LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 970, 8 December 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On Saturday evening last, a presentation, of books' was made to the Gisborne library by J. S. Macfarlane, Esq. These consist of eighty volumes of standard works by the most eminent writers, upon a- variety of intere&ting subjects — history, science, biography, general literature; subjects social, political, and domestic. The whole of the books are handsomely and substantially bound. Tins generous donation will add greatly to the attractions of the library, and will no doubt be the means of drawing many new subscribers to the institution. Mr. Macfarlane's presentation was purchased with his honorarium, which he declined to pocket for his own uses. All ? the public libraries in the Auckland . province have received similar donations from the same gentleman. As the Borough Council have not favored the idea of a fr.ee library, the acting Committeee are about to register under "The Libraries Act, 1875," and appoint trustees, so as to be able to claim from the Hawke's Bay B^ard of Education a share in any grant that, may be distributed during the coming year. To this- end, subscribers are requested to pay up before the end of the year, as the distribution of the grant will be in proportion to the amount of local support. The public are also reminded that every new subscription will be, the means of adding to the resources of the library. Several useful suggestions have been made in the visitors' book, and want of funds alone prevents the Committee from carrying them out. The necessary printing has been defrayed by two members of that body, and the Graphic will shortly be laid on the table without charge by one of the members. We hear that the Inspector- General of Schools, the T?ev. W. Hahens, is somewhere in onr neighbourhood, and will doubtless pay Gisborne a visit in the course of a day or two. It is to be hoped that a full school will greet him, as it cannot fail to be pleasant to the head of a department to see some return for the great exertions that the Government have made in the cause of education at a cost of £250,000 per annum. The hot weaMier and dust have latterly caused some falling off in the attendance, but there is tio crowding now in the schoolrooms which are probably, as comfortable as any ronm in town. New patent ventilators are lying in the yard, and will be put up this week. The playground is beine fenced and divided for bovs and cirls ; and newand ample out-offices have been erected. The Inspector brought with him a large stock of diagrams, for instruction in elementary science, reading cards, &c, so we have no cause to grumble, and we hear that further additions are in contemplation for the infants. The head master has not yet received the report of the late examination from Napier. ' Mr. Carrick's crew won the boat race on Saturday afternoon bv a couple of lengths They got away with the lead, and at one, time were some 3J lengths ahead, pulling the race with a quicker and more uniform strike than Mr. Major's crew throughout; ; The new boats will arrive here before the end of the month, wheu new crews will be cast, and boat races ad lib. will be rowed until the end of the season. Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Cooper, wife of Mr. A. Cooper, bootmaker, of Lowestreet, was riding on horse back on the beach, when the animal became alarmed and bolted .along the Waikanae Swamp. Mrs. Cooper was thrown with great violence to the ground, and sustained several severe injuries, from which it will take some time before her recovery may be looked for. A vocal, instrumental, and dramatic entertainment will be given by Madame Stewart on Saturday evening, at the Masonic Hall. The programme and particulars will appear in a later issue.

Mr. Pierce Power has, we are informed, wired to the Colonial Secretary to have an \ssistant Inspector appointed in order that hhe increasing spread of the scab might be effectually coped with, ind ha? informed 'iim, that it is the unanimous "wish "'of the iheepfarmers at a public meeting held on h ,he sth i»9t., and also of the Connty Oounoil expressed by a resolution, to have nue immediately appointed. Mr. Power 'ma -also recommended that a local man who knows the district, and has a practical acquaintance with his duties, as the most fitting person. We have no doubt that the Oovernment will at once see the YeWm lihieness and even .the necessity of at once adopting the offered recommendation. In the House of Representatives on last Friday evening, replyiug to a question by Major Te Wheoro, the Native Minister said it was the intention of the Government to take Steps to re-establish the Waka Maori, for the purpose of circulating information among the Maories. Mr. Whitaker, Junior., has been quietly sat upon by the member for Waitaki. The young man is in the habit of interrupting members by rising to points of order. He was indulging himself in this way the other evening when Mr Hislop excited, roars of laughter by remaikiug that he' (Whitaker) was like badly-corked ginger beer, continually popping off and slopping over. Messrs. Bourke & Smith have requested us to draw attention to the fact that the large sale advertised by them of Christmas goods brought from the Sydney Exhibition | by Mr. Kelly has, on account of the goods not being landed from the Union Co. boats in time, to be postponed until Saturday/ 13th last, at 11 o'clock. At Wellington, on Friday, in Banco, in the case of W; L. Bees, solicitor, v. Lawrence and Cooper, an action to recover £1000 damages from defendants, who reside at Poverty Bay, for alleged libel and conspiracy arising out of an abortive prosecution brought aaainst the plaintiff by defendants in connection with a certain cheque, a demurrer was raised by Mr. Travurs, but it was overruled, and the case goes to trial. . • There are eighteen cases for trial at the sitting of the Supreme Court, Napier which opened this morning, viz. : — One of murder ; one of arson ; four of forgery ; one of horse stealing ; five of robbery: with violence ;. one. of rape ; one of shooting with . intent ; aud four of larceny. The 'names of the prisoners and their offences are as follows : — Roderick Harry M'Lennan, murder; George Henry Stuart, forgery and uttering ; Tarai and Tsete Marqnga, forgery ;•, John, Thompson and Thos. Calla <au, larceny ; Meta, rape ; William Bartlett, shooting with intent to do bodily harm ; Thomas Quekett, larceny ; John Wood Jones, forgery ; David Wilaon. horse stealing ; Renata, Hori, Hapi, Witerangi, and Wiremu, robbery with violence, and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm ; Ellen Brodie, larceny ; E. Anderson Lauerviy, arson. We have been asked by Mr. Fraser to refer to what after all is only an ellipsis in our report of one of his .remarks at the Makaraka meeting. The sentence as corrected 'should read : "At Whataupoko, he effectually cured a flock that had been infected, and for 8 years there was an absence of the disease, until brought from Auckland."