LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 935, 28 October 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-morrow, at Waerenga-a-hika, the Poverty Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society will hold ita fifth annual show Ihe principal business people notify by advertisement, that their respective estabblishments will be closed after 11 a.m. Printers, for some unexplained reason, not being supposed to participate in other but Christmas and New Year enjoyments, will know it only as a holiday by the town being deserted, and business suspended. The Herald will be published to-morrow. Mr. W. K. Chambers has convened a meeting by circular for Saturday afternoon, at the Makaraka Hotel, at 3 o'clock to discuss Mr. Allan McDonald's Native Lawsuits Bill, in order that suggestions may be made for its improvement. The Bill, as drafted, does not altogether meet with favor by those who have carefully studied its provision. It is thought it does not go far enough, and omits much that should be provided for. However, an opportunity will offor on Saturday for its discussion. The meeting has been called at Makaraka, as it was considered it would be more central for settlers and those interested in the adjustment of Native titles than if it had been convened in Gisborne. Among the many exhibits, which will bo seen at the Agricultural Show tomorrow, and which we feel sure will meet with high commendation, are some of the local manufactures of Mr. Matthew Hall. Among others will be found a pack-saddle the invention of Mr. Hall, which for strength combined with lightness, far exceeds anything we have seen before. But there are other recommendations which favor it greatly. The saddle of the pack is so formed that it distributes the pressure evenly over that part of the horse which from its anatomical configuration is best able to bear it without causing distress to the animal. When girthed it is so managed that the saddle will not slip forward on to the shoulders, nor backwards so as to cause a strain on the belly. The bridge padding is so prepared as to allow a current of air to pass beneath, by'which sweating is greatly prevented, and there is no possibilty of a chafe or the denudation of hair occurring. This saddle will allow quite half-a-hundred weight more of packing than with an ordinary pack saddle, a horse would be able to travel with. It has also the great recommendation of cheapness. In addition to this novelty Mr. Hall will exhibit a magnificent fancy worked girth and purple velvet cover intended for the fine entire " Disraeli," together with several locally made saddles of remarkable atrengfch, durability and lightness, one of which would wear out three or four of the kind usually imported. Mr. Hall will exhibit some beautifully dressed and dyed sheep skins, suitable for carriage, or parlour rugs. The Gisborne School will be closed tomorrow, the children having been allowed a holiday on the occasion of the Horticultural Show.

At the R.M.'s Court this morning, a seaman belonging to the schooner Advance was charged with leaving his vessel contrary to the orders of the captain. On the master pleading on behalf of the defendant, the charge against him was dismissed, but he was subsequently fined 5s on the charge of the police for being drunk in the public streets. The celebrated race horse Harry Mount, the property of Mr. S. C. Caulton, was landed to-day from the Southern Cross, . looking in splendid condition, and from general appearance and his known capabilities seems likely to carry off most of the money at the forthcoming races. The horse is at present stabled at Mr. E. V. Luttrell's, the well known trainer, and is a perfect picture to look at. This afternoon, commencing shortly after one o'clock, the Gisborne Road was Lined with traps of every description filled with fashionably-dressed ladies with their attendent gentlemen, who were making a a journey to the " Willows " upon invitations to attend the wedding celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Honae Whiti, who were married this day at noon with great eclat at Holy Trinity Church, by the Venerable Archdeacon Williams. At shortly after three the grounds and dwelling at the late Mrs. Noko's residence were crowded with visitors, who were most liberally entainted and hospitably received by the worthy host and hostess. The health of the bride was most enthusiastically drank and responded to by her friends. At the time our reporter left the " Willows " the festivities were at their height. Quite a flutter was caused in a bachelors' establishment at Fielding the other day, if the local paper is to be credited. A respectably-dressed woman, with a child, called at the house, and in a very polite manner asked the proprietor if he would kindly see that the child was sent to a relation of hers, who was named at the time. This gentleman, who is noted for his kindly manner, consented to do so, the woman left, stating she was going as far as Palmeraton, where she expected to meet a gentleman who was going to start her in business at Foxton. The proprietor of the bachelor establishment sent the child to the address named as promised, but the lady of the house denied all knowledge of the child, aud would have nothing to do with her. The woman did not return, and it being past 10 o'clock at night, and the discomfited bachelors finding that the child was on their hands at any rate for the present proceeded to make the little waif comfortable by putting her to bed. Early next morning they were out scouring the country, and at length, to their great delight, found the child's grandmother, who was ultimately prevailed upon to relieve them of their burden. A Press Agency telegram informs us that a person of the name of Frederick Smith was charged before the Resident Magistrate at Wellington with having personated a woman by wearing female clothing. As the offence appeared to be the result of a stupid frolic, the Magistrate sentenced the defendant to six hours imprisonment with hard labor, remarking that if the offence should be repeated he would get a severer sentence. Long before the hour of noon to-day, the Holy Trinity Church was thronged with — may we say — with a fashionable audience all anxious to witness the cermony of the widow Noko joined in the bonds of holy matrimony to Honae Whiti. Shades of the departed Captain Read ! If the dead were permitted to visit this terrestrial sphere what profane language the old captain would use to be sure, at the changes which have come to pass since he shuffled off his mortal coll— or to employ the words, he would use — had slipped his cable and drifted on to an unknown shore. All now so changed I There were no Repudiationists in his days. Oh, for one hour with the old skipper face to face with those of his enemies, who not in life, but in death, disputed his claims. There was the old lady, the former partner of his life, the sharer of his joys, and the participator of his aggravations, now in silks and satins with lily white feathers stuck in her hat going gaily to church to wed with another, the ceremony being performed and solemnised by a very Venerable Archdeacon. It is very awful when one comes to contemplate the thing — very, very, awful indeed. Good news for the flax industry is contained in the following item by the Suez mail : — Lyons papers announce a discovery, which if true, will have a very important influence on the silk trade and on all textile industries. It is that the appearance and durability of silk can be communicated to fibres of flax by a certain chemical process. The flax is steeped in a bath of dissolved silk waste, and emerges therefrom in a condition which renders it indistinguishable, save by analysis, from silk itself. The inventor, who resides at Paris, offered his discovery to t'/e association of manufactures for £120,000, and it is alleged they agree to purchase it. There were no fewer than fifteen summonses for debts claims before the It.M. Court this morning. As the whole of them did not occupy more than forty -five minutes, it is certain none of them were of much interest or importance. Moat of the claims were either confessed or went by default. Writing from London to the New York Times, Grace Greenwood, the well-known authoress, says : — A strange rumour has been for some time afloat in London, and 1 now find it given with considerable circumstantiality, if not substantiation, in the Paris Figaro. It is no less than the statement that the late Prince Imperial left a wife — a beautiful young English girl, whom he had privately married, and had installed with her baby and nurse in a retired furnished house in Bath. It is stated that when about to depart for Africa he placed his wife and child under the special care of a Catholic priest, to whom he was only known as an officer in the English artillery, and to whom he said that grave family reasons hindered him from applying to any other friend, and even from revealing his real name. This priest frequently visited his charge, and happened to be present when the poor young woman received the news of the death of the Prince Imperial, at which she fainted. From this, and her great distress afterwards, he was led to divine her secret, and his suspicions were confirmed by hearing that the lady actually went to Chislehurst at once, and made desperate but vain efforts to obtain an 'interview with the Empress. Should this romantic story prove true — and what romance need surprise us where a Bonaparte is concerned ? — there is another Prince Imperial, there is another lease of shadowy life for the Empire of shadowy regency for the Empress ; and it would bring surcease to the agony of -indecision from which Prince Jerome is silently suffering. At the end of the year 1878 there were 3,482,663 sheep in the Provincial District of Otago, being a decrease as compared with the returns for the previous year of 445,837. The exports from Otago number 24,467, all to places within the Colony. In the preserving establishments 74,500 sheep were used. ,