LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 647, 11 March 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

J A communication received from Mr. Samuel Bowman, this afternoou, is inadmissible. Mr. Bowman has a dangerous 3 chimney, respecting which the authorities have cautioned him. Mr. Bowman heeded not their warnings, and was then told he would have to pay the penalty arising from his obstancy. The letter he has forwarded } us has b»en written by some religious bigot or fanatic, who, who with some smattering of learning, has taken advantage of Mr. Bowman's ignorance by penning a most insulting letter intended to wound the feelings of a religious body to whom we suppose the writer is opposed. If Mr. Bowman has paid for the writing of the letter, he should insist upon having his money returned. • There was a clean sheet at the Police Court this morning. i The members of St. Andrew's congregation are requested to meet on Wednesday j evening next, March 12th, at 7.30 p.m., for the purpose of electing a pastor. We have not been informed of the number of applicants for this important office, but are perfectly satisfied that in the election of any one of them a sound and intelligent judgment will be exercised by the congregation. All the members are respectfully urged to attend. The Gisborne portion of the Suez mails is expected to arrive by the Lady Bird tomorrow, that steamer having left Wellington at noon on Monday. Saturday next is fixed by the Gisborne Rowing Club for the scratch match between the fours. The heavy crew, who will man the new boat, are Denniston, 1 ; Henderson, 2 ; Balneavis, 3 ; Huddleston, stroke ; Bourke, cox. While the light crew, for the old. boat, the Mermaid, are, Mills, 1 ; Skeet, 2 ; Spence, 3 ; Eatcliffe, , stroke, and Fernandez cox. Great interest is centered in this match ; and we would like to see some of the outside public present the club with 4 pewters, to be competed for on this occasion, as the Club are not sufficiently in funds to enable them to do the proper thing in this instance.

This evening, a four-act drama, entitled "Worth a Struggle," will be played for the first time at the Masonic Hall, by Mr. J. P. Hydes and his talented company. Those who are not present at this tine dramatic representation will misa a rare opportunity of witnessing one of the best-written plays of the present day. It abounds in startling incidents, while it alternates between humor and pathos. The humor is irresistible, as is the pathos. One has scarcely cared to laugh, ere the tear begins to glisten in the eye. The plot is of deepest interest, and thedenouement comes so unexpectedly, and with such dramatic effect, that expectation is raised to the highest pitch, and the curtain falls upon one of the best written and best concerted plays of the present day. The full strength of the Company is brought into requisition. Mr. J. P. Hydes personates the role of Mr Adolphus Fitzsnooks (principal tragedian of the Newgate Theatre) : Mr. Wilkinson that of Tom Titmouse, Mr. H. Simmons, Dick Hazard ; Mr. Mack D. Alexander, plays Benson, and Mr. R. Love, Nathaniel Scrawl. The lady artists cast for the piece are Miss Lizzie Morgan, Miss Ella Carrington, Miss Marian Liston, and Miss Amy Johns. Incidental to the drama, there will be presented a Christmas Party in Old England ; the Misletoe ; Hunt the Slipper ; the Dance ; the Song, and " To aw Frieqds far awa." The night's performances conclude with the extravaganza of "Ye Honeymoon," in which Mr. Hydes with the Burlesque Company will appear. Surely such a bill of fare should draw a crowded hall. We omitted to mention in its place that Miss Lucy Stewart will appear for the first time in the Hydes Company. Miss Stewart has lately arrived from the old home country, where she has loug been known as a very popular vocalist, and one taking leading characters in burlesque representations. The license of Mr C. O. Davis as a Maori interpreter has been cancelled by the Government. A man of thirty, dressed in sheepskin, trimmed with red flannel, bearing an enormous black-board inscribed, "I am the prophet Elias," recently appeared in the streets of Rye, England, declaring that he was one of the tribe of Levi, and must journey from town to town, fulfilling his mission and saving the human race. An important case was settled in the Lyttleton Magistrate's Court recently with reference to the conveyance of cattle by railway. It was proved that, in addition to the usual cattle waggons that had been employed to bring the animals from Addington to Port, several box waggons had also been used. The consequence was that on arrival at Lyttleton five were found dead in the close trucks ; one died shortly after being taken out, and many more were nearly killed from overcrowding and 'suffocation. Notwithstanding these facts the Bench, while censuring the system of overcrowding cattle in box waggons, were of oppinion that no breach of the law had been committed, and dismissed the case. The traffic on the Canterbury lines of railway has so greatly increased that the authorities are at their wits end to supply waggons. We understand that twenty trucks are to be sent down from Napier this week ; they will be shipped by the Isabella Pratt. During a shearing season smart work has often attracted attention in the leading sheds of the colonies (says the Waitangi Tribune), but we do not think the following has been equalled south of the Line : — At Station Peak, on the 25th ultimo, fourteen men putJ2793 sheep through in B.J hour, making an average of 199^, the top score of 272 having been made by James Capil of Kaiapoi. The following, taken from the Recorder published at Balrauald, New South Wales, shows how extreme the heat has been in the interior": — "In consequence of the intense heat of Thursday, we found it impossible to issue on Friday morning. The present number has been produced under difficulties only known to those resident in the interior, where it is impossible to provide against heat, which has with us been followed by sickness and prostration."

A boy, aged fifteen years, was charged at Pentre on Monday with having attempted to hang his little sister, aged twelve years, at Llantrisant. The evidence showed that the prisoner, who is an incorrigible youth, and quite beyond the control of his father, took the opportunity, when almost every body was out of the house, of tying a rope to the ceiling, and attempting to hang his sister in the most methodical fashion. Happily the rope broke. He was sentenced to a month's hard labor.

By the Rangatira steamer from Wellington on Sunday afternoon, the well-known horse Sinking Fund arrived at Napier for the forthcoming races. It was this horse that run a dead heat with Mata for the last Dunedin Cup, beating Templeton ; and on the third day's racing coming in third for the Forbury Handicap, Templeton running second.