The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1887. PASSING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1838, 11 February 1887, Page 20

The Otago Witness, WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE SOUTHERN MERCURY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1887. PASSING NOTES.

£>•»-', .-.. .- ,-,><■ s „-> «t' Hi _ •<■■•:<'. i • Whenever an official department,' wrapped m . jtVnWuilljstate^ of piacid.sluinber^ w disagjeeably awakened' to > the fact that something is " up " oneijppufte 'sfeiieV* upon^ tbfe'bfticial mm^., That impulhe -id. toi-'i make an example." Whether anything c^ri'i'or;cannot r ,b« done to' . K.medyjil|e._errdr,9r'miphap'w an open question,' but in any .case an example can profitably be made, and^jt^iß. -mgde^.mvariably. A lambiisr always bandy JfoiS^bMnt, offering to Jthe. offended public' upon^these occasions. The.: escape of »thef ingenious and pa'tn*staking^snvict ; Crabtree from 1 the Wt^iugton furtiLhe? an instahfee in'ptiin*'' gentlemanfdiffered from her Majesty's judges iipon, a. minor detail— viz!, the length of. the term of imprisonment which his own offence 'merited. He emphasised! his own views upon "the subject by laboriously gouging out thehiug'es of his qell door, and leaving the gaol premises by way of the backyard aud the wall. He was re-arre.^ted jome days later in a black suit and a " belltopper,'' with jewellery galore upon his person,. He bad indu&triousjy prosecuted bis • profession during the short period'of his freeiiohi, but all to no purpose.- The vt-ry tiheen of-hisbroadclothlooked" .-uspicioiiH, ' the- " belltopper " Biit'UMeasily upon his cranium, and the watch chain jingled out : a betrayal as he walked. - Consequently Crab-; tree's praiseworthy efforts- *after liberty were' brought to .nothing : hv was .recognised and arrebtetl, and that disposed of him.. But when it came to kindling the fire beneath the altar apd"' <<ffering the regulation sacrifice thereupon, the Prisor.6 department, it will be observed, dis- v charged, not .the warder who had allowed a longsentence prisoner to collect an extensive assortment of tools in his cell, but the night watch* man, whose business it was to perambulate, and who perambulated accordingly. He, honest' man, assumed no doubt, as he was in duty bound to 'do, that behind each cell door thtre was a -prisoner, and that the said prisoner .wasi as provided by the regulations, in poss^* *ion of -no tools or weapons out vails aud teeth But luck was agaiust him, and his blood now stains, the sacrificial altar. If Crabtree had Vffected his escape by smuggling an Armstrong gnn and 50 rounds of ball cartridge into his cell, and therewith blowing ' tho „gaol ■ to' f-niithem ns, would the man oh' night patrol still have- been held responsible ? Probably ; butithe night patiol would, then 'no doubt hare been j3jcked, w up jft p.ieces^and he ,wo_uld, noj>.,have minded! -■*•"" * .

— Injured virtue, Jn» the person of Mr H. S." Fif-b, inditfs a, letter to the Star this wt-ek invoking the protection of " my fellow country, uvn and citiz-ns "' against "perfieou.'iou"' by •••Oivis.". i . < *Peraecntioij,"quothftJ If it comforts M^Fishtd think himself persecuted, or to . faury that, in tbYt or janjr other re.spj.ct he 'an'early^ChHstian.far^Deit'from me jto scatter so harmless an iUusion Vr Any^ state is better than one of mbral an'^sfhesia'. " His. letter, as' : l "read ; itv-is'-one of the 6igns of grace. He complains that he is " persecuted," hence is reeb'gnisant' • at last of* I; public opinion and public' criticism. Would it'' be too much to'aßk him whilst' in this hopefulcfinditiqii • to fxplain that little matter left totally nnwc ' plained^at the Dunedin S6tith election ? It "is' . the, existence; of. th^at little mattrjr left uneluci- :- dated that niakes&lr Fish's .oresent prominence so very— : wh v at *6hali I 6ay? — bo very peculiar.! It is- a matter upon which his "fellow country* men and citizens "sa^S innl ig e ß?S:* Q djbhir6ting for information which Mr ; Fish alone can give.

Why does riot Mr Fish "clear it up? I have always recognised in Mr Fish certain marked qualities for, public usefulness. At .one time he : gave promise.oi^ becomjng. eminently serviceable . as a member bf Parliament." Amongst the use" ful ,; t cla6S-.no£' political pachyderms Nature had fitted. ., him, <v to, Jake a high place. Is all this , fair promise to. be nullified by that one little matter at the Dunedin South election? Alas I ib would seem bo, unless Mr Fish- can<be prevailed on to clear that litfcie matter up. This done, " Oivis " would be ready as of yore to bang upon the lips, of Fish bar*, ranguingtin:the forum, to dtfer to the J opinions of Fibh as an authority on education and h g6^ art, and even— though this is"*a'new"development — to rejeice 1 together with Fish as> " brand . plucked from the burning "at the next pariah meeting of St. Matthew's Church. , >

Those timid persons whom ttier'pading of the Tablet keeps in a continual state of nervous terror regarding P^paL aggression, and who prophesy an early re,7erection of tha stake with it» igneous , aocefeorieswill be pleased to learn th&t a watchful eye is being kept on every movement of the •' Scarlet Woman.^ Mr M'Clure, the in-defatigable'(l-think that! is the utualword) secretary ' of the- Working" Men's Profcestabt League has been' t ori-the.rarnpage'^fqr some tinie. "The last' annual' "pilgrimage ":jfcd .tEe shrine of Edward the Confessor *ia Westminster ' Ahbey^aßTaiihei more than^e cquld bear, &nd be wrote to the authorities in a tone of .vigorous reirionstrance,'.6tigmati6Jng it as, a " ; Romish invasion." i But! the;- -last straw that broke the camel's back wa3-;added/.to ! Mr M'Clure's load, when Mr Chapman, an AugHcan clergyman, was announced to receive subscriptions for Father Damieil, xtUo mini^teis io'.the inhabitants of Molokai, the Hawiian Island of leperg. In the • course of his devoted labonr.6 this priest has contracted the terrible diseasejwith which bis .flock is afflioted, and .one might suppose that the bitterest sectarian bigotry would paw by.Bnch a .jßto.; MNfapei pm%nss l*&%^

mind - in what * Rhodar - Bronghtorr-wtniM - term "good nerTdu|,Eiigili;h."^.He is astonished that Mr ( "h«pman'i*ap'fil&^ l il6xpjess Hympajthy for an idolatrous^pnlst^o'r^lnai^ab^rainable t-yst«-m against whiclrhe. is'^lJctgeSl td ; labY)uf."> Eather 'Damien's B^lf;B.acrificitig j devotion he loti^s on as no better than thßaitkin'bf the pjiest« of Baal, who'cut WemAfelveXwitli kiiiven. He con» eludes by expre'^sin^.bis conviction that all that the missionary' in (queKtwn can achieve as tha ■priSfr' of Antichrist; }• td 'Malce •hiWt^ronelyt^t two-fold more .tho'chiWcen.of hjill than he it ■ himself. -It seemßt to"/ me that Mr M*Olure bat jbeen ,bom in .the.wrpn.g-century.^ H ( e .^hould ba\ a lived in the days of Queen Mary; when his etnt]. <; meQ^' would 3 have^jquickly procured ••'him tha crown of martyrdom unless, as' » most likely, ,he .hady Been which w.6s the winning side, and t ißQnue^ r /' FV V^ ...-O . ,1 2.* K{-,>K {-,> ;,.. „.a , TO-..*-! ''/•'•* {.', . The. process .of evolution haa.still a good deal of work to do before itj.en^rely eliminates all traces of the primitive savage tin the r youth of .New Zealand, or at least- in that Be'ction of it so strongly represented by ■three irrepressible youthg r who'figUred in the'aniials' 'ot 'the "Police Court the oth,er day. The immediate^' cause of their appearance was the faot of their, having hired a pair of horKesifor the purpose of taking a drive into the, country. . Now nothing, caq .be in iteelf more harmless or more indicative of innocence than the desire to gaze upon"' the face of nature : •" ■ i m ." t . Far from'' the rnadling crowd's ighobTe strlfri. But when the love of things rural onuses people to drive "eyes out "-for 60 mil* 9. without a hilt, the Inspector for,ithe, ;S(»ciely for Prsy.entiou »f tJrtaelty t?o 'Anhn»lsf feeln bouud to stfp in. The Mjrvicejs'of- this official citnfe, a'little too late. x« one of the horses being evidently not en rapport with iHk fpirit of hii temporary masters proved cautank'erous enough to.taka hi* departure from 'this world of care and fast driving, ; thus giving a handle to the prosecution. His partner in afflio tion. proved^mdre pliant,' but he will certaiuly remember that, trip to Outram via' Henley and - Mosgiel for some time.' The ingenious plea set tip . by : these ingenuoii s . youths' was the animal was ill < before it started. This is aiarmiugly like the stereotyped' excuse of tha careless housemaid who smashes your favourite piece of Dresden china and; then coolly informs you that it was cracked before. The incredulous bench' inflicted, the seemingly inadequate fine of £2,' with Gosts t^at which rate^. tbe 'equicides, to com'a r 'word,may imagiu'e themselves entitled to Rerforna a .repetition. of .the"fe'aCj. A'fewdays only bad elapsed when a brace of .worthies was charged with ' a, kindred "offcnce—Viv., that of employing ttieir leisorft' m- cruelly beating a horse.,". That they did not succeed irr killing the :poor brute is probably more due to the* tenacity .of life dihpiayedby $he, quadruped than to their tender mercies. . It is to b**. feared that these M j.oiing barbarians. at play" are much in want (of a Mr BarldwTto give them a lecture on, nays '.'The Story of Prince Larrikuiinnd the Vnfor» fortiiuatß Horse."! . . ••'„■/-- ' The Americans -hayfi late^'been flfflicted by earthquakes J they are also.afflrcted by an evil perhaps , the 'next in order of b'^dneVs— earth* quake prophets. It is the .distinguishing virtue ,of 'earthquakes," considered as one among many forms of calamity, that ythpy give'noVarniiig. Yon are not called iipon to suffer in appreheubion and .in experience, as well. This adyautage is lost when an earthquake prophet appears on the sceiie,— lost without any. compensating lout if, as naturally will , be. the, caseihw pro* pheciesr are not fulfilled. Curious to relate, the earthquake 1 prophet at. present troubliiig the peace of the" Americans ih our old friend Wigginß| famous for KuiidryprH'dicted "grMt'.stolmis" which never came off. i' Having: be«a neatly ac unsuccessful in forecasting b&d weather as Captain Edwin, Wigging has givertup mete<&ology as a subject too 1 fickle f6r,prppheticßpience,andnow makes a specialty of earthquake^' Wiggins toys he 'predicted the "great' Charleston earthquake, but as nobody heard of the prediction^ until after *th'e~e'v©iStrttcralarm"was"canßed-and-no-mischief .wasid6he.'.'Mor^.{o;tbe purpose was it when predicted t ai 'second t earthquake: which -was to throw the other altogether into the^shada 'and'dated itfor September 29 of la6t~yea*\ QPublt'o alarm ran' so high' that it was thought, advisable to' get another 'prophet to" obntradict WigginsMr R., A" ¥*PP c ty** ; W^V^- ".nisnaoing .comet, was ,tpbiv NBN B brought the world to an end, as ' most of < -us . remember; some five or six • v yearslago; ; Ti&x Proclor'tf otfuriterprophecy, that i no i^rth'qu^e !^»o&l^.'arr|*fr^n / ; September 20, 'duly appeared in all 'they^roerica,!! papers, and was dulyiulfilied,~a succesVjwhifh will naturally, strengthen the versatile astronomer as an authority- on" Tpoker hands',' and: the ;«• fifteen puzile," subjects of etudy' which' he'^alternates with comets, solar physicK 1 , apd 4 * divided 6kirt." IPoqr .Wiggjuß. -though ; "cru»h6(i hi "nothing.d.iscouyage^. . His .motto jp,^Faii^t, but pursuing," and he'has.in view, another ,«arth« .quake, bigg<>r than any yet h«»aird oT,-wh!cS is to shoot thewh'ole se|lbpar'd iof 3^brth,Afaij;rjca iuto the { Atlantic.-,- How lucky for us ;thafe]<?4ptaio jEdwin continneeVto .-Kini^hi'ittwatfllLJto^'bad " : weajther apprbacKibg.^. ano 1 b^6 feot taken t« predicting earthquakes 5 \A On 6econdf thongbt^how* everj I inoliaftto the 'opihibn^that it : 'Vonldn'fi mucb'if hut Had. ,'^obbdy .would believe

- ; Feminine beauty »of conrse * joy f or-ever, or for as long as it lasts, and it is unm-really appreciated. . Masculine bejauty,";oh 'the other hand» does hot always find its market, and ia. apt,- to be shouldered 1 to one side by brains, breeding, mu6cle,and other qualities more highly estpemed in- man? • -The- ypath-who^ iB--beantifol bat nothing else has nowadays few .ppeningjj— th» line of busineefl .^whioiysJc^»ld'Qroßven(» embarked-bdng yeany.prigticable only incomlfi ,

charitable to direct theattention"ot r the good«r looWnfe y^ij man to any walk'iii 'Kfe.which sefms to ,'afford ftiim tant 'an ogportuiilty of tunybg his gift to ''praeiicai advantage... The following .' advertisement inhtrM by a Wellington « raper in a Dunedin paper, indicate* on<p important sphere ■of usefulness for in<'n whose personal attractions form a considerable portion, of their' Btock-in-trade :— • , .1

Wanted by 1»« March next, a smart- ojtppr?e"Ced M l, g.i.an for the mantle ami costuuHliiepartm^nt., jif.pYu-nuti mu*t Btnte nge_ an«l ,»a ary required, *nd #ncloa«" photo, and rV.terencea to — — -. . f j The meaning of the direction to '- f* enclose • photo." is unmistakable. The 6ucce«Bful ap* plicant muht ib.face aud form be calculated-- to" charm the feniale eye'; by no other means caa he bring about what Americans would call a "boom" 1 in the icostume and- mantle trade. Superficial observers only might imagine that in the purchase 1 ! of these' : conjmoditi«s M the cci", 'would prefer, fo .lie waited upon by "the hex?' Jgvidently it ia by ao means., the case. Men are. required ia the .mantle department for much the same reason tVat -girls -are required behind the refreshment bar, and for much the same reason they are requested to'** .enclose photos." , If Archibald Grosvenbr could step from the film of fiction upon the solid planks 6f reality, depend upon it he would bead straight for the mantle department and hic.e out his •• fatal beauty " at a salary of £3 10s a week. ,

The" Unification of Christendom," to borrow a phrase which Biihop Nevill has made hi.*toncHl, cnii ticarcely be said to bq r ,witbiu measurable distance, if we may judge from an event th*t has recently 'stirred to its utmost depth the religious world in England. It appears that Dr Parker arranger! for the Rev. H. R. Haweis to preach in the City Terapk',a well known Independent place of ,\rorehip. The fullest publicity was purposely given to the forthcoming event, and opinions were freely expressed that a puzzle had been set' io the Bmhep of Loudon. .Were the prelate to pub his- veto on the affair he would be guilty of a breach of that Christian charity which is preached 60 much and practised so little, and on the other hand were he to let it pass he would be giving a tacit consent to a breach of the Act of Uniformity. The diocesan, however, was not to be drawn, if one may venture on such expression in connection with a bishop, so he maintained an ominous silence and the •• boldest heLl his breath for a.whilo." At last both cjergymen gave him notice .of what was about to take place. He then wrote to Mr Haweis informing him that if he preached in the Tf-mple it would be without his sanction. He aUo hinted . at an inhibition. After this, of course, Mr Haweis could not defy his bi hup ami so he "caved in." But' though his " words were smooth as butter, war whs in his h art."and in his own church oh the next Sunday he " made it warm " indeed for his ecclesiastical superior. " Who can penetrate " said he inter alia, •• the secret of the episcopal heart ? Who can pretend to' know what "motives guide a a bishop?" Dr Parker, too, had his say out to the bitter end, and during his speech was frequently applauded after the hilarious fashion of wor-hipeM in thr *' Temple." Then the Rev. B White, chairman of the Congr gational Union, wrote to . the Times upholding the bishop's aotion. Next, Dr Parker incensed at being thus "wounded, in .-the house of his friends," wrote asserting that whatever Mr White might Bay was'ot no ecclesiastical significance. As for the bishop, what he 'had done would not matter so much if he had only, said that he was. sorry. So ended the matter. It is hardly likely that either parson really expected that) the, event would be allowed to take- place, but there existed the potentiality of a very big-" ad." for,, both of them, and Ike Colonel John Hay's hero '■ They saw thHr <lutv, a derfJetf sure thing,' : " ; " Aud went for it there and then. ■ • ■

I have all Mr Archibald Forbes' intolerance of statistics, but even Mr Archibald Forbes might give a sympathetic attention to the statistics quoted below. They are a comparison between British, and Continental soldiers in the matter of height, chest measurement, and weight respectively. The > figures are official, being extracted from a 'speech by the Minister for War in the House of Commons. He said : —

" What wo ; require in reoruite. whose precise age may be in some doubt is that they. 6houkl have the physical equivalents of 18— that is, the degrea of development which an ordinaryhealthy young map of 18 should have. reached. In height the standard, is. sft 4iu, but men under 20 may befipt-cially enlisted for the infantry who are over sft 3in., What are the heights In fort igu armies ? Be , it remembered that in those countries the age of enlistment is 20, with" tbo exception of Russia, where it is 21. In France the minimum height is 5f fc O^in ; Austria, sft 1 l-sui; Germany, sft 1 8-10 in; Russia, sft Oi»n ; Italy, sft l'-45in. Again, we require a minimum chest measurement of 33in. In France »tis3oß67in; in Austria, 3006iu; in Germany there is no limit ; in Russia, no rules ; in Italy (for active service), 31'5iu. > Further, we prescribe a minimum weight of 1151b, regarding whi<-h the other countries isßue no instructions at all." . , John Bull, of course, naturally 'runs to beef; aU the same, this comparison is surprising. Two faots muafc be remembered by way of cjuatifica* tion : First, the military " governments, par excellence^ make the standard low because of their nee.i of numbers. The army of. Great Britain is smaller in proportion to population than theirs, hence can be more select. Next, a Uttle man can shoot as well as a big man, and offers a smaller mark. In modern war this is an all-important fact. Most of the slaughter is done by artillery and arms of precision ; very seldom does it come to actual push of bayonet. Nevertheless one has a feeling .that in any »»d all binds of fighting weight must tell. There is even a certain moral ascendency that goes with superior bigness. Tommy Atkins pitted against Frenchman or Russian, *rill feel himself the better roan in virtue of the foot that he has more cubits to bis jftattfre aud

'- The Hall- trial lasted eight days,: therefore the twelve 'juror's selected to serve their cbuutry upon, that occasion He tied the sum, of 24s per map, bei; f tg at the rate of 3t a day. ■ Some who rehi«led out of town increased this gorgeous, htipend by a few hhilliugf.but the majority had to be content* with a wag«* of Is ,6d p*r day IeHB than is' offered by a paternal' government to the unemployed. This, Uip % for; sefvic^s which it was judged a common jury could not fittingly •perform:-'--- ' Decidedly jurors (special and coinm'oh);havb their;' grieVanres.^" The desperate,, struggles made by' inarty of them to escape the .ballot when a casu o£ any magnitude is to be tried, are excusable. Prior to the Hall trial the ' gentlemen upon the jury list* indulged in much excited fluttering 'against the bare, but' in few' . instances successfully. "I am acquainted [withthe prisoner,'' said, one; "Probably there are a' good many people in that position,"- replied the learned !; judge.--* •? I- em hard of hearing,"' pleaded. abottier. "I fancy yqu will be able to >hearif you 6it next the witness box," remarked his Honor.- Thus: after futile protestations twelve" honest -r citizens were > severed from home, "family, arid business' ; for nine days and . nights, during ' which periooHhey were subjeettd to much deprivation and mental torture. Battalions of medical men stuffed them to repletion with anatomical and physiological details, yet were they only permitted of au evening to have wine and spirits in moderation— and at their own expense. We can readily believe that neither of these restriction * found favour in the eyes of thewenry jurort. " Why in moderation?' the mos-t weary woul* query feebly, "Bnd why" would chorus th*whole twelve, "why by all that is ungenerous at our own expense ?" As the Babbath approached the jury were observed-to.be petitioning the court for a day's outing on the top of a tramcar, and presently when the term of their probation 1 expired they were called upon collectively TO perform an inexpressibly painful duty. And all for 3s per diem,less the pecuniary' loss they probably suffered through their absence from business. These men however, it is alleged, were serving their country. True enough. But the witnesses were also serving ' their country at double or three times the pay with their freedom added. -Why has no one spoken of a statue to a representative specimen of the common (or special) juror.- •'

Amongst the oddi.tU's of recent political warfare iv England is a circumstantial accusation ol lunacy or frenzy brought against Mr Gladstone by a provincial Conservative paper, the Yorkshire Post.* Since the^ ex-Premier es poused Home Rule not a few Conservative* have doubted, or professed to doubt, hi> vanity. The Tory- squire, the country parson, and in particular that variety of country parson which' the Saturday Review calls the " t-quar-son," have been accustomed to assure each other- by way of consolation, that Mr Gladstone wag either mad or possessed of a devil. There is nothing new in that; what is new if the "dramatic detail with which, in the Yorkshire Post's account, the madness, of Mr Glad-stone-is illustrated.. This • paper describes a visit made to the deposed Premier by Mr Gorchen.* The latter found the Grand Old Man " running round the ■ room in a frenzy, shouting * Power ! power ! ! power ! ! ! ' " This story will be a great comfort to the Tory -squire, the parson, and the "squarson." It" will "connect itfielf with other and .' hardly less dubious 6igns of mental.aberration — Mr^Gladstone's singular love of the woodman's axe aud his low taste for chopping, down tn > es- i -(when the axe -was laid at the root of the Union, was not the most pathetic Tory remonstrance, "Oh 1 Woodman, spare that tree" ?) ; his mania for annotating Homer ; his labours ih the very > thick of the Home Rule, struggle to vindicate the Mosaic au'horship oft ! Genesis. These things, put together, would -go | far tdwards justifying an' inquiry de Iwutticoi Then pomes the Post story, which, it is almost a pity to relate, both Mr Goschen and Mr Gladstone have written" to : deny.' Why deny it? ! Most people would have disbelieved it as imi possible ; any who .- believed would . believe i on. the, "old ecclesiastic's principle teredo' quia impossibilc. - Looked at from a newspaper artist's point of view, there is much merit in the Tory paper's invention. What is now wanted as'appropriate to the hour is a.6tory of Lord Salisbury's visiting Lord Randolph: Churchill, finding him shivering with fright; ; before an imagined spectre of Lord Iddesleigh, and spouting Macbeth' • (slightly altered)-^-** Nay, never shake thy hoary locks at me ! Thou canst not say I did it!" ' '„.'• fTrvta.

His Excellency the Governor, Lady Jervois, Miss Jervois, and suite, accompanied by Mr Justice Williams, Mrs Williams,- Miss Williams, and Miss Nevill, left on a trip to the West Coast Bounds on' Wednesday "evening. They are expected. to be absent about 10 days.

* The Rev.-H 'J/Freeland ' has" for the present undertaken, the duties in connection with the parish of Sfc.'MatthWsVvacaut by the departure of the Rev. P.M. Powell.' I : Mr 'Freeland is chaplain to the Bishop of Adelaide. The. examination for the. Gilehrist scholarship ia Dunedin., is,- conducted -.by Dr ,His!op. one candidate (Mr O. T. W. Little) has come forward from .Otago this year for the scholarship, which is. of the value of £100; tenable for three years.; and the successful candidate must prosecute his studies either at University College, London, or at the University of Edinburgh. . The examination takes place every necortd year. •-. ',

A meeting of an enthusiastic nature was held at Seacliff on Monday evening, the object being the establishment of a dairy factory in the district. Sir Birch occupied the ' chair. After' sundry preliminaries had been settled, a provisional committee consisting at Messrs Birch, Crawford, Guild, J. Reid, G. Reid, Russell, H. Scott and Porteous was formed, each gentleman subscribing for 50 shares, excepting Mr Russell, who put .his name down for 100. As e£cu share

no elaborate machmery-iB mWifded' 'fePbe psedi' Milk is to-be' tafeeii' friitn- pfopor£i<Jn to shares ? held. -The- 1 pronjoterß'' rVckont-Sd " : af the' meeting thatlOOO uhares oould Easily pa disposed' of, 'biit the company -is"to/be floated upon a ba-Js of £2000 as the capital. 1 ; The Blue" Spur' School ! Oommitte'e,, at its meeting on Mouda'y evetiing, Vbted : for Medics Brown; 'Misiop, aud FaltOi? fo> the- Education Board vacancie^ The. Clark's. Flat Coinnqittee has vpted; v for' Ti MeBBrB. Brown, Hiolop, and Gi.een. '_,-, : ',-.,. j -■ \-*l\ . ".-.,. „ - .-

Great regre^Js f^lt.in Melbourne' at thp sud«; den' dt-6thbf !; M,r» l Robert' 'Wall^;',wife 'of the well-known writt-r ** afegle»,'"Of the Australasiau. • The deceaeed ladjr'part6ok r 'of ri;glaß» of; iced water, wbicSh'; gave rise to in tfetual inflammation, causing death in a short time. ■■" ■ " '• ' " The lobsW pfihe farmers in .tiie Gra,fton apd Clarence /districts .Bouth f /Wales are estimated - a,t- £100,000. -The- maize ' crop^ are entirely destroyed. - " •" ,•■ "' 7 * ' * , According; to la pablegraro in. tlief.Melbourne Age, a committee of, the Senate^/p'f . the United, States of America, appointed to'inquiro into the, ■claims of American subjects' 1 who acquired, land, iuNew Zealand previous to the 'annexation of the a i6lah^s > ')by j r ) Gceat > Britain, ha^ requested President Cleveland to insist upon England indemnifying the claimants. , . <' \ . The new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, the Right Rev. Dr Thomas Carr, has left London for Melbourne via Italy. ..

The Municipal Corporation of Cork was in-v|tt-d by^a circular isnied in the name of the Prince of Waif s to subscribe to the funds of the imperial Institute.' It declined to" subscribe, and suggested that the Priure of Wales. VhoMlcl contribute to the relief of the ckistiug distresb iv Ireland. . , , . The Union Mortgage and Agenry Company of Melbourne have received -a cable message offering to purchase a large quantity of tinned- meat. The offer specified that it should be beef, and in 6Mb tins. -The contract, which amounts to about 1.000,0001b, hafe been -accepted by *he : liakes Crtek Aieaii- Preserving Company,' R.'ckhampton, Queensland. This factory was recently purchasft) by a Melbourne byndicate, -who' will at once commence operations.' ' The works are •capable of turning out about 60001b per day of '24 hours. • The* meat; which - will occupy about 7000 cases, will be &bipped by the -British-India steamers or by the Orient Company's steamers. ■■ The message does not state from whom the order h&s been received. , A meeting of thoee Interetted in the "formation of a dairy factory. company at Waitati is to be held on . fche 15th inst. , : . „ The Waikouaiti clerk notifies dates andplacs of -Utendat cc for the leceiving of rates throughout • the county. ' '• ~ ' * ' Mr Sievwrlght, solicitor's offices are at No. 14f muhstreet - . , < he OtiiKO Education Board in viteapplicitions for vacancies in various town and 'omvry schools. Mr Brttligate.'sMicitor.'hns 118 <crei>'df grjzlng land iii the Pe-iirtsnla to- et •n'lea'B»», - * ' Mr -Robert Wiehart, Cruni well, has a fugle horn a>,d a balla.i hoin for i-ate. ■ . " ,- Mrs George Searle's . dressmaking classes ar.e now ( 'P^n. i ,- , . Attention is directed to'Me-sra'G. and L. Sml.h'n In a'-ofcher column. Part.'CHlars in connection with MrArfcburCubittV Mfssing Fuf ikJb Ak»iic,v will be found elsewhere . '\ Mr John Ewinjj has beea appointed raDger {or the • " Bhcke'tone district for the current year. „ ... ; •