The Taranaki Herald.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3962, 9 February 1882, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald.

PUBLISHED BAILY. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1882. •

Mr. Newton King will hold a clearing-ont sale of clothing, &c, to-morrow, at S. Coombes and Co.'s, New Plymouth branch establishment, adjoining Ross' stables. For the benefit of children living in the town, Mr. Cary announces that he will give a performance on Saturday afternoon of the "Pirates of Penzance," when the charge for juveniles will be only one shilling. It is a great mystery how some of the most valuable dogs in the town periodically fall victims to poison, administered by some person or persons unknown. A short time 1 ago Mr. Paul had a valuable dog poisoned, ! and yesterday Mr. J. D. Harris' valuable | retriever dog came home and died suddenly, showing every symptoms of poisoning. Should the police succeed in sheeting home the charge to the culprits, no doubt the magistrates will inflict a very severe penalty. Mr. Lockett brought in to Hawera (says the Star) a remarkably handsome trout which he found caught by the tail in some drift-wood in the Tawhiti River. The fish, which has been on view at Mr. Owen's Egmont Hotel, measured exactly 18 inches in length by 11 inches in girth, and weighed fully 3£lbs. It is certainly one of fie shortest, thickest, and fattest specimens of the genus salmo trutta which we have ever seen. Its rapidity of growth has been something marvellous, seeing that the young fish were liberated by Mr. Livingston only about 2£ years ago, in July, 1879, we believe. At that time 1,500 young fish averaging barely an inch in length were timed loose. " A cake and congou insurrection" is the latest name out for a tea meeting, when " a ' gash-ly 1 struggle between plum pasty and woll-trained, patent digesters takes place." Lady Florence Chaplin is dead. The wife of the late Marquis of Hastings was betrothed, some twenty years ago to Henry Chaplin, the husband of Lady Florence, but on the morning of the wedding, the Marquis eloped with her. Mr. Chaplin said he would be revenged — and ho was. Ho ruined the Marquis on the tlirf, and led him into a course of dissipation that thoroughly wrecked him. They have " struck He" (says an American paper) out in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a harbor in the open gulf, fifteen miles from land. Oil is thrown up, and rests upon the surface of the water like so much scum. The effect of the oil is so great, that even in, .the severest storms the sea in this peculiar harbor is comparatively smooth. This is so" well-known, that when a storm approaches, small vessels run for this "oil pond," as it is called, and i id" ' out the gale in safety. What » pity all these wonderful things are always in America.