LOCAL & GENERAL

Otago Witness, Issue 1994, 12 May 1892, Page 19

LOCAL & GENERAL

The monthly meeting of the High Schools Board of Governors was held on the sth, and attended by the Rev. Dr Stuart (chairman), the 1 Rev. A. R. Fitchett, Messrs H. Clark, G. G. Russell, C. R. Chapman, and the Hon. W. If. Reynolds. Mr P. Kinnoy, the lessee of run 205 d, applied for a reduction of rent, on the ground that he had over-estimated the carrying capabilities of the run, and found it impossible to make it pay at the present rental. The application was referred to a committee to report to next meeting of the board. Memoranda from the rectors of the Boys' and Girls' High Schools, relating to school matters, were also referred to a committee to report to next meeting, and accounts amounting to L 526 6s 6d were pasbed for payment.

The University or Otag6 is credited with four out of the eight first-class honours at the M.A. examination for the whole colony. It has also two senior scholarships to its share, although in each case the successful men are bracketed equal with a scholar elsewhere. Women graduates on this occasion do not seem to have done as well as usual. Of the eight senior scholarships, one only falls the prize of a woman ; while of the 15 who have with various distinctions gained the degree of M.A., four only are women. The obvious improvement in the university record of the Otago candidates is, to whatever cause due, very welcome. There was "'"a large attendance at Trinity "Wesleyan Church on the sth, when Dr Lucas delivered a lecture on " Queer Things which I have Seen in Australia." The lecturer described the habits and peculiarities of a few strange birds that had come under his notice in the sister colony, and gave some account of the customs of the aborigines. The discourse was a sort of medley of natural history, humour, and religious teaching combined in the most remarkable fashion, the audience being perhaps one moment almost convulsed with laughter and the next either listening intently to an odd •description of the habits of a bird or to a religious homily suggested by some characteristic of the bird in question. The lecture appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed by all present, the rev. doctor resuming his seat amidst loud applause.

Our Queenstown correspondent telegraphed on the sth as follows —"The funeral of Mrs Eichardt, of Eiohardt's Hotel, who died last. Monday morning, took place to-day, and was attended by the largest cortege ever witnessed at Queenstown — people coming from all parts of the district to pay their last respects to the deceased. The obsequies were conducted by the Very Rev. Father Mackay, assisted by the Key. Fathers Huut, Burke, aud Lynch."

Times are bad and money is scarce, and so (writes " Atticus" in the Leader), when an aged worker called upon the superintendent of the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum last week and deposited LSO as an investment in the institution, that when he is incapacitated for work a shelter may be open for him, it is not surprising he was enrolled as a life governor by acclamation, and the committee ordered his name to be inscribed on one of the marble (tablets in .the hall. The amiable donor explained that he was not blessed — burdened, I think he put it — with any friends or relatives, and that a small business he carried on yielded him a livelihood and a trifle to put by. Still, as be was over 60, and his days of labour must tie numbered, he looked forward to the asylum as a place to end his days in. He is still going on saving, and " hopes to do still more for the institution " of which he has become enamored. While Mr Chamberlain and others are seeking to encounter the old age pension difficulty, with but slender chance of success, one of the workers has solved the problem for himself. In the present state of the coffers this sort of windfall is very acceptable, and the superintendent wants to see a few more prospective paupers similarly inspired. At the Christchurch Police Court on the sth, before Mr Eyre Kenny, acting R.M., and two justices, four lads, whose ages ranged from 14- to 17 years, were charged with using obscene language in Sydenham in the public Btreet. The charge being proved, the Bench said that as such cases had become common of late they had decided to endeavour to stop the prevailing larrikinism. Two of the prisoners were sentenced to 10 days' and two to seven days' hard labour ; to be kept separate from other prisoners. The South Island competitors at the recent meeting of the New Zealand Rifle Association held at Trentham, Wellington, were very much dissatisfied with the range (says the Timaru Herald), aud the general feeling among them was that the time had come when an association for the South Island should be formed with a central range, say in South Canterbury or North Otago. This proposal has met with approval in North Canterbury and Duuedin, and a meeting is to be held in Christchurch on Tuesday next to take steps to form an association. • In the meantime the various volunteer companies and rifle clubs in Canterbury have been .communicated with, with a view of enlisting their sympathy and support. On financial grounds alone the permanent range in Welling-, ton will bo of no benefit to the South Island, as the expenses of the men who went up in March last amounted to* between LBOO and L9OO, and their winnings were only a little over L3OO.

The Napier Telegraph says : — " It was stated some years ago that one of the largest waterfalls in the North Island fell into an inaccessible part of the Rangitikei River, running through the inland Patea district, and Maoris who live up near that locality believe to this day that such a thing exists. Recent investigation by a surveyor, who has just completed surveying a portion of the vast Awarua block, goes to show that the whole thing is a myth, and that not a semblance of a waterfall exists there. What has deceived the Maoris to a great extent, besides the original fabrication, is the roar of the rapids, which run down at a great rate for fully seven miles."

News of a tragic occurrence in the Pyrenees has been received from Bayonne. Bight young Spaniards, who had crossed the frontier in search of work, determined 'to return to their own country, and set out from Mauleon on the 27th February in good weatber. They were in the pass of Sarrau when a wind sprang up and the snow begun to fall. They persevered nevertheless, but the snow fell faster and thicker, until the travellers could scarcely see the path in front of them, and they lost their •way. All their efforts to find it again were in. vain, and at last, buffeted by the wind and blinded by the snow, six of them gave up the struggle. They huddled together near a rock. Their cries for help were actually heard by two peasants, themselves sheltering safely from the storm ; but to give help or to find them in face of the blinding 6torm was impobsible. Three day 6 afterwards their frozen bodies were found clasped together. Of the other two no news has been heard.

Mr Justice Denman (says a Home paper) has beaten the "record" in brevity of summing up. It was a claim for damages through a street collision, Witnesses gave, of course, cgatoadici

tory accounts of the accident ; but when all was' finished, and counsel had laboriously twisted' the facts to suit the case of their respective clients, Mr Justice Denman, turning to the jury, said, " How much?" And the jury with almost equal promptitude replied, "Forty pounds." It was in the same case that Mr Justice Denman mentioned the mistake of a witness who. used words of which he did not know the .meaning. He wished to say that a doctor who.nt-. tended him was only locum tenons, but persisted in calling him a "local demon." Bvea l when tho proper phrase had been put to him three or ' four times, he stuck to his own Version as the real one, and left the witness box fully^ersuaded that a medical practitioner who officiates' for another is a " local demon." • ' The St. Petersburj correspondent .pf ..the Standard gives, " under all reserve," the fol-. lowing story, which, he says, reaches. him from a good source. After the German Eiriperor's late speech, a gentleman who was present remarked that while his Majesty an as,' confident about the coming glory, he should not, forget" that Russia was behind him. William ll' retorted, "I will pulverise Russia." * General Shuvaloff, henring this story, instituted in> quiries, and, finding it was true, relwrted the matter to M. de Giers, who repeated it to the Czar. Alexander 111 sent for, General Schweinitz, and said to him, "Tell your Kaiser when he wants to begin pulverising, I- will throw half a million men across the frontier, with the greatest pleasure." . „ . ' It is understood (telegraphs our Auckland : correspondent) that Sir George Grey has received some warm congratulatory, ' telegrams from Dunedin upon his recent manifesto upon political affairs. One of them mentions that, the, Bruce electors "have nobly upheld; his', principles." Lieutenant-colonel Fox has inspected ; the ! defences of Wellington, and found theguns;and' fortifications to be in good orcer. After conferring with thfi Hon. Mr Seddon he will proceed to Auckland, subsequently visiting all stations in the South Island. He will not beginhis formal inspection until he makes himself 1 acquainted with local conditions. The following sections of Crown lands have been taken up at the Dunedin office during the past week :— Dunedin and East Taien district : Section 3a, block VIII, containing 14a 28p, cash price 20s per acre— Joseph Stanislaus Helt, on perpetual lease. Glenkenich district : ' Section 74, block XI, containing 136 a 3r. 9p,' cash price 12s 6d per acre— William Perry, on deferred payments. There were two applications for the lastnatned section, which wa's decided by ballot yesterday morning. Dr Macgregor, of Oamaru, has been requested by the council of the Victoria Institute, London,, to become its honorary corresponding member for , Otago and vicinity. Among such • corresponding members is Mr Stauley" (African traveller), M. Naville (of the Egyptian "explorations, Ancient Egypt), Sir William Dawson (the famous Canadian geologist), &jc. They have it iv their power to recommendriiSsociates for the institute (now numbering many hundreds), and to give facilities for^ obtainingits publications, of unique value, as^a depositary of original contributions to '^Christian , defence of religion. Dr Macgregor js,requested to contribute one of this season's papers to the proceedings (recorded in Journal pi' Transactions). . *, ?; A," Balclutha correspondent writes :'--" Whilegreafc delight has been generally expressed at the ; powerful orations delivered here during this! week by the famed temperance 4 advocate Mr >E. Tennyson Smith, tho prominent l feeling" in tho town is that of astonishmeut that any* man could in Balclutha succeed in., arousing ' such an amount of interest in the teVaper&uce question and securing such enthusiastic gatherings night after night as he lias done: No i temperance society has existed here for some time, nor has anyone been able', to secure a- satisfactory attendance at a temperance meeting. When, therefore," the hall was packed^ on the first night of the mission,- it was acknowledged that Mr E. Tenny.«on (Smith had succeeded far beyond the expectations of, those who expected much from his visit.'-.' A large number of pledges have been taken; and it is anticipated that a very strong Good' Templar lodge will be formed, as a considerable number' have given in their names to join it. '- This will be the eighth lodge established through Mr Tennyson Smith's advocacy during .the past two months. The success of his , work, may be' better gauged by these permanent results than even by the enthusiastic meetings which he-has secured all along the line. The lecturer leaves on Saturday for Milton, and commences a week's mission there on Sunday, May. 8." Messrs William Dickson, Joseph Cross, and William A. Wilson have been elected to represent the Portobello subdivision of the Port>bello Road Board ; Messrs Thomas Coghlen, Andrew Cassels. and Samuel Hinckley to represent the North-Bust Harbour subdivision ancl Messrs James H. Seaton, George Anderson; aud, Robert M'Taggart to represent the Broad Bay subdivision. ' • . The following paragraph is from- Truth :—: — "Canon Benjamin Whitcfoord, president of the Theological College at Salisbury", set the other day an excelleut example 'to the clorgy of the Established Church by lecturing on. education to the mutual improvement society, of ttye local Baptist congregation ;. and - the' example was further enforced immediately afterwards by the dean, who delivered 1 a l?cture to the same society on one of the poets. Canon Whitefoord was invited to lecture by- the secretary of the society, and had the bishop's approval in accepting the invitation. These unwonted fraternisations should possess the more significance in, the eyes of churchmen as coming from Salisbury — the last spot in' the Anglican communion which has hitherto been associated with liberality or enlightenment," A largely attended monthly meeting of'the Gaelic Society was held on the 4th in'the Stuart street Hall. Mr Dugald M'Lachlan' occupied the chair, and delivered an address in Gaelic; Mr D. M'Millan read a thoughtful paper on "The Naturalness of Shakespeare's Works, and the ease with which, therefore, they couldbe translated into Gaelic," and gave Gaelic translations of some of the most frequently quoted passages from the great dramatist, which received marked approbation. The concert which followed was thoroughly, enjoyed X the singers being Mrs M'lntosh, Mrs Dunn/ Mrs Chambers, and Mrs Chisholm, besides Messrs M. Livingstone, C. M'Kenzie, Neil, M'Lean, James M 'Donald, D. Munro, J. M'Kechuie, and A. Matheson. Mrjf D. S. Burt executed some nice reel dancing^ and pipe music was played by Mr J. M'Kechnie, sen. (the society's piper), and Mr J. M'Kechnie, juu. Mr J. M'Lean (Green Island) was elected a member. What was the precise date of the Exodus from Egypt (asks the Jewish Chronicle) ? A German astronomer, according to one of our contemporaries, has solved this knotty problem. Jewish tradition gives the dafc.v as Ist Nisau 1312 b.c. In order to test this our astronomer has assumed that the Egyptian darkness, which immediately preceded the Exodus, wan an eclipse. He has consequently

calculated all the eclipses of the thirteenth I and -fourteenth centuries b.c, and having "selected those which took place in the spring, has then chosen from them those which come nearest to the date given by the Jewish tradition. The eclipse he finally selected was one which took place on March 13, 1335 b.c It is curious to note that this date agrees wilh Jewish tradition, so far as the month -md day are concerned. . The year is, however, 23 years out. The astronomer declares that this is a mistake of the Jewish historians, since no eclipse occurred in the year 1312 b.c. He seems to forget that the alleged darkness is described in .'the Scriptures as having been a miracle. However, the result of his calculation is to show that the Exodus took place on March 27, 1335 — a discovery which will be appreciated when our iconoclastic reformers lay violent hands on the Jewish calendar.

We uuderstnnd that the Premier has declined a request made to him to address a public meeting at Balclutha before leaving for Wellington.

-The Minister for Lands returned to Dunedin from the south by the express train on Saturday night. The Premier and the Postmastergeneral paid a visit from Invercargill to Riverton on Saturday.

An absurd report found currency in Wellington on Saturday evening to the effect that the s.s. Rotor ua had been wrecked south of Akaroa, the steamer at tho time being snugly moored at the Dunedin wharf. It is probable that the I report was due to the fact that the Rotorua did I not call in at Akaroa as she has hitherto done. The Union Steam Ship Company recently decided that during the winter months it would not be necessary to call at Akaroa, and the Rotorua on her lost trip did not, in accordance with this arrangement, call at that port. • ' The Hon. R. J. Seddon received a telegram at Christchurch on Friday night stating that his daughter, who had been very ill, is now out of danger.

.The hospital returns for the past week are : — remaining from previous week, 75 ; admitted during the week, 18 ; discharged, 8 ; deaths (Edward Filewood, Thomas Robertson, and Augustine M'Gregor), 3 ; remaining in the institution, 82.

Messrs Alexander Stuart and James Fairbiirn were on Saturday elected to represent the High'cliff subdivision of the Peninsula Road Board, and Messrs Peter Murray aud James Grainger to represent the Sandymouut subdivision.

In reference to the question frequently asked as to the extent to which Ministers of the Crown are justified in interfering in election contests, .the following extract from the Journals of the House of Commons of a resolution passed on the 10th December 1779, will be of interest:— Resolved—" That it is' highly criminal in any Minister, or Ministers, or other servants und.r the Crown of Great Britain, directly or in- , directly to use the powerß of office in the election of representatives to serve in Parliament ; and an attempt at such influence will at , all times be resented by this House as aimed at ' its own honour, dignity, and independency, as an infringement of the dearest right of every subject throughout the empire, and tending to sap the basis of this free and happy constitution." ■ The monthly meeting of the Dunedin branch .of the Otago Educational Institute was held on "Saturday morning at the Normal School, and attended by Messrs Davidson (president), Milne, Fraser, White, and Pirie (secretary;. Mr R. G. Whetter was appointed auditor of ,the branch accounts for the year,, and as there, were only a few members present it wa6 decided to postpone till next meeting the reading of Mr Fraser's paper on " The Position •and Difficulties of a Country Teacher."

The presence of three Ministers of tho Crown in Winton on Friday night last was a notable •event in the history of that thriving little town, and the residents made the most of the occasipn. The Ministers, together with about 40 of the Postmaster-general's friends and supporters, 'proceeded to Winton by a special train, which ' left Invercargill at 6 p.m., and arrived at its -destination about an hour later, where the local .'brass band furnished a lively welcome. Tht train was to return to town at the close of the banquet, which followed the Postmastergeneral's speech to his constituents, and it was • supposed that the journey back would be commenced about 12.30 p.m. Whoever was responsible for that notion was grievously .adrift in his calculations. The electors had the Government's actions of the past fully explained to them by their member at his meeting,' which lasted for over two hours, and grace at the banquet was not said until nearly 10 o'clock. The programme of toasts was as formidable as is generally prepared for a banquet in the country towns, where the people seem to ,spec'ally lay themselves out for sach functions, and comprised 13 toasts, some of which had -two, and three names coupled withthem, Then there were several songs, and a violin solo, ■played in the small hours amid a buzz of conversation all over the' hall, was a distinct weariness of the flesh ; but the chairman, who emphatically insisted upon carrying out the . programme which he had before him, declined to*Hsten to the suggestion of one of the com, '.p'any, who besides having a hand in tho administration of the land laws in Southland appears to have devoted some time to making ! verses, that he should recite one of his poems, with the view of lotting those present hear what the province could produce in the way of poetry. However, tho banquet was concluded at 2.30 arm., and then the Ministers received deputations ! Thus passed another hour, during which the Invercargill contingent cooled their heels on the station or wooed sleep in the railt way carriage, but eventually the whistle of the engine blew, the train moved off amid the frantic cheering of the Wintonians, and at halfpast 4, in a cheerless, drizzle, the banqueters, cold and sleepy, reiched Invercargill.

The Dunstan Times states that the man named George Dishington, who was killed in the late terrible railway accident in New South Wales, was for a considerable time working on .the Earnscleugh station as a rabbi ter. He was quite a young man, and is reported to have relations occupying a good position in the Home country.

The Wellington Post states that Mr F. W. •'Ward, brother of Judge Ward of the Native Land Court, and of the Rev. Mr Ward of Wellington, who for some years filled the editorial chair of the' Sydney Telegraph, and latterly acted as London representative of the Melbourne Age, has been appointed a leader writer on the htaff of the London Times, at a salary of LIOOO a year. This is one of the most coveted appointments in the London journalistic world. Mr Ward is a native of New Zealand.

, One of the incidents of the latter portion of the proceedings at the banquet to the Hon. J. G. Ward at Winton on Friday night .was the fact that the Hon. John M'Kenzie was entrusted with proposing the toast of "The Press." In performing this task the Minister for Lands delivered a happy and humorous speech. He complimented the press of the colony on the

energy it displayed, and, as an illustration of this, narrated a story of what had happened to himself in the North Island. He had arrived, he said, in a country town about 2 o'clock one morning, after having travelled for the whole of the previous day, and was knocking up the landlord of the hotel at which he proposed to stay, when a representative of a local newspaper introduced himself to him and stated that he wished to interview him. The Minister pleaded that he was very tired and asked the reporter to see him in the morning. It took 10 or 12 minutes, however, to get the hotel proprietor knocked up, and during that time the Minister was industriously plied with questions, with the result that before ho rose from his bed in the morning he was able to read a full column of an account of an interviow with him.

The Wellington Post states that during the proceedings at the Appeal Court Dr Lnishley endeavoured by producing a paper narrating the death of a certain individual in Scotland to establish the death of a person who was once in Auckland, and who was a material entity in the case. Mr Chapman objected to such evidence being accepted as conclusive. Judge Denniston asked whether, supposing, for instance, it was necessary to prove the death of the Duke of Clarence before the New Zealand Court, the court could accept the fact from newspaper evidence? Mr Chapman thought that would be a very different case, as there would then be no question of identification, and the court might be induced to accept the fact that the duke was no longer living, but if newspaper evidence were generally admitted it would open the door to fraud, as such evidence could be easily fabricated. Judge Denniston instanced the case of Lord Brougham, who caused to be published a statement that he had broken his neck, in order to discover in what estimation he was held. When he read the opinions as to his career expressed, he was not quite satisfied with the result. Of course such evidence might be fabricated. There was an instance in a criminal case in which a whole almanac was printed for the sake of showing that a certain night was a moonlight night, when as a matter of fact it was not. The ruse was successful for some time. During the discussion it was mentioned that in a leading case an entry in the burial register of a Wesleyan Church, the inscription on a tombstone, and an obituary notice and account of a burial, were not accepted as establishing the fact of a man's death.

Mr W. Earnshaw, M.H.R., speaking at the banquet to the Postmaster-general at Winton on Friday night, declared, as one who had been in the Bruce district throughout the recent election campaign, that it was not on the policy of the Government but on the question of education that Mr Lee Smith suffered defeat. During next session, he added, the country might again be appealed to for an endorsement of the policy of the Government, and he had no doubt that the Ministry would be i returned with a triumphant majority behind them, and that their hands would be strengthened on every side.

At a recent " Dickens" party in America, each guest was furnished with an ornamental card on which to' write replies to twelve questions propounded by the hostess dealing 'with facts and characters in Dickens' work. Thdse who replied most correctly were awarded handsome prizes, and those who made mistakes corrected their cards by those of ' the prize winners. History clubs are formed upon the same plan, and as the guesSs dress handsomely for the occasion, which is made a festive and social one, with valuable prizes to be competed for, the study of even the dullest periods of history is made interesting and exhilarating. Eacjh member of the history club pays 50 cents, which in the aggregate remunerates some reliable teacher for the trouble of setting the questions and correcting the replies. At a "Dickens" party, given a short time since, there were 80 guests, one of whom answered 54 questions out of 68 propounded, and received a bust of the great novelist as a prize.

Mr J. A. Subritzsky writes to the papers from Awanui, under date, May 3: — "On the last' trip of the schooner Medora my son (the captain; saw the said sea uerpent between the Poor Knights and Cape Brett. The sketch enclosed is as near as he described it to me. The Medora was going with a fair wind and nearly ran 1 , over the serpent. They passed within about 12ft, and the serpent lifted its head and part of its body out of the water and turned round to have a good look at the vessel, but made no movement to attack her. From the head to the striped part it was nearly black, the striped part of the tail was yellow with dark yellow stripes, the tip of the tail was like that of an eel, with a fin on each side. As far as they could see the part was almost the length of the Medora. The serpent must have been about 90ft long. You can depend upon this story being correct. My son did not want me to send this to the paper, as he says people will only say it is nonsense."

NWs has been received of the success in the ■Home country of Mr Albert H. R. Porter, the youngest son of Mr A. J. Porter, of Birkenhead. He was some time at the Auckland College and Grammar School, subsequently at the Auckland University College, and a year at the Otago University, Dunedin, in the medical classes. Ho then went to Edinburgh University as a medical student, and news has just been received that in mnteria medica and therapeutics he has gained 69 per cent, of marks and a clas>s certiiicate of merit; in practical anatomy he obtained 77 per cent, of marks and a certificate; in practical physiology he obtained 89 per cent of available marks and a medal ; ancl as a member of the class of the Institute of Medicine he obtained 91 per cent, of marks, a first-class honour certificate, and a medal.

A circular was read at the Auckland Land Board from the Surveyor-general stating that if the occupier of any land did not pay the rent within 14 days' the reasons for non-payment are to be brought before the Land Board, who will consider whether the fines should be inflicted.

After a brief illness of 24 hours Colonel Green, 0.8., lato of Bengal, died of internal hemorrhage at Gisborne on the night of the sth. The deceased was on a visit to his mother and sister, and was to have left next day for England, via Hobart. He had just returned from native service, having had a distinguished military career, and having gained fame in the campaign against Cabul in 1879.

A couple of lady students in the University of Otago, who aio desirous of proceeding to their degree in medicine, last week made their first appearauce in tho dissecting room. Their presence there is viewed with anything but equauimity by the male students.

The Hon. A. J. Cadman, in an interview with the Natives at Kihikihi, replying to requests that he should stop buying Native lands, said they might as well ask him to stop the river from flowing. The Government were being pressed on all sides to buy Native lands, and had purchased 100,000 acres during the yew. They could have purchased double that

amount if money had been available. > The Government only wanted to push _on settlement, and were indifferent whether Europeans or Natives cultivated the land so long "as it .was cultivated. He askud whether, the. Natives would cultivate oven 10 per cent, of their reserves ; also whether they were prepared to pay rates as Europeans did. The meeting was of a mutually satiafaotoiy o.'taracter. Dr Stenhouse has been appointed to .the position of ophthalmic surgeon to the Dunedin Hospital during Dr Lindo Forgpson'fl temporary absence in the' Homa couutry ; and 1 Dv Barnett has been appointed to. the position o<» the statf vacated temporarily ' by ( Dr^ Stenhouse. At Wellington on Saturday 2'6in df^rnm fell, mostly between 2 and 4 p.m. Several culverts burst in various places, flooding the adjacent buildings, and iv the business-portion of the town the water got into ono or two buildings. A good deal of damage was done by the water wanning away portions of the guldens and the streets. " _ s "An earthquake shock was felt at luvercargill at 5.55 p.m. on Saturday.7',At the- Bluff, the shock is said to have lasted from 15 to 20 seconds. Another shock was felt atr lnvercargill early on Sunday morning. At the annual meeting of the Porfcobejlo Road Board on Saturday last, Mr "James Macandrew was, on retiring from' the board, accorded a very hearty vote of thanks' for his long and efficieut services as chairman. '• Mr W. Dickson, an old and respected member -of 18 years' standing, was appointed to succeed him. Great interest was taken in the polling on Saturday for the election of members of the Tomahawk Road Board, and more ratepayers recorded their votes than on any previous occasion. Everthing passed of satisfactorily, with the exception that some complaint was made that the roll was not made up tj> accord with the rateable value of some properties. The following was theresult of the voting : — Thomas Henderson 29,' John Mathieson 27, James Patrick, jun., 26, Thomas Robertson 24, John- A. Sanderson 22, Samuel L. Brookes, 18, Alex. Smail 17, Jameß King 16, Thomas Grainger 10, Arthur Henderson 8. , ,*:.'.-. After-dinner oratory is not the forU. of Lord Glasgow, our new Governor. At jthe .dinner given to him at the Imperial Union; Club, Glasgow, he attempted a somewhat grim joke, and, like John Peerybingle, he got somewhat near it. He was going, he said,, to a new cauntryr-iu fact, ho was going bolow^and if any of the company joined him there they would get a warm welcome. He stated, also that the honour of sorviug the Queen as ; Governor of New Zealand had" been most unexpected on his part, but it was one he could not refuse. In a paragraph notifying the departure of tho Hon. Dr Graco, chairman of the. New Zealand Board of the Auatraliau Mutual .Provident Society, to attend the annual meeting 'of ' tho society, to beheld in Sydney on the 11th inst., the Post explains that this is iii accordance with an arrangement made ly the principal' Board a year ago, by which a delegate ' from the . local board of each colony visits Sydney every year in the interests of the society, and thus ; the members in each colony are duly represented at the annual meeting, and the delegates have an opportunity of meeting the members the principal board aud discussing' with them subjects of interest in the management of ; the society's business in each colony, •'"'_•; The Wanganui Herald complains of. the manner in which the assessors, under., the jLa.ud, and Income Assessment Act have carried,, out their duties, and declares tha£ many of, the valuators (referring presumably to -Wanganui) are neither competent nor reliable. * An instance is given of where the^uuimpfoved" value of a highly improved property. is put down at L 3 per acre, whiltj a neighbouring estate is put down at 8s 6d per acre/ The land in each instance was purchased for h\ an acre, so that while one' portion has apparently deteriorated the other has become throe- times a3 valuable. In another case, p. block of bush land originally purchased for LI an acre was cut up and sold to settlers who improved to a varying extent. The "unimproved l '' value now varies from L 5 to Ll2 per aore, whilo' just across the road the same assessor has" valued the land at 12s 6d per acre. ' • -, ' A remarkable case of religious mania ported from Konigsburg. A peasant ;*uanied Puschke, living at Dulack, lately joined a uewly-founded religious sect, and' soon after showed signs of insanity. A few days ( ago Lo entered his stable aud attempted ' to 'crucify himself. He first bound his feet together at' the ankles, and then diove nails through them, fastening them to the ground. Then lying-out-stretched on his back, he further nailed the'left hand to the ground, and with the right hand stabbed himself repeatedly in the phest. His wife found him lying unconscious or* tho earth. It is expected that he will survive his wounds. In the April number of the " Contemporary Review " Mr Henry Norman writes a.v -able article on the evacuation of Egypt, in the course .of which he tells a delightful story of the black troops in a recent action: — The enemy was under cover not' far off, but.thu firing-lino of blacks were blazing away'at him as fast as they could open and close theirrillo,. Iv vain their officers tried to stop them. Tho waste of ammunition threatened to bucow. extremely serious, und their commanding officer, a Scotchman who had sueu many fights with them, losing his temper, rod<v down' bohind the line cursing them with every abusive epithet in a fairly adequate vocabulary of Arabic invective, but entirely without eifect. All last one of tuuni happened to turn', aud clis< covered the beloved Buy in evidently -a very excited state, of mind. He at once ,rose, ran back to him, and, patting him reassuringly on the boot, he said, "Don't be frightened, "Bey. It ia all right. We are here— will take care of you." The Scotch Bey, however, was equal to the occasion. He rods out through the lino, and walked his horse up aud down through tho rifles. "Now," he said, f 'if you must ike, fire at me." After this it is not surprising to read in despatches that this officer • has twice recently had his horse shot under him. The anniverbary services of the North-Ba&t Valloy Presbyterian congwgatinn were held on Sabbath last, when tho Hey. J. Kyley preached a very effective Gospel sermon from John iii, 17. In the afternoou Mrs Milue addressed Clie »>abbath school children and others, giviu'g- many pleasing and instructive incidents of mission life and work in the New Hebrides. In the evening a very large audience assembled to hear Mrs Milne, who kept them in rapb "attention for about .-in hour, while in a simple, yet effective way, she told thoni of tho hardships, difficulties, and successes of the mission -lifo and work of Mr Milne and herself, fche also explained niany of the native cv touiu and superstitions, showing that tho " noble.sa.vage " was the creation of the brain of stay-at-home philanthropists, while the real savage was very low indeed in every way. But as- soon as the Gospel began to tell on Lhom the change was very marked 'indeed on their characters,liveß, and surroundings. They left their old huts' and built new and better oues near the teacher, and thus new Christian villages sprang up, which

gradually replaced the old, while the Christian nativeS"~begaft"to surround themselves with home comforts. The collections for the. day amounted to LlO.

The New Zealand Baptist for May states that Mr La Barte, who spent some six or seven years in New Zealand, has been accepted as a missionary in the Indian Baptist Mission, in connection with the New Zealand and Australian churches. Mr J. J. North, son of the Rev. A. North, of Dunedin, has been accepted for training for the Baptist ministry in this colony. Messrs Nelson, Moate, and Co. have had considerable trouble (says the Christchurch Press) with regard to the pirating of their trade marks, and only a short time ago they instituted an action against a Melbourne firmin respect to their Tasmanian branch. The following communication has been received by them in connection therewith:— "Your action in the Supreme Court against a Melbourne firm for the infringement of your registered trade-mark has been settled by the defendants consenting to a verdict against them on the following terms :— Restraining them from sendtng into Tasmania or selling any marks that infringe yours ; that some LSO worth of bags now in the hands of a leading storekeeper are handed over to be destroyed ; that .the defendants be restrained from further application for an absolute certificate under the Trade Marks Act; that the defendants pay all the taxed costs of the case, with loss of all bags, duty paid thereon, and law expenses." The Premier arrived in Dunedin hy the express train from the south on Tuesday evening. A large number of persons were present at the railway station at Invercargill at the time of his departure, and gave him three hearty cheer's. He left for Christchurch on Wednesday, and will leave Lyttelton for Wellington to-day

A sitting of the Board of Reviewers to consider objections to the valuation of lands made under the Land and Income Assessment Act was commenced in Dunedin on Wednesday morning. Some 200 objections have been lodged, and the Bitting will probably last three days. Messrs A. Lee Smith, ,J. Robin, and H. F. Hardy constitute the board.

Mr A. Nelson, the returning officer for Bruce, gives the following as the official result of the polling at the recent election : — James Allen, 1089 ; Alfred Lee Smith, 527 ;— majority for Allen 562. There were three informal votes.

Complaints are made of the prohibitive license fee (L 10) charged here for selling native game. Dealers, finding, that it will not pay them to give such a high fee, have commenced to import game from Victoria. A parcel of wild teal and black duck came to hand by the Manapouri, and it is alleged that they can be imported and sold at much cheaper rates than New Zealand game.

A Reef ton telegram, which was not forwarded to Dunedin, reports that the Westport and Nelson mail coach met with an accident last Saturday. In crossing Landing creek the coach and horses were washed away by the flood. Fortunately, the eight' passengers, one of whom •was a lady, 'had leffthe coach to cross by the post bridge.- The coach caught in a barbed wire fence which is suspended across the road, and the horses plunged violently until the harness gave way, when they got ashore. A rope was thrown, to the driver, Jones, and he was brought to the hank with difficulty. The coach was then washed farther down, but the wheels and carriage were recovered. The mails were, with the Exception of one small bag, recovered on Sunday. Our Waikoikoi correspondent writes : — "One of the most enthusiastic meetings ever held in the district took place in the schoolhouse on Monday evening. Representatives from various parts of thedistrict were present. Mr A. Reid, chairman of the' local school committee, presided. Messrs A. Nicoll and A. Orr, the conveners of the meeting, stated that it had been called wish the idea of bringing the question of an arbor day prominently before the Education Board. They had read with pleasure Mr A. Bathgate's papers published on the subject,- and since the matter had been taken up promises of support had been received from various quarters, and also donations. On the motion of Mr James Ross, seconded by Mr Murdoch, it was resolved that those present, with power to add to their number, form themselves into a committee to take steps to have an arbor day proclaimed and to form a Waikoikoi arbor day association. It was decided to hold another meeting on the 16th inst., when the question of who should be asked to appoint the day will be discussed. It was suggested that Mr Bathgate should be invited to attend the first arbor day, when he would be sure to receive a hearty welcome."

The Christchurch Board of Reviewers under the Land and Income Assessment Act met on Tuesday. There was a large attendance of objectors. So far as opening the proceedings to the public was concerned it was a complete farce. The assessors, objectors, ani board simply held confidential conversation with each other, which was utterly inaudible to anyone else, and, so far as the general public and reporters were concerned, no information could be gleaned.-

In connection with the proposals made from time to time to float the s.s. Elginshire, the

following from a Home paper is of interest : — •'The handling of the Eider ever since she struck upon a, reef at the back of the Isle of Wight has been a plucky and determined piece of work. Whatever faults of navigation there may have been in the fog which sent her on to the rocks, they have been fully retrieved by the dogged determination of Captain Heineke not to allow his fine ship to become a total wreck. From the first he declared that the Eider could be got off ; and for two months he stuck to the ship gallantly. On Tuesday she was safely hauled off the rocks and towed to Southampton— a result which very few people, even among the experts, ever expected to see. It is indeed a very remarkable feat that has been accomplished, at once a triumph for mechanics and for steady perseverance. We can well believe that this is the first time so large a ship has been taken off so dangerous a shore."

Mrs Grimwood, the heroine oE Manipur, is about to appear in a new character — that of a •• novelist. "No Just Cause or Impediment" is the title, but there is a probability that a rechristening of Mrs Grimwood's literary firstborn may take place. • At St. John's, Invercargill, last Friday Bishop Nevill held an ordination service, when Mr G. W. Christian was presented by the Yen. Archdeacon Stoker and duly ordained. The bishop, who was assisted by the Revs. T. L. Stanley and F. W. Martin, in the course of his sermon, said it was important for ministers to recollect that man was sent to men as they were, because "they- found the thought sometimes arising — how much easier the ministry would be if men were only different and would, not receive our messages so coldly, nor treat the deep mysteries we try to teach so scorn* fully. But it is because men are what they

are that we are sent to them ; the condition we lament is the very call and necessity for our work. The prophet called himself a man ot unclean lips, and it is only as we feel, with him, our unworthiness to execute the message of> God that we shall gain glimpses, in our devotions, of the King, the Lord of Hosts, and see the beatific vision. Not only once but continuously we must renew in ourselves by the effort of our growing faith this vision of the living God."

At the Sydney Central Criminal Court, on the 4th inst., Samuel Hood and Thomas John Hood, at one time residents of Auckland, who were on the previous week convicted of manslaughter, were called" up for sentence. Prisoners, father and son, though, not registered practitioners, had been carrying on business as medical specialists, and a woman named Rebecca Cohen, who was suffering from cancer, died under their treatment. Actingjudge Leydon commented in scathing terms on the practices the prisoners had indulged in, and sentenced the father to seven years and the son to five years' imprisonment. The New York Herald published a despatch from Salvador reporting that a quack doctor in the village of Cimarron, pretending to be able to prevent the spread of smallpox, innoculated 20 children with the virus of the disease. On the following morning 16 of them died, and there is small hope of the recovery of the remainder. The inhabitants of the village are greatly excited, and threaten vengeance on the man.

The Wellington Post chaffs the Government on the new regulation, which provides for a distinct uniform for the Hinemoa, and says it is understood Captain Fairchild, on meeting the Earl of Glasgow, will sing, "When I first, put this uniform on." Mr Seddon is said to have gone specially to the West Coast to borrow the uniform recently worn by the representative of Sir Joseph Porter in the performance of "Pinafore" by the Westport amateurs. Arrayed in this he will favour the Governor with a local adaptation of " I am the ruler of the Queen's Navee."

The following are extracts from reports to the City Council, presented at its meeting on Wednesday night :— The Water Committee report that R. Gibson's application for the grazing right over the Dunedin waterworks reserve, Silver Peaks district,' be granted for one year, ending July 1893, without rental, but on the same terms and conditions -as to killing, rabbits, &c, as, in the present agreement with Mr Pogson ; and that LlO be offered without prejudice in full settlement of R. Lejshman's claim of L2O ,for damage to h'isproperty, < Whare Flat, by aslip from the, Silverstream< water ! race. The Reserves Committee recommend thatthe leases of section 1, block I, and of sections 2 and ; 3, block 111, North Molyneux, be submitted ,to public auction on the 4th June, and that Mr J. Samson be appointed to conduct the sale.

The Education Board's inspectors, Messrs Petrie and Taylor, appointed to investigate certain charges brought by Mr O'Donnell against the conduct of the school at St. Leonards, visited the district early on Monday morning, and were occupied the whole of the day receiving evidence. It was a private inquiry, reporters not being present; but the result was so far satisfactory in the opinion of those qualified to judge that at a meeting of the school committee held on the evening of the same day as the inquiry an .application was put in by the master for , six months' leave of absence on full pay; on the ground of ill-health, and unanimously—all the members being presentapproved. It is hoped that Mr Johnston may be accorded his much-needed rest by the Education Board, it having, transpired that he has been teaching for nearly a quarter of a century without a break. At the same meeting a vote of thanks to Messrs Petrie and Taylor was accorded for the impartial way in which they had fulfilled their unpleasant duty. Life, a new weekly newspaper, made its first appearance on Saturday, and appeals for support "to: that large constituency of the reasonable public who know how to appreciate a fair and honest effort to put before them fair and honest issues." While Liberal in tone, the paper. will not be a party organ. The first issue is a creditable production, and if the standard can be main tamed the promoters will no doubt receive the support of that portion of the public to which they appeal.