LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 660, 26 March 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. A. Ashman, telegraph operator m Gisborne, has been asked to go to the Sydney Exhibition as the Champion Operator of the Australian Colonies. The telegraph department at Wellington undertakes to pay the cost of Mr. Ashman's expenses. We believe that arrangements will be made which will admit- of Mr. Ashman taking his departure. Gisborne should feel proud that Mr. Ashman should have been appointed to conduct its telegraphing. We believe that it is acknowledged beyond all dispute that tkis gentleman is the quickest and most correct operator m the Southern Hemisphere.

At an adjourned meeting of the creditors of Mr. L. Dugleaux, held this morning, m the office of Mr. Ciifl^ solicitor, it was arranged that Messrs. Lewis and Bromley should act as trustees m the estate. Mr. Dugleaux makes an assignment of the whole of his assets to the trusteess for the benefit of the creditors. Mr. J. C. Taylor, lately of Messrs McVay and Co.'s establishment, has commenced business, as saddler and' Harness maker, on his own account m Peel Street, opposite Mr. Joyce's Hotel. We have seen specimens of Mr. Taylor's work and we have repeatedly heard his name mentioned most favorably as a tradesman whose work has never been excelled m any harness and saddlery establishment m the Colony. Good material, skilful workmen, and every order executed uuder his own eye and direction, will, we trust, ensure all he asks for— namely, a fair share of patronage from the residents of the town of Gisborne and the settlers of Poverty Bay. By a reference to our advertising columns, it will be seen that Mr. Waterworth & Tong, of Hastings-street Napier, have just received, direct from London, a shipment of splendid marble ; and that they are prepared to supply headstones, plain or elaborately carved, from as low as £4 to any price,* according to design and execution. Mr. E. J. Upham, Gisborne, has been appointed Agent for Poverty Bay. From whom copies of designs may be obtained, with scale of prices, and all other particulars. An extraordinary and surprising entertainment will be opened at the Masonic Hall, on Thursday uext, as will be seen by our advertising columns. The Auckland Evening Star, writing on this exhibition says : — The modern miracle, designated "Fatima," was exhibited on Saturday evening m Queen-street, and attracted successive crowds of spectators. The people wondered whether the pretty face of the young lady Ayas really human or composed of wax-work, and one person declared that he had seen the beautiful bust m the window of Mr. Shortt, the hairdresser, across the way. There was mistake, however, about the matter, when the face was seen to smile and the lips move over the pages of a book; the movements of the fingers were also evidence of individual life. The description as follows will give a just index of the whole : — ln the middle of a square, formed of chintz draperies, is placed a table, or rather a circular slab of wood, about one inch thick, xestiug on four skeleton legs, under which is seen the draperies on the walls. On top of the table, six inches from it, is a smaller table of tripod, and apparently resting on this tripod is the living bust of a young woman. Below the waist is a perfectly blank space, with merely the edges of the table and tripod intersecting the line of sight. The young lady who thus consents to be partly cut off from the world appears to be m a perfectly easy position, and reads, fans herself, or gazes upon visitors m a manner which denotes the utmost comfort. The spectator only stands about eight feet from the table, but short as the distance is, the illusion is complete, and, so far as the eye is concerned, the deceit is perfect. There is more than meets the eye (says the London Truth) m a recent marriage. The bride, who, by-the-bye, was married under her real name although she bore another, was the divorcee of a corporal m the Guards, from whom she was disjoined m 1875. Tbe bridegroom is a youth fresh from college, the master of an enormous allowance from tiiistees, and the further master of a still more enormous fortune, and, before this strange step, was supposed to be a lad, quiet, refined, and with High Church proclivities. Love alone, one would have supposed, would have brought the two together, but love does not seem to have been the cause of the marriage, for the bridegroom resides at a hotel, and the bride at her house. A mysterious being, who appears to exercise a wondrous influence over the bridegroom, and who is supposed to be a corporal m the Life Guards, frequently visits him, arrayed m civilian garb, and it is said that bills for a large amount have been put into circulation, although where the proceeds have gone is not clear. Under these circumstances, we should advise the trustees of the bridegroom's fortune, who receive a large annual salary for looking after his affairs, to investigate the mysteries of his extraordinary marriage. An Adelaide telegram, dated March G, says : — With reference to the Kelly scare. Mount Gambier, it has been ascertained from the police that a letter dated from that township Jan. 2, addressed to Edward Kelly, and. signed Nat Morrissey, had been intercepted at Beechworth. The ■writer said they would have no difficulty m sticking up the banks there, as they were easily accessible. Suspicion pointed to a man who visited town, and who is known to be acquainted with the Benalla district. A search was made for him, but he has disappeared. At the request of the banks additional police protection has been supplied. , A singular fatality is reported from Ireland. A man named Montgomery, of Killinchey, County Down, recently dropped down dead. His wife, upon hearing the news, also fell dead, and on a messenger being despatched to his sister is M r as discovered that she too had died suddenly. All three inquests were held the same evening. We regret to learn that typhoid fever is becoming far too prevalent m Wellington. Although there may be no cause for alarm, we hope care will be taken to prevent the dread disease spreading. There are thickly populated parts of the city m which great havoc would result were the fever once to get a footing. — Times. Mr. I. N. Watt, R.M., gave his decision on the Eastcrhill case on Saturday last, at the Dunedin City Police Court. It will be remembered that on the voyage of the barqne Easterhill from England to this Colony, an apprentice named William Taylor fell from the rigging into the water, coming m contact with the boat-skid m his fall. The master of the barque, David Evans, made no effort to recover the body. The accident occurred m broad daylight, the weather was exceedingly calm, and the vessel was going at the rate of two or three knots per hour. Shortly after the vessel arrived m port the Collector of Customs instituted an inquiry into the whole of the circumstances, and a few days ago Captain Evans was proceeded against ' by tlie police at Port Chalmers for wilfully omitting and neglecting "to do any act or thing for saving the life" of the apprentice. His Worship was of opinion that the fall must have literally crushed m the boy's ribs, aud caused immediate death. The defendant was not required by law to take any measures to recover a dead body, however desirable it might have been. He exhibited, however, a "want of presence of mind, incapacity, or callouness" which he hoped and thought were unparalleled amongst British shipmasters. He strongly reprobated the unmanly conduct of the accused, but saw no other course under the circumstances than to dismiss the information. The accused was therefore disharged.

There died says the Scotsman of a recent date, at 24, Middle Arthur-place, Edinburgh, Margaret Anthony, at the advanced age of 101 years. The deceased was married early m life to Alexander Reid, Ingleston, and had twelve children, six •of whom are still alive, the youngest being over 50 years of age. She lived to reckon her descendants ■te^rKe fifth generation, most of the great and great-greatgrandchildren being m New Zealand and America. She enjoyed good health, and had a retentive memory and considerable powers and observation up to within the last fortnight. From the time she was thus laid up till she died she never complained of any pain. The Borough Council of Christchurch are making extraordinary efforts to have the next session of the General Assembly held m that city. We think it is " most unlikely that such a change should be made. Why should it, any more than at Makaraka, or any part of the colony ? The state documents and books are m • Wellington, and if the attempt were made scarcily one of the Civil servants of the Empire City would be allowed by creditors to change their place of residence. We are sorry to learn says the Wellington Chronicle that Mr. W. James, manufacturer and importer of furniture, Lambton-quay, ha 3 filed his schedule. This has been caused through no want of means, but owing entirely to bank pressure and inability to realise cash. The estate it is calculated by good judges to be able to pay some 60s. m the £, andjwe can only regret the circumstances that have placed Mr, James m such a temporarily unpleasant position. The assests are stated to amount to £33,000, and the liabilities to £9000. A meeting of the creditors will be held on the 21th instant.