NEWS OF THE DAY.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 985, 17 January 1883, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Woodyear and .Boss’s Royal Australian Circus are,announced to perform in Patea, opening on Friday eyeniugmext. They are well.spoken of by southern-papers, .and have been liberally patronised in the • towns- in which they have appeared, '

Mr H. F. Christie arrived in Wellington on Monday, and has considerably benefitted- by Lis trip south. ; He will arrive in Patea' during, the week, arid after a ’brief rest, proceed to Auckland and the Hot Lakes, Mr McLoughlin, contractor, lostthe services of a- valuable‘draught horse on Monday; The animal had its’leg broken by a kick, and had to be shot.

A* remarkable accident.happened on the rnihvay lirie between Dnnedinanch Oaraaru yesterday morning.; Shortly after leaving Palmerston, the engine driver missed his footing while the train was turning a sharp curve, and fell on his -forehead. When picked up, he was insensible.

On Monday afternoon while Dr Smith, of ’.Hriwera'f and Shis wife;were rifiying on the road between Manutahi and Hawera, the horse shied at ■ some Maories with pack-horses and the was thrown down ari embankment.' -'Severe - injuries were sustained by Mrs'Smith, including a fracture of the collar bone, but the doctor was so fortunate as to escape ‘unhurt.- M’- ' I :

A‘ confiding few were victimised in Patea on Saturday through the machinations, of a billiard marker, named St. Clair, who has only ' been hV the place a shprt time. He announced by advertisement and bills an entertainment by the Georgiaminstrels, the performance.consisting of singing, dancing, a. farce, stump speech, and concertina match. A number of tickets were sold in advance, but on the evening of the “ show ” St Clair was non est, and before leYvJpg, lie forgot to pay what he owed, or refund cash advanced. A youngster of Xiilliput proportions saved bis life by a wonderful exhibition of nerve a few daj’s ago. He was walking along a narrow beam which runs outside the girders of the Patea' bridge and managed to slip. In falling he grasped a beam with his hands and was so suspended over- the river bed; —-a considerable height,'it being !ow : water at the time. A companion some years older saw his dangerous position, and calling to him to hold on succeeded in hauling the little fellow; who was only about -six year * old, on to the bridge.

A journey by coach bet ween Hawera and Patea, or Waverley, is about the most blinding, suffocating, nerve-trying, and comfortless proceeding that can be indulged in. The coach is throughout in a cloud of dust raised by itself—the evil being Occasionally intensified by a drove of cattle or, sheep. Coaching rhay be pleasant in early morning or frosty weather ; but, in a hot season, such as wc are now experiencing, it is. exa?peratingly monotonous. . , •

A specimen of local industry of an artistic kind, is to be'seen in the furniture warehouse of'Mi Lhhdßerg! ‘ ! It is ; part of a : suite of furniture made on the premises, being . a Scotch chest of drawers, of highly polished New Zealand woods, viz,, red pine, honeysuckle, black totara, and totara knot. The arranging of these beautiful woods, forms a*'picture of art, and each drawer (there arc eight of them) has an ebony and gold medseval drop handle. - The chest would be an orqament to the most elaborately furnished boudoir.

The Harbours Act, 1878, directs that three members shall be elected for the ridings of the Patea County to the Board, but ; Hawera riding having now ceased and become a separate county the problem has arisen as to how Hawera shall be represented, : The Returning Officer has applied to the Board for instructions as to how he should proceed with the election, and Mr Fitzherßert gave a legal opinion that a member could not be legally elected for Hawera, but the Governor could appoint one. Members of the Board scratched their heads over the matter on Monday, and eventually asked the Governor to appoint someone. : ■

The forfeiture of a lease is"as simple a process as the taking of a meal to some persons. The Harbour Board was notified,'-at its meeting on Monday, by one of this class that he was going to throw up his lease “ according to the conditions contained therein.” As there were no conditions warranting a throwing up, the, lessee may find it is not so easy a matter. The Harbour Board Engineer has the subject of future works under consideration, and will submit a report thereon next month. After so long a term of waiting, our hopes revive at the thought of the works being renewed.

It seems very probable (writes the Star) that the Counties Act will be supended in Patea, resolutions in favour of that course having been adopted in several of the road districts. No county started with a fairer prospect than that of-Patea. It was large, fairly off in respect of funds, and a considerable amount of work had been done by the Government, but Patea town and the immediate suburbs blundeied, plundered, and of course disintegration followed. Nothing could have been more short-sighted than to deny the out-districts their fair share - ,of expenditure.

In the' cricket match to be played next Saturday, Patea Rifles and Fire Brigade v the Patea Cricket Club, the Volunteers will-be represented by the following members. Messrs Taplin, Dixon, J; Kibhing, W. Kitching, Doneghue, W, Harden} 0. Harden, Gibbons, M. Carey junr,,,/ Hyains, and Nutsford jnnr. Waiting men, Messrs Paterson, Bright, Whelan, McKnight, and Haycock. The fteam:i^Qc::th.cPwiU .be ..chosen from, the following.*—Messrs Jacob (captain), Jacomb, Read, Fulton,' Rose, 1 Tennent, Sh i e IdjH edgr av e ,Wait e New to n,N orm an, Whittem, Hamilton, Nicholson, F. H. Horner, and.. E. H. Beere. Play will commence at 1.30 shaip.

The present - Season' is admittedly the hottest, known in New Zealand for years, and though rain would be exceedingly welcome,, and indeed is much , wanted, we hav’e riot heard'of any' great * evil effects being felt from draught. Bush fires are common, and last, evening the was opaque with smoke. At Manaia, a bush settler named. IDani’eK Crowley, .had his house and a quantity of ryegrass burned yesterda}', and we may expect to hear of more destruction.

The s.s. Waihi, left Wellington this aftc(rrio6n,y is due here tovmorrow afternoon, arid is announced to leave on the same tide at half-past four. ;

An old German settler on the bank of the Palearßiy ey, named John Fobs, who followed the occupation of boat-builder, died in the Hospital to-day, after a lingering illness of bronchitis.

Captain Taplin requests all those belonging to the lately disbanded' company of cadets to send in ’their arms and accoutrements on hr before Tuesday next. Members of the Patea Rifles who do not intend to' remain in'the corps, are notified to the same effect.

Tuesday was an off day with the Court, no cases being called'offfor hearing.

.Over hj hundred pounds Patea wharfage •dues being,in ai.'rear, and one or two defaulters for large amounts being con-, sidered “dickey,” legal proceedings are 10 be taken to of the deficiencies.

An extraordinary fatality (saj r s The Colonies and India ) has Occurred in British India, where an inexperienced traveller, having, as is the custom in tropical countries, taken a refreshing draught from the stem of one of the many waterholding plants which thrive in the foiests, qualified his cold refreshment by a “ nip ” of nun! Shortly afterwards he : died in excruciating agony, and a post mortem examination showed that his internal organs were iiteraliy,sealed up with India rubbep. He had imbibed sap of Miusops batata, the juice of which coagulates and hardens in alcohol, and the rum had had its usual effect in the poor man’s stomach, with necessarily fatal results. , ; The excess of the imports of merchandise into the United States over the exports remounted.-.; Jurmg - tho ; ‘ month of September 1 to* "During the same period the imports of gold and silver Exceeded the , export's. /by 23Q,525d615.

New Plymouth folk will. be all astir, this evening, on the occasion of' the opening of the Alexandra Hall, a fins addition to the town architecture. It contains a stage as large as any in the Colony, fitted up with all the requisites of a theatre, and-the auditorium is comfortably fitted and will seat a large audiencc, there being a gallery in addition to the basement floor. The opening performance will consist of the sacred Oratoria, Elijah, to be rendered by the Philharmonic Society and orchestra assisted by visitors from' Auckland and other places, under the , conductor ship of Mr Angelo Forrest. To-morrow evening a concert will be given by the same musicians, and on Friday evening Hoy wood’s Minstrel Company commence a season.

The Railway returns, for the year 1882, published in the Gazette, show a considerable increase in passenger traffic on the Wanganui and New Plymouth lines.

The export timber trade from Wanganui is on the increase,' and other vessels to those at present employed are being laid oh. Much of this, timber will be sent back in another form.to Wanganui; and! other tparts of the coast, because we do hot manufacture for ourselves.

The Commissioner ;of ; Crown ? lands announces sections of rural bush land in the Wairoa, Omahine, Carlyle, Opaku, and Hawera, districts, comprising nearly nine thousand adres -to Be open ’ for cash application on and after the 15 th of February next. The Borough Council holds a special meeting this evening, to discuss the increasing of the special rate from sixpence to one shilling in the £, and also to receive the resignation of Mr W. Cowcrn as poundkeeper. ' . . Australian naturalists will be interested to learn that the koala, or native sloth, whose habitat is in the south-east of the Australian Continent, arid which’ has never thriven in captivity hitherto, has at last consented to live in confinement. A specimen was brought to England a couple of years ago in a barrel full of- eucalyptus leaves,' upon which it lived happily all through the voyage. On arrival it went to the Zoological Gardens, and was lodged in a room specially prepared for it, with an artificial tree to climb up, and plenty of. fresh gum-tree leaves for food. On this it lived and prospered till killed by an unlucky accident. Since then another specimen of the koala has been acquired,and under the same treatment is doing wonderfully. As this animal is becoming rare even in his native land, where the natives pursue it and kill it for its flesh, which is much esteemed as an article of food, the species will perhaps survive longer at the “ Zoo than in Australia. It is a strange creature, nocturnal or semi-nocturnal in its habits, and in the daytime prefers to lie coiled up on the topmost branches of its cage. In the evening it comes down for food, and disposes of the fresh leaves put out for it by the keepers, which it munches with satisfactionIt is rather slow in its movements, and does not seem gifted with much intelligence, but as a new stranger in the great garden, it attracts considerable attention.

The Colonies and India recommends New Zealand to„take up the culture of the olive, and. the silkworm, and says ■ “If the Colonies will persist in becoming manufacturing communities, they will find their difficulties oven greater than.--thosejlattending the, cultivation of olives and tea. One direct incentive at- least exists to the prosecution of olive culture. It is stated that one or two ounces of oil in pound of wool made into cloth or worsted fabrics. New Zealand cloths and ■it is said —on good authority—are injuriously affected by the inferior oil used (imported, of course), as may be discovered from the soft, ahiny feel in them, and tlie* lack of tlie* crispness of English manufactured cloths. Let New Zealand send us the oil and the wool, and we will undertake to send them the best woollen 'fabrics! in return”’ 1 What * have the Kaiapoi and Moegiel people to say to this ?

It will he remembered that the Marquis of Lome recently-held out high hopes to unattached young woimrii who. may, be disposed to emigrate to. the Canadian North-West*; -He •••s.iid , that a young woman would have twenty offers in a week, and that the further West she went the more offers she would get. A pamphlet, just published, entitled “Fat Lands for- Lean Tillers,” states that a goodlooking woman can choose among fifty adorers, while a plain one can select from five ; and the writer interprets his estimate liberally* by; adding that, in his opinion, no good-tempered woman is plain. The author:quotes from a Canadian paper the following paragraph ’ on the subject ; The cry'is .- Still they don’t come. Girls of Ontario, come West ! come West! We have in our town many eligiblesThe first comet’ can choose between a thin lawyer, a stout doctor, a. retired but not retiring merchant, and one still in business. All are warranted docile, and tired of a life of single miblessedness.”

Two events in the commercial life of England (says a recent Standard) are chronicled this--week,, of which every man who respects integrity must feel proud. By faithful adherence to plighted word, straightforward honest} 7 in business transactions, and candid, fair dealing, as well.as by bold adventure, and daring in arms, has this nation built up its greatness. On tlie markets .of Europe and Asia to-day no man’s word is respected more, than the Englishman’s, simply because the Englishman’s word is accounted as sacred as his bond. To the upright behaviour of our merchant princesit is due that the character of the race stands so high. They perform what they promise, and endeavour, with the exception of the inevitable black sheep who taint every community, to discharge the obligations (hey contract. There is .proof of this in:the occurrences to which we allude, and which confer new credit on the reputation of our traders. In one instance, a Mr Archibald Winterbottom, who failed, at Bradford about thirteen years ago, with liabilities amounting to about £50,000, has discharged in full all the debts he incurred. His estate, at the time of his bankruptcy, paid a composition of 10s in the pound ; but, as prosperity has since smiled upon him, be has seized the .first opportunity of . handing to his creditors the remaining moiety of the inpney. In the second instance, a Mr Christopher Newton, a drygoods merchant, of Sydney, in New South Wales, who failed through an unfavorable season over ten years ago, has been enabled by a turn of luck to recover himself, and has honorably paid up to the last penny. Seeing that the sum lie owed amounted to no less than £40,000, this was really an act of restitution which rises to tho level of heroism. In recognition of his commercial honesty his creditors have presented him with a testimonial in the shape of a steam launch for fishing purposes, and they have also giycn his wife a gold ring set with diamonds, and a gold bracelet set with rows of diamonds. But Mr Newton and Mr Winterbottom will have something more valuable than any gifts in the approval of their own consciences and the respect of their follow-citizens. In the excitement of cun enthusiasm over ■accesses by the sword, it is wholesome to reflect that “ peace hath her victories no less renowned than war,” and that English-

men are not back-ward in achieving them

A telegram from New York says that (he vessel which was recently lost off tho Straits of Juan do Fuca, and which was at first supposed to be tho Womba, now proves to have been the barque Melville, bound from Shanghai for Victoria., All on board perished.