LOCAL AND GENERAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 706, 30 May 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A charge was preferred against Mr. Parnell late this evening, namely, that of feloniously selling a gun contrary to the 27th section of the Arms Act. The accused pleaded not guilty, and the case was adjourned till Wednesday, 4th June Bail was allowed, but the defendant refused to enter into recognizances and elected to go to prison, saying that he was innocent of the charge.

We have been given to understand by j the Committee of the Gisborne Volunteer Band (appointed last night) that it i3 the intention of the members to give a Ball on Coronation Day, the 20th inst., in Mr vlacfarlane's Hall, at which the band will Jay the greater part of the programme aid Messrs. Cox, Farain, and iSueiiff the remaining portions. Our volunteer band is, beyond all doubt, a most creditable one. What we have known of their performances entitle us to say that there is not a set of instrumentalists in any town in New Zealand of twice its size can boast of a more efficient one: Full particulars will appear in a future issue. An amusing spectacle was witnessed to- | day in a room of the Masonic Hotol, when i a. Maori child, probably not more than ten years old, danced a highland fling to the flaying of a Maoris' concertina, wuich for cleverness aud spirit could scarcely have been exceeded by a professional. The dancing elicited great applause among the frequenters of the hotel. The Maori spectators knew no bouuds to their ecstasy, ana ctie child was made to continue her wonderfully clever permonnance until completely exhausted. The last issue in Gisborne of the Wakct Maori made its appearance yesterday. The plant is to be taken to^Napier, where the IVaka will be reinstated under its editor, Air. James Grindell. The Committee of the Football Club held a meeting at the Masonic Hotel last evening—Mr. Arthur in the chair. Business generally was gone into, and especially the settlement of all matters relative to the Late sport-i. The Committee decided that a concert should be held ou Saturday, the 7ch June, at whicti the prizes won by the various competitors would be distributed. The Secretary was requested to eugage Mr. Macfarlane's Music Hall for that date, and eacli individual member of the Committee si-nitied his intention of energetically bestirring himself to prove the concert a success. The Club intend introducing some novelties in the programme. A scratch match will be played to-morrow afternoon, and the match for the next Saturday will be Colonials v. The World, which is generally an exciting aud interesting one. Post Office clerks in the Wellington province send presents of eatables to one another in H.M.'s mail bags, The Post say-, that a passenger by one of tUe VVairarapa.coaches was some whatastonished some days ago at seeing an unusually heavy mail despatched from due of thu post offices. .He assisted to take the bags " on board," and had considerable difficulty ui lifting one of tnem, whicn weigiiea aoout ldOlbs. Wondering what new rage lor letter- >rritting nad seized the inhabitants of taw secluded district, au.l niurvelliug what could inuke the correspondence of such a " Weighty " nature, he was induced to examine tue bag a little more elosuiy. To nis suprise he found it full of rabbits ! The bag was duly sealed up, and bore the words ".Royal Mail" in lar^e letters, and there is no doubt that it was conveyed at the Government expense. There is no necessity for stating from what part of this sublunary sphere the following " veracious" paragraph comes. The nationality of its auouor is obvious. Here it is : — An intelligent farmer iu Des Moiues County has invented a henophone, on the principal of the telephone, by winch one old reliable hen, occupying a central position, sit > on all the nests about the estabhsiiineut, leaving other fowls free to l a y e ggs, scratch or cackle. As fast as a new neat contains the full complement ot eggs, it is connected with the central office by a copper wire and the busines is settled. The only trouble with the machine is that it sits so hard it hatches oi>t the poruelaiu uest eggs along with the others, so that one cnick iu every neat is born with glass eyes, and the farmer has to buy and train a dog to lead it round. This makes it expensive.