LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 933, 25 October 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Miss Morgan resumed her duties as harmonist in the Presbyterian Church last night. For a considerable time that position has been occupied and its duties discharged with much regularity and efficiency by Miss C. Teat. There was a full attendance at List night's practice, and there is every evidence that ere long the choir will attain its former condition of strength and efficiency. The Agricultural and Pastoral Society's fifth annual show to be held at Waerenga-a-hika, on Wednesday, will, we imagine, as in previous years, be made the occasion of a public holiday. It is one of the few annual celebrations the people of the districts have been accustomed to commemorate, and we presume an exception to the rule will not be made on the coming occasion. At the R.M. Court this morning, the fresh information laid by Sergeant Kidd against Mr. W. Mills was dismissed. The nature of the charge preferred against him, from the evidence, appeared that while two men were engaged talking in the streets, the defendant pushed their faces together. Oh this being observed by the prosecutor, he approached, and laying hands on him, said " I've got a good mind to run you in," to which Mr. Mill replied " What for ?" and expressed himself very strongly against such interference. Mr. Brassey, who defended, requested the Bench to mark their sense of disapprobation of the conduct of threatening to run into gaol a respectable citizen, and also to express their opinion that such a oase ought not to have been brought into Court. The Bench said it would be better for a man in Mr. Mill's position not to resort to boyish tricks, and thereby mislead the police, as they could not kuow whether he was in earnest or in fun. The Bench also stated that the police had no right to threaten to run into gaol men that are well known to them, as they had another course open for them to pursue, that of summoning them. Mita, charged with rape on Hewi, a native girl undur 10 years of age, was committed for trial at the next session of the Supreme Court, Napier. Mr Caleb Whitefoord, R.M.., was on the Bench. An important event, which may be plaoed under the head of " Social and domestic," is announoed to take place on Tuesday next. This is no less than a marriage between Noko Read, now quite an historical personage the Bay, and Mr. Hoana Whiti. The nuptial celebration is to be a verv erand and imposing affair, upwards of three hundred invitations having been issued to Europeans and Maoris. The marriage ceremony is to be held at Holy Trinity Church at noon, and the festivities commence at 3 $•*&> Mr. Hill, the Inspector of schools to the Hawke's Bay Education Board, is arranging to hold next month an examination of Maori candidates for the scholarships, to be given from the fund set apart by Mr. Doughlas M'Lean for the promotion of education among the natives. The amount of the fund is £3000, and the trustees, ' who, we believe, are. Messrs Ormond, Cotterill, Locke, Gisborne and the Rev. S. Williams, have agreed that it would best meet the wishes of the donor to ofter for competition three scholarships of the annual value of £35, tenable for three years. They have left the matter in Mr. Hall's hand, . and he proposes that the i "three holders of the scholarships shall, at the close of their three years' tenure, compete for a Unversity scholarship of j £50, tenable for two years. There cropped up the other day in Christchurch another instance showing how low the money market must be at the present moment, although things commercial are now beginning to look up. A block of land in Christchurch facing Gloucester street in Stanmore road was sold by auction at the rate of about £75 per quarter of acre, or at the rate of, say, £360 per acre. The land in question is situated in one of the best parts .of what may be called the town, and by position and surroundings in a most desirable selection. A few months ago, quarter acre sections some miles away from the city as at Riccarton and Papanui for instance fetched as much per quarter, acre as the land of which we speak did per acre. As will be seen by our telegrams, the English mail, which arrived at Auckland on Tuesday last, has been forwarded to Wellington by the Stella. The Napier and Gisborne portion has been transhipped to the s.s. Southern Cross, and should arrive here during to-morrow forenoon. "Zigzag" writes in the Sydney Echo says: — "A story is going the rounds of our banking circles of a certain manager who had his suspicion of one of his tellers. He thought him careless, and determined to test him. After the bank was closed, and while the tellers were counting up their gold, he crawled round in the shade of the counter, not, however, unperceived by the teller, and when he got opposite the perch of the suspected one, he cautiously introduced his hand over the connter, as if to steal the coin.: The faithful shepherd of the sovereigns came down with a sounding smith-like blow with a ruler on the intruding knuckles. The manager is quite satisfied now that the teller is a most vigilant young man." A medical gentlemau of Cremona states that if a drop of ammona be injected beneath the skin, in cases of apparent death, a red spot will appear should the patient be alive, but if death has actually taken place no such effect follows. A bespectacled and somewhat fussy member of the Cabinet has received (says May/air) a snub from his cynical but august master, in whose presence he was deprecating the Zulus. " Uncivilised ?" enquired the Premier, with that calm astonishment that proceeds his plunge in paradox. "I do not quite see that. They have routed our armies, outwitted our generals, killed a prince, and converted a bishop. The most civilised nation could do no more."

The boys of the Nelson College have been assisted by their head master, the Rev. Andrews, ex-M.H.R., to make thorough cads of themselves. Fancy a lot of youngesters, including the sons of four Government officials, and the son of the Governor of the Colony, aged eleven, sending an address to Mr. Adams, one of the members for Nelson, in which they say "we have watched with keen interest the late political crisis," and "being loyal to kelson interests we, of "course, are opponents of Sir George Grey, of whose defeat we have heard with great satisfaction." Mr. A. Adams reply to this senseless rigmarole was almost as puerile, and in execrable taste. And of course the' whole correspondence was duly published in the local papers and variously ■■ commented upon. Ihe Rev. Andrews has always been notorious for singular freaks of eccentricity. This last escapade of his, however, distances all the others. Peculiar ideas his views must be of how colonial youth should be trained. The political atmosphere in the Colonies is getting more troubled year after year, and its aroma more detestable. To introduce the respectable larrikin element Into it is not likely to render it clearer. Birch rodfc are sadly wanting at the Nelson College.

There are of course a number of anecdotes connected with the Zulu war, and amongst them are not a few respecting canine . fidelity. General Wood had with him two fine greyhounds, which were with him at every engagement up to Ulundi, where one of them pursuing the flying Zulus was assegaied. Captain Campbell,*' of the Active, had with him a pointer, which always headed the advance of a column, and was at the entrenched camp at Ekowe, was suddenly missed, and it was thought that he had stayed outside the camp and had been killed by Zulus, but when the relief column marched to Ekowe, after the battle of Ginghilovo, there was the dog at the head of the column. It seems he had gone back to Natal, and his experience of that lovely trip did not prompt him to make the journey again without an escort.