LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 863, 14 August 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Messrs. Ferris and Pitt havo been instructed by Mr. John Dick, to sell by auction, on Saturday, 23rd instant, double and Bingle seated buggies, spring carts, drays, ploughs, harrows, yokes, bows, &c. Messrs Bourke and Smith will sell by auction on Saturday, at 12 o'clock, a quantity of household furniture, clothing, &c; also, 4 cases French vinegar, and 4 cases blue berries. Captain Morris will address the electors at Ormond on Tuesday, and not Monday, as previously advertised. Captain Porter will address the electors at Makaraka, on Monday next, at 7 o'clock, and at Ormond, on Tuesday. US' Read the new Price List m Garkett Bros.' Advertisement, of New Goods just arrived direct from Home, per late arrivals via Auckland, and juet landed per Pretty Jane and Uaioea.

The annual Church of England meeting, was held m the Government buildings on Tuesday evening, the Rev. E. Williams presiding. A copy of the annual report read was asked from the incumbent, who stated that he had given it to our contemporary, and so we could not get it. This explanation is necessary, as we have been asked why we did not publish the report, and whether it was intended that it should be burked. We imagine there has been no intention to burko anything. We can only suppose the Rev. Mr. Williams was quite indifferent whether it obtained, publicity or not. We have received more than one communication on the subject ; but as they are not written m a good spirit, we have withheld them for the present, or until the incumbent informs his parishioners why he could not have furnished the Herald with a copy of a report, which we are informed was m his own hand writing. The ball given to the Napier Football Team, last night, m despite of long continned heavy down-pour, and streets running with water, was well attended, and danciug was kept up to an early hour this morning. The Captain called his team off at midnight, and as they were bound to obey orders, the ladies' programme got a little confused towards the end : but new partners were found, and all ended by all being well satisfied with the ball. A day or two ago it was telegraphed from Wellington that the doctor attending the Maoris " administered some strong medicine, and shortly afterwards symptons of poisoning set m. The doctor was recalled, and after dosing them with emetics they came to." It appears that the Chronicle, which has a happy faculty for discovering mare's nests, was responsible for the rumor. The New Zealander explains that the real facts of the case were these : — The Maori prisoners, fed and treated by their friends with mussels, fish, doughboys, and similar dainties, have been affected with diarrhoea, and to set them right Dr. Diver prepared a large bottle of medicine and gave instructions to his orderly what doses to administer; Sixty-eight doses were given, and the patients were relieved* The medicine was not only effective, but palatable, and two or three others of the Maoris, though m perfect health, asked that they might have a taste, and the request was granted, with the natural result that it made them feel a little queer m the stomach. The orderly weut to Dr. Diver and told him that these men were complaining. Dr. Diver went to the gaol m post haste, aud found there was nothing the matter with t!iem, except that the gaoler, m the absence of the orderly, had appointed himself deputyphysician extraordinary, and administered doses of mustard and water as emetics, which,, acting rapidly, had frightened his patients nearly out of their senses. The Wellington Post says:— "Mr. W. Lowe, the finder of the document relating to the loss of the Stratllnaver, has forwarded the slip of paper to Messrs Levin and Co., m order that it may be inspected by persons familiar with the handwriting of Mr. Walker, the chief officer of the vessel, with a view of testing its genuineness. Messrs Levin have handed the paper over to us, and we shall be happy to show it to anyone curious to inspect it. It is discoloured by the sea water, and looks as if it had been m a bottle a considerable time. In a note Mr. Lowe says uuuu Lv »ui»n» ♦Kvt-pwjjui — gt-uicruc IXO UO"— serves that it might have been written for the chief officer by someone, and a mistake m the date is excusable, and easily understood m the circumstances of haste m which the writer was placed." Queer mistakes sometimes occur m the transmission of telegraphic messages. A case of the kind occurred the other day, and is thus narrated by the Otago Daily Times : — "A prominent citizen iv Dunedm sent a telegram to one of the City M.H.R.'s m Wellington, as follows : — ' Kindly arrange send me Hansard.' Evidently this on the road .North under weut a little ciiauge, for a reply came next day : 'Your tele.rain arrange send ' thousand' requires expfaiiation.' The thing, no doubt, looked to tiie M.H.R. a cool way of trading upon the probability of a dissolution, when, of course, no request could be refused, by asking a loan ; but to his relief the citizen sent an answer back : ' Previous telegram asked you arrange send me Bansard, but will be happy to take thousand as well.' It is needless to state that Hansard only has yet come to hand." A petition is, the Free Press understands, now goiug the rounds of the VVairoa country for signature, praying the House of Representatives to amend th c Education Act so as to permit the reading of the Holy Bible daily m the public schools under a "Conscience Clause." A heartless practical joke was played upon the worthy unsuspecting Magistrate of Ash burton, Mr. Frank Guinness, at an entertainment at the Town Hall, Ashburton, which is thus told by the Mail : — A "Wondrous feat by the Ashburton Wizard " was the next item on this programme, and it caused ureat amusement. The Wizard (Mr. H. W. Bristow) first proceeded to borrow a bell-topper, the lender being Mr. Frank Guinness, R.M. Having obtained the hat, the amateur professor of legerdemain very deliberately J proceeded to rip it up with his penknife, and, after literally teariug it up into shreds, coolly informed the astonished owner that he was powerless to do anything more ; he had forgotton the rest of the triek — the restoration of the hat — and was much obliged to the gentleman who had so kindly lent it. Thanking the injured party was adding insult to injury. Moral — Don't lend your hat to amateur wizards. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttdton Times has revived, apropos of Major Te VVheoro's visit to the "Empire City," the following tale of the old chief's prowess on behalf of the European : — " It was after the taking of -JST^itapa, that Ropata, by Colonel Whitmore's orders, followed the enemy, and, coming up with them, captured the celebrated Hau Hau chief, Mikora, Te Whakaunua, and 120 of his men. These were, while being guarded, somewhat turbulent, and Ropata was asked to go outside (from the tent) and quiet them. A few seconds afterwards shots were heard, aud on Major Biggs rushing out he found Ropata armed with seven revolvers, and diligently employed blowing out the prisoners' brains. When' requested to desist he was much chagrined, saying. " Oh, very well, you are my superior officer, and I must obey orders ; but these (pointing to sixteen he had just killed) won't make any moro noise." I had the pleasuro the other day of looking across the mahogany towards this energetic executioner, and taking wine with him." Ropata is still a powerful man, and does not look more than 50 years of age, although he must be nearer 70. The New Zealand tea, per Menmuir comes to Wellington direct per Wakatipu which leaves Sydney on the 15th instant. The Rangitikei Advocate hears that lamb* ing is pretty general all over the district. On one farm it commenced three months ago. These early lambs are now very healthy, having fortunately had a very favorable season at their birth.

The Bombay Catholic Examiner, says : — "We learn that Archbishop Steins, S. J., late Vicar Apostolic of Calcutta, has been nominated to the Episcopal See of Auckland, vacant for the last four years, since 1875, when Dr. Croke was translated to the Archbishopric of Cashel." The New Zealand Freeman's Journal says: — "It may be remarked that the title of the new Bishop o£ Auckland is that of Archbishop, although the See to which he is now appointed still remaining episcopal. Cases of that kind occur but occasionally. Leo XIII. is another case of the same kind, for. when appointed to the See of Perugia, he had the title of Archbishop, and was known as Archbishop-Bishop of Perugia." The Daily Times publishes a tabular statement showing the number of adult males residing m each district represented by members voting on the no confidence division, based on the last census returns, and shows that while, apart from Ministers themselves, the Government supporters represented a total of only 36,562 adult males, the Opposition represented a total of 62,592. The Times considers that an Opposition represented only the smaller interests of the colony. The following incident occurred at the recent trial m Wellington, Peters v. Bank of New Zealand : — "I believe you bank, with the Bank of New Zealand," said Mr. Olhver. "1 do," said Mr Krull. "I believe that institution is m the habit of giving large accommodation to merchant s at times." " Yes, " answered Mr. Krull, and the reply was audibly supplemented by a leading member of the bar "and often wants it paid at very inconvenient times." Whatever advantages, real or imaginary, may attend the consumption of raw vegetables (says the Lancet), it is abundantly evident that peril must beset the use of this description of food, unless the articles eaten are moat thoroughly cleansed. For example, water-cresses grow m shallow streams or ditches, and are apt to be fouled by dogs, which are known to be comtnoniy infested with intestinal vermin. If the cresses so produced are not scrupulously washed — and nothing less than the most painstaking brushing under water can cleanse them — they are more than likely to convey into the stomach, entangled in' their leaves or attached to the stems, the ova of tapeworms and other parasites. This is a distasteful and disgusting reflection, but it is one that needs to be made, because there cannot be any reasonable doubt that cresses salads, aud fruit growing low on the ground are exposed to every form of contamination, and: some, at least, of the impurities with which they may be denied will probably act as vehicles for the transmission of parasitic diseases not merely disgusting, but dangerous.* An extraordinary accident occured at the Lethgon sawmills, New South Wales. The shaft of the machinery becoming disarranged, the circular saw smashed into fragments, flying m all directions, with a terrific noise. One man was killed, and two thrown into the air, but they escaped with little injury. It is rumored that a claim is about to be made against the Governmtnt for immensely valuable land m Melbourne, on which are extensive manufactories, and part of the Hobson Bay Railway, valued altogether at £5,000,000. The alleged owner claim's that the land was absolutely aoltLjmder an old Government • grant -hefore tne sep7mn;ion-v£ -Victoria from New South Wales. The Sydney Exhibition has been definitely fixed to open on the 17 th Sept.