LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 22

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The following firms in Dune din will send exhibit 8 to the Queensland Exhibition :—lrvine: — Irvine and Stevenson, tinned, fruits, meats, &c. ; Gregg and Co., coffee, spices ; Speight and Co., brewers; Thomson and Co., mineral waters; A. and J. M'Farlane, tinned fruits, meat, &c. ; Reid and Gray, agricultural machinery ; S. Orr and Co. ; seeds and grain ; New Zealand and Australian Land Company, produce of estates ; Evans and Co. (also of Timarn), flour, grain, &o. ; South Island Dairy Association, cheese, &s., from South Island factories ; W. Cameroa and Co., produce ; Mosgiel Woollen Company, woollens ; H. T. liloyd ; J. and W. Faulkner, wire-workers. Invei^cargill — Fleming and Gilkison, oatmeal, flour, &c. Gore— D. Richardson, patent doors. Cock and Son (Tourists' Bureau), photos, guides, &c.

"On Sunday evening (says the Christchurch Press) the Rev. L. M. Isitt, in the course of his address, pointed out to his congregation that, in his opinion, a duty devolved upon them beyond that of mere worship inside tbe church — namely, to extend their influence outside the building. As an illustration the rev. gentleman mentioned that he bad been brought up in Liberal traditions all his life, and, as a consequence, rejoiced at the return, some few years ago of the Liberal party to govern this land of cur adoption. He now sorrowed at the many questionable transactions that had taken place since that party had been in power, instancing among others the J. G. Ward bank business, the sergeant-at-arms, and more recently the Bushy Park scandal. He urged his hearers to work to purify the social life of the nation.

Albert Ablett, a Victoria Cross hero, tiled at Poplar ob March 13. For 26 years he had been a sergeant in the dock police. Ablett joined the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers in 1851 and fought all through the Crimea (medal with three clasps and the Cross for Conspicuous Valouv at the siege of Sebastopol). While the troops wera in the trenches a. live shell from one of the Russian forts fell among the men of Abletfc's company, when Ablett promptly picked up the shell and hurled it out of the trench. Scucaly had the shell touched the ground when it exploded. The captain of the company, who witnessed the valorous deed, brought Ablett's conduct before the authorities.

The Westminster Gazette states that Lord Loch has purchased for £34. 600 tbe Stoke- byClare College estate in Suffolk, the site of a religious establishment removed from Clare by Edward Mortimer, Earl of March, End in which, during the rule of Dr Parker, subsequently Archbishop of Canterbury, Ridley and other Reformers took refuge. The estate passed into the hands of the Elwes -family, one of whom was a great spendthrift, bub Sir R. Elwes was such a miser thst he denied himself light and candles, while his son, long member for Berkshire, followed in his steps, and, though a millionaire, would glean the corn in bis own fields.

The London Times cays :— " Two schemes for insurance against waat of employment have existed for two or three yeara past in Switzerland, one in the canton of Berne and one in that of St. GiU. The former was voluntary, bub in St. Gall the labourer was compplled to insure. The American consols at Chemnitz and Sfc Gall have both recently reported on the subject, and the former states that men whose work is steady and likely to continue so complain bitterly that they are compelled to support in idleness others whose labour is uncertain, bub who, for that reason, are better paid when they are at work. 'It is nob in tho nature of things for such a system to si-cceed, even among so loyal, loving, and gentle a. folk as the Swis3. The effort is not vain if it will teach ths thoughtless how hard it; ia to make laws, or to institute any system that is to take the place of thrift and economy during the days when work ia plentiful.' Some time after this report the consul at Sfc. Gall wrote that the experiment had been abandoned

at the instance of the labourers Ihemselve?. He says they 'found thai a system which insured against loss -of work resulted in the promotion of laziness and idleness. Ia fact, a knowledge of the existence of this system of insurance had drawn to Sfc Gall a considerable number of unemployed from other parts of Switzerland, with the object of obtaining support at the expense of resident labourers.' Hence the system disappears on and after June 30 next.' At Me3srs A. and T. Burfc's workshops on the 27th the employees of the firm presented Mr Thomas R. Burt with a silver tea and coffee service bearing an inscription conveying their best'wishea ou tbe occasion of hie approaching marriage. Mr R. Harding (workshops foreman), who mide ths presentation, expressed the hope that Mr Burt and his brido would be

spared to enjoy a long Rnd happy life together, a feeling which he felt sure was extended to him by the whole of the employee's, and t^mfced

j that the recipient would succeed in further I establishing the bus ; .nn?& which waa so closely

coivnee'ed with bi°; mmc. Mr Barb, iv replying thauked the cnipiovpcs ior their generous and handsome gift, which he tscee-ce w highly, and which would alwayn retain a*i honoured pliice in his home. Ho would endeavour also to festtr the good feeling shown and expressed towards him.

A writ for libel has been iasued by Mr J. F. M. Frager, ou behalf of Messrs' A. aud J. M'Farlane, againsb the proprietor of (,ho Democrat newspaper in respecS of a caitoou which was published in l&st week's issue. I'ho damages are assessed at £200. Mr A. A, Finca has btea retained for the defeuce.

•Those memberj of the Dunedin Field Cuib who were not present at the meeting of ihe 24fch were certainly the losers. Mr Hamilton exhibited his collection of ferns, and msde a, fow remarks on the rare specimens, which included specits from Noita Americs, Japan, the Himalayas, Siberia, Europe, and the outlying island 3 south of New Zealand. After illustrating the sporting proclivities of some ol tha common genera by showing some magnificent sporbs belonging to the Aspleniums, tjcolopandrums, and Nepfcrodiuan, Mr Hamikon remarked incidentally that in si rae casas as many es 500 varieties bad bet-n cultivated from one Hpecies, and that probably a mare complete set of our native ferns could b* procured I'rom a. London nurseryman than could be got h'-re now. 'f he secretary, at fche ciosf ot a naosS enjoyable evening, intimated that Ihe winter reading* would b' gin on the following f-'iturday, and tha', th-i book selected had been Thomson's " Sutdies of Ahimal Life."

A Victorian in ihc Transvaal thui describes in the Argus the manner in which sn election is conducted: — "Vaoaticie 1 ) occurred recent/iy for Pretoria and Johannesburg, In both case 3 candidates opposed to Kiug;r coppea the poll, but in both cases my estetm*:<] Leigbbouc \v«s <>qusl to fche occasion. A* tbe tiros of che raid he promised to eni'rft.cclii-e scm.' of the people of Johannesburg. This promise was mtvd^ to tiie Uitlauders, and ib wks one of the causes which induced them to lay down their arms. Well, when the flection was over and the top man declared elee-ed, Kruger wired to the returning c fficer to keep tbe election open a week longer. -(Yon must unue-stand that tber vote ia tho old-fashioned way here, aud not. by ballot, «o it is known who pa els els-cior votes for.) Then he caused to ha added fco the rolls 800 Germans and ofc'tKr t'oreigaers who look up arms against the Uit'anders xc the raid. They were marched to the polling booth in a body aud voted for Kcn;;er'« candidate, who was then declared elected ! Thus be fuLfilled his promise to the Uitlanrlers, ar.d also gob his man in by one grand btiroka of statesmanship. In Pretoria the oppobiibn candidate was also elected, but Kruger had the rolls revised after 'the election, and struck eff the names of 250 who had voted for the successful man. The ' Krugerite' was then declared duly elected. This is the first time tbe rolls have been revised for 10 years, so people who have long been dpad and buried continue to vote all the same. -Another idea of Krugtr's, when he thinks an election is in danger, is to march about half bis standing ' army ' to the district in question, and so swamp the local vo y e. And, over all, the gilded statue of Liberty continues to smile upon a free, enlightened, and wellgoverned people."

The suicide of Captain Philo M'G : ffin, who took such a prominent part in the Yalu sea fight in the war between China and Japan, is reported by the New York correspondent of the Argus. He gave up h's commission in the United States navy, and was made the fightirg commander of the Chinese navy. In the Yalu fight b.9 was the commander of the ChenYuen, which was hit more than 400 times by the Japanese gunners. Every man on board was wounded, and many were JtilLed, but the Chen- Yuen wa* still fighting when the battle closed. M'Gtffin was wounded 12 times. His eight was almost destroyed. Tho drums of both his ears were raptured by the shock ot the discharge of his owu guns sud the blows of Japanese projectiles upon the Chen- Yuen's armour. Foe the remaining years of his life his Bpfferin<& were intense, and a"; lasb his mind became affecled, and during tho temporary absence of his nurse he killed himself with a revolver which had been hidden under some papers in his cashbox. Before taking his life he had written the following note :—": — " Memo. : Look alive that the bed is not set on fire by my shot. My compliments and adieus to all. I regret that my destination mttst remain to you unknown, but you ms.y guess. With apologies for the row — it's a way that ail guns have." j

The Sfc. Andrew's Literary Institute announce a course of lectures which should bo attractive. Somewhat new ground is broken in taking Richard JpfEeries for a subject. Jefferiea is the John Burroughs of English literature. • H« belongs to the school of which Gilberb White is the forerunner, and Burroughs and Thoreau the best known representative?. The Rev. 11, Waddell is to give three lectures on Jeff tries — the first, which is the opeuing lecture oE the session, is entitled "The Child Wanderers in the Wood," and will be delivered on Tuesday next;. Mr Waddell ii also down for four leetares on Browning's "Philosophy of Life"; Miss Freemin, B A . is to deal with J. SI. Barrie ; and ftfr T. D. Pearce is to treat of the "Work and Personality of Matthew Arnold." These lectures wiil be given fortnightly, and the intervening evenings will be filled up by papers from the members. The membership is open to anyone wjiether connected with the church or not

The old question of the di- charge of sewage into the b*y camo before the Harbour Board oil Thursday, and provoked a brief but animated discussion. Mr Robin expressed regreb that wise counsels had not been followed in the pas';, I and said that the besetting sin of the colonists j was that they were ever-ambitious aud w.tnted j to do everythiug on a grand scale. For bis part he was satisfied th»t an efficient system of sewerage might have been brcughb into opera- I tion without any extravagant expenditure ; bub I a great scheme seemed to be wanted for everything. The chairman of the board said it was i merely a question of expense, aud that it; was the ! objection to additional rating that postponed

the execution of a suitable scheme. Strong objection wa3 laken to the suggestion that the board should defray any portion of the coat of i extending sewers iuto tho bay, and a rssolution I was p.xssed declining to agree to a request to i that effect, made at the instance of the Works Committee of the City Council.

At the third public meeting of settlers, held in Sandyraouoc School on April 23, to consider the besb mzans of dealing with the rabbit post, satisfactory reports of work done were given by cever^l settlers present, ar.d a motion by Mr R. Roger tbat simultaneous poisoning be continued on the lsb and 15ih of each month was agreed to by all present. Several motions by Mr J. L. M'Gregor were unanimously agreed to — v;z., " To at the committee as at present ccnsfciiutßd continue in office for one year ; that settlers be invited to unito with the committee ; that tho association ho iormed be named the Peninsula Mutual Aid A'soci'itiou for the Destruction of Rabbits ; and that other districts of tho Peninsula br> invited to co-operate." Thq condition ot tho Givernlnsnt es r at3 ah Saudymo'uifc was pretty freely discussed, sefcfclera describing it as "a breeding ulaca for all the farms around. Ou the motion of Mr J. Christie ib was resolved that tbe department ba communicated with regarding this matter. The next public meeting of the arsoc'ation will be held at Sandymouut School on the evening of June 1, wheu the annual subscription for members, which has been fixed at Is, will b3 payable.

Messrs J. J. M'Aulej 1 , A. D.'ckson, and C. Glass have bopn elected members of the Otago iiuads Road Board, without opposition.

A' amateur flower show in oonn^c^ion with the PorS Chalmers Presbyterian Church was oppned in ths Town Hal', P.irS; Chalmers, onjTburscJay af^evaoon. The hall had b-en nicslv decorated for the occasion with fern treei and other kinds of evergresns, and prf^eated a very pleasing appearance. Considering that tbe show is the firsb one that has been held at tbe Port, it is a very creditable one. In tbe pjfc plant section of the show there are a number of nice exhibits, one of the beat of tho plauts baing a good specimen o? Aspidistra varipgata sent in by Mrs J. Morgiu. Mrs W. ' r bo"nsoa also (shows a plant; of the aame kind, almost as fjood. There a>:<? several well-grown asparagus p'auts on view, Miss Murray showing a floe snecimeu of Asparagus plucno3us, and Miss R'jnnie a plant « f the vlrgnfcas variety, also of good quality. Mrs J. Morgan exhibit* an excellent specimen of 'a new variegated abutilon, and some very nice foliage beponiin are shown by M;s«s lanes and Mrs W. Thom-on. The ii-icolour sv.vl bieoloured geraniums s-i\b in by Mi^s A. Portpous are a very creditable lot, aud fio Chiupso primrrsds on vi?w are both wellaborted and well-grown. A few pots of nice maidenhair fern are exhibi^ec?, Mrs J. Morgan sV.win;,' the choicest epecimeu. Tha collections ot ferns a r e not particularly choice, and Bocae of the exbibi'ors would have done belter if th=jy h%<\ exhibited their terns in separate pDf>3 inttead of mixing tbe.n together In unsightly tics. The -judges have awatdei a special prize to Mrs J. Morgan for t^o nice white chrywatheinucas which have been entered in fche wrong section. Among the pot plants are also several well-floworad pKnts, which inve been s a nfc in for exhibition only by Mr Innes. Coming ro the cut flowr-rs, Miss Rennie shows a floral device in the form ot an e*«el decorated with autumn leaves and flowers, the colours ol which blend very nicely. Miis A. Poi-ieous has on view a beautifully arranged epergne of flmer3, Voich would take a prominent place in a ranch larger show. Misß Rennie shows a very fair shower biuquet, and Miss A. Porteou3a nice b^skob of flowers. Messrs Ho'.vden and Moncrieff fxiibifc a etapd of beaufriful chrysanthemums containing 12 varieties (Japanese and incurved) ; and Mrs A. Smith his on view a lovely wrea'jb. composed principally of Lilium auratu;r>, chryssnthemum3, and adiantum ferns. Of fruit nnd vegetables there is a very fair show ; and fchiro is also a gcol display of dairy produce, preserve's of various kinds, cakes, confectionpry, &3. There X further, an exhibition of pictures by amateur artists. They consiet of paintings in oil, water colours, and crayon drawings. A greit number of the exhibitors ara the pupils of Mrs Gray, and coma of fche pictures are, for amateurs, of exceptional merit;. Pr'zt's are to ba given for original picture 3 , copies, and tbe productions of beginneri", and th« prizes are to be awsrJed by a vote taken by ballot of those who attend the show. There was a good attendance at the show both in the afternoon and eveuia?, visitors in the evening being entertained Jby pianoforts selections, which were contributed at intervals by Mrs J. Gray, Misses S." Dale, N. Mooney, and Rae.

Mr A. A. Martin, son of Mr T. Martin, railway guard, Lnmsden, who a year ago passed his Br^fc professional exam, in medicine at tbe Edinburgh University with fint-class honour?, has again distinguished himself. At the March examinations he came out medallist, with firstclass honour?, in senior jiysbematic anatomy ; medallist, with first-c'ass honour?, in junior p'actical anatomy ; first-class honours in physiol' gy ; ppcond-clnss honours ia surgery; winner of febe John Aitk^n C*rlyle scholarship iv anfctonay and physiology ; winner of the Mackenzie pr>'zo in practical anatomy, s.nd secured the appointment of prosector to the pofessor of anatomy.

The success and popularity of an ex-Boys' High School captain in his profession as a medical m%u is well shown in the following address : — "To Doctor James M'Brearty, juo., Brannerton. Dear Sir, — Wp, tbe undersigned, thinking the present opperbune, respectfully bag to express warm congratulations to you on the brilliant success attending your general practice, bub more particularly your treatment of numerous serious cases caused by accidents, and the high esteem in which you are held by tae whole community For your irrpproachablo chsneter and urbane deportment. Yourfrier.ds are many, your en°mips nil. Our earnest hope is that you will calmly consider the importance and necessity of Brunnerton and decide to remain, assure! that we have the greatest confidence in your medical skill and most affectionate regard for you n«s a gentleman. — April 17, 1897:— J. TV-shop, J.P., m'ne managar; T. Bland, J.P. ; W Urquhart, J.P. ; J. W. Parkinson, J.P. ; J. Stnith, sfes.tionm»ster ; T. Ff-nklin, secretary Metrical Association ; J. O'Djnnell, chairman Medical Association ; H. Benttie. clerk of com 1 !, ; W. M. Voweil, town c!erk : BrunnerNews staff ; Rev. R. M'Dowall ; Rev J. Herron ; J. Malcolm, teacher

William M'Kay, Reorpe Kirby. alias Garth, and John Liddel, aliis Kelling. alias Ilobartown Jack, have been brought to Dutiediu by Sergeant Dwyer, of Clyde, and lodged in the gaol to await their trial ab tbe next r:r'minsil sittings on a charge of havirg stolen £7]o ? > from the dwelling of Franma Needham, *n old resident of Opbicv The ev : dence given before Messrs Denniston and Flint, J.P'/?., at Ophir, showed thtt Nef dhain had been robbed iv a very deliberate manner in his own house. While one of fche men kept him engaged talking the others opened a drawer and i;ok out the money, principally silver. Upon Ncei'lum giving information of the robbery tae men bolted, bub wer<» smar,tly captured by Constable Gleeson. one of

the men having got as far as Tinkers. Another man named Scott was arrested with the three above named, but the charge against him was dismissed. Messrs Dalgety and Co. took over on Saturday the whole business of the Mutual Agency Company, with tho company's stores and premises.

The correspondence between the Minister for Lands and Mr George Hutchison concerning the gala of the Bushy Park estate did not close with the Minister's now famous letter on Highland hospitality, at least so far as Mr Hutchison is concerned, and in another column will be found two letbers written in reply, which should prove intere ting reading. The Hon. C. J. Johnston will represent the Wellington Chamber at the Australasian Conference of Chamhers of Commerce on May 18. Tli9 local chamber have set up a committee to report re the increased rate for the use of telephones.

The following are the vital statistics for the pssc month : — Birfch3, 110 ; deaths, 55 ; marriages, 57. The figures for the corresponding month last year were : Births, 105 ; deaths, 43 ; marriages, 53

The Very. Rev. Dean Fitchftt, in fchecoura<?of an address on M Citzenship." before fche University Debiting Society on Friday night-, made a stirring apppal to his audienca to cultivate & patriotic fe 'ling, and pointed oufc that there was a justification for such a, feeling in' the knowledge that they were citizens of the greatest empire the world had ev<?r seen. He admitted that there was not much in New Z"aland to furnish them with tha materials for national pride, aui the Dsan confessed his inability to work up much enthusiasm over » catalogue in which principal lots were Maori rarving. the Maori war, fclK- ea'ly settlers aud their advenburei and misadventures, tbe early days of fche g .Id diggings, and the ronvmce of colonial baukiuy.

Mr J.)hn Anderson, the head of fctii* firm of Anderson an/l Sons, of Canfcarb'iry Foundry, died on Friday morning, aged 77. The decpased was one of the pioneers of °ettlempnfc in Canterbury, h*vine; arrived in 1850. Ho was lorn ifl 1520 near Edinburgh, and learned fchrt trade of a blacksmith, with n. good ktioirledgi of practical engineering. On his atrivft.l in Canterbury ha at once set up a rough forge, and Bicc3 then the biv»ine«s has expanded uvvtNl ib becamf one of fche leading engineering establishments in the colony. Th>i fitru h-»ve cai-riod cut a number of import mfc bridfjp ronfcraof-s ii Otago, p.itu'ipally ii\ conupction with theO l ago Central railway. Me Anderson held a s°at in the Chris'canrch City Council for a numbar of years, and served as mayor in 1869 H-j leavfS a large family, one of 'h : s daughters being; the wife of the Rev. Dr Blmslie, of Sir. Paul's, Chriatchurch.

Tbe Engineers held a full-dress parade at the Garrison Hall on Wednesday, 28'b, there being a full fcum out of mernberr. Tbe company wa* marched oufcxide snd exercised in infantry drill by the officers and Sbaff Sergeant-major Tawler. Upon returning to the hall the officer commanding handed out efficiency and marksmen's badgc-a for the past year, the former «beiog distributed sis follows : — For six yf ara' service — Corporals Tonkio, Spence, Enginre;s Potver and Young; for three year*)' service — LanceCorporal Wella, Flynn, Engineers M'R»p, Robertson, Rutherford, Sfcychc, Whflan, Miles. It was intimated tfcufe arrangements had bean made for tbe commencement of a class for instruction in sword exerciso, and (hit fche Ladies' Mafceh would be fired on Saturday next. For this contest a large number of prizes have been presented, and a good d-vy's shooting is anticipated. I was further notified that the shooting season would be brought fco a elosa on Saturday wsek with a handicap competition for prizes. A church parade of fch« carps and baud will take plaocs on Sunday week.

In response to a telegram from Captain Russell asking for a mouth's extension of the Ijuhl and incime tax returns, to give Hawke's Bay settlers time fco amend them, the Hoa. J. M'Keuz'e, Acting-Premier, points out that the returns are up to Marub, a date previous to the floods, aud all the department can do is to accept objections and obtain a rsport thereon. The bulk of those affected are email holders, and their valuations will be rectified when a general v iluabion is made presently. The cx'ra month asked for would bs allowed for making returns and framing objections.

Mr B. C. Aston, the inspector under the Licensing Acts, brought a case bifora Mi' M'Carbny, S.M., at Roxburgh las'; week, in which the licensee of fche Miller's Flat Hotel was charged with selling whisky which had been adulterated. The ingpsefcor found <hat too much water had been put in fche wh'sky. The Mount Benger M-ail reports that fche S.IVI. in dismi.-singthe case and referring to fche points raised by Mr Dalziell, said Mr Alton's evidence was that he entered the premises and found gome spirifcs seeming to be under proof. He took a sample, and, paying for it, took ifc away. But as to the question of sale, he did not think there was a Bale, because a sale is a dealing whereby two or more parsons agree fco sell ; but in the present case defendant was not at liberty to refuse to sail, therefore there was no sale. Tho case wast dismissed.

An information under the Taieri County Council's tracbion by-law was heird before Mr B. H. Carew, S.M., at the Police Court at Mosgiel on Ssturday, when James M 'Swain was charged wifch permitting a traction engine to be on the public road in the Taieri County without two attendants — one 50yds in front of it and one 50yds behind It — as provided by the county by-laws. Mr Solomon appeared for tha defendant, and contended fchafc the case must be dismissed — firstly, b;ciu*e there was no proof that the by-law was validly made ; secondly, that the information disclosed no offence ; and, lastly, that the by-law was bad, for being indefinite and unreasonable. The magistrate held that the by-law was very difficult fco understand, bub, withou'. deciding that it was bad on that ground, dismissed the information on the ground that there was no proof that fche by-law had been properly made. This is the first; ca'e in which this by-law has been acted upoa in a courb, although it has been in existence for some years, aud fcracbion engines have been comuionty driven withoub such attendants, and considerable interest was taken amongsb owners of traction engines as to whether it could bs enforced.

The Hawke's Bay Herald saya that many settlors will have to get their land surveyed afresh bafore they Cm re-erect their fences, s:> comp'etsly have their fence lines been destroyed.

Ths Oatnaru Mail has been favoured by Majnr Headland with & psrusal of a return siiovriag the res alts of the volley firing by the whole of the volunteer corps of tbe colony. 'Jh j K'jiapoi Riflus hpad the hsb with an average of 19-82, and then follow the To tara R fits 19-]2, Wdimate Rifles 13 04, Wangauui Rifles 1783, and the Tim*ru Riflei 16 81. Tha Oamaru R fles, who top all the Ofcago corps, are seventh ou Ihe list with 16 38, tbe I Battery ninth with 16-07, and the North Ofcago Mounted Rifles twelfth with 15-25. The total number of men

who fired was 3515, with an average of 11 58, as compared with 34-79 men and an average of 938 points for 1895-6, thus showing an improvement of 220 points.

Tbe truth of the old adage "'lis an ill wind th»t blows no one any good," is exemplified in the case of the recent flood in the Wanganui River. An enormous amount of drift wood 'was brought down by the fresh and deposited along the river heach near the fishermen's huts at Castlecliff, and also on the sea besch from the breakwater towards Kai Iwi. Throughout lasb week dozens of men were engaged cutting, stacking, and carting the wood, a large quantity of which is good hard timber. One firm in Wanganui, who run a steam engine, have had tsn or a dozen men employed collecting wood for them. They have secured considerably over a hundred cords—sufficient lo last them for a couple of years. In all, considerably over 300 cords have been taken from the pile of drift wood on the beach, which shows little variable change. l

Mr Pater Murray has bsen elected to represent the Sxndymounfc division of the Peninsula Road Boird, polling 22 votes to 20 polled by Mr A. M-K+y.

A special Army Order was recently promulgated iv reference to the wreck of thn troopsaip Warren Hastings on the Island of Reunion on January 14 lasr, when all on board, numbering over 1000, were saved, with the exception ot two natives. Commander Holland reports the bthaviour of the troops throughout us beyond all praise. Lord Wolseley adds that ho is proud of the behaviour of the troops during such a trying time, and expresses "his admiration of the conduct of the coannauder. The conduct of the men seems to have been beyond all praise. The waves were washing over the wreck, and it musb have f earned every inotEent as if ife would go down. Bat the most; perfect order was maintained, not a man moving from his position even in, the face of death. It is a stirring story, aud shows that in spite of all the croaking about " national degeiieracy " the heroism of our countrymen stiU counts for as much as ever it did. Tho Southland Acclimatisation Society begins ih« year with sv credit balance of £121. During the year 507 trout-fishing licenses were sold. The number of trout fry hatched out aud distributed was 236,500. Trout poaching is still carried ou iv a barefaced way in f>ome up-country district. The report,, among olbe: matters, dealt 'with queries: — "Why is ib thab the trout of New Zealand are t-o persistently described in the papers as 'common brown trout'? They are emphatically not common browu trout, which is tho name given fco tho brook trout of England. The colour of the trout is, of course, somewhat affected by theic environment, btffc as a general nils they are nob brown, aud might be far more correcbly described as the white trout of New Zealand, for, as Dr Guuther remarked, they resemble the sea trout called the white trout of Jrehnd. They have become a disMucb variety, like tbe acclimatised trout of Tasmania, whence they came, and migb.li be fairly styled '-Salrao fario Australis.' They generally, and especially at or near the moufcbs of rivers, exhibit aSI the usual cbaraefceristica of sea trout." Mr C. Turnbull was re-elected president. Mr G M. Thomson on Monday brought bafore the couucil of the Acelimtttisafcion Society a proposal to erect a marine fish hatchery ab Purakanui, and stated that theObago Institute had voted a sum of money for fche purpose, conditional upou the Acclimatisation Society voting a similar turn, and certain assistance beiufjaljo got from the Government. The council referred fche matter to the executive to report.

The output of coal from the mines of the Wtslpirt Coal Company (Limited) for the month of April was 20,930 ton 3 9cw'u.

Mr J. Rankin was on Monday appointed to the position of town clerk of South Danedin. There were 12 other applicants for the post.

Mr Hone Heke, M.H.R , in a papar iv the ' Christchurch Press on the future of the Maori, writes: "Education nowadays without means is good, but nob enough. Thiug* have so changed that influence and environment seem to dominate even education. If the Maoris are to acquire education ab all in its trues!; sense, aud fit themselves to follow in the course of civilisation, then I repeat they must be given the same rights to their property as their European neighbours, and it is only juifc to remove fche cumbersome and expensive modes of pi\ cedure which obtain at present. If all thi3 is dove, then the Maoris will have their way clearly defined to all our grades of education— even to the highest. If all this is done, then I think their homes can be bettered, their living made more certain, and there need be no feac as fco the race dying out. Everything would be in their favour to qualify themselves > as good settlers, citizens, and colonists, and so to become a part of, and not apart from, the nation we are striving to buitd on tho fi*h that " Maui brought to the surface of the Pacific Ocean."

The remains of Sir Isaac Pitman wera cremated at Woking. Cremation (says fche Daiiy Newa) has certainly grown much in favour ot" late. Within a few weeks tha bodies cremated at Wokiog have included fcho*e of Mr Georg© dv Maurier, Dr Landon Dowu, Lady Malcolm of Polfcallocb, Lady Rachel North, Sir B. W. Richardson, Miss Mathilde Blind, the Marquis of S!igo, Sir Henry Halford. Dr Mouat (tormarly a Local Government Board inspector), and others.

The Sunderl»nd bank robbery, one of tho perpetrators of wiiieh is supposed to be in New Zin.la.ud, is thus described in a Home paper :: — • " The bank afc which the robbery was committed is fche North-Eastern in Fowcefct street. When the son of tte manager came down in the morning he found thai the lock of tho safe would not yield to the ordinary keys. A locksmith managed' to open the safe, and it was then seen tbat during the night a daring robbery had been effected. Copper, silver, gold, aud notes lay strewn about the safe, and a hurried investigation showed that the bu'glars must have taken something like £3553 in gold, and a considerable eucq in notes. Ie- was supposed" that the doors of the bank wera opened by a mastec key, which was used to lock thim again when the thieves left. The locks of the door leading into the strong room are three in number, and a knowledge of the combination ia necessary to their buecessful opeaing. How the thieves m^nagod to deal with the locks of the safes insido was a complete my.stery. The caretaker and his wife, 'though sleeping iv the upper rooms of the premises, heard no noise daring the night."

We understand that Mr Lnchlan Maclean (lately of the Mutual Agency Company, and formerly of Messrs Reid, Maclean, and Co.) is about to sbarb in business as an auctioneer and stock and station agent. He will have associated with him some gentlemen well-known in the same line of business.

The Dunedin Photographic Society's sixth annual exhibition was opened in the Choral Hail on Monday morning, aud possesses quite as many teafcures of interest as any of the Dre-

ceding exhibitions held by the cociety. In addition to a very extensive collection by members of the local society itself, Dr Roberts, Messrs k. Hamilton, W. Williams, A. J. Bartb, li. Chisbolm, W. Livingston, A. J. Morrison, and C. W. Kerr, amongst others, being large exhibitors, tbe exhibition includes also contributions of considerable value from members of the Invercargill and Hawke'a Bay societies, aud it will yet include a collection from the members of the Nelson Camera Club, whose exhibits are always welcome, but on this occasion have arrived late in consequance of the unexpected detention of a steamer. The exhibition will be found well worth visiting, not only because of the quality bnt also because of ths variety of the photographs, Eome of which are high-class examples of this branch of art. The exhibition will' remain open all the week.

ceding exhibitions held by the cociety. In addition to a very extensive collection by members of the local society itself, Dr Roberts, Messrs k. Hamilton, W. Williams, A. J. Bartb, li. Chisbolm, W. Livingston, A. J. Morrison, and C. W. Kerr, amongst others, being large exhibitors, tbe exhibition includes also contributions of considerable value from members of the Invercargill and Hawke'a Bay societies, aud it will yet include a collection from the members of the Nelson Camera Club, whose exhibits are always welcome, but on this occasion have arrived late in consequance of the unexpected detention of a steamer. The exhibition will be found well ■worth visiting, not only because of the quality bnt also because of ths variety of the photographs, Eome of which are high-class examples of this branch of art. The exhibition will' remain open all the week. An inquest was held at Mornington on Tuesday 27th ult., before Mr E. H. Carew (coroner) and a jury of six (of whom Mr John Aikman was chosen foreman), on the body of an illegitimate child named Edward James Broadf oot. Evidence was given by Theresa Graham that ber daughter was the mother of the child. It was illegitimate. and born oh March 25 last. He was mused by a Mrs M'Farlane for about a fortnight, and after that witness nurse-i it. She fed it with the bottle and spoon, and had fed 10 of her own children in that way. She crushed up a wine biscuit as fine as flour, and mixed ifc with hot water and milk, making the compound very thin. This diet seemed to agree with the infant, who was troubled with diarrhoea and a little vomiting. On Sunday night it became unwell, and on the advice of Mrs M'F-xrlane she endeavoured to get Dr Martin, 'but failed. She tried to get him again on Monday, and although he promised to come he did not do so, and the child, becoming worde.'died at 4 o'clock on Tuesday morning. Dr John Macdonald gave evidence that the body was much wasted, and was not like that of a healths child. The food had decomposed on the stomach. In witness's opinion the cause of death was vomiting and diarrhce}, caused from improper feeding The chllil had wasted from improper food. Margaret M'JTarlane (nurse) also gave evidence, and a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony w»s returned. We have to acknowledse receipt of Stones' Otago and Southland ABC Monthly Guide aud Diary for May. Subscription lists for the Hawked Bay relief fund aie now open at various places in Outram.