LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 69, 14 February 1883, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

His Lordship Bishop Hadfiekl returned to Wellington by last evening's train. The attendance at the Hall last flight was not sufficient to induce Mr Gaustad to deliver his promised lecture, which is to be regretted on public grounds. We are requested to centradict a parapraph m last night's Times which Bays that the Choral Society's baton was presented to Mr 3. W. Russell. This is incorrect. The baton is tho property of tae Society, to be used by the conductor for the time being. This was distinctly ujadVrstood and stated when the presentation took place. } Messrs Stevens and Gorton elsewhere publish the preliminary catalogue of -heir next 'Avrahuri stock sale. A considerable number of additional entries may b» ex« pected prior to date of sale. . Mr J. Ballance headed the poll for the Wanganui Harbor Board election by a considerable majority. Considering the : spiteful opposition bought to bear, this result must bo considered a crowning triumph. An English paper says that Archibald Forbes has cleared over £12,0j0 m Australia. A Scandinavian woman named Chris* tina Person, was brought down by the train on Saturday for s >fe custody m the Wellington Lunatic Asylum. She has been deranged for nearly fire years past, bat has only recently shown atendency tc yiolence. She is a married woman and aft9 ;rUJ «.;«. hex: u us band near Ekatabuna. The constable who had charge of her m the train from Masterton, had some trouble m preventing her dashing out of the. carriage, and on arrival lost no time m getting her into a cab and conveyed with all speed to the asylum. The court martial m the case of the wreck of the British man*of<war Phoenix, on the coast of Prince Edward Island, found {hat the vessel was lost through negligent navigation. The court severely reprimanded the commander, and dismissed him and the navigating luu*' tenant from the service. The iron sand smelting works ot Onehunga, says the Auckland Evening Star, have been so far completed as to enable the manager, Mr Jones, to light up tie fires for a test, and a bar of good looking iron was turned out last week, and further experiments wore to be made, when num« ber visitors from Auckland were expected be present. It will probably surprise many of our readers to learn that the comet which was an object of such general interest two months ago is still visible even to the unaided eje- Sirius, one of the brightest of the fixed stars, m the extremity of the tail, and a line drawn from thence a little past a star of lesser magnitude will cross the nucleus. Any ordinary binocular or telescope will reflect the phenomenon very distinctly m fair weather, At the time of the disruption of the Church of Scotland £>r Chalmers ventured the prediction, regarded by some as rash and enthusiastic, that the annual income of the free Church would reach £300,000. Liitst year the receipts of the Free Cnurch for its various objects were £bl>7,tiOß.

' MrThompson, cadet at Wanganui, has been promoted to the racant R.M.. Court ship at Feildmg. The local paper cites as a special qualification that the new clerk is a good footballer. A man named D^nie Donovan has 'mysteriously disappeared from his hotel, at Wanganui, and left no trace of his probable fate. : The timber for the new bridge at the Lbwer Gorged *ia , jstill accumulating. When ii a Btart to be made with the work of erection 1 Or is the timber to lie and season , (or rot), till the present lease of the ferry has expired l Mr Lowes, the popular host ot "the Otancaki Hotel, Ashurst. is about en* larging his house to irieefc the requirements of a growing: trade. The timber is already on the ground. We are aefsurred that when Mr Bull's motter was discussed at the County Council, the Council had been previously moved into committee, though none of the reporters present appeared to be aware that such had been done. In reply to several inquiries m reference to the Standard ateam-engine, we may say that it has been withdrawn from eale at leait for the present. The new motive power about to be introduced 1 , it was thought could 1 have been obtained from Auckland, but it is found has to be sent for to the United States, and will not be here for several months. Writes the editor of the Advocate : — " Victoria has, m much tribulation, discovered that the blatant demagogues who prate about liberty, equality, and fraternity are not the men to lead anajtion along the paths of progress, prosperity, and peace." Are these the real sentiments of late editor of the Wellington Chronicle, the ostensible organ of demoo« racy m New Zealand !