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Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 81, 10 June 1881, Page 2

Hbi^d Over, — A leading article in type on " The Rating of Native Lands," is held over, also the report of the Otaki Highways Board meeting, and other matter. Thb Ten per Cest.— We are glad to congratulate the civil servants upon an item of news whioh has reached us from a reliable source, viz., that the ten per cent reduction will end with the present month, Tei<kgraphic.— Our Wellington correspondent last nigh£ telegraphed us in excel lent resume of the Governor's speech at the opening of Parliament, but as we had already received the speech in extemo we I refrained from publishing the oondensed wpwfc,

"■ TttE County Town — By reference to the d'Htncit report it will be seen that the stf". of £ 400 has been placed on the Estimates for the purchase of land and erection of Ciunty Chambers at Foxton. This will effectually Rettle the question of th^ county tow. We h«»r it is not in* te ided to purchase a piece of land on the ■ M un-street for the new offices. Lpofrjßß — We learn that: tV R«v. D Dutton, F. R. A. S., has c nsenfcad to deliver a lecture on " A«tr<»n«»ny" at. fch* P imitive Mdtho^Ht Church, F >xton, some tiraa about the end nf this or the tvginnin of next month, due notice of which will hp given by advertisemeut. Mr Dutton is nerhaps one of the best and most p<<()ul- r lecturers nn this subject that we have got in New Zealand, and those who have not >vet heard him should not miss this opportunity. Fuller particulars will be given a» soon as the date is fixed. Personal.— We are pleased to soe that in iui issue of Wednesday the Winqanni Herald makes the amende honorable for it» recent remarks on us. It says : — " Inad vertentlv a sentence crept into a paragraph in onr Saturday's issue referring to Mr G. W. Russell, the newly appointed J.P. at F<ixtan, as a ' thick and thin supporter of the Government. ' Mr Russell in his paper, the Manawatu Herald, says : — ' So far fro.n being a ' thick and thin supporter ' of the Government, we say unhesitatingly that, there is' not a journal on this coast (always excepting the Wantjanui Herald itself), wh : ch has criticised so severely the ac ion >f the Government in reference to their scheme of local finance, their neglect to provide for the financial wants of the local bodies, their appointment of o mmissions <tnd especially of the S»ed-Bttkin one, anri their neglect to assist working men's association speci-il settlements.' The Foxton paper is correct, and we have had much pleasure in the past in quoting liberally from some capital articles on the subjects mentioned above." We appreciate the friendly manner in which the Herald withdraws the remark, and regret that the Manawatu Standard, which approvingly quoted the original paragraph from the Wanganui Herald, has not seen fit to follow the example of justice our Wanganui contemporary set it. Tree Planting.— The Council has voted the sum of £10 for planting ornamental trees on the ferry hill, at Foxton. This expenditure will turn an unsightly mound into an ornament of the town. Entertainment. — We remind our readen of the very excellent entertainment which will be held at the Public Hall this (Friday) evening, at 8 o'clock. The lime light exhibition of views is said to be of a capital character, and considering the object is such a good one, we fully expect to see a crowded house. We are requested to sail attention to the fact that children will be admitted at half price. Raffle. — An art union will be beld this evening at Mr Palmer's shop of a very fine cornet, there being 120 tickets at Is each. There are a few tickets still unsold, which may be obtained on application to Mr Freeland, Concert at Otaki. — Our Otaki friends huve arranged another capital programme for their entertainment on Wednesday evening next. The concert, which is the second of the series, will be held in the College at Otaki, the funds being devoted to St. Paul's organ fund. Tramway. —We are glad to see the Awabou councillors have secured a vote of £160 for the purchase of the tramway from Mr Saunders. We believe that during his stay in Wellington, whither he went yesterday, Mr Macarthur will endeavour to arrange with the Government for the use or purchase of the rails. Boiling Down. — Mr Larkworthy, of the Carnarvon Estate, has just imported from Canterbury a very complete boiling down apparatus, which will be erected on his station in the Carnarvon district. New Station. — We understand the new Foxton railway station will probably be taken over from the contractor in about a fortnight, when the trains will commence running there, to enable him to complete the rest of the work and take up the old line by the time for completion of the contract, in August. Dr. Barbeß. -rThe above gentleman left Foxton for Wellington en route for England yesterday morning. Marriages in India.— A singular ceremony wa9 recently (says the Times of India) witnessed in Manockjee Shett's Wadi, Bombay, when seven happy couples belonging to the Parsee community were united in the holy bonds of matrimony. These aspirants to hy menial bliss were exceedingly young, as may be gathered from the fact that the eldest was only fifteen years, while the youngest bridegroom was about fifteen months and the youngest bride a blushing beauty of nine months. Of course the immatuie age of the two latter prevented their taking active part in the ceremony beyond giving vent to their feelings in true infantile style, and th? marital bond was tied whilst each child was seated in its mother's lap. The scene, as one can well imagine, created much amusement among the upeotators, and we are told that the advocates of early marriages were exceedingly rejoiced at the strange spectacle. Religious Bodies in Fiji.— ln the Fiji Royal Gazette, of the 9th February, we notice the appointment of Dr. Keateyen (late-of Ashburton) as assistant medical officer, at a salary of £150 per annum. In the same Gazette is a list of ministers registered for the celebration of marriiges. Two are Church of England, one is a Jew, ten (all with European names) are Rotnr.n Catholics, and the Wesleyan Methodists boast of no less than 58 "reverends." Of these eight seem to be Europeans ; but we somehow fancy the Rev. Mark Tagicakibau must, with the Revs. Jonah Ulninaceva, Naphtali Galigarogaro, and 47 more, be allowed to be aboriginals. A morning service in Fiji probably has some novel features. The Channel Tonnel. — Satisfactory progress is beiag made in the preliminary works for the proposed tunnel between Dover and Calais. Its promoters — Colonel Beaumont, R.E., and Captain English, R.E. —are now able to employ three shifts of men constantly throughout the twentyfour hours, and are sanguine of being able to bore about thirty feet per day when all the machinery is perfected. At present two drills, worked by engines, driven by .compressed air, are at work, and about thirty laborers art employed. The bore is Beven feet in diameter, and the soil chalk, which is so firm that the engineers are of opinion no briok or cement will be required to shore it up. The New Czar, — No man ever ascended the throne under greater difficulties than Alexander 111., the new Emperor of Russia. In his own proclamation to his peoplt, he says that his principal aim will be the good of the nation ; and the circular prepared by M. de Giers, the substitute of Prinoe Gortaobakoff at the Foreign Office, tells us that Russia only means to keep what she has, and means to live at peace with all her neighbours. A very excellent programme, and one which has set at rest i a great many apprehensions which were 1

entertained of the supposed Panslavio and warlike propensities of the new Czar. There will be.no difficulty in keeping peace abroad j Russia need only forbear from attack ing othere. But in what way the good ■if the nation can best be promoted is quite •••other <vie*tion. On thi<* P'»int the political dootorr differ greatly; the only GaiU^ cm wuiou tney are agreed is ti.U the material and soci.il condition of the R isaian people is about as bad as bad can be, and alia for ready and efficient remedies. We shall judge the new E.nperor by his acts mil not by his words.— Uuiveres. PftOUßEsa Zealandia. —A New Zealand Hrm — sue Muriel Woollen Muiufaoturhii. Company — had the honor of bung amony t u>se recommence 1 for the Emperor of Germany's prize of 1000 guineas, which was ultimately awarded to an Australian firm for wines. The prize was offered to the most promising colonial industry, regarded in the light of its being thoroughly established, the number of hands it employed, *nd the influence it promised to have on che prosperity of the colony, The Moacompany will receive a special gold medal for being* among those recommended for the prize —H. B. Herald of May 20th. Land Leases — The pasturage rents of the Canterbury Land Board District for the year finding Anril 30, 1882, amount to 1*51,030 17s 101. This sum represents 2,768,119 aces. Boycotting. — " Boycotting " promises t-> become a weapon of universal adaptation [t has just been introduced into France, at Siumur. There is a famous cavalry school there, a very aristocratic establishment, which always contains a number of th* gilded youth. The Commiaaire de Polio in Saumur, who seems to be a disagreeabl type of an official, excited the animosity of •tome of these young gentlemen. They applied to the Mayor for his dismissal, which being refused, they boycotted the town. The school consists of 650 members, and for a fortnight not one of them entered a store or made a purchase. Local trade became paralyzed, and the Mayor had to give in. Grasshoppers in Russia. — Vast efforts were made by the Russian Government last 1 summer to destroy the grasshoppers. The work was carried on for about four months, and occupied in one district, Gori, no fewer than 20,000 people per day. These colossal efforts resulted in cutting down the ratio of crops destroyed to two per cent. While many million roubles worth of hay and corn were saved, the enterprise cost the Government 200,000 roubles. Many thousand acres of Reids and gardens were neglected by their owners because the extra work offered in the grasshopper district was more remunerative. Russian Justice. —Strange things are going on in Russia. Our readers remember that some years ago a Polish priest was transported to Siberia, and had to walk on foot all the way, some 4,000 miles, and when he reached his destination it was found he was the wrong man, and so he had to tramp all the way back again. In Odessa, ninetythree persons were singled out last year for ' transportation to the same healthy climes — all of them accused of Nihilist practices. Among these was one man with his wife and a baby 18 months old ; all the three, including the baby, were charged with high treason. Ostrowßki is lather a usual name in Southern Russia ; and consequently it was found when a man of that name had reached Irtusk, that he was the wrong one. and had to be taken back again, 2,000 miles ; the real Nihilist Ostrowski had disappeared by this time. Similar mistakes occurred in a good many other instances, and in one case a Catholic priest was to be transported because he happened to have the same name as a railway porter who was suspected of Nihilism ! That's what the Russians call rough and ready justice. It is rough and ready enough, but as to justice, that's quite another thing. — Universe. The Empress Eugenic. —The committee for the erection of the memorial cross on the Chiaelhurst Common to the late Prince Imperial having on the completion of the work presented an address to the Empress Eugenic through Earl Sydney, her Imperial Majesty has written a letter in reply to Earl Sydney, in which she asks his Lordship to thank in her name all those who during her Majesty's residence in Chislehurst have shown so much sympathy in the heavy trials she has undergone. Her Majesty adds that she will never forget the generous hospitality which was accorded on two occasions to their French friends ; nor the touching unanimity with which the residents have raised a monument to the memory of her son. It is, then, her Majesty concludes, with regret that she leaves a place of which the recollection will always be united in her heart with the sacred remembrance of those who are no more.