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Southland Times, Issue 10142, 19 April 1889, Page 2

Cablegrams.— Wool shows an advance of up to 12^ per cent, on February prices. A small . army of Soudanese have come Jown the Nile and Cairo is alarmed. On the other hand El Senoussi is reported to have | thrashed the Khalifa's troops to the south- I ward and he has retreated on Khartoum. Another American iniquity in the shape of a sugar trust has collapsed. In Sydney a boy has been sentenced to death for an attempt to poison. Six thousand emigrants left Liverpool for America on Wednesday. A strange story comes from Belgrade : it is said that King Milan was under the messought divorce from his wife and abdicated his throne. Perhaps it is an excuse for wishimg to regain his kingdom. Boulanger would like to visit that refuge of all foreigners " down at the heel" — London. New Zealand mutton is reported as worth 4£d in London, but as nothing is said about a fall it is probable that £d is the real figure. Several Russian officials are under arrest for complicity in the bomb conspiracy. South Australia has now got too much rain. Women have been drowned and small vessels wrecked, while the artificial lake in the vicinity of Adelaide has broken away and destroyed some aquatic property. The Payne Family. — This family of talented musicians open in Invercargill this evening, when they will give a sacred concert in the Theatre Royal. Delayed Steamer. — Intending passen" gers per Manapouri for Hobart and Melbourne are notified that that vessel will not leave Bluff till Monday next after the arrival of the 11.15 a.m. train. Football. — There will be a practice match on the Western Reserve this afternoon, commencing at 2 o'clock. The sides will be Pirate backs and Star forwards v. Pirate forwards and Star backs. Faith Healing.— To-night Mr J. A. D. Adams, president of the Dunedin Divine Healing Association, will deliver an address on the subject in the Baptist Church, Esk street, to hear which all interested in the question are invited. The' Volunteers. —It is notified in our advertising columns this morning that the local corps and a detachment of the Dunedin Highland Rifles will parade at the Garrison Hall on Easter Sunday at 10 o'clock for the purpose of attending Divine service. The Fire in East Invercargill. — The house in this township destroyed on Wednesday night was not exactly unoccupied, as the tenant, who had been out of town for some days, had furniture in it, and returned that afternoon, but had not entered the premises. The furniture was burnt. The Cost of Patching a Relic. — Orders have been received at Portsmouth directing the Victory, Nelson's flagship at the battle of Trafalgar, to be out of the dockyard's hands by a given date. Over Llo,ooo has been expended on the ship in making her watertight, and it is said she will now last another hundred years. Sandy Point Domain Board. — After the meeting of the Invercargill Borough Council yesterday evening the members thereof held a meeting as the Sandy Point Domain Board. A notice was received from the Rabbit Inspector to the effect that he required steps to be taken for the destruction of rabbits iv the Domain. The question was referred to the Domain Committee. Mataura. — The members of St. Saviour's Church have presented Mr Millard, who has left the district, with a handsome silver mounted biscuit basket, bearing an inscription expressing their high appreciation of his services as their lay reader. — A good deal of interest is felt here over a match to be played on Easter Monday between our local team and the Pirates F.C. of Invercargill. The Jlocal club will be represented by Messrs Anderson, Thompson, Christie, Maw, Hiddleston, Waddell (captain), Sangster, Smith (2), Jarvis, Humphries, Lambert, M«s, McGregor, and Gait. — Own correspondent. Getting to Work. — The shareholders in a prospectors' claim at Port Pegasus met on Tuesday night in the Exchange Mart, Esk street, Mr W. Todd presiding, and resolved to proceed with the development of their property. To this end a limited liability company will be formed, to be known as the Stewart Island Tin and Goldmining Company with a capital of L 20,000, which was fixed as the nominal value of the claim of 100 acres. The shares (of LI each) are to be considered as fully paid up with the exception of 5s on 5000 contributing shares, or L 1250, which will be the working capital of the company. A mining manager will be engaged, and work will be commenced forthwith. No shares will} be offered to the public by the company ofwhich|Mr W Smith is businessmanager,and Messrs J. Murdoch, W. Todd, G. Hardie, James Thomson, and T. Mullay are direcors. Brave Samoans. — Captain Jennings, a resident of Apia, and eye-witness of the recent disaster, lectured the other night at Auckland on the Samoan disaster, and said inter alia : — " Amongst other brave deeds of self-sacrifice he saw six Samoans start from the shore in a boat to the German warship Adler, but they were swamped in a few moments. Five of the men just succeeded in their battling with the breakers and reached the shore, but the other one kept pluckily on his way and at length got on board the Adler, from which he brought two men safely ashore.— (Cheers.) Shortly afterwards he started off again, but when not far from the beach he was seen to dive I under a tremendous wave to escape its force, and that was the last ever seen of him. Several other native Samoans lost their lives in their noble 'efforts to save the lives of friends and enemies. The white residents also were instrumental in rescuing the drowning, and he himself saw an old American gentleman, a Mr Parker, sixty years of age, save eleven lives, and at the imminent risk of his own. — (Loud applause.)" Fire at Wyndlay. — Mr Selwood, occupier of the house on Wyndlay property, owned by the Hon. R. Campbell, reports the total destruction by fire of the residence and a building used as a kitchen about 11 a.m. on Monday last. Mrs Selwood was making the house tidy previous to going to the creek to wash, when she heart! a scream in the "front room where a fire was burning. She ran into the room and found her little boy, aged 21 months in flames, he having knocked a kerosene lamp off the mantelpiece into the fire with a broom. Mrs Sol wood had the presence of mind to seize a blanket and wrap round the child, thus stifling the flames ; she then carried the boy outside, and after doing so went back to try to stop the fire, and by great exertion thought she had done so. When everything appeared safe inside she again went out to attend to the child and to see if appearances denoted any further damage to the dwelling. She had scarcely got outside when the flames again broke out inside and had too great a hold for Mrs Selwood to make any further attempt to save anything, consequently the whole of the furniture and effects belonging to the family, and 32 breeding ferrets were destroyed. Mr Selwood's effects and f urni» ture were insured in the South British office for L6O, but his loss is estimated at fully LIOO over his insurance. The building ia insured but the office and amount are ua«

Holiday.— The Columbia Rink will be closed to-night and open on Monday afternoon and evening instead.

Lake Trip. — A special run will be made by the steamer Mountaineer from Queenstown to the head of the lake on Easter Monday, returning to Queenstown the same afternoon.

Te AkHtj.— Messrs Ellis Brothers have agreed to the excision of a large block of Run 301 b, held by them from the Otago School Commissioners, and when the negotiations are completed the Commissioners will proceed with the laying off of a settlement and township on the shore of Lake Te Anau, the latter specially with a view to the encouragement of tourist traffic. As the lands will be- leased only the rents should make a considerable addition to the revenues of the Commissioners in perpetuity. ' Already .the Commissioners have an application from Mr Prince, the well known electrical engineer, for a site , for a commodious hotel to which forty acres of land would be attached, presumably for ornamental purposes. Mr Prince also proposes to place an electrically-propelled vessel on the lake, and to £hat end has applied for the right to take .water from a lagoon which would be used to drive the dynamos from which the vessel would be charged If ith the subtle motive powerf The prac ticableness of this method of propulsion is now beyond question, and there is no reason why electricity should not be cheaply developed from the power running to waste in every brawling burn around our lakes and applied to the propulsion of vessels.

A Challenge Accepted.— The Protectionists in the New South Wales Parliament received a decided " slap in the face" when the House met after a three weeks' adjournment. Mr J. P. Abbott, thinking to dis-i-lnj riUV dIUUCm*, UjJJVXI. li +-.O show itself to be a, thorough Freetrade one by abolishing duties levied on bacon, butter, cheese, and keros»e. Although these duties were supposed to put New South Wales and Victoria on a common footing in regard to these particular articles, the Treasurer at once took up the challenge and called upon all Freetraders to vote for Mr Abbott's motion. The Opposition were completely taken aback at such temerity, and deemed it expedient to have an amendment moved to the effect that inasmuch as the duties in question were of a protective character and encouraged local industries, they should be continuud as an instalment of a purely protective tariff. It is a significant fact that in the debate which ensued several representatives of the South Coast districts where daily farming is so largely carried on advocated the abolition of the duties, which they said were of no benefit to the farmers, who, taking the experience of Victoria, would rather see them abolished than other duties introduced which would increase stheir expenses and give no benefit in return. Ultimately, the amendment was negatived l>y 52 to 44 votes, and the motion was carried. — Star's correspondent.

The Maxim Gun.—Some may ask whether the Maxim has fulfilled all these expectations in actual warfare. —ln reply to this question, Major-General Strange fsays that it is only a little over a year since it was completed, and it has not therefore had a chance in warfare between civilised nations. But it has been tested very ■ highly before experts, and further it has already been tried in the field. The last occasion on which it ■ was used was in March last in Africa. The Arabs attacked Freetown, formerly a settlement of emancipated slaves, and erected a stockade in the vicinity. The Freetown force, consisting of one English officer and twelve African policemen, had the audacity to open fire on this stockade. When the Arabs were dislodged they made a rush at the Maxim gun, but it was capably handled, and the result was the complete repulse of the Arabs, who left 161 dead on the field. In case of a rush by a small group of men — and this is the modern method of attack — all the gunner has to do is to withdraw a pin, and he can then turn the gun in any direction, using it with a free hand as chough taking aim with a pistol, and pour on the adversary a perfect stream of bullets, like water out of a hose. The terrible power of such a weapon may be imagined when it is mentioned that GOO bullets can be discharged in succession. If required, however, the bullets can be discharged one at a time, so that there need be no waste of ammunition. There is no secret about the working of the gun.— Dunedin Star.