LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11201, 23 October 1899, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Ax English mail, which left England on Septembei 16, arrived from Sydney by the s.s. Talune last night. Anglo-Colonial Notes, Personal Items, Latest Mining News, and other interesting news from our London correspondent will be found in another part of this issue.

As the session did not end as expected on Saturday night, the order for a special train for the Northern members was concelled at the last moment, and the Te Anau left for the South at half-past eight. Wednesday is now mentioned as the probable date of the closing of the session.

Trafalgar Day was celebrated at Nelson on Saturday night, and the departure of the New Zealand contingent honoured by a torchlight procession, in which the fire brigade and the garrison band took part. Several thousand people gathered in Travalgarstreet, where patriotic speeches were made bv councillors and other citizens, the band playing patriotic airs between each. The National Anthem was sung more than once Cheers were given for the contingent, for Nelson, for the gallant defenders of Glencoe, etc. The demonstration was highly successmi.

. The Victoria Amateur Turf Club brought their spring meeting to a conclusion on Saturday last. The principal event of the programme was the Caulfield Cup, the field for which numbered 21. Victory rested with the Sydney-owned three-year-old Dewey, who won his race in decisive style. 1 hough the first and second favourites were amongst the defeated, Dewey's victory was well anticipated, he having'been in a prominent place in the betting for several days prior to the race. In the Maiden Stakes the Auckland-bred colt Lancaster scored a success A full account of the racing will be found on page three. In our obituary column will be found recorded the death of Mrs. Elizabeth Mary Ormsby, wife of Captain Mincham ' and only daughter of Sir Francis Ormsby of Hazel^ 53rd H!,lI 'T Cou ( nt ? r Slig0 ' Ireland > in her 53rd year. Her father, who was one of the oldest pensioners in New Zealand, died at the residence of his son-in-law, Captain Mincham, m 1891, at the age of 93. The New aealano Herald of January 19 of that shows th n llowinfe about him > which shows that he was a remarkable man in some respects:-' Mr. Francis ormsl) better known by his friends as Francis OrmVby , Queenan (the latter name being adopted), was a native of County Sligo, Ireland. His father was a colonel in the British amy, aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, and present at the battle of Waterloo. Deceased was related to Lord Dunraven by marriage. At time, it is stated, lie was a' major in the army, but sold .out his commission, and' enlisted subsequently as a private soldier, and served in some of the New Zealand wars. For 45 years he drew a pension from the British Government. His brother is Sir Michael yrmsby, Bart. . ; The deceased has had a career marked by many cheouered and romantic adventures." * ' I

Auckland possesses in its Art Gallery a'm set of very ancient Dutch chinaware, which Jiff is connected in a very curious way with the M early history of the Cape. In 1648 theS%* : Dutch East Indiaman Haariem was wrecked in Table Bav. The crew remained on tho M shore for five months before they were car^S-fl ried back to Holland by the homeward bound fleet. On their return, two of the ship*;||| wr-ked crew, Janssen and Proot, drew up a " remonstrance," which they presented to A the directory of the Dutch East India Com* # pany. In this memorial they set out the IE advantages which would arise from the e»ff| tablishment of a station there, and enlarged Vgf upon the suitability of the place for this pup. pose. Ultimately the directors decided tdfff. carry out the proposal, and the command of|§§ the expedition was given to Jan Antony Van lliekcli. a surgeon in the company's §1 service. This was the commencement off# European colonisation in South Africa. ThaH articles in the Auckland Gallery, which ar#£ of great interest, were recovered from thel§S wreck of the Haarlem, which sank in deeply water, and were purch'.sed by Sir George Grey. |g|

At the Police Court on Saturday. William || Best was sentenced '.o 14 days' imprisonment 'M for ins fourth offence of drunkenness withinsix months, and at his own request a prohi. bition order was issued against him. Two first offenders were dealt with. Thomas Knox and John Kannay, two fishermen, pleaded not guilty to having on or aboutfs October 10, stolen from a punt in the Auck-' land Harbour, about 60 fathoms of rope, value £1 ss, the property of the Auckland Harbour Board. Sub-Inspector Wilson pro. secuted for the police, and Mr. J. R. Reed® defended the two accused. The men dijijr not deny having taken the rope off the punt, but said they only took it to anchor tha'r i' : fishing boat' with (their own rope having,-*; been lost), and intended to replace it next •( morning, but before they could do so the punt was removed from its position alongside then; craft. After hearing all the evidence, how. ever, His Worship decided to convict both men, and ordered them to come up for sentence this morning. Several cases were dealt SS with under the Destitute Persons Act. ,|1

11l connection with the Waikato Agricut tural Show the eight a.m. Auckland to Rotorua express train on Thursday first willnot leave Hamilton till four p.m., instead of about 110011. which is its usual time. It will, therefore, be advisable for any through Roto* rua passengers who do not wish to attend the show to leave Auckland by the half, past nine a.m. train on Thursday, otherwise" thev will experience a delay of four hours at Hamilton. Passengers for the Thames i branch should also leave by the half-past nine a.m. train. :

It is understood that a compromise has|:; been arrived at between the master curriers and the Auckland Curriers' Union, which ij'|i all likelihood will practically settle the dispute, and obviate further proceedings. The 7 /" conditions of settlement are that the union Sv give way on the preference clause, and the employers, an the other hand, decide to have the boys brought down to a proportion satis-M factory to the union. An industrial agree*, ment will, therefore, he entered into between the parties. '|g

The Trades and Labour Council have in*, structed the secretary to write to Sir Mau/| rice O'Roke, heartily thanking him for obtaining a grant of £300 towards the main- 4 ® tenance of the Auckland Technical School, Also a letter of congratulation to the Hon.: • W. J. Jennings on his reappointment to the Legislative Council.

We have received several letters vindicate! ing the position of women as nurses in war, S: in opposition to the observations made by'-5 Dr. Bakewell. Jt is unnecessary to publish' these. The usefulness of nurses for the sick and wounded has been amply demonstrated $ since the time of Miss Nightingale and the Crimean campaign, and is not now questioned. Mrs. Nicol has received the following telegram from a lady at Ngaruawaliia:"Re Dr. Bakewell, everyone that I>l have heard speak in the Waikato sympathise? with vou." jfj

The following is a specimen of the mannet f ill which the Primate is addressed by some who differ from him in opinion, respecting prohio.iion. To Bishop Cowie,— You?/ richly deserve the verbal thrashing you go( S ill the Rev. Williams' letter. It is an ac-'S knowicdged lact that the magistrates hart; • been bought over by the accursed bcerfl brewers. Can it be possible that the clergy ; if Anglican) are in the same boat ! There | is one of your flock that will endorse your views to the letter, and that one is -—fe a biped that would accept a drink from any public-house loafer. You have cleared iaa out of the Church of England, and I was christened, confirmed, .and broug.il un tr-s that creed.' •§

There was a large attendance at the City Hall services last night. Mr. C. E. Button delivered an address on " The Cleansing of iNaaman the Leper." Mr. John Smyth | presided. Miss Alice Rimmer contributed i; an enjoyable solo. f ;

A meeting of the Railway Employees* « Picnic Committee was held at the Auckland , :l railway station on Saturday night, to dis- M pose of balance of funds in hand from rail- ;';.; Way picnic. It was decided to hand the whole amount ovei to Mrs. Elwain, wife of W. Elwain, portei, now lying dangerously v ill in the hospital.

Mr. William Fitzgerald, whose death has ; S been already recorded, came to this colony in 1842, and had been a resident of Drury for 37 years. A native of Limerick, [re* land, lie enlisted at an early age, and under Lord Gongh passed through all the vicis- ? situdes of the China war of 1839-41, and •/. stood under fire through nine separate en- 'H gagements, and received medals and piomo- & tion. In 1862 he settled in Druiyj| with his wife, and always was highly respected and esteemed. His funeral was attended by \ large number of the sett'e3 il. of Drury and surrounding districts. Though .g Mr. Fitzgerald had reached the great age of ± 95 yearr. he was still clear in mind ana sound in body, and the very day on whicit i he died had actually done a hard day's work • ■ in his garden. He leaves a wife and two sons, all living at Drury, There were nine persons in the lockup last -q evening, on charges of drunkenness; one ofi them, naintd Ingstei, is also charged with : resisting the police in the execution of their j duty. . |

_ The police authorities have got trace of the escaped lunatic, who is in one ot the outdistricts, and apparently heading for his old . residence. ' 1

On Saturday morning three boys named;;,', Massey, Dennis, and Steele, were playing on the bnach at the foot ot Curran-slreefc/j. Ponsonby, when they noticed something floating in the water a few yards from the Jj shore. They waded in, and found that it $1 was the body ot an infant. On bringing it ashore, they want and informed Coifctable Luke Macdonnell, of the Ponsonbya polfc jf station, who removed it to the morgue to await the usual inquest. The body is that'.t ot a male child, about a fortnight old. Tlia umbilical cord had been properly tied, and the only clothing on the body was a small strip of flannelette, apparently used as a|| waistband. The body had not been \ l long in the water, as there was no sign of % decomposition, although the fish had commenced to attack the side of the child, and ■ part of the flesh had been nibbled away;|js An inquest is to be held this morning, a(E| ten o'clock, at Gleeson's Hotel, Lower Hob-son-street, by Dr. Philson, coroner. "Mb The annual'examinations in connection % with the New Zealand University foi degrees, senior and Tinline scholarships, honours, teachers' classes, and admission tO|jgj the legal profession, commence on Monday 6th pros., and will be continued until I6tiu r . The Auckland candidates will sit at tho|| University College, under the supervision of il the Rev. D. W. Runciman, registrar. Jvp

By a fire at three o'clock yesterday morning the house of a Christchurch constable was burned to the ground. The officer was on night duty, and it was with great difficulty that his wife and two young children were got out. The inauguration of a series of organ and '0; vocal recitals by Mr. Arthur Towsey tv" 3 welcomed last month by a large and «n* thusiastic audience, many of whom cx-.|& pressed a wish that these recitals would beo, continued at regular intervals. Encouraged by the hearty support given, Mr. Towsey .#: announces another recital for Wednesday Mi alternoon next, at the Choral Hall. The po* Jlj gramme, which appears in anothei column, excels, if possible, in excellence that given • at the first recital. Mr. Towsey will be;*# assisted by Mrs; Dr. Parkes, Mi. A. l?M Edwards, and Mr. S. Jackson. • « Gas consumers are reminded that Wedne* day next, the 25th inst., at five P' m ''f§ i? the last day on which discount will bellallowed on their accounts. i'§||