The Patea County Press, AND Manutahi-Waitotara District Guardian. “Be Just and Fear Not.” MONDAY, SEP. 14, 1891. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 175, 14 September 1891, Page 2

The Patea County Press, AND Manutahi-Waitotara District Guardian. “Be Just and Fear Not.” MONDAY, SEP. 14, 1891. LOCAL AND GENERAL

Imperial Parliament was prorogued f n August oth. The Bank of England shipped £300,000 i i gold to Egypt and Germany. Messrs. Dillon and O’Brien appeared in the House of Commons on August 4th --the first time in many months—and were heartily welcomed by all the Irish representatives. In another column Mr Devcrill calls attention to his ginger beer, which is now ready for delivery. Wo had an opportunity of testing a sample of this beverage and found it to bo of very superior quality and with ago expect it to become very popular. The programme for the Social Gathering at Kakaramea appears in this issue and is of unusual length and exceptional merit, and will afford a genuine treat to lovers of music. Wo strongly recommend anyone intending to he there to got there early for assuredly the greatest drawback on that occasion will bo the .smallness of the Hall.

A brandy bottle was found on the back beach of Philip Island, near Cape Wollomai, with a loaf of paper from a pocket book in it. On one side of the leaf was written in pencil, “ Good-bye all, God bless you;” and on the other side, “ Last love to all.—G. Cameron, J. Harding.” There is no date on the paper. A 1 Oft oar and some planks were also picked up on the beach close to the bottle.

“ Wellington Yv'atchman,” in the Catholic Times, says: —• “The Hon. Richard Scddoii, in thunderous tones, asserts that these officers (civil servants) have now far more work to do, and the Government have determined to get as much work out of the Civil Servants as possible, and to pay them well—-happy Civil Servants! The fact of “the late Govment ’avin’ given the Marine Honginecr hate ’undred a year ” scorns to exasperate Kichard, and ho reiterates the statement and, so to speak, worries it. Ho sits down at last in a perfect simoon of splutter.” James! Yes, pa. There wore seven pears in that cupboard. Six of them are gone. Do you know anything about it ? I never took one of them. Sure ? Certain (a. Wish I ma You wicked hud boy ! How often have I told you never to use such mi expression. Hero comes ma. Let us see if she knows any thing about it. Mamma says she saw James take at least five of them. You little rascal ! How dare you toll me you never took one, and hero is only this little one with the grub-oaten side loft ? Oh, pa, don’t hit mo. I said I did’t take one of thorn--and—and--and that’s the one I didn't take.

A young follow named Willia,m Johnson was charged at tbe Jlicbmund Court, Melbourne, with trespassing on the promises of bis mother. The mother and stepdaughter reluctantly gave their ovr« donee, which was to tbe ell'oct that the accused frequently came to their house in Stillman street during their absence, ransacked the place, and took anything lie could lay Ids 1 lands upon. They had tried their host to reform, but it was of no use, for lie bad formed evil associations, and seemed determined to load a bad life.' On Tlmr.sday lie paid t hem one of Ids periodical visits, and the police had to lie sent for, but bo even to leave for the eons!able, saying be would sooner he in gaol. It transpired that not long since lie had served a month for vagrancy, mid the .Bench, thinking gaol dm host place for him, sent him there again for a month.

The cjhiof officer of tire Rotomahana still adheres to the statement that tho object seen by him on a previous voyage of the vessel was a sea serpent. For smuggling cigars from tho China steamer Tsinan at Melbourne recently Christopher Johnson was fined the maximum penalty, £IOO. He wont to gaol in preference to paying the amount.

A. number of Waikato settlors arc getting up a requisition to Mr W. A. Murray to stand for the Waikato seat. Mr Murray was for many years a representative in Parliament of the Bruce district, in Otago. At the Newcastle Police Court, David 8. Millar, tho licensee of tho Paragon Hotel, Newcastle, who was arrested on a charge of having an illicit still on his promises, was found guilty, and fined £250, ornino mouths’ imprisonment. All the plant found is to be confiscated. A young man of Adelaide was sued for kissing a girl without her permission. He said bo thought she was his sister, which, says an exchange, made the girl so mad that she wanted to double the amount of damage claimed. A woman wants to bo kissed for herself, or not all.

In connection with a largo order for Australian brandy/ recently received by Messrs Joshua Bros., of Melbourne, for tho English market, Messrs Graham Bros, of Nethcrby Vineyard, have undertaken to collect and supply that firm with 200,000 gallons of wine for the purpose of distillation.

A Chinaman at Durham Ox, near Boort (Yic. tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the neck and forehead. Ho afterwards took a rope, saying he would hang himself, but ho was ultimately found drowned in two feet of water in the Serpentine Creek, A verdict of suicide while of unsound mind was returned. Since the arrival of tho Wild West Show, with its exciting encounters, schoolboys have been emulating tho exploits of the performers at that show, and at Fitzroy (Yic.) several pitched battles have taken place in the publics streets between “ armies ” representing tho George street and Napier street State schools. One youth was lined 10s or twelve hours’ imprisonment.

Tho following advertisement appeared in tho Auckland Herald :—“ Wanted —A member for Waikato. Must be absolutely penniless, and vote as ordered. Salary, £240 per session (this sum protected by law against debts to tradesmen). No objection mil bo taken to applicant having served a term in Mount Eden for larceny or any other slight idiosyncracy.—Apply Wellington. A death has occurred under singular circumstances at Freeman tie. A little boy named Jackson confessed to his parents that he had swallowed two sixpences. - Nothing was thought of the matter at tho time, but a few hours later the boy was seized with convulsions and died. A post mortem examination siiowod that death was caused by an obstruction in the bowels, occasioned by the lodging of tho sixpences iu a narrow portion of tho intestines about six inches from the stomach.

The following peculiar advertisement appears in the Hawke Bay Herald: —“ 1, Patrick Gormou, Proprietor of the Crit.;rian Hotel, challenge John Knott to prove- hy personal appearance! who of the two looks most like a toper, to he decided hy a jury of six abstainers and six moderate drinkers. I undertake to prove also that I have been an abstainer for a longer period than the said John Knott. The loser to pay £2O or £<3o into the Napier Hospital. Or, as an alternative, I will (though I am a stout man) run him 100 yards, swim him half-a-mile, row him single-handed for five miles, drive against him in a, four-in-hand, or ride a steeplechase with him.

An extraordinary scene was witnessed on the departure of the steamship Leura for Sydney from the Australian wharf, Melbourne. Just before she cast off three young- women and a young man who were on the deck busied themselves drinking brandy and laughing and chaff ing gaily. On the final warning of departure there was a deep draught, a parting toast, and two of the women and the man left the steamer and stood wafehing her from the wharf. When the steamer got in mat stream the man jumped into the Yarra and struck cut for the steamer, A constable rescued aim. He explained that he jumped into the river because “it was a short cut home,” and because “ the devil stood behind him on the wharf, ami it was a toss-up between the devil and the river and ho chose the river.” He was taken into custody.

A follow-passenger of Sara -Bernhardt by the Yankee Mail to Australia, thus wrote from Honolulu ;—The ship had not been out throe hours before she bad explored it from stem to stern and down into the hold. One dark night she announced her intention of ascending to the nows nest. The captain and officers urged her not to attempt it, but she laughed at them and ran to the foot of the topmast with the lightness and agility of a cat. The members of her company, the other passengers, the ship’s officers, and many of the crew had gathered on deck and were watching her breathlessly as she turned to descend. When halfway down she stopped, and clinging to the rigging with one hand and gesticulating with the other, began reciting a poem from Victor Hugo. The wind blew her skirts with tremendous force against the rigging, and the ship was tossing in a hea,vy sea., but she bold on and wont through, tbo poem.”

A sad story of si spendthrift and a. drunkard coiucs from Melbourne. Dr Youl hold an inquest at, the Melbourne (tanl concerning the death of a man named William Ellis, fifty one years of age, who died in tin; gaol. The story of the deceased was a particularly sad one,, as ( old in the evidence. 'Formerly a farmer, Ellis,, had sold out his holding for something between. ,1'2()()0 and iidOOU, and bad eome b» Melbourne 1o see and enjoy life, lie spent his money freely, and drank (o excess. The result was tlx; usual one, This little fortune, vanished, and Ellis toll into the hands of the police for being drunk and disorderly., lie was brought before the City Court, and as la; appeared to be much. in need of medical treatment, be was committed to tbe hospital. On the lOlli be was still unable to appear in Court, and was again remanded until the 17th, but the last remand was longer tlia.ii was necessary, tor early on (he morning of the Idth lie died from a weak heart, and a, constitution broken down by alcoholic. ess, Wuch was tbo verdict of the i nv y-