LOCAL AND GENERAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 701, 21 May 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The cases disposed of m the Native Lands Court have freed a number of Maoris from the town, these having returned to their respective settlements. The hotelkeepers will not rejoice probably ; but those whose doorsteps and business fronts have been for days infested with Maori men, women, and children, will not regret the circumstance.

At a meeting of the Gisborne Rowing Club, held last night, it was decided to row the first two heats m the forthcoming contest at 3 o'clock, on Friday afternoon next, and the final heat at 3 o'clock, on Saturday ; also, that the course should be from Mr. Graham's to the Railway wharf, a distance of one mile and a half.

Messrs. Ferris and Pitt will sell by auction to-morrow (Thursday), the use of the booths and grand stand, &c, at the forthcoming athletic sports.

A move m the right direction m calling a public meeting of the citizens of Gisborne, and residents of the County, re Sydney Exhibition has been made, and we trust there will be a large assemblage to " devise devices" as to the best course to adopt m having the Poverty Bay agricultural, pastoral, and manufacturing interests properly represented by exhibits. The meeting is called jointly by the Mayor of the Borough and Chairman of the Cook County Council, and is to be held tomorrow, at 7.30. p.m.

In this issue, we publish the names of the competitors m the several matches for the Athletic sports, which are announced to take place on the recreation ground on Monday next. We would remind our readers that the outward English mail will be despatched by the Rotorua, the mail close, at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

At Lyttelton recently, during the hearing of a case m which the accused was charged with the larceny of an ass, the prosecutor, a native of Manilla, m the course of his evidence said — "I went to Mats on's auction room and waited for accused, but neither he nor the otlier donkey came."

A bankrupt was under examination m Wellington last week. His assets were almost nil. " But," said a creditor, "you have been m the habit of advertising ' money to lend m sums of from £100 to £1000."' "Yes," was the naive reply, " that was a catch advertisement, and it kept my credit good."

A most extraordinary freak of nature (says the Horning Liberal) was related by Dr King to several gentlemen, which forms quite a study for naturalists. Some short time since Mrs King lost .her wedding ring whilst mixing some food for the fowls, and had given up all hopes of finding the ti. One morning, whilst partaking of an egg, she felt something hard inside, and upon examination found herring embedded m the white of the egg.

Commissioners have been appointed by His Excellency the Governor to enquire into all matters and things relating to the wreck of the s. b. Taupo. The enquiry will be held m the Government Buildings, Tauranga, at 12 o'clock a.m. on Friday the 23rd iustant. The commissioners are Messrs J. Dudley, R. Hewitt Henry Rose, and James S. Cross.

Among our telegrams of yesterday it was mentioned that the Government did not possess power to change the official holiday for the Queen's Birthday from Saturday until Monday. If the Government would take the trouble to look at the Bank Holiday Act, 1873, and compare it with the Amendment Act of 1878, it will be seen that the latter does not repeal section six of the former. Therefore, the Government have the power to substitute Monday the 26th, for Saturday, 24th, as a Bank holiday, and without any alteration of the law we shall see this done next year when the Queen's Birthday will fall on a Sunday.

Some men carry about with them a quantity of general merchandise, says a Wellington paper, which would be sufficient to enable him to open a general store. Recently a gentleman was arrested on a charge of drunkenness; and when his pocketa were searched they were found to contain the following articles : — One carrot, oiiee piece of dandle, one key, one " Guide to the Hot Springs," one soda-water bottle containing whisky, one onion, one pair of goggles, one fishhook, a piece of soap, aud a religious tract. There was also a newspaper containing an account of hi 3 last appearauce m Court, the paragraph referring to his case being marked.

In political circles at Wellington (says the Dunedin Star) the defeat of the Ministry early m the session is regarded as altogether beyond a doubt ; but we fancy a great mistake is made m supposing that iSir George and his colleagues will resign if they can induce the governor to grant- a dissolution. This would give them two or three mouths' further tenure of office — a period they well understand, after the example of the unjust steward m the parable, how to make use of. The manipulation of the elections would also be m their hands, and experience has proved that they would not be likely to stick at trifles m the endeavor to secure a majority. Perhaps they might even follow m the steps of the Victorian Liberals, and manage to technically disfranchise dangerous sub-dis-tricts 1

The Otago Daily Times says : — "A very beautiful piece of statuary marble from Oaswell Sound, on the West Coast, has been dressed by Messrs. Thompson and Co., of Moray-place, and will be forwarded to the Sydney Exhibition. The marble is cut into the shape of a cross embellished with water lilies, and the workmanship, as well as the m aterial, is well worth exhibiting. Th c marble is said to be superior to the best Carrara, m color quite equal to the best Italian statuary marble, and of almost th c same quality, the difference being that th c West Coast marble is of harder t ex t urc . This is said to be a fair specimen of the marble found on the West Coast, and its exhibition may be expected to dra w attention to one branch of the mineral wealth o* this colony."

Lately, up North, a young clergyman, who ia very particular about the getting up of his linen, wrote a note to his laundress and at the same time sent one to the lady of his affections. Unfortunately he put the wrong address on the envelopes and posted them. The woman was puzzled, but not m the least offended ; but when the young lady read, "if you rumple up my shirt bosom and drag the button off the collar any more, as you did last time, I shall have to go somewhere else," she cried all the evening, and declared she would never speak to him again.