LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 236, 2 September 1884, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

By latest accounts the wpol market continues firm, and New Zealand mutton continues to realize 5d per lb. Hia Honor Judge Richmond is confided to bed through Hlnesa, and consequently Saturday's sittings of the Bankruptcy Court could not take place. Messrs Russell, of To Matai, advertise certain cattle straying on their property, which will be sold unless claimed and expenses q& advertising paid. We learn that Mr A Bentley will be a candidate for municipal honours at the jfor^^n^elecJjon^J^gntl^B^'^ld pendtytj and having now cast m hiß lot for good m Palmerstpn, We expect he will receive substantial support from his Ward. The result of the teeting of twenty tons of copper from the United Company's mineitt Aniseed Valley, Nelson, has been received from Newcastle. It gave 13 per cent, of copper,, which is considered highly satisfactory, jt; not haying; undergone any dressing prevr6uß to being sent for testing. • The Dunedin Young- Men's Christian, Association has formed a Parliamentary Society; Mr TrDick will onnct the part of Governor, and perform (he opening Ceremony. Dr. Jackson and tlje other attendants at the Napier QiinrantineV Station ~\fer?e admitted to pratique on -Saturday / and have returned to town m escellont .health. r ■;„■/. .■/$ <• j .There was considerable excitement m Christchurch, over the result of the division. The newspaper offices were rushed for information, and an extra was issued at 1 o'clock dnd circulated by hundreds. Flags w v ere -.hoisted at a few places m honor of the. event. Messrfc^turph^ and Fedorli have returned to' Aueklandjfrom their visit to Hpkianga. They are well satisfied with the block selected, and return south on Tuesday. .... , . The New Zealand Sugar Company were to. commence refining operations at their work's m Auckland this week. A meeting. p£ Working Men was he^ last nigtyt and it was' "resolved that a Working Men'? Club be established. There were some of the party who suggested that this ; schenie wtiuldMceep working men from Spiritualism, Salvationism, and public houses. Last evening at the ;Weileyan Hall the members of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society debated the qaes^ tion of Private Banks v. Government Banks. The following gentlemen supporting the respective opinions : —Messrs Grace and Titigey, and"' Messrs Patten and Whitehefd. The subject was ably introduced by both parties, and the discussion presenting an animated and divided opinipp, resulted' iri" art ; instructive and pleasant entertainment to ihe ; large and audience who were present on this occasion. ?Mr Percy Dtfnn,r F.R.C.S., m an able paper, Bhows _ that the terrible disease known as cancer^ is on the increase. Iri' tfre ten years 1870-79- the total nnrtfbe? of deaths from cancer amounted to 111,301 as against ,80,049 m the previous decade, and that there again we're* £,400 more than m 1850 59. It is |more prevalent among the rich than the poor. i A very amufiingJittlfl episode occurred m the House on Friday evening (says t,he Po8f). A gent|e,raan ffpiii Hawke's JJaV, beingf anxious ro ! inter «Bmt^ his member, Captain Russell, found himself m the division-lobby after jthe bell had rung, anjl, was promptly seized by a messenger and locked m the messenger's room. Mounting on a chaii^ and tapping on'thp glapa pjanel .above the door, he appealed to his member for aid against his Tmprisonmeut, and as the Governmpr/t mprdbew filed into the House, he was ben fa ptajtbejbipaljv exclaiming, f Go and fatoh fcb.e, favp-Kik-awQw, paptaia j go and fetch the .have- his-carcass,"' Another light ie thrown upon the out break of war between Franco and China by the account given iv the Morning Post of the Langsou affair. ' According to Jlhis, ,','inpfead of the encounter having been either unprp^oke^ by J;he French or 'of the nature 'of an anipush .'on the part of ,^io Chinese troop.B, iliere' are strong reoppng fpr bejieying the affair was Jjterajly forced upon the Chinese garrison by the aggressive and provocntivo nttihido pf thn cpininandor of the French tlottichment,"

A lecture on " Spiritualism " was delivered i n Wellington last week by the Rev. W. C. Oliver, under the. auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association. The lecturer, who has devoted a considerable amount of time and attention to tho investigation of the subject) expressed his opinion that the manifestations obtained at spiritualistic seances had nothing to do with the spirits of the departed, but could be traced to wordly causes:: '".^ ''•'"'"'■', •'■" v It may be accepted' as" ft gratifying sign of the times when three troops of cavalry volunteers can be disbanded. Tho two troops of Waikato cavalry formed a splendid force, and the Hawera troop has done good service .m its tim<s. A It is tcf be lioped that New Zealaud settlers will never again find it necessary to band together for purposes of defence against tho natives of this coun try. ■ A few years ago a railway line repairer on one of tho branch lines m North Canterbury waited upon a landowner to see whether ho could trade for an acre of ground to put a small tenement on. The land-owner who was possessed of sotde '■ 12,000 acres, replied that hehadn't an inch to spare. Some years ago Mr James Macandrew and others wore travelling by coach to Baiclutha, and m the same 1 conveyance! was an old lady who was an inveter&tej snuff taker. She helped herself pretty' •frequently, •and . proffered a "pinch ".to' Mr Maoandrew, who declined the favor,* averring that he did not take suuff. " No tak 1 snuff ?" said the old lady, eyeing his nasal ovgan ia a critical manner, " Man, hut that's a, pity, for/ ye ba'e grand accommodation ? 11 So goes the story. The London correspondent of the Liverpool Mercury writes ; — Mr Justice Day has set an example to the parents m London who do not know what to do with their boys. The learned judge used to reside m Bath — m fact, he aid not remove to, London until his promotion to the Bench made it necessary. While lie was at Bath he apprenticed his son to a mechanical engineer, and the young gentleman has latqly, e»tab-! fished himself m business there as an engineer, v " v ' '" The London correspondent of the Auckland Hen-aid states that Bishop aud Mrs Hadtield intend ,to return /to New Zealand m the autufnn. Their' present intention is to sail m the s.s. Ruapehu on the 22nd September. ''The same authority informs the Herald that Sir Edward Stafford contemplates an early visit to the colony, and that Sir John Hall will sail for New Zealand either m August or September. Sir John Hall will oositively leave for New Zealand via America m the coupe of the next three weeks, ra6d may be expected at Auckland by tlfe'Sari Francisco mail, due there on September 20. He loaves Lady Hall and family m England, and means to return Home m a few months. It is uncertain whether he will or will not interfere with politics. . A- relic of the past m the shape ot, a hand grenade was ploughed up the other day (says, the Herald) by a aettler near the site of the old Rutahi pah at the backjof Whenuakura, It was brought ,j into town by Mr Home, of Waverley, i and given by him to Mr S. H. Drew. The grenade is supposed to have got there duringatt engagement, which "took place m that vicinity. Diphtheria, a disease far more fatal than small-pox, id spreading m 'the Wairapa. Three owners of filthy tenements were fined a few days ago, and more prosecutions are likely to follow. Observance of the laws of sanitation is the dnlyjWavbY which suchdiaaaseßcanhelfeDi nre safety of all, that cleanliness m the matter of dwelling houses and backyards should be observed. In connection with the rumour to the effect that the Chief Justice, Sir James Prendergast, does not Intend to return to the colony, are assured tUat : on the contrary, letters were reeeivedVby him by a recent maiUu which he stales that the doctors bav6 given hiwa favourable report, and;that.he hoped to be" in J New Zealand about Christmas.; 4 ' Frequent report reached here 'tytply, says aGreytown.; correspondent' of 'the destructive habits of wild ferrets running loose m the; bush, to, .the ;eastward of the borough, and preying upon the poultry, &0., owned by the settlers m that part. , 3 T ' : j < ' Advices received from Melbourne go to show that at present Peter M'Qratrt, absconding Weiling'toh publican,>ia oit oh heavy bail m Sydney, and is expected to makeJijs reappearance before the Court on the ltjth iqstant. Mr Manthel, M.r Clieymol's representative, intends to' b 0 present on that o'ccesioii for the pur.ppse of idpntjfyjbg the accused and applying for. a remand to Wellington.'" It is understood that tho amount of the bail is £'1000.. We believe that: Poppens, tho other abscond,er,,,iß now on his wjiy, back, .being. in the custody Qf . Acti.ogr Detective M'Gijath, and is expected to rejach Wrillingibq oh Friday next, corn^' ing' via the South.' ' ; •