Review. Owing to uncertainty as to whether a special train would run from Invercargill to Dunedin to-night, a portion of them went away yesterday morning, while the remainder only started to-day. We believe these latter"will overtake their comrades in Dunedin, as there appears every probability of a “special” running. The season in which native game may be killed is proclaimed from March 29th to July 31st inclusive The ‘ Churchman ’ states that the Rev. E. H. Granger takes charge of Queenstown, for the present at least. Special attention is directed to an alteration i* l Oie time of departure of the JifoioitaiHccr on Friday for Kingston. Owing to the railway arrangements for a cheap excursion from Dunedin to Kingston she will leave Queenstown at six o’clock in the morning instead of at her usual hour, and will make no other trip to Kingston on that day. Dr Douglas met with a buggy accident on Monday between Queenstown and Frankton. The horse capsized the buggy down a bank but the doctor jumped out and escaped unhurt. * We would once more remind householders in the district that a meeting for the election of a School Committee is convened by the Education Board for Saturday evening next. • Donoghue, for some years resident m the Arrow district, died at Invercargill on Sunday from the effects of a blow received in the stomach a few days previously bv the handle of a windlass. We are glad to notice that the Homeward Bound Company, under its new directory and management, appears invigorated. < The Company, after a deal of delay from various causes, has commenced the erection of its second five-head of stampers, which it is expected will 1m completed in about ten weeks, so that crushing will be commenced in the spring with the ten heads. The erection of the battery has been entrusted to thoroughly competent workmen (Messrs M‘Gregor and Adair) from Kincaid, M‘Queen’s foundry, Dunedin, so that no further hitches are likely i.o occur in regard to that part of the ~ p “ r understand that the Company r 1 ~~ aim ■ up about the end of the month,

and again at the close of the season, and on each occasion we hope to see a fair return. The following good story ia going the rounds:—Last week an Inspector of Police doing his circuit, and happened to put up for the night at a hostelry not a hundred miles from that " abode of peace," Cardrona. He retired to rest, but, ere long, was glad to quit his couch and seek elsewhere, what he failed to find where he was located—quiet. This he succeeded in securing- after a walk of about a mile in the dark, where another Boniface made him snug for the remainder of the night. The Inspector in question is a married man and a father, and was unable to lay out the lusty and expressive language from members of the "sorter sex" whioh greeted his ears at Hotel No. 1. Hence his unseasonable flight.. We have heard before that certain hotels in "over-the-border" corners of the County were hardly conducted in as orderly a-manner as they should be, and that the local "skipper" paid little heed to their shortcomings, but we hardly thought things were so bad as the present story would indicate. There will be warm water for somebody when this same Inspector reaches bis head-quarters again-. The centenary of Dr. Chalmers (the eminent Scotch di-vme who played such an important part at the time of the crisis in the Presbyterian Church known as the "Disruption") has been fittingly brought to mind in the various centres of Otago during the past week In Dunedin Professor Salmond delivered an able lecture, in which he passed in review the leading events of Dr. Chalmers' career. In our local Presbyterian pulpits on Sunday last the Rev. Ross took as his text Prov. x. 7, and briefly brought before his hearers the zealous and powerful labours of Dr. Chalmers By a proclamation published in the Gazette, His Excellency the Governor has appointed Ist May next as the date on which the new Electoral Rolls shall come inte operation. The principle on which these roHa will be compiled is, we understand, "as follows : All names which are on. the old rolls will be transfered to the new ones, provided (1) that the voter resides in the district, (2) owns a £25 freehold therein: Payment of rates no longer constitutes a franchise, but mere residence does, as also the possession of a freehold- worth £25, even if the owner be not a resideat in the district. Persons, therefore, who are registered as leaseholders or ratepayers, unless their place of residence is stated to be within the district for which the roll is made up, will be formally objected to by the Registrar, and notice of such objection sent to them. They will then have an opportunity of correcting their qualification, if able to do so, by describing it as residential or freehold, as the case may be, and furnishing the necessary information. If they do this their names will be included in. the new rolls. 'Times.'

In a letter recently received in Ashburton Mr Claydom writes from Home :—" lam glad to say that my efforts to introduce a useful class of settlers for you are not altogether in vain.. Several parties of middle class capitalists are already on their- way to New Zealand, and on the 3rd of next month the New Zealand Shipping Company's ship Caroline leaves with another considerable party. In Somersetshire, where I hopo to be next week, another party is forming, and numerous isolated case 3 of intending emigrants are continually coming before me. One Scottish capitalist writes me that he is going out to New Zealand with some high-bred sheep and cattle. Another is enamored with my picture of the fruit-growing possibilities of the Nelson' district, and contemplates a repetition of the vine land in New Jersey there A third is a half-pay officer, with £SOO a-year, and seven boys and girls. He wants occupation, and a prospect for his family. A fourth is a capitalist, wants 7 per cent., instead of 3i per cent, as here. I have scores of such applicants, and many of them are on the wing." Another burglary was reported to the Dunedin police on Saturday. A Chinaman named Sum Eung, residing at Wong Tape's. Stafford street, states that after locking up the house about ten o'clock on Friday night, he left the premises, another Celestial' be'ing asleep in the house. He returned some time afterwards and found that some one had got access into his room through a window and stolen £l5O, in notes and gold. In the same box were 51 sovereigns and four pieces of gold, which were not taken. An English judge recently declared that a set of false teeth were not "necessaries " for a farmer's wife, and non-suited a dentist who had supplied them without any express authority from the husband.

One Saturday last month Bishop MoorI house walked from Toongabbie to Walhalla, I twenty-one miles over the mountains; preached twice the following day, lectured the day after, walked back over the same road on Tuesday, and preached the same evening at Heyfield, to which he drove from the foot of the mountains at Toongabbie. The budgets of European nations form an interesting topic. The increase in national expenditure during the last twenty years is stupendous. France stands first with an expenditure of £119,000,000. Russia next with £107,000,000. Fifteen years aeo Europe's total expenditure was fSgS.OOOIOOO- - it is £585,000,000, of which £160,000,600 is set down for the maintenance of armies. Every nation,, with the exception of our own and Holland, has increased its national debt, France being the heaviest debtor. During that time our bugbear, Russia, has increased its debt from £208,000,000 to £600,000,000. 'I -A- lady who has unfortunately a very shrill voice and little ear for music was summonedfor 'vexing, troubling, and disquieting *■ the Vicar of St. John's Parish Church, Hampstead, by joining in the choral portion of the service at the utmost pitch of her voice," the annoyance being so great that at one time he had thought of closing the church, altogether, and leaving the churchwardens to write to the bishop- The defendant protested that she had no intention to annoy, her whole heart was in the services, and for twentyseven yearsshe had sung in the ohureh, and no complaint was made until the choir came. She had never been complained of at other churcheß, and at the parish church the choir broke down a great deal more when she did not sing than when she did. The summons was ultimately adjourned for a month to see if the annoyance ceased, the defendant beinjr / told that sho was liabl» to a fine of £5, or two j month's imprisonment." | The 'Auckland Star's * London corresponj dent writes that a friend of his, coming to. JMew Zealand, advertised for a gentlemanly lad to share his cabin with him on bis voyacre to New Zealand, with promise to lend him a helping hand on arrival. He received 300

applications from, gentlemen's- sons,, offering to pay their own passage.. One gentleman, holding a clerk's situation at £3OO a year, •wanted to know whether the advertiser would counsel him to throw it up, as he heard anyone with any brains could make £SOO a year easily out there. Most of the youths wanted farms. The correspondent adds:— "Any New Zealand settlers advertising in the 'Field' or 'Land and Water,' with proper references in England, could increase their revenues hy getting youths to he taught agriculture." The London Hospital authorities were on December 27 the recipients of a splendid Christmas-box. A lady was seen to leave a letter in the hox at the porter's lodge,, addressed' to the secretary, which on being opened was found to contain £SOOO. The writer left, we understand,, no clue to her identity. The ' Grey River Argus' states that, at the Seventeen-Mile rush, in one of the claims five dishes of washdirt yielded soz. lOdwt. of gold; and that three men last week cleared over 18ozs. by cradling in the same locality. The 'Dunstau Times' has heard that there is a probability of a- complete stoppage of the works—for a time at least —in the Cromwell Company's minu at Bendigo. Arnold. Mitton, who was committed to take his trial at the last sessions of the Supreme Court for embezzling monies, the property of the Dunedin Athenaeum, while assistant librarian, and' who absconded from his bail, has been arrested at Timaru. He will be tried at the next criminal sessions, which commence on the 15th April. The Newcastle correspondent of the ' Sydney Daily Telegraph 'reports a curious attempt at suicide as having occurred there on the 25th: February. Captain Alexandra Shaw, formerly a well-known shipowner in Newcastle, was arrested' recently on a charge of drunkenness, and during the night attempted suicide with a brass buckle off his waistcoat. He scratched a deep hole in the hollow of his left elbow, dividing the flesh, veins, &c. Oxley, the gaoler, going to the cell this morning, found him in a pool of blood, and almost speechless. The floor was covered with blood, and about two quarts were in the prison bucket..

Amongst some of the astonishing crops gathered this season, apart from grain, a crop of red clover hay, grown by Mr Joseph Parker, of Helensbrook, has come under our (' Bruce Herald's) notice, which is worth mentioning. There were about ten acres, and they have yielded a stack of magnificent hay containing fully thirty tons. The same paddock is now covered with a second crop of clover,, averaging about a foot in height, and being in full bloom. These facts speak volumes for the producing powers of the Tokomairiro ■ plain. The ' Clutha Leader *" is responsible for the following : —" Not; many days ago a class of big boys and girls, about thirty in number, in a school in Otago, was asked: the meaning of 'Babel sounds,' which.expression occurred in their reading les-on. One boy suggested the sounds, made by a baby, and out of the whole lot only three had any idea of what Babel was. Need we comment ? "

They begin early in England. The Marquis of Bath's youngest son, Lord Alexander Thynn, who is six years old, has made his debut in the hunting field, with the Wilts hounds, and was so well to the fore that he was presented with the brush, besides being duly "blooded." It is a fact not generally known that the Bank of England supports a rifle corps of its own, which, in time, it is intended, shall do away with the necessity of drafting a force every night from one of the household regiments to guard the national money chest. One of the heaviest yields of wheat that have come under our ('Oamaru Mail's') notice this season, is that obtained by Mr M. Grant from 100 acres at the Totara. The threshing has not yet been completed, but so far as it has gone the yield has been nearly 75 bushels to the acre, and it is anticipated that the average for the whole paddock will be over 70 bushels. Mr Grant purchased this paddock at the late sale of the estate, and gave, we believe, something like £27 an acre for the land. At the time it was thought he was paying-rather dearly for the block, but the result seems to justify the speculation. This paddock had only been cropped once before, some years ago, and on that occasion gave an average of 65 bushels to the acre. The wheat is- a fine sample of velvet, for which Mr Grant has, we believe, refused 4s per bushel.

There was a lively scene the other day in the "Wellington Borough Council. Several Councillors blamed the Mayor for not having made public a telegram from the Lord Mayor of Dublin, relative to the Irish Relief Fund. The Mayor accused certain certain councillors of ignoring anything he did.—Cr. Young: Then I stand up here and say that that is a deliberate falsehood, and absolutely uncalled for.—Cr. Fisher asked if he were to make use of the expression "a deliberate falsehood," would he be called to order P—A Councillor: You had better not try it.—(Laughter.) Cr. Maginnity said that if he were to attack the Mayor every night for three years he could not castigate him more than Cr, Fisher had done in twelve months.—(Laughter ) Ho was glad to see that Cr. Fisher had so completely changed his views. Politics, like poverty, made a man acquainted with strange bedfellows.—Cr. Fisher: If you are going to quote, please quote correctly.—Cr. Maginnity : Exactly; but then I was not schooled in the penny-a-lining business, and I have no scraps of newspaper Latin.—(Laughter.) Cr. Maginnity, continuing, said if he might quote from Yankees, and the correctness of the quotation satisfied Cr. Fisher, he thought that the latter had " got slops " for his opposition to the fund.—(Laughter.) At Marseilles a man, aged sixty-four suffering from painful paralysis, performed self-cremation. He made a bed of shavings coated his clothes with tar, and then set himself on fire

The police are at present investigating what seems to be a most impudent robbery and attempted incendiarism in Dunedin. Shortly after eight o'clock last "Wednesday evening some person or persons appear to have entered the residence of Mr Halliwell, High street immediately adjoining that of Mr Stamper' •which was burned down under suspicions circumstances on Saturday morning last. An entrance must have been effeoted by means of a bedroom window on the ground floor, but nothing was heard of the robbers, and the first thing that attracted the attention of Mrs Halliwell—who was the only person in the house at the time, and who was in the opper portion of the building, was a smell of

smoke. On descending, she found that house had' been- set fire to in two diffej rooms, and that the wash-house had b fired also. An examination of the p] showed that the drawers had been ransac

and their contents removed. The thi were subsequently found in. the garden, only property missing being two £5-notes i two sovereigns which, had been left in a wo box in Miss Halliwell's room..