LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1047, 11 March 1880, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to the inclemency of the weather preventing the Natives coming into town, the Natives Land Court was to-day adjourned until to-morrow. To-day the £1000 race ia to come off at Wanganui ; should they be experiencing the same weather as we are having, the cracks are likely to be thrown out of it, and the Stewards will have cause to regret that they refused some £600 for the right to the gates and race cards. Our Ormond readers will notice that the Rev. J. McAra, will conduct Divine Service in the school-room, on Sabbath next at 11 a.m. The Rotomahana made her last trip from the Bluff to Melbourne in 3 days and 16 hours, working four boilers only. Mr. P. W. Hutton, Professor of Biology [ in the Canterbury College, has written a work call 5 " Zoological exercises for students in New Zealand." which is very highly spoken of. The Auckland Star regets to hear that Mr. Penton has retired from the Chief Judgeship of the Native Lands Court upon his retiring allowance. There is a good deal of curiosity and speculation as to who his succossor will be. Mr. Price, as Judge of the Assessment Court, sat to-day fco hear and determine objections against the valuation of the Gisborne Borough. As the Court was still sitting as we went to press, we shall reserve our report until to-morrow. Mr. Rolleston, Minister of Laud, left yesterday by the Hawea for Auckland. Mr. Bryce, Native Minister, has left overland for New Plymouth. His visit to this district is therefore put off for an indefinite period. A Gazette of the 4th instant, notifies the relinquishment of Her Majesty for negotiations for the purchase of the Matahia Block, 3, 185 acres, and the Aorani Block, 3,500 acres, Waiapu district. Mr. Price, Esq., is also appointed Auditor, to audit the accounts of the County of Cook, and J. H. McCau, Esq., is appointed Registar under " The Registration of Electors Act, 1871 V'

Mr. J. B. Steele, one of the most admired actors of New Zealand, with' a strong company, will shortly play in the Masonic Hall, Gisborno, for a couple of nights. The representation will be the celebrated comedy of " Our Girls, " which has drawn such crowded houses wherever it has been played. Yesterday forenoon the rain set in from N.E. and continued in that quarter until about midnight when it chopppd round to the S.E., this forenoon the full force of the gale set in blowing in very heavy squalls and accompanied with a heavy downpour of rain. The gale is also very heavy at Napier, and we learn that the Hawea had a very rough passage of it. Should the rain continue much longer a very heavy flood may be expected. As a rule our rivers do not rise much with rain from a southerly, but with the heavy downpour we are now having a flood is inevitable. We have had no such gale as is blowing now for a very considerable time. The general entries for the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club Meeting of 17th and 18th inst. are as follows ; Maiden Plate, 13 ; Railway Stakes, 10, Page's Merlin being one; Corinthian Cup, 9; Handicap Hurdle, 10, Page's Merlin being one ; Provincial Produce Stakes, 13 ; Tradesmen's Handicap, 21 ; Hawke's Bay Plate, 9 ; Selling Race, 6, Page's Merlin being one ; Napier Handicap, (tinal payment) 13 ; Lara with top weight, 7st. 81bs., Numa next with 7st. 41b., and Foul Play next with 21bs. less. Adamant with 6st. being the lightest weight. It is further stated that nearly 40,000 persons travelled on the Dunedin train lines during the three race dayß. Mr. Ray has sold Titania who ran second for the Cup, and Lone Hand in Otago. and has bought Mr. Webb's Anteros-Revoke colt, who is spoken of as a very promising youngster. The stakes paid away by the Dunedin Jockey Club at the last meet, amounted to £2,460 10s. Mr. Cutts being the largest winner, and drew £740 ; Mr. W. Robinson second for ; and Mr. R. Campbell third for £207. Naturalists will be deeply interested in a very novel occurrence (says the Auckland Star) which was recently witnessed in the shop of Mr. Caiman, shoemaker, Queenstreet. The premises in which he carries on business are old and infested with rats, and he therefore keeps a cat on the premises. This animal which is of the ordinary gray colour, is of medium size, but has frequently killed small rats, though it appears disinclined to encounter the larger species of rodents, The cat has lately brought forth kittens, of which only two are alive. One afternoon she lay in a corner behind the counter with her kitteus, while Mr. Caiman was at work, as usual, only a few feet away. On looking at the cat what was his astonishment at seeing a full-grown rat lying dowu beside the kittens and sucking her teats. He called in a gentleman who was passing, and for some minutes the two watched the singular occurrence. Even when Mr. Calinau approached the interesting group the rat was not frightened away, while the cat appeared to submit to the sucking with quiet unconcern, even lazily turning her head to look at her strange progeny. The group was broken up when Mr. Caiman seized the rat by the back of the neck and killed it. The rodent was old, and suffered himself to be seized without moving. The cat waß afterwards taken near the rat but would not touch it. . Referring to Mr Dick's appointment, ths byttletoa Times says :— ■" The uew Minister makes the second ex-Superintendent in the Ministry of Major Atkinson, who abolished all Superintendents, The revenge of time in this tease "ia that the Superintendents banished from Provincial offictes have achieved the Colonial positions for the furtherance of their local aim which 13 the offence for which they suffered. But this is in theory only. In practice, all exSuperintendents are not Ministerially able to do much for their dißtrictp. That Mr. Dick is a man of integrity is hia beet qualication for Ministerial office. Hia long career as a Superintendent is a guarantee that he knows enough of the detail of administration to discharge the routine duties of the Colonial Secretaryship. In ability, he has not improved the personnel of the Ministry— rather the reverse, for he is somewhat impracticable. As a debater he never will rank high. His real value to the Miuiatry is in the shape of cement. His appointment sets the Otago element, and his want of definite ideas on most subjects fails to disturb any other of the Ministerial party. The Ministry has made i a safe selection, and the Colony gains an honourable Minister. • It has recently been discovered that a certain kind of wood which grows near Harrodsburg, Kentucky, is apparently indentical with the shittim wood of Scripture, of which the ark of the covenant and the altars and tables of the tabernacle were constructed.