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Marlborough Express, Volume XI, Issue 878, 23 December 1876, Page 5

At the monthly meeting of the Blen heim Building Society, held on Menday evening last, an unusually large sum was paid m by members, and £100 was sold at a bonus of 12 per cent. In a notice m last issue of the Spring Creek tea meeting, we omitted to mention that the Blenheim Church Choir attended, and gave considerable musical aid to the proceedings. At the close a special vote of thanks for their services was given by acclamation. At a meeting of the committee of the Literary Institute, held on Friday evening last, it was resolved to place the Institute at the service of the Blenheim Borough Council for their meetings until the new buildings are erected. Mr. Ockley, the Wairau Valley carrier, wishes it to be generally known that he puts up at the old Marlborough Hotel, where messages and commuuications may be left for him. There was a wonderful exhibition of meat, poultry, &c, for Christinas at Mr Draper's shop lasD night. It was a sight really worth seeing. Among the rest was a steer which weighed 12cwt 20lbs. The meat was decorated m a most artistic manner. Tub larceny case Hoskins v. Aldridge, m which the latter was charged with stealing several articles belonging to the former, after been haviu carried on m Wellington fo.->o ne weeks has at last come to an end. The prisoner has hesn discharged on the gr >und that there was not sufficient evidence against him. Soite of Our Kaikoura friends suggest that it would be extremely useful to the inha'>iants on the Southern route if the ChiefPostmaster would give a little earlier notice of the closing of the E iglish mails. We feel sure that the requirement is so reasonable that Mr. Winstanley will readily comply with it. A boy named Chas. Broughtonmet with an accident on Thursday at the Jordan, Awatere. It appears that while trying to catch a horde for lus employer, Mr M'Kie, he received a kick. Dr Cle^horn was sent for and found it a simple fracture, he set the limb, and the lad with ordinary care will be likely to soon recover. The payment of accounts by the present aulho.ities of the Provincial District of Marlborough will cease on the 31st Dec. instant, so we would advise those who have any account* against the late Province to send them m at once, as a delay is sure to occur by vouchers having to go through the Circumlocution Office m Wellington. 0?j Thursday an election was heM m Picton tor the office of Mayor, the candidates being Mr Seymour and Mr John Godfrey. Out of a possible 80 voters, 51 were for Mr Seymour, and 21 for Mr Godfrey. Little excitement was observable, but nearly everybody that had a vote polled it. Mr Green actid as Returning i Officer, and he declared Mr Seymour duly elected. The following is the list of the public Bohools m the Provincial District of Marlborough :—Blenheim 4, Picton 1, Hnvolock 1, Renwick 1. Grove 1, Spring Creek 1, Tua Marina 1. Waitohi Valley 1, Kaituna (North bank) 1 Wairau Valley 1, Kekerangu 1, Kovrhai (Kaikoura) 1, Mahakipawa 1. The schools m the two last named placeß were closed m the December quarter 1875. County Council.—The Council for Marlborough County comprises at present Messrs Seymour, T. OS iHi van, G. Dodson, G. H. B. Monro, and J. 0. Western. Three persons yet to be elected ; of these two are for Wairau, where Messrs War], Hodson, and Adams are candidates, and they are all evincing no little interest m the matter. The election for one member for Awatere will take place on January 4. We are very glad to find our Blenheim boysdoingcredit tn theirteachersand themselves at the Nelson College. Among the list of prize-takers are Evans with a third Fonndaton Scholarship for Mathematics ; and Dodson took a prizejin the 3rd divisionlfor MathemaMc. There are other Marlborough hoys m the list, namely, M'Rae, diviuon 5 for Mathematics, and a seuond for geography; and Seymour, s second on form 3 for Ei glish. Dodson also got a special i-rize for French.

We are glad to see that tenders are . being called till the 30th December for the erection of the new Bank of Zealand m concrete. If our local artizans let this job slip through. their fingers Well, they will hear of it, that's all. Some of our local cricketers telegraphed the other day to the Nelson Cricketers to en- , quire if the Nelson players would be prepared to play an Interpi-ovincial Match on the Ist of Jan. An answer has since been received that the Nelson men would not be prepared to play v ntil the end of January, or the beginning of Feb- j ruary, consequently arrangements are now m progress for selecting the players. Tenders have been received by Mr Douslin for the erection of workshops for Mr Smith, Wynen-street. The building will have 40 feet frontage, aud 50 feet deep ; the walls 10 feet high ; the roo* to be framed with principals with a span of 40 feet. Tae tender includes labor and timber. The roof and walls are to be covered with iron :— J. Knight £60, Davies Bros. £05, E. Bythell £19, D. Wemyss £99 15s, George Mason £147 18s. Thkrk was a sitting of the Resident Magistrate's Court, Havelock, on the 14th inst. There were two cases heard, and m each the parties were the sama. Mr. Wheadon, a farmer, prosecuted Mr. Taylor, an innkeeper, for an assault, but as the evidence was not sufficiently conclusive to substantiate the charge the case was dismissed. Wheadon then summoned Taylor for using abusive and threatening language, and defendant, who admitted the charge, wa« lined ss. and costs. Tun steam yacht being built for Mr Redwood at the Lion Foundry will be finished by January next, m time for the Nelson Regatta. The hull is complete, and the cimpound engines (also built at the foundry), are now being placed m position. The yacht is built on a very pretty Onodel, a description of which we published some time since, and is calculated to have considerable speed. The cabins fore and aft are constructed, but of course they want finishing, which will not be done until other uecessary work inside of the boat has been accomplished. To judge from present appearances, Mr Redwood's yacht will be a credit to Wellington workmanship. — Weilengton Times. Renwick Sports. — Our Renwick friends are really getting quite enthusiastic about their fete, and we keep receiving reminders from one or other, of which the following is a specimen : — "The aport« coming off on Boxing Day promise to be a very successful affair. The gentlemen of the committee of management have shown them? selves up to their work, and nothing now requires to be done to ensure a first-class day's amusement for all who visit the ' city of the plains' on the day. We are glad to be able to state that Herr Norberg's brass band has been engaged, and that Mr Ward has kindly consented to act as judge of the horse racing. There will also be added to the horsa races a back hurdle race sweepstake of 10s. each, added to £2, and to the foot races a boys'race for boys under 16, one mile, with a good prize. It is said that the race course is the best m Marlborough, and as the entries will be numerous there should be good racing. Access to the ground free. You needn't pay to go, although you can pay if you don't go." A Dtstroyrr op Blight. — ''Mr Jeffs seedsman, Wellington, has succeeded m making i carbonated hydrn-sulnhnretted compound for the destruction of bliaht. and has found iS to answer admirably. Several nurserymen and gardeners m Wellington have pronounced it to be an excellent remedy, and infinitely superior to (rilhurst's compound." That is what the Nelson Onloniit stvs. Now we may inform our Nelson friend that we know Jeff*, and we have a slight I acquaintance with his hydro-sulphuretted compound. In is said to be good for mealy bugs and other vermin which, when they come near the mixture "stand not upon the order of Shnir going, but go at once," and if thfiy are sensible vermin they go for some other Province ; nto which the "compound " has not been introduced. The "compound " pure and simple is a most innocent and rather attractive looking a-ticle, and you only find out where its power, really lies when yon cut it. When you do that there comes forth a smell dreadful enough a'most to induce a tombstone to shift its quarters. In comparison with the " compound " a putrid carcase is a fragrant perfume. Some time ago the General Government invited tenders from the various newspapers throughout the Colony for the Government advertising. • 'This was a simple enou h thing by itself, but it has given rise to a row among the newspapers of Wellington. Every tenderer had to state the numher of paners he circulated every day, and theße figures tosether with the amounts of the various tenders rnve b°en published m the Government Gazette. The New Zealand Timet cave its circulation as 3200, the Post 3000, and the Arg us 1500. No sooner were these figures printed than the bristles of the Post rose. It appears that the proprietors of that paper sent with their tender a statutory declaration made before a Justice of the Peace that their circulation was 3000, hut the Times and ArrjusAiA not adopt a similar course. Now the Post comes out with a half column explanation. They say that* the statement of the Times people that th^y have n circulation of 3200 is "a gross and impudent falsehood * * * • intended to mislead and deceive the Government." They also have a little bone to pick with the Argus, but are content so long as the latter admits that its circulation is only half as much as theirs. The upshot of the «vh"le thing is that the nropript >rs of the Post offer to sive £100 to the B nevolent Society if anybody will prove after watching the numher of sheets they print that they do not throw off 3000 copies a day. To show that they are right m their condemnation of the Times they offer to give another £100 to the Benovolent Institution if the proprietors of it can prove that they print 3200 conies. This is, at any rate, pluck on the part of the Po&L A gentleman named B ooke, who was married recently at Wellington, and who was malting a wedding tour to Melbourne m the illfated steamer Otago lost L3OOO worth of platt and jewellery by the wreck of the vessel.

A Bill has been passed by thp. Victorian Legislature to provide telress for words imputing unchastity to a w«m i . Thb Wellington police are now makinjj a raid on the publicans f..r Sunday isa :i..t<. A few days ago they had three of them up for this offence, and they were fined 40s each. A hkavy torrent of rain, resembling a waterspout, passed over Reefton bitcly, carried ' away ihe eugine house of the Golden Fletce '■ Co, partially buried the engine, and did da- | raago to the value of L2OO. The engine driver was also so seriously injured that he died a. few hours afterwards. The Lyttehon Times is informed by a well-known chemist that since the opening of \ the skating rink there has been a larger demand i for sticking-plaster than has ever before been | known m Christchurch. Judging from the numoer of people we see limping about the town, ; and the crippled appearence of much of " ths , flower of our youth," we oan quite believe it. — Wellington Argus. A Freak of Nature. — A wonderful phenomenon is related to have been witnessed on an Australian station. It ?is stated that at Cadowie station 'a lamb has been born with a lizard on its back. The lizard's belly is joined to the lamb's back, and it is as perfect as any of its species. Its head and legs are at liberty and the tail hangs down by the lamb's flank, and when the lamb runs the lizard works its legs. It is about 16 inches m length, and it opens its mouth when any person goes near the lamb, and it evidently derives its sustenance from the lamb. Mr Barton m his address to the Bench to-day ou the case of Hoskins v. Aidridge, us«-il . some emphatic expressions m speaking of the prosecutor. The following is a sample : — " Am Ito be hounded down m this court, and' in this town, for baying that he ought to be committed as a scoundrel who has perjured himself ? Even if I had whipped this man with a lash of scorpions, would I have been guilty of more than turning him out of the Temple of Truth ? I defend my conduct. I had a right to turn round • and ask that your Worships would commit the scoundrel for perjuiy. It is done frequently, but ought to be done more frequently with some classes of witnesses. But I will not deal further with the evidence for the prosecution it excites me too much. I will refer to the evidence for the defence, which has been most unfairly suppressed by the papers." m other parts of his address he spoke of the prosecutor as a ruffian, an inhuman brute, a lying scoundrel. — Wellington Post. Where do you live ; In a salubrious locality, or m a region the atmosphere of which is periodically tainted with, malaria? If m the tatter, it is not unreasonable to suppose that when the regular timefor the devolopement of miasma arrives every year, you are just as regularly shaken up with fever and ague. Let us hope not, but if you are, lose no time m procuring Udojvpko Wolfe's Schiedam Aromatic Schnapps, which, if used regularly, will protect you from the next visitation. — [Advt].