LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2173, 17 October 1895, Page 1

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is suggested in Wellington that the cable which announced the drowning of tho Bishop of Naples iv Lake Nyassa referred to Bishop Maples, of Likoma, who has been labouring in that part of Africa.

At H( kitika recently, Bishop Julias, before proceeding with his evening discourEe, remarked upon the morning collection, " I never saw so much bad coin in my life." To offer, he said, to the church— the cause of God— money that the baker or tbe butcher would not accept, shocked him. The man who would do that sort of thing wanted the grace of God — or three months. He believed in straight giving. If the o&nrch cannot ba run on such lines, bettor wind it up. He trusted that evening tho Bpecial collection would be sufficient to pay off tbe bank overdraft. At the conclusion of the service the Rsv. Vicar announced that sufficient for the purpose (£73) had been collected that day.

In the results of Messrs Raphael Tuck and Son's literary and painting competition for amateurs, held in London lately, we notice the following New Zealand names among the prizewiunors :— Literary : Kitby Houus.-li, Alice B. Hansel), Nelson ; Harriet Cawkell, Mabel Horrold, Auckland. Painting : Ellen M. Cheeseman, Emma Cbe<;femau, B'jrtha M. Wood, Auckland ; Kate Barker, Edith Johns, Nelson ; M. Bauchop, Port Chalmers ; M. Biundell, Dunedin. Missionary work in the province of Fo-kien began in 1850. Fu-chau was (says The Times) the firat city occupied by European missionaries, but 11 years passed without a single convert appearing. Two out of the five missionaries died during this interval and two retired. The fifth died soon after the baptism of the first convert in 1861, and Archdeacon Wolfe, who had been recently appointed to the mission, was left in charge. Up till 1864 work was confined to Fu-chau, but in that and the following year other hrge cities were occupied by native evaugelitts. In 1866 the first two or three converts from these were baptised. Fu-ning was occupied by European missionaries in 1882, ami Ku-Cheng (tbe scene of the massacre) iv 1887. The mission is in tbe diocese of 'Victoria, Hongkong, over which Bishop Burdon has presided for 21 years. His forthcoming resignhtton has, however, been already annoui.cal. 'I he latest statistics of the Ku-Cheng mission wer<v of an encouraging character. There were 30 native teachers and 2212 native Christians, 505 of whom wtro communicants. There were 121 baptisms last year.

The trader Stokes, who is reported to have boon hanged by tho Belgians at Liudi, in tho Independent Congo State, for selling munitions of war to the natives, with whom tbe Congo State authorities are at war, is believed to bo tho great ivory trader of that name, who is well known to every traveller in Central Africa. He was frequently spoken of as " the ivory king," and was the largest trader in that article in the -whole of Afiica. The London correspondent of the Birniingham Post says that news of his mysterious disappearance reached London some time ago, and more than one of the African explorer* at the International Geographical Congress jast held there mentioned that intelligence of his death had filtered down to the coast.

It appears that Sir Joseph Hooker is not the ouly survivor of Sir James Ross's Antarctic Expedition, for Edward Fawcett, pensioner R N., writes to the Standard to say that he was on tint txi'Cdition as captain of the forecastle of the Erebus, and was always with Dr M Cormick's party when he was ashore botanizing. The old sailor also states that he was with Sir James on the first Franklin Search Expedition, and was boatswain's mate in the Investigator with Captain M'Ciure, and made the Northwest Passage. The votrran is now in his eighty-third year, and bale and hearty, except that he is "a little shaky on his pins."

About ZOO people took advantage of the trip by train to Hjde on the 9th. The exoamonists left Dunedin at 8 o'clock in the morning, and the train was timed to reach Hyde about 1 o'clock, and to return to the Dunedin station at a quarter to 9 o'olrck. The railway traffic was much the same as is usual on Labour Day. About 300 people cime from the south in the morning, and a considerable number came to town from Pott Chalmers.

It is reported that in addition to fche petition from some resident* of G'een Inland, which Mr C. Samson took with him to Wellington to back up his opposition lo the efforts which are being made by his Worship the Mayor to secure an amendment of the Abattoirs Act to overcome tho objection pointed out in the judgment delivered by Mr Justice Williams, some of the butchers of the city have signed a petition, which has been sent to Wellington, objecting to the corporation proceeding with the construction of an abattoir on the site secured. It is suggested that a public meeting should be held to consider the matter, and support tho City Council. It is reported that since the arrival of Mr Cameron, the expert who has been engaged to take charge of tho abattoirs, he has seen by mere oaeual inspection sufficient to prove the urgent necessity for a thorough examination of the meat supplied to the city before it is exposed for sale. William Moir, of Balclutha, who keeps tho boarding house there formerly known as the Farmers' Arms Hotel, was on the 9th fined £50 and costs, in default three months' imprisonment, for selling whisky without a licence. For a similar offence the defendant was fined £10 and costs in Maroh last. I

The ca^e of J. J. Meikle, of Southland, who was found guilty and served portion of a sentence of imprisonment on & charge of eheepetealiug, has engaged the attention of the Public Petitions Committee of the House of Representatives for some time pant. Meikle himself visited Wellington and gave evidence. The committee have now reported, finding that without the evidence of Lambert, who is now sorvirig a sentence for perjury in the case, ' Meiklo would not have been found guilty. The oommittee therefore recommend the Government to appoint a commission to remove Meikle's name from the prison records if this can be done, aud that he should receive compouKation on account of loss of pioperty and losi >;f liberty through being imprisoned on the evidence of a perjurer. The committee leave the Government to fix the amount of compensation to be given to Meikle. « The movement for the erection of a national ! memorial to the late Professor Huxley wa9 referred to by Professor Parker at Tuesday's meeting of the Otago Institute. After mentioning that at a meeting held tmortly after Professor Huxley's death a provisional committee was set up, comprising representatives of all branohes of learning, that a workiug committee had alto be«n appointed, and that it had been agreed that local committees should bo formed, Professor Parker stated that by the last mail he received a circular asking if it would be possible to form a local committee here. It was, he said, not a matter of , canvassing for subscriptions, but it seemed to him that there must be people here who would have certain eontimonts of gratitude to Professor Huxley for the I work he had done and who owed a gre&t ' deal of their knowledge to reading hie popular if not his more etrictly scientific works, and who had been helped through him to habits of clear thinking. Professor Parker added that a small local committee had been appointed at tbe meeting of the Council of the Institute that evening, and if anyone felt disposed to contribute to the memorial be would bo very glad to raceive the eubscriptions.

At a meeting of the Ohristchurch Prohibition League on Friday a motion was carried- " That the league strongly protests against the aotion of the Legislative Council in atriking-out from the Alcoholic Liquors Bill the cliuie giving power to the people to determine whether licenses are to be issued in the colony ; disapprove? of limiting to one the number of issues on which an elector can vote, inasmuch as such limitation involves the gross injustice of the mutual destruction of vote* cast for no license and reduction respectively ; deprecates the other amendments, and regard* the Council's action as prompted by unworthj sympathy with the corrupt and demoralising trade, whose representatives have been reported in the public press to have been recently olamorous in- the lobbies of the House for the protection of their own interests ; endorse* the opinion of tho Duuodin and Otago League Executives ' that the attitude of the Colonial Secretary in (he Upper House in regard to the bill is strongly suggestive of insincerity, aad that the Government should prove its sincerity by insisting upon the rein troducl ion of the rejected clauses when the bill comes back to the Lower House ' ; it regards as a blob upon the legislative system, which demands immediate reform, that two dozen representatives of prejudice and oorrupfe interests can stand bebwtea the people and an expression at the ballot box of their will on a great social qneßtion ; it ra»pectfuily urges the House of Representatives to throw out the bill altogether rather than pass it without those clauses which have been eliminated by the Council."

A return of receipts and expenditure for the nine months to the 30th September 1895, with & comparative statement for the corresponding period of 1891, w&b pro-ieated to the Hsxbour Board at its meeticg n Thursday. It appeared from it that the rec nn f3f 3 on accnunt of pilotage show an increase of 0378 13s 9d for the three quarters of rh.h yt ,i '\/\ there arc increaaea also of £405 9t lOd v r the heading of port charges, of £955 3* 4d loi receiving and delivering, of £167 5s 9d for towage, of £116 7s 8d for rente, of £101 7a 9d on account of the earnings of Dredge 222, of £125 19 6d under the heading

of refunds, and of no Ihss a sum lh.au £3461 19a lid for dues and berfctmge. There are inorc&sea shown, also, in the receipts on sonn other items aud decreases in respect of a few items, but, summed up, the return shows that the receipts of the bonrd for tbe nine months of this year exceed by £6263 0s 6d the incomings for the corresponding period of last year. The expenditure, moreover, shows a decrease for the period of £985 10s Bd. It is said that Mr A. Leo Smith intends to contest tho Bruca se\t at the next) general election in the interests of the Liberal party, and it is expect* d that tho Hon J. G. Ward, t who, it is stated, has promised to give an address at Kaitangati at the olose of the present session, will support the claims of the prospective Liberal candidate to the seat. The Rangitikci Advocate publishes the following :—": — " One result of the boom in the Thames gold mines ban special reference to the case of Leonard Harper, of Cartstchuroh. The creditors are stated to have »old Harper'u iuforest (a large one) in a certain mine for £500. The same mine has recently been sold to an English Kyndiciite for i £250,000 "

The Nelson Mail has bean *howu by Mr W. P. Simpron, of T»k*k», a specimen of & plant he found on the rangorf about 10 years ago. It is a good deal like the common cabbage tree, and growj about 10ft high. The leaves are thiuLer in texture than those of the cabbage tree, and they present somewhat) the appearance of a fhx bush on top of a stem. Tbeii great peculiarity is tbeir woi.dei-fu^ elasticity, which Mr Simpson first discovered when h climbed a rock by holding on to them. H> then saw that they stretched wonderfully without breaking. H« has found that they t-nn plant eaaily. [ At a committee meeting bold on the 7t> ir>6t. in couuection with the Juveu'tle IndiiA trial Exhibition, it was decided, in deference t< the winheo of the writers of letters which had appeared in the Times, to add an American organ aolo to the liet of contests— viz , undej 12, uuder 18, and all ages, — tLe pieces to be self-chosen. The committee also decided that, no assistance would bo allowed to competitors in turning over tbeir muaio. Mr George Jones late bf.ndmastcr of the Oamaru G&irison Band, has kindly consented to act as judge of th< musical contest, and Mian Fraser, matron of the hofcpibal, will decide the content in bedmaking. According to a parliamentary return the expenditure in connection with Mr Valentine* appointment as dairy txpert, inolndtit f salary and travelling expenses, was £1454, <> which sum £542 was for salary. Tun period that Mr Valentine was employed in th-j colouj wfcs 152 days, and in London 60 days. Miss Freeman, of Girton College, g*ve her lecture entitled "The Odd Woman" at tbe Ohristchurch Exhibition on the Bth inst. The house wan crowded and the audience very appreciative. The lecture hall is a fine one, and seats about 800 people. The Chrisichurch papers report very favourably on Mies Freeman's ability as a leoturess. ___