THE Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

Marlborough Express, Volume XVII, Issue 299, 22 December 1882, Page 2

THE Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1882. LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS. « Measles. — The measles are verj prevalent just now at Renwick, and m consequenc? the attendance at the school has been very poor during the last month. Captain Barbv. — Captain Jackson Bany will deliver his lecture entitled " Ups and Downs m a Colonist's Life " ii» Ewart's Hall this evening. The lecture will be very entertaining, and will we hope be heard by a good house, Boxiso Day Eaoes The Secretary of the Wairau Racing Club desires the owners of starters m tho Wairan Plate, Handicap Hurdles, Sporting Handicap and Flying Stakes to obtain permits for their jockeys to enter tho Racecourse without payment of the admission fee. The Napikr.— The Napier will not leave Picton for Wellington until tomorrow evening. Christmas Display. — The usual Christmas display iv the shops m town will lie made this evening. Mr Girling's windows will also be lighted up. The G rove Tows School.— The Urove Town School broke up for a fortnight's holiday yesterday. Following the practice of previous years, the remaining part of the holidays will be uiven m the hoppicking season. The school children are having a picnic and sports m Mr X. T. Prichard'a padriick to-day. The Trains.— On Boring Day and New Year's Day the trains between hero and Piuton will run as follows .—Boxing Day : Leave Picton 'at B 'ls a.m. and (i p.m. ; leave Blenheim at 1015 a.m. aud 8 p.m. Xew Year's Day : Lsave Picton at 7 1 30 a.m., 11-30 a.m., and 630 p.m. ; leave Blenheim at G - 15 a.m , 1 p.m., and S'2l) p.m. The traiu that leaves Picton for Blenheim at 11 30 a.m. on New Year's Day does not cill at intermediate I stations, except by signal. Single fares J for the return journey are available from the 23rd instant until Jamury 2.

IjKOAf..— \Ve notice that the gentlemen of the loug rolie practising m Blenheim s close their offices for the Christmas « vacation to-morrnw. They \ri 1 re-open t on Monday, the Bth of January* i Cricket.— We understand that the ' Renwick Cricket Club hi>B received a ' üballeuge from eleven outsiders to play a ' match oa Christmas day. The challenge ' being couched m such indefinite terms it was not entertained by the Club. .., Amateor Dramatic Entertainment. — The Honorary Secretary of the Blenheim Amateur and Drumitic Souiety re;iiinda honorary members of the Society lad invited friends, that the next enterainme»ts take plice on Boxing Day and the day following m Ewart'a Hall. The pieces that will then be produced are the comic drama "The Jacobite," and the screaming farce " Leave it to me." Wairau Rivers Board.— The annnal election of two members for the Lower VVairau Board of River Conservators is fixed for Jan. 4th. The nomination of candidates must be made on Wednesday, the 27th instant. Havelock.— The plans and specifications are now on view at the Post-office, Havelock, for the beacons leading from Black Point to the Poit of Havelock. The beacons are to be different to any erected m Havalook before, being m groups of three m place of single beacons. The works are to be carried out under the supervision of the Harbour-master, MrG. A. Empson. The s.s. Namrr.— The inquiry into the circumstances attending the striking of the s.s. Napier on Barrett's Beef, Wellington's Harbor, one day Jast week, was held by Mr J. ,T. Turnbull and Captain McNeill, Nautical Assessor, at Pictnn, yesterday. - The Court examined Mr A. a! Fell, Captain Fisk, Mr Ooles, mate, and a seaman who was at the wheel at the time the steamer struck. Mr Fell gave evidence as to the ownership and value of the steamer, and bore testimony to the services and excellent character of both Captain Fiak and Mr Colas. Captain Flak said his custom was to take charge of the Napier until beyond danger, but that on the night m question the mate told him he might go below, and that after instructing him as to what course to steer, he did sn. The mate and seaman gave corroborative evidence. The Court of Inquiry ceusured Captain Fisk for not seeing the s.s. Napier pist Barrett's Reef, and censured the mate for not carrying out the instructions of his master. The Court, however, under the surrounding circumstances, returned both officers their certificates, but ordered them to pay jthe costs of the Inquiry, L 4 4s. St. Mary's Convent School.— ln the priza list of St Mary's Convent School we notice the . following awards : — Clasß I. Miss B. Redwood, 2ad prize for relie'ous knowledge, Ist priz<s for excellence of composition, science, history, and geography (£.■), gift oi hia L>r<lship, Dr Redwood) ; Ist for French and German languages, accesßit for writing, and Ist for Italian. Class 111. Miss May Redwood, Ut fjr needlework, Ist for recitation and memory lessons, and Ist fnr composition. Class V. Miss 0. Redwood, Ist f or writinp. Post and Telegraph Holidays. — Christmas, Boxing, and New Year Days will be observed as holidays at the Blenheim office. Mails usually despatched on Mondays will close at 7 - 30 p.m. on the evenings of the 23rd and 30th mats. The office will opon for one honr, from 7 till 8 p.m., to make delivery of town letters from the counter. Snnday hours will ba observed m the private box lobby on the 25th inst. and Ist piox. On Boxing Day a town delivery will take place at 8 a.m., and the Post and Mcaey Order Offices will be open to the publio from 9 till 10 a.m. Mails will be despatched ut the usual hour on that day. With respect to the Telegraph branch, the following hours will ba observed :— On Christmas, Boxing, and New Year's Day the office will be open to the publio from 9 till 10 a.m. and 7 till 8 p.m., instead of at the usual hoars. The Local Option Farce.— From the official announcement of the Chairman of the Licensing Committee for fie Borough of Picton, it appears that some seventeen persons exercised the previlegs of votiog on the Local Option question, and by far the larger majority of .these were m favor of an extension of the number of pu blicans' and other licenses m the town. •' Press." Boring Apparatus.— An American boring apparatus has been introduced into district by Mr W. B. Parker, who has imported it for the purpose of searching for coal deposits m the Waitohi Valley. Other persons have talked about the same thing for a long time, but it remained for Mr Parker to do it and we hope he will reap the reward of his enterprise m the shape'of the discovery of an eutensive coal field m the Valley.—" Piess." A Deserved Rewaru— Mr. Chris--1 topher Newton, the well-known dry goods mercbint, of Sydney, who faile:l through an unfavourable season over ten years t ago, has been enabled by a turn of luck to i recover himself, and baa honourably paid np to the last penny. Seeing that the sum he owed amounted to no less than forty thousand pounds, this was really an act of restitution which rise* to the level of h&roism. Mr Newton was entertained by a number of merchants and manufactures m London recently m honor of his visit to England. In recognatijn of his commercial honesty his creditor* have presented him with a testimonial m the shape of a stsam launch for fishing . purposes, and they have also given his wifa a gold ring set with diamonds, and a gold bracelet set with rows of diamonds, A Modern' Proi-hei 1 The spirited impmsario who has engaged Mrs Langtry's services is not disheartened by the burning of his theatre, and he has " announced that his star will appear at another of bis theatres— the Grand Opera Souse. Happy tho manager who has i two theatres to h's bow. The most | extraordinary part of this untoward event is still to be told. The story goes that it ■ was predicted by an actor well known on 1 the London stage, who is credited with the strange faculty of second sight. He f told Mrs Langtry plainly and distinctly 3 before she started that some great misr , fortune would soon happen her. Eithen , the ocean steamer m which she had takee 3 passage would he wrecked, or the theatrt m which she made her first appear&nce would be burnt down. If there he any truth m this carious story the hero of it had better leave the stage and set up as a ' f ortnne-teller. . Cheap Bkbr.— The latest freak of the Melboarne larrikins is to victimise the 1 Carlton Brewery by abstracting ale there--3 from without going through the process of paying for it. They have rigged up a j syphon of a somewhat ingenious kind, 3 which they insert at ni»ht-time through ■ one of the open places m the wall into t oueof the casks m the interior. The beer • is thus drawn off, and tho thieves have i thus been enabled to obtain a supply of , liquor without much difficulty. . R. H. Shale's stock o£ dress fabrics, [ general drapery, linens, calicos, and gene- ! ml household drapery is now complete, [ which for price and genuine good quality ' cannot be equalled. Next Masonic Hotel, 1 : Marketplace, Blenheim.— A:lvr. i : i ' R. H. Smai.b has received a large stock j of Dew goods, suitable for the Xmas seai uos. Ladies' dolmans, capes, fichus, and ■ hubbaid cloaks, all a great bargain. Also, i a lot of hats, trimmed and untrimmed, i mutable for the holiday season. An early i inspection invited. Market Place, Blenheim — Advt.

Ax U.nintks'dei) Jok k. — The following / aiory is toltl of ArteumS Ward ': When he ( was a boy he «raa fond of playing cards, c an amusement he was obliged to indulge i m surreptitiously, as his good mother did < pot approve of it. One day as he was | deep id a game, supposing his mother was I absent, he heard Romeoue approaching the ' door, and immediately gathered np the : cards and thrust them into the pocket of a coat hanging against the Wall, which he supposed to be his own— a dreadful mistake on his part, for it belonged to the minister, who was Btaying there for a while. The next Snnday there was a baptism m the lake, at which thia minister officiated m the same coat. As he entered the pond the water bore up the skirts of the coat, reversed the pncketß, and the entire pack of carda floated out and covered the water for quite a space, much to the horror of all the good people present and the confusion of the unfortunate divine, who saw himself wading through an array of jacks, king?, and aces dreadful to contemplate. It is said that youthful Artemus, who was immediately suspected, was treated to the punishment which his escapade deserved from the hands of his maternal relative What America Gains by Immigration.—According to official data, furnished by the Secretary to the Commissioners of Emigration, the number of immigrants landed m the city of New York for the year ending June 30, 1882, was 502,171, out of a total to the United States of 7851,003, an increase to New York alone of 102,000 over the preceding year. Seventy-five per cent of the imraigrants go to the West. The great proportion of the immigrants— particularly those going to the far West— seem to be well provided_ with fun<ls. The cash capital of the immigrants is estimated at £17 per bead. : The value of the inland railway ticketi' purchased by immigrants this year would' amount to £1(200,000. The demand for their labour is exceptionally good, principally for agricultural labourers, anil wages are at advanced rates. The indications favour the belief that not les3 than a million immigrants will land this year. A million immigrants averaging £17 each m cash, means £17,000,000 added to the cash capital of the land, and if the estimated value of immigrants (£2OO each to the working capital nf the- country) be correct, there is £200,000,000. more to bejfeounted iv favour of the United States. The feeling throughout England m favour of emigration ia intense, and the West seems to be the objective point.