LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following lenders have bsen received by the Public Works department for the supply and delive y of bridge timber and piles for the Otago Central railway : — Accepted : Murray, Arnold, and Co. (Wellington), £377. Declined : National Mortgage and Agency Company (Dunedin), £380 ; Thomson, Bridger, and Co. (Dunedin), £489; James Fox (Duuedin), £553. The Wairoa Guardian cays that Mr Humphries, chief surveyor for Hawks' 9 Bay, has been exploring the hitherto unknown | regions about Lake Waikaremom?, and ►ome of his ex-ursions led to the discovery of some really wonderful features of int°n s 1 ; — magnificent cascades, eerie caves, majestic overhanging i cliffs, and delightful nooks. A lovely water- I fall of about 40ft, up the Mokau creek, ie described as a splendid sight, and will be one of the chief attractions to visitors. Mr Humphries tried to get soundings of the lake, and for throe milo3 across could not get bottom with a 700 ft line. A further length of line of 500 ft is to be sent up, but ttie experiments already nude show that Waikmrermaua is of extraordinary depth— very much deeper than Taupo," which is about 600 ft. Intending visitors will be glad to learn that the new road will be open for riding right through to the lake by Christmas. Light vehicles will be able to travel for 25 miles, or within four miles, leaving the latter distance only to be accomplished I on horseback. There was a case before the Supreme Courb on Monday (says the Chrisfcchurch Press) in which the person accused had not married " wisely but too well," inasmuch as he married threo wive 3in 23 years, and as to the two lasfc they are still alive, the presumption is that the first one is also. Ia the case of one marriage, the second, there are six children. The question submitted to the jury was to decide really which of the two ladie3 mwrjing after the first marriage is entitled to claim the husband. As his Honor put it when Bumming up to the ;nry, it was something of a remarkable experience t-j havo before one the three marriage certificates of a mm who claimed thai tho two last were no marriages as hio wife had leit him. Ths jury found him guilty of b ; g»my, and he was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. The Hawke's Bay Herald says :—": — " A remark" ab!e -feature at the horticultural show was a bunch of bananas, perfectly ripe, grown in a hothouse at Mr M La3cellej's residence, Clivc. Some magnificent oranges were also exhibited, grown in the open, by Messrs J. H. Coloman and H. Williams. Lemons of a very superior class were also on exhibition. The next generation sitting under its orange grove, eating a banana, will laugh * when ifc thinks of the quantity of half rotten fruit which its forefathers imported from Sydney and Fiji, aod consumed, regardl S3 of tHe fnct that lb could be well and profitably grown on the spot." The ladies of the Holy Trinity Church Guild, Port Chalmers, have reasou to bs satisfied with the result of their recent sale of work aud musical entertainment, which has added nearly £50 to their funds. The Wellington Prohibition League Executive has unanimously adopted the* following resolution :—": — " That this meeting desires to place on record its appreciaMon of the paiustaking and indefatigable efForts — especially during the recent session of Parliament — of the Rev. Edward Walker, of the New Zealand Alliance, towards obtaining for the people temperance legislation of a satisfact )ry character." A similarly gratifying resolution has been received by Mr. Walker from the Christchurch league.

Messrs Prictor and Ormsby have sent us a bound volume of the " Beautiful Britain " series of views of which they have within the past few months issued so Urge a number throughout Otago and Southland and tbe other localities to which their business extends. The binding of the volume is neat and tasteful, and it can with perfect truthfulness be said that no more attractive and charming a selection of pictures has been issued to the public at a price within fchs reach of all. Messrs Prictor and Ormsby inform us that they continue to receive

from both town and country residents a great many orders for this handiomo and attractive vo>ume, and no doubt for presentation purposes as well as for home pleasure and instruction it will mtok with great favour.

At Wednesday's meeting of the City Council Or Solomon gave notice that he would move at next meeting—' 1 That the General Committee be requested to take into comid'r.vtion and report ag to whether, in view of the extremely heavy premiums demanded by th c insurance companies, any steps should be taken by this council ia the direction of municipal lire ineurance."

A real blaok diamond, or "carbonado," originally supposed to be a block of anthracite coal, says the London Daily Telegraph, hai been exhibited to the Paris Academy of Sciences as the largest specimen of the kind hitherto found in .the province of Bahia, ia Brazil. M. Moissao, the exhibitor, states that the mineral, which is aboub the siz^ of a large Duchess pear, is probably the biggest ever known. He estimates it, owing to its hardness and capabilities for trade purposes, as worth 200 v ooofr. A*, model of the mineL-«l is to be placed in the aoientillc maaeum of the Botauical Gardens. Plans for the extension of the Japanese navy have been framed several times in the pist, and the estimates for conttruotiog new men-of-war required for the proposed increase in the navy are said to be already completed. The Japanese naval authorities are prepared to demand the appropriation of some one hundred and fifty million yen from the Diet at its next s c s'ion for the construction of new men-of-war, naval stations, and dockyards. Of that sum, some seventy million yen are to be applied to constructing naval stations and docks, and the balance to building and equipping men-of-war. According to the Hochi, the Government propose to oxtond fcho Japanese navy to 250,000 tons ia the next 10 years. The Girls' High School will break up for the midsummer vacation on the llth De somber and the Bjys' High School on the 12th. Mr A. Dillon Bell is expected to preside at the Girla' School, and Mr J. V. M. Fiaser has consented to act at the Boys' School. A youth named Robert Nelson, residing in Kinjjf street, was thrown from his bicycle on the 20th and fractured his collarbone. He was riding along KtDg ttreet when the machine he waß on came into contact, it is alleged, with one of the fire plugs, which was above the street level. The check- was so sadden that Nelson was shot ont of ' the saddle, and fell on his shoulder, which he fractured. He was taken to the hospital, and after receiving medical attention returned to his home, The statement of affairs oE a Broadstairs bankrupt (says the Westminster Gaze' te) roads very much like a quotation from "Bleak Houee." The unfortunate fellow seems to have suffered quite as badly as any of the hapless legatees in " Jarndyoo v. Jarndyce." He was unlucky enough to have a rich aunt, who left a will, and with it the germs of an expensive litigation .behind her. Counsel advised the man that he was io receive £2500 under this will. The Irish Court of Chancery finally decided that he was only entitled to £625, and judgment was given him for that amount. Of course £603 is a big drop from £2500, but still it is a .comfortable little sum. But the costs had to be paH, and when all the pickings were done he only received £2 2s. The poor man had meanwhile borrowed £600 on the strength of his expectations, and had spent it. Hence his appearance in the Gazette. Th 6 ciees of Captain Bwan, of the Wakatipu, and Captain Waller, of the Flora, were before the directors of the Union S S. Ccmpauy itiis week. The circumstances connected with the slight collision between the Wakatinu and B'loi-* when leaving Wellington on October 21 were fully considered, and it wa? decided tuAt b'ofh j masters should be permanently relieved of tbvn- ', commands. Captains Bwan and Waller v,crd officers whose character and ability were liig,U'y esteemed by the direotora, and it was to fclrm a matter of great regreb that the service; r.f both had to be dispensed with. The company's regulation, however, is bo explicit against musters racing their. ships, and the directors felt "so strongly that both vesgels had been placed in positions of 'danger which could have been avoided, that they had no option but to enforce against both masters the penalty which a serious breach of the rule entails. It is stated by the Post that arrangements have been made for the charter of two American vessels — the George Perkins and Mary Winkleman — to load coal at Westport for San Francisco. It is well known that the Westport Coal Company has made strenuous efforts at various tim"B to obtain suitable vessels for this purpose, I but as the port was unprovided with a tug the I insurance companies refused to take risks with any vessel going there. A tug has, however, now been procured, and the Government has mater'a'ly assisted to remove further obstacles by conceding a reduced rail haulage rate on coal for foreign shipment. Constable Murray brought down from Rotorua a man named Duncan Campbell. It appears Campbell was an inmate of the Costley Home, at Epsom, Auckland, but left the institution of his own accord, and walked to Rotorua. Constable Murray picked op the man, who ia 60 years old,

in a destitute condition, and the authorities o£ the Auckland Charitable Aid B mrd ware communicated with. The authorities replied that a-) the man bad left the home of his own accord they oould do nothing. Campbell was brought before the justices at Rotorua, who sentenced him to six weekb' imprisonment in Mount Eden gtol without hard labour. This was done to shelter the man, who, it is stated, is an ezcsptain of the 9th R n gimont, and in receipt of a pension.

At Nekon last Friday, at a meetiDg of the committee having m hand the proposed Bishop Sutec art gallery, the Bishop of Nelson said he hnd received a letter from Mrj Suter, stating that the pictures she had intruded ultimately handing to the art galtery she wished given afc once, though they were to remain at her house, Church Hill, till a building was ready for their reception. Besides the painting*, these included .the engravings of Gainsborough's pictures, which were wo th £40, and altogether about 1000 engravings aad photographs, besides other things. Arrangements might be made to render them available to the public. Th<» meeting of the Catholic clergy of the Diocese of Auckland was held on Thursday in the Cathedral, Archbishop Redwood presiding, for the purpose of designating the names of three priests to b3 presented to the bishops of the Province of New Zealand prior to oommuuicating to the Holy See tho name* of candidates for the office of coadjutor bishop, with the right of future succo-sion to the present Bishop of Auckland, Dr Luck, whose state of health renders such a attp desirable. The result of clergy's selection was :— Digniasimus, Rtv. G. M. Leniban ; Dignior, Very Rev. P. O'Reilly ; Dignus, Rsv. J. Hacbttt, At the Temperance Convention helot at Palmerston North on the 21st the following resolutions were adopted: — "That the whole Temperance party be requested to vote at the general election on the one tickefc — prohibition only ; that the Grand Lodge executive be requested to appoint another lecturer, and thus have one for the Norbh and another for the South Island ; that the Grand Lodge gal the proceedings of the convention published in leaflet forms and distributed ; and that tha Grand Lodge officers b9 removed to Wellington, all the district lodges beiug invited to CD-operate in the movement." John M 'Arthur was brought before the Police couit for being a child within tbe meaning of the Industrial Schotla Act.— Sergeant O'Neill stated that the child was illegitimate. The mother was only 14 years old. She arrived from tbe West Coast in the early parb of July last, and a couple of days later gave b'rth to this child. The father of the child was dead. The girl had no means whatever, and her parents were poor and lived at the West Coast. The matter had come under the notice of the Benevolent Institution Trustees, and they recommended that the child be brought before the court with the view of having it committed to the Industrial Fchool,— Committed to the Cavcrsham Industrial School to be brought up in the Presbyterian form o£ religion. Mr .Robert Mill, haj been re-elected for tho third time Mayor of HawkHbury.