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Timaru Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 1476, 14 June 1879, Page 2

Resident Magisteatb's Coubt, Timabu. — There was a clean sheet at the above Court yestorday. Licensing Coubt. — The adjourned sitting of the Licensing Court for the Timaru, Levels, and Mount Uook Licensing Districts will be held next Monday, at noon, m the Resident Magistrate's Court, Timaru. Th bates Royax. — We again remind our readers that Professor and Miss Baldwin will appear this evening m the Theatre Royal. The specialty of the Baldwins is tho exposing of Spiritualism, and m that respect they aro highly spoken of by our southern contemporaries. New Subf-Boats. — The new iron surfboat ordered m Dunedin by the Harbor Board for the Government Landing Service is now completed, and is daily expected to arrive m tow of one of the steamers. That being built at the Christchurch Foundry for the George street Service will also arrive m the course of a day or two. SprßiTtrALisM ExrosEßß at Waimate.— Professor and Miss C. Baldwin gave an entertainment m the Oddfellows' Hall, Waimate, on Thursday evening, to a crowded audience. The various feats were performed m a very clever manner, especially Miss Baldwin's clairvoyant feat of reading messages known only to the writers. Another entertainment was given last evening, when there was also a large attendance. Football — A football match will be played to-day mMr Woollcombe's paddock. Sides will be chosen alphabetically, A to L v. M to Z, and as many as possibly can are requested to attend. A match with an Oamaru team is on the tapis, besides other matches, so that the members will see that it is absolutely necessary that they should enter upon active practice, m order to be fit to meet their antagonists when required. Accident.— On Wednesday afternoon as two men, named Spratley and Robinson, were passing through the Waimate Gorge on their way from Hakateramea to their employer's, Mr Goodman's place, at Temuka, Spratley fell out of the dray m which they were and broke his right arm. Robinson accompanied his injured comrade to Henry's boarding-house, Waimate, and after unyoking the team he by some unaccountable means got his leg jammed m a plough which was m the dray, and fell and broke his right leg. Both, of the men -were attended to by Dr Webb. Timabtt Chamber op Oomhbbob.— The special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, which, was to have been held yesterday, lapsed for the want of a quorum, only four members,

Messrs Scaly, Gibson, Rutherfurd, and Captain ] Cain, patting man appearance. A committee • meeting was held (Mr Rutherfurd m the I chair), and after the minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, and accounts amounting to £G Is passed for payment, a discussion re bankrupts took place. It was resolved on the motion of Mr seconded by Mr Gibson—" That the Secretary be instructed to obtain the Kew Zealand Mercantile Gazette." The following notices of motion for the next meeting were handed to the Secretary by Mr Rutherfurd : — l. " That the election of members be adjourned till the next annual meeting." 2. " That rule No. 11 be rescinded, and that the subscription for membership m the future be one guinea, with one guinea entrance fee for new members." 8. " That all bankrupts resign, and be eligible for re-election, subject to the.rules." T. R. Pkoctoh, Manufacturing Jeweller and Optician, of Christchurch, has arrived m Timaru, and has for a few days taken the shop opposite the Union Bank, lately occupied by Mr Ford. Mr Proctor is at once a practical and scientific optician, and has made optics m its highest branches a study for many years. To persons of weak or defective sightifc is not only wise but necessary to consult an expert, and now is presented an opportunity of securing the services of a skilled professor, who has had long experience m working out the optical requirements of many eyes. There is danger m both ways — m neglecting to use spectacles, and using them needlessly. Only an expert, studying the case and testing the eye with that knowledge of its physiological powers which he can bring to bear, is qualified to judge. We should ndviße those requiring such to givo T. R. Proctor an early call. — [Advt.] Assaulting a "Witch. — Folk-lore long ago somewhat qualified the repulsiveness of the humble, harmless animal which Shakespeare styled " ugly and venomous " by attributing to it tho ownership of a precious jewel. When, however, the venom of the toad had to be given up, the jewel went with it, and left only tho repulsiveness which, by the way, was quite a sufficient heritage of woe for the little croaker. It would now seem that the popular mind m East Anglia makes a distinction between toads and toads. There is the jumping-toad — a mere target for stone-throwing ; and there is the walking toad — a creature capable, m proper hands, of exercising a mysterious and direful power. On this point Mr William Bulwer, of Etling-green, spoke recently with great earnestness m the hearing of no less distinguished an audience than the East Dercham magistrates. The meeting, wo should observe, was not summoned for tho purpose of scientific investigation, but to determine, among other like matters, whether Mr Bulwer had assaulted Christiana Martins by beating her with a stick. When called upon to defend himself against evidence ■which clearly established tho charge, Mr Bulwer explained that he rather than tho complainant was an aggrieved person, seeing that Miss Martins' mother, whom Miss Martins herself aided and abetted m nefarious practices, was an old -witch, and had made him the victim of her detestable arts. With " unadorned eloquence," Air Bulwer told a sad story. Night after night ho had been unablo to sleep. Insomnia marked him for its own, nor could ho guess the cause, until, rising from his bed m the still, dark hours, he sallied forth, and, underneath a clod which had been dug up with a threo-pronged fork, found a " walking toad." Then the whole matter became clear as daylight to Mr Bulwer ; Mrs Martins had bewitched him, and thus ho explained to the Bench her modus operandi. " That is why I could not rest ; she is a bad old woman ; she put this toad under there to charm me. . . She charmed me, and I got no rest day nor night for her, till I found this walking toad under the turf. She dug a hole and put it there to charm me, gentlemen. . . She went round this here walking toad after she had buried it, and I could not rest by day or sleep by night till I had found it." Hence Mr Bulwer's appearance at Mrs Martins' cottage and the assault complained of. What he would have done to Mrs Martins herself had he found her, we can only surmise j but Mr Bulwer urged upon the magistrate that she was not fit to live. He did not know, perhaps, that the laws against witchcraft had been repealed some time before, and it must have been a great shock to his feelings when an incredulous Bench mulcted him to the extent of thirteen shillings and sixpence. Witches and walking toads had better keep out of Mr Bulwer's way for some time to come. Meanwhile his case deserves notice from the educational authorities of the district. The Plaht-pbodttcing Catebpillab op New Zealand. — Says tho Colonies and India : — Among the many curious forms of animal and vegetable life at tho antipodes, perhaps none is more remarkable than the Aweto, or vege-caterpillar, which is found m considerable numbers m certain parts of New Zealand, and less frequently, m a somewhat different shape, m New South Wales. In the body of this caterpillar literally grows the root of a Bpecies of rush or reed, whose stem, growing upwards m the ordinary manner above ground, is the perfect stem of a leafless vegetable with a head somewhat resembling the head of a bulrush. The heads, or seed vessels of the plants, are eaten by the Maoris, and, when burnt, are employed as a coloring matter ; the plant when roasted emits a strong animal smell. The natural history of this curious organism is briefly as follows : — The caterpillar, known as the " Aweto," or Hipialus virescens, when bun-owing underground previous to its metamorphosis to the chrysalis state, collects one or more of the seeds of a parasitic fungus (Sphoeria Robertsii) m the joints of its neck, whore, nurtured by the warmth of the body, they quickly germinate, the roots pressing downwards and completely filling the skin of the caterpillar's body, and the stem springing upwards through the light rich soil till it attains a height of some eight or ten inches. The caterpillars seldom or never exceed three or four inches m length, and the root of the plant appears invariably to confine itself to the shell of the insect, which preserves its outward form intact, the feet, eyes, and scales appearing perfect. Wherever the clubshaped heads of the plant are seen, its caterpillar-roots may easily be found by digging carefully downwards to a distance of several inches. This remarkable instance of a caterpillar, naturally destined to develope into a gaudy butterfly, transforming itself into an integral and radical portion of an insignificant plant, seems like a protest against the ravages which these larva usually commit on the produce of the vegetablo kingdom. Califoenian Salmon fob British Waters. — With reference to this subject, Sir Roso Price, m an article m the Fishing Gazette, says : — " Tho question of introducing Californian salmon into British waters is one of considerable importance to all interested m salmon fisheries, whether by net or rod ; and, as within tho lost few months I have noticed the arrival m Europe of a considerable quantity of Californian ova, I would bring to the notice of all who either havo or contemplate introducing this fish to their waters the extremely risky nature of the experiment they are about to make and would advise them most strongly to pause, if there yet be time, before doing so. With regard to this new introduction there is much to be considered, but, primarily, whether they are likely to become a public benefit or an unmitigated evil. I consider their introduction the latter. Having killed and eaten salmon m almost every part of tho world they inhabit, California included, I hope I shall not be considered presumptuous m giving a tolerably decided opinion as to their relative merits, and have no hesitation m saying that the best breed of salmon I have ever met with is our own, and the worst the Californian. I have eaten them when caught m tidal waters with the net and cooked them myself on the bonks of rivers far up m the Sierra Nevadas, and, though quite an eatable fish, and by no means to be despised by a hungry angler, they are far inferior m flavor to our own. In regard to the sport of catching them, they suffer still more decidedly by comparison, as nothing will induce them to look at a fly. In the rivers MacLeod andChasta they occasionally take spoon and phantom, but m the Sacramento nothing tempts them except large lumps of their own roe. In rivers crowded -with fish I have tried hundreds of flies, but never got a rise, and have never even met a man -who had risen or killed a salmon with a fly m any part of California. Once on the end of the line, the great disadvantage m the method of getting your friend there ceasei and no fish can play gameror

stronger. Ido not know a stronger or bolder fish when once hooked. But another and most seriousobjectiontotheir being brought over licro Bhould be considered—viz., the fearful prevalance of disease among them. The mortality among salmon m California is simply incredible. I have seen many thousands of them dead and dying from apparently a fearful leprosy. AVhat if, m introducing their OTa, we introduce their complaints, and had we not bettor be careful m introducing either ? Any one going to California can have anyamout of salmon fishing for nothing, and excellent sport to boot; but please let us have no L'alifornian salman over here, and the sooner the Commissioners set their faces dead against the introduction the better, otherwise serious injury may be done." Murder is Pesth.—A horrible murder was discovered m Pesth on Sunday, the 30th March. The advocate Isidore Martonfalvy, a member of one of the Jewish families m Hungary, was found lying on the floor of his bedroom m a pool of blood. Near the corpse was a hatchet, which bore all the signs of having been the murderous instrument. His ! watch, purse, and ring were gone, and the official examination of the premises did not bring to light any money or securities. The news of the crime caused the greatest excitement m the city. Persons who were well acquainted with Martonfalvy's affairs stated that a few days before ho had certainly m his possession upwards of 60,000f1., the property chiefly of other persons, for whom he was administering it, and it was also known that he was the holder of bank securities to a considerable amount. It has, however, been since ascertained that shortly before his death he had lodged all his money and securities m a bank at Vienna. Suspicion at once fastened on bis servant, a lad of 18, who had not been seen since tho Saturday night. He was arrested at Arad two days later, and at once admitted his guilt. Mb Gladstone and thb Papacy.—The Catholic Times—Roman Catholic newspaper —m its issue of April 4, says:—The ultraProtestant electors of Mid-Lothian are determined that Mr Gladstone shall not have any peace. They propose to make an immediate crusade against the " Popish tendencies " of the right honorable gentleman. Really, they might save themselves the trouble. Mr Gladstone is one of the bitterest foes the Papacy ever had. He not only gives public evidence of this m his speeches and pamphlets, but m private life his anti-Catholic prejudices constantly appear and "both m letters and conversation lie has never lost an opportunity of defaming the creed of Loo XIII., as well aa heaping abuse on Cardinal Manning and others among its most prominent professors. Nor is the ex-Premier's hostility to tho old religion at all lessened by the fact that Miss Gladstone, lv's sister ; Hugh Gladstone and Mrs Bennett, his cousins; and others closely connected ■with him have submitted to the Catholic Church.