NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 965, 29 November 1882, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

On our fourth page will bo found a clever acrostic forwarded by a London correspondent, also a letter upon early closing. To-morrow being St. Andrew’s day, tho Banks will be closed.

The plans for tho furthcoming land sales have now been received, and may bo obtained on application at tho Land Office. They will enable intending purchasers to ascertain clearly the situation and means of approach to tho sections. The Terawhiti gold mine is creating excitement at Wellington. A large number of shares upon which only a farthing has been paid has changed hands at two shillings. Three men named Fothorgill, Dunk, and Reid had a narrow escape yesterday when crossing the bar near the Boulder bank at Nelson. The boat was capsized, ami tho men were rescued iu on exhausted state by Captain Robins of the cutter Mersey, Gaol manufactures have been prohibited in India in order to encourage private enterprise. The question is one of interest in this country, a petition asking for the abolition of teaching skilled labour in prisons having been presented to the House last session.

Mr Hugo the Phrenologist has definitely fixed his lectures for Tuesday and Wednesday next week at the Harmonic Hall. No doubt many people will avail themselves of his presence to consult him as to th fir qualifications for business or other pursuits. Mr Hugo is said to be very clever in his delineations of character.

The Law Practitioners Act which was passed last session is already beginning to bear fruit. The Authorities of Canterbury College are taking steps to establish a lectureship on Jurisprudence and it is anticipated that a large number of persons will attend the lectures.

No information has been received as to the fate of Mr Bryce’s letter to Wahanui and it may be presumed that that dusky Chief intends to cut the acquaintance,

During the four weeks ended the ,14th ult. the receipts on the New Zealand Railways (135G miles open) were £1)6.535 as compared with £58,705 in the corresponding period of 1881 for 1303 miles. The expenditure was £47,317 as against £38,271. Mrs Gardner of Southport, Queensland, baited a hook the other day, caught it, and unassisted drew the monster ashore. It was 10ft in length and Gft in circumference. This is angling on a large scale for a lady. There was a large attendance at the Court yesterday to hear a charge brought against Mr George Beamish by the Chairman of the Paiea County Council. After hearing one case defendant applied for a week’s adjournment which was granted. A report appears elsewhere.

We clip the following from llic Sydney Town, and- Count)')/, which no doubt will bo interesting—to our lady readers particularly : —“lt is said the most expensively—if not the best—dressed woman on the Melbourne racecourse on the Cup day was Lady Vogel the duty on whose dross alone was, it is staled, £SO. Sir Julius was close by, hobbling on a stick—gout, of course. Though anything but well, the attractions of a racecourse were too much for him.”

An octopus was caught lately off the p.s Titan at Timavu with arms 3 )in, long. The' brute was among the floats of one of the wheels, and on being got hold ot it seized the floats with its suckers and had to be cut free. We are informed that several small ones have been caught lately. Those cuttle fish are very dangerous to swimmers, and as many youths indulge in a bath in the vicinity of where these were caught, they should be very careful in swimming about the reefs.

“A country editor ” writing in “'The Victorian Review” for September, suggests the establishment of a school of journalism, or a chair of journalism, in connection with the university, arid the conferment of certificates of competency for tiie various positions upon the literary staff of a newspaper.

A splendid seam of coal is now being worked at the Collingwood mine. The Colonist states the coal is superior to anything yet placed upon the Nelson market.

The foundations for the new Library at Parliament buildings were commenced yesterday.

The School Districts Committee reported to the Education Board yesterday as follows : “Your committee have carefully adjusted the boundaries of the various school districts so far as they are able. They would, however, recommend that a copy of the boundaries be sent to 'the various committees interested, so that any minor alterations may be made if the committee find it necessary to do so before the same are published, in accordance with the requirements of the Education Act, 1877.” The report was adopted.

The passenger steamboat 'Robert E. Lee, which gained the name of “champion of the Mississippi ” by her many victories in sensational races upon that river was burned on the Mississippi, about 30 miles below Vicksburg, on Sept. 29, and the disaster resulted in a serious Joss of life. When the fire was' discovered the steamboat was under way, and the flames spread so rapidly that every person on board was in imminent peril, It is known that 21 deaths have resulted, including several women. Most of the survivors were more or less burned, Every life depended on the fidelity and courage of the engineer and pilot, who, in spite of the flames scorching them, maintained their posts until the vessel had run ashore, when they escaped, though much burned. The amount of loss is uncertain, but it includes many thousand bales of cotton.

Another instance of the necessity for caution in purchasing potted meats occurred at Christchurch on Friday last. A boy, who is in an office in town, partook of some preserved fish at luncheon. Ho was taken ill shortly afterwards, and fell down in an insensible condition. A medical man was sent for, and under his care the lad was brought round, though for a considerable time ho felt very unwell.

A sudden and singular change in the weather at Wellington took place at one o’clock in the afternoon a day or two ago. During tho morning tho sky had boon nearly cloudless, with an almost dead calm. During the forenoon a vast roniidod mass of white cumulus clouds banked up over Hutt Valley, and seemed to advance from tho north-east. Suddenly, at the time mentioned, a bard southerly gale came on, with dense masses of low, swiftly-driving mist, which lay almost on the surface of tho bay, and completely hid the surrounding hills, though tho sky above this misty veil could be scon to bo as clear and blue as over.

For a piece of of cool impudence tho following from the Lyttelton Times cannot well be surpassed : Last Sunday mornning a gentleman residing in Peterborough street was walking in his garden, when a fashionably-dressed couple entered, and with some appearance of concern, asked if tho gentleman could oblige them with two threepenny pieces for sixpence. After some hunting, tho asked-for change was produced, when the lady gave a sigh of great relief, and said, “ Wc arc going to St Luko’s,”

The Education Board have resolved to allow Mr Flood bis bonus from July Ist.

The swimming club meet this evening at 8 o’clock at the Albion Hotel.

Mr W. Dale will sell to.morrow horses, cows fowls, &c, under instructions from the bailiff.

Mr F. It. Jackson’s sale at Manaia takes place on Friday at I’oolock. There arc a large number of entries.

Mr 11. H. Nolan has been elected hon. sec of the Egmont Jockey Club in place, of Mr Rawsou who is leaving Hawera for Auckland.

Our cablegrams today convey intimati on of the death of James Lillywhite the wellknown cricketer.

At 8 o’clock on Monday evening a stack of hay belonging to Mr Haywood which stood in a paddock adjoining the hospital was seen to be on lire. There was a great blaze and viewed from the (own it seemed as though the hospital were on fire, and many people went up under that impression. The stack was of course consumed but the orgin of the fire remains a mystery.

Mr H. F. Christie of the Dank of New Zealand accompanied by Mrs Christie left yesterday for a three weeks tour among- the Otago Lakes. It is Mr Christie’s intention to return to Patoa at the end of that time and then to proceed on a visit to the Auckland district. His many friends will be glad to hear that the trip has proved the moans of restoring him to health.

The question of the new school at Pate a cropped up at (lie Board meeting yesterday. Mr Sanson referring to the Bcaconsficld school said that there were many districts urgently in want of accommodation and moved that the Chairman apply to the bank manager for an overdraft equal in amount to the unexpended portion of the building grant, to enable this Board to proceed with the erection of urgently needed school buildings without further delay.—Mr Coutts seconded the motion, and in doing so urged that the Board would lose a great deal of money by not erecting schools at the present season, and postponing them to the winter time to the injury of the timber. He instanced Patea as a case urgently requiring attention. It was very overcrowded and the long-promised, additions to the building should be put up without.delay. No bank manager could refuse the Board an overdraft under the circumstances. The motion was carried, it being admitted that the cases of Beaconsfiold and Patea must be dealt with at once.

It will be remembered (says the South land News ) that some of tbe bodies washed ashore from the wreck of the Tararua were interred in the cemetery at Fortrose, and in a number of cases it was impossible to ascertain the names of those to whom burial was given. For some time past these, as they may be termed, unownedgraves, witli others in the same “ God’s acre,” have lost their neglected appearance, and have shown evidence of being attended by' loving hands. Flowers have taken the place of weeds, and other means have been adopted to beautify the last resting place of those upon whom the green sod presses. This will be pleasing news to surviving relatives f but the most gratifying fact has yet to be told, which is that the work has been done by the children of the Fortrose school, who have for some time past devoted to it their midday play-hour. Waverley school was examined on Wednesday and Thursday last by the Inspector. For Standard V., 1 boy presented and passed, Alfred Howie.—Standard V.,: Two boys presented, none passed, 1 girl, Jemima Cheyne, passed.—Standard IV., Seven boys presented ; passed, Richard Muir, George Bridge, H. McKenzie. Seven girls ; passed, J. McLean, C. Collins, M. Dyke, A. Johnston, S. Dyke.—Standard 111 : 11 boys presented ; passed, John Hair, William Price. William Bridge, Patrick Keenan, George Hunter, John Palmer. 4 girls ; passed, Mary Palmer.— Standard II ; 11 boys presented ; passed, Henry Storey, Robert McDonald, Janies Taylor, Edward Storey, Edward Gould, John Bourne, John Keenan, Augustus Walkington. 9 girls : passed, Anna Cleary, Elizabeth Edwards, Annie Johnston, Matilda Dempsey, Emma McMeckan. —Standard I : 5 boys presented ; passed, W. Muir, T, Road, H. Collins, W. McDonald, Nelson Hunter. 10 girls ; passed, Annie Ehnslie, Harriet Bridge, Minnie McLean, Kate McDonald, Lillie Booker, Maud Hunter, Elizabeth Marshall, Mary Major, Mary Catanach. The prevalence of measles in the district, will account for the comparatively small number presented.