MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11229, 27 September 1898, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS.

The late Mr Louis. Ehrenfried by his will bequeathed £1000 for charitable purposes: Of this legacy he directed £500 to be applied for the benefit of distressed Jews in the provincial district of Auckland, the remaining £500, Mr Ehrenfried directed to be divided by his executors amongst such 'charitable: institutions at Auckland and at the Thames as his executors should think proper, The legacy of £500 for the benefit of the distressed Jews was paid over some time ago. Within the last few days the deceased gentleman's nephews, the residuary legatee (Mr Arthur Myers), and the proving executor (Mr William Coleman) distributed the remaining £500 amongst the following institutions.: — Thames Hospital, Thames Ladies' Benevolent Society, Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Ponsonby St. Mary's Orphanage for Girls, Takapuna Orphanage for Boys, Little Sisters' of the' Poor, Salvation Army Prison Gate Brigade Home, Door of Hope, Home fnr Friendless and Fallen Women.

The annual meeting of the South Canterbury Fanners' Co-operative Company adopted a satisfactory fepoi't" and balance sheet. The net profit for the year was £8479. The chairmall said that this was'a highly favourable result, seeing.that the district had experienced one of tile worst droughts ever known. The turnover of merchandise canio to £75,849, and of live stock to £105,600.. There toe now 1390 shareholders', and the paid-up capital and reserve stand at £-11,262.

The completion of the .Ohristchurch Cathedral as a jubilee thanksgiving by churchmen is & movement %vhich will probably be brought to a successful issue. The cost is estimated at about £12,000, exclusive of internal d<scoratibtas. Up to 1881 the sum of £44,680 had.been expended in the erection of the Cathedral.

Mr J. W. Paulin reports that tho rainfall during tho month of August amounted to IMin at Opoho, and 1.20m at Signal Hill. Kain fell on 1+ days. .' *• The directors of Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co.'s New Zealand Drug Company have declared an interim dividend at the rate ot / per cent, per annum for the past half-yea*. Bishop Nevill, who was the preacher at bt. Paul's Cathedral on the 4th inst., announced before the sermon that £106 had been promised from the cathedral district towards the See House fund, being the results' of one week's operations since the Ven. Archdeacon Kobinson mentioned the matter from the pulpit on the preceding Sunday. We are also informed that encouraging promises have been received from some of the suburban and up-country vestries. The output of coal from the mines oi the Westport Coal Company (Limited) for tho month of August was 24,893 tons lOcwt . The Tablet reports that Mr W. Cunning-I-am, who died on the 2Mb. ult., left the following bequests:—To the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage, South Dunedin, £300, besides some land and house property, in and about South Dunedin; to the Sisters of St. Joseph, Tomuka, £200; to the Mount Magdala Hom=, £50; and another sum of £50 to the St. Joseph's branch (Dunedin) of the H.A.0.8.6. The residue of deceased's property goes to his rfiotives and in bequests to sundry other prirate individuals. Tlio Trustees, Executors, and Agency Company (Limited), in Melbourne, is applying for letters of administration of the estate of the Into Mr John Gunn, late of Drumdaven, St. Kilda street, Brighton, but formerly of Dunedin. The estate in Victoria is valued at £928 15s 3d, and in New Zealand at about .■620,000, all nesonalty, and is divisible between deceased's next of kin. • ■ ■ From a letter received from To Anau we are enabled to give some particulars of the circumstances which led to the capture:of the Notorois last month. It appears that on Sunday morning, August 7, as tho Messrs Ross lay awake, in their bunks, they heard an unusual ■ bird-coll in the bush near the edgo of the lake, and about lOOyds or so from their camp. In discussing it they came to the conclusion that it was not unlike a certain double call often raado by tho Californian quail, only more baps, not so sharp and clear as the quail call. Tho peculiar call was discussed, but nothing more happened until evening. One of the Messrs Ross was then taking a walk along tho beach just before darkness set in. When near the spot whence had proceeded tlio peculiar bird-call in the morning, the dog that was with him mado a dart into the bush, and-shortly afterwards emerged with a bird in its mouth. The bird was not quite dead, and it was at once taken to the camp, where it expired a short time after its capture. Its fortunate captor thought it was a Notornis. and it was taken with all speed to the foot of tho lake. Involving as it did , a 25-mile pull, it was early morning before the toot of the Jake was reached : but fortunately there was time to pack the bird securely and despatch it by the mail coach for Lumsden, on route for Invercargill.