LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 165, 10 June 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A fearful accident occurred to some members of the Dublin Fire Brigade the other day. They were putting out a fire m a jeweller's shop m Trinity-street, and had almost extinguished the flames when the edifice fell iv bodily, with a fearful crash burying six of tho brigade m the debris. According to tho latest accounts from the London markets. New Zealand mutton of primo quality is now selling at sjd to sid per pound. A falling inoteor was observed m Wellington on Friday night. The ball of fire descended behind Mount Victoria, and was of great brilliancy. This is the second phenomenon of the kind noticed m Wellington within a week. It was also visible m Manawatu. We have invariably noticed that these phenomena presage the approach of very unsettled weather. A squatter m New South Wales informed the Colonial Secretary and the Minister of Mines that one pair of rabbits will produce a progeny of 2000 iv one year. Mi Booth said m Sydney that he believed m less than a year tho valne of public house property m Sydney would go down 50 per cent. The publicans prophesy that m less than a year Mr Bootlr won't •' go down" at all. One of the gentlemen adjudicated a bankrupt last week m the local Court (says a Southern contemporary) was arrested by the police subsequently for being drunk while m charge of .i liorso and dray. On being searched £49 was found m hia possession.

01.1 George Davidson, whn look his ciiirino to Chicago Kiilway Exhibition, helped to construct if . and has been m active servicv with it m Nova Scotia c>.al mines fo.i over forty-live years. It is ti)-' oldest locomotive known, ami ho (lie oldest driver. The Fontenoy, which has just arrived m the port oi: Noumea, lias brought a choice assortment of convicts, 307 m niinibftr, of whom 214 are below the age of 35. There are 40 who have been transported for assassination, 14 murderers, 19 voluntary homicides, live coiners of false money, seven forgers of bank notes, 35 persons of criminal assaults upon women and children, and 158 thieves. Out of tho entire number as many as 185 have undergone previous convictions. A consignment of teas, which arrived m Hobson's Bay m the ship Amain, from Hamburg via London, has buen condemned by the Commissioner of Customs as unfit for human food. The Age says :— lt is tho opening of the tea meeting season which is usually marked by the influx of inferior teas into the Melbourne market. Piety and bad tea go hand-in-hand together. Mr Wright's celebrated return moved for last session showing the several amounts received under the heading of wool, timber, grain, merchandise, minerals, firewood, parcels, dogs, horses, cattle, and sheep, which make up the total of £403,420 2s 2d, given m a certain return attached to the Public Works Statement, was presented to Parliament on Friday. Its cost was £600 12s. To prepare this return it was necessary, it is stated to go through for over a million way-bills. A lad employed at the Government Printing Office, Wellington, miraculously escaped from a serious accident last week. It appears that m attempting to reduce the speed of a printing machine by catchiiyg hold of the belt he was carried up to the ceiling by the leather band. His dangerous position was observed by one I of the men about the room and he was released before he had sustained any considerable injury. The narrow escape experienced by theyoungster will doubtless act as a warning to many who are much too careless m interfering with machinery m motion. The Royal Bengal tiger at the Melbourne Zoological Gardens has killed his consort, a valuable tigress. The tigress had been snarling a good deal at her lord, when the latter turned, seized her throat and bit through the jugular vein. The tigress made a few desparate strokes and expired. A New South Wales paper informs an exchange that it cost £128 to catch one rabbit at Wilcanuia, and took ten men six month to do the deed. Our contemporary does not give particulars, but judging from other items we should conclude that this is intended to show the absurdity of the provisions being taken m thatcountry to exterminate the pest, which require every landholder to adopt certain prescribed measures whether rabbits abound upon his property or otherwise. Tue Wellingt. n correspondent of the Daily Times s.iys that a conviction is steadily manifesting jtself "that Sir Julius Yogel intends to remain m the colony for a lengthened period, if there is a prospect of his re-establishing himself iv a prominent position m public life." From the Nelson Colonist we learn that a London buyer of hops has cabled out to a Nelson firm, offering £6 per cwt. for a parcel of 50 bales. This price will it is calculated, equal about lid per lb. f.o.K What is the " Salvatiou Embrace ?" inquires Iruth. I read m the Middleland Echo that David Whithers, of Leamington, has ran away with Kate Key, a girl of seventeen. Withers was the standardbearer m the 94th corps ©f the Salvation Army, and Kate was a private. "No familiarity between the two had been noticed by the wife of Withers beyond what is known m the Army as the ' Salvation embrace." 1 The officers of tho various Masonic Lodges have received a request from the Grand Lodge of England that the lotal Lodges should go m mourning for a period of three moths, as a tribute of respect to the late Duke of Albany.