NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9217, 21 November 1888, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

-It—— a troupe of Maoris are now performing n Sydney. The Sunday question is the burning topic now in Auckland. Colonel Eraser intends shortly to address his constituents at the Thames. The dredging done in the harbur during the month of October oost £388 9s Bd. Three Lincoln ram hosrgets, exhibited at Christchurcli a few days ago, and one other that was not shown, were shorn, and clipped no less than S3lb of clean wooL The ingenious appliance for protecting open hatchways, invented by Captain Allman, of the Penguin, is about, to be tried by tne New Zealand Shipping Company. Mrs. Dudley Ward, who is on 11 visit to Wellington with Judge Ward, during the sitting ol the Court of Appeal, is confined to her oed by a rather severe affection of tho ; lungs. It appears that the racehorse Libeller • was disturbed in his stable by the near . neighbuuniooii of another horse, and, in , consequence of the excitement, burst a , blood vessel. . ( It is proposed to wind-up tho Mutual 1 Agency Company of New Zealand, which i has been carrying on business in Dunedin < for some years .n the stock and station and ] agency business. . J Tne Wellington Post raises the question ( whether Messrs. Fergus, Mitchelson, and ; Fisher have not vacated their Ministerial . appointments by leaving the colony in the ; ..lanner they have done. i The cold" S. W. rain and sleet which fell ] in Canterbury about the 10th and llth i November, was very severely felt by the < newly-shorn sheep. " On one farm alone in the di.-triet '200 perished in one night. Mr. Grant has been met with an unexpected difficulty in the shape of the Aus- ! tralian drought", which has caused nearly all the New Zealand dairy produce output to be bespoke in that direction for this , year. : It. is intended that the s.s. Tarawera shall be moored at Quay-street Jetty during the ensuing week. This will thoroughly test the thoroughness of the ■ dred"iu recently done at the berths at this ( ,vharf. ' It is notified in our advertising columns j that the usual dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, together with a bonus ( of £5 per cent., is now payable to the ; shareholders of the National Insurance i Company. : We have received from the authoress a _ copy of her useful book consisting: of valu- ; r.bie cooking recipes, entitled "Dainties, . or How to Please our Lords and Masters." ; It i- a testimony of its value that, a second ( edition has been called for. A Pmmoiui Rock Drill Association has . been formed in Wellington to thoroughly proswet the Terawbiti ground. The drill ■ has la-en purchased from the Government 1:1 ea»v terms, and the promoters of the ' Association are sanguine of success. A little r.ri three years old was a few davs ;s_v. at C ; iristch"urch, injured by a iraino cook. The bird, which is full-grown ana a halt-breed, pecked the child's face ; 1 i eves, anil cruised her a great deal with its wings after it nad knocked her down by flying at her. 'it does no: seem at all likely that Mr. John Oiiivier will be allowed to have a '• walk over " for the Lincoln seat. a-> several possible, if not probable, candidates are spoken of. Amongst these are Mr. Alfred Sjiiii ':•-!•.-, Mr. £. G. Wright, and the Hon. W. Kolleston. A shipment of mutton per Fifeshire (says the Timuru Herald) realised the following prices in London : —S carcases at 6d per lb, _r carcases at s£d, '215 carcases at sjd, '23 carcases at 5s "-. and S3 carcases at od. The sheep were grown on .Mr. E. T. Rhodes' H.idlow estate, and were shipped by Messrs. Grade arid Co. to Messrs. Johnson and All- ' sup, London. a monster of some kind in the Rangit&ta , River has been alarming the neighbouring farmers. Mr. Jackson informs the Timaru .era'td that the noise made by the animal cry evening is rather appalling, and the idea of toe neighbours is to make use of the police to take trie monster in charge, but they decline to take the responsibility without L-?.:-j_r armed with a properly executed warrant. Trie animal will in all probability turn out to be a seal.