The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1886.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3718, 1 September 1886, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1886.

In consequence of tho water power which works tho HebA£d's machinery having been turned off several houra before our usual timo of going to press, wo aro compolled this morning to somewhat curtail our budget of news, and must thereforo ask our readers to condone any deficionces that may come under their notice. Our readers are reminded that cxpresaes will leave Messrs Jonaa and Bourn's offices at 10 o'clock and 11.30 o'clock to.tukfl intending purchasers to Mr Cole's sale at Holly houses, Gleniti. Claims for a share of the £4000 voted by Parliament for distribution among libraries must be sent m by tho end of January next year. The. distribution of the sum will be made at the end of February. The weather Im3 taken an apparently decided turn towards " eet fair " m the Temuka and Geraldino district, the days being fino, bright, and warm, and the nights clear and frosty. The rivers aro m their normal beds, and all fear of an approaching Hood has been deferred until the snows begin to melt. A special meeting of the Timaru High School Board of G-overnors was held at tho secretary's office yesterday morning, when there were present the Yen. Archdeacon Harper (Chairman), and Messrs J. H. ■"utter, J. Balfour, J. Talbot, and J. W. Goldsmith. Tho meeting had been called to consider tho teaching staff iind other matters, but owin^ to there not being a full meeting no business was done. Mr Robinson, of the firm of McKeone, Robinson and Avigdor, London, contractors for a portion of the Midland Railway, arrived m Wellington on tho 29th ult. from Nelson. He was accompanied by Mr Borgcn, C.E., and these gentlemen have just surveyed from Christchurch to the West Coast, and so overland to Nelson, with the object of getting some practical idea of the line throughout. Mr Borgen remains m the colony, and awaits the arrival of Mr McKeone, who will personally superintend the work, but Mr Robinson returns home immediately, to report to his firm on the experience he has gained- of the line. He left by the Rotomahana for Melbourne, via tho South on Monday. Mr Robinson had an interview, bjfore his departure, with both Sir Julius Yogel and the Minister of Public Works.

At the Resident Magistrates' Court yesterday at Wuimato there was only one casethat of a drunkard who pleaded guilty, and was fined 5s by Mr Slee, the presiding justice. A special general meeting of the shareholders m the Timarn Steam Collier Company will be hi'ld at the office of Iho Company on the Bth insfc. to confirm a resolution passed at the annual meeting re winding up tho Company. Mr W. E. Sheridan, the distinguished tragedian, who opens m tho Theatre Royal on Monday night week, will play on tho opening night " King Lear ; " on Tuesday, 14th, " Louis XI. ;" on Wednesday, 15lh, " Richelieu j" and on the closing night " Hamlet." There has been a tremendous run on all the paporß tho last day or two m Tcmeka, and the poripatctio newsboy, as well as tho puper ayents, are besieged by eager buyers, burning with curiosity to sco the latest development of tho Hall cases. The accusation ha 3 created an intense sensation, the malo prisoner being well known there, and hardly anything else is spoken of. A painfully interesting ceremony took plac at the Temuka Pah on Sunday, being tho interment of the remains of tha late Minia Thora Waka, the wifo of the well known Maori, John Cope. The chief of tho Pah, John Kahu, road the burial service, a Maori version of that used m tho KugHsh Church, m a mo.-t impressive manner, the body being laid m the burial ground attached to the Pah. Ftaits wero held both prior aud subsequent to the interment. The funeral was attendod by a largo crowd of both Maoris and Europeans. Sleeping cars with bath-rooms aro the latest. Tho Railway Sews says some of these have been placed on the Canadian Pacific railway, and tired and dusty travellers who cross tho continent will bo able to tuko a thorough wash at any time during tho journey. The cars also havo buffets, smokingrooms, aud all the other luttst sleeping-car improvements which tend to mako long distance jourr.eys comfortable and enjoyable. The Canadian Pacific owns and operates its own " sleepers," and they aro built and furnished m a manner almost regardless of expense. The ordinary monthly meeting of tbo Rangituta Station dcliool Committee was held m the schoolroom on Friday cvoning last. Present —Messrs A. Chiliners (chairman), Coulter, Barney, Clayton, and .VicNivcn. The masters report was read, and thought satisfactory considering tho bad weather which has prevailed for the past four weeks. Tho report showed a strict avcrago at'end--uice of thirty-four. The highest day's attendance was forty. Tho master usked for an enlargement of the schoolroom. It was rosolved that the Board of Education be asked for an addition to tho schoolroom, as the accommodation is insufficient, and nisi) for a larger supplj of desks and forms. At present there is accommodation for only twenty children, nnd one-half of those m attendance have to stand or sit on tho tloor. Regarding the fencing of the Bchool grounds the committco agreed tj find tho labour if the board would find the material. A letter wus received from tho Board of Education stating that tho contractor must rebuild tha grate at his own expense, and that coal must be used for the remainder of the senson ; the work to bo done under tho committee's supervision. It was stated that the contractor had that day sent men who had raised the Chimney aud built an open fire place, and loft tho whole m a workmanlike manner. The chairman m formed the committee that he had surveyed the lessee's portion of the 41 acres and allotted him 35 acres. Messrs McNiven and Clayton were appointed visitors for the month. 'Iho committee then adjourned till the last Friday m Soptomber. Tho la'gest gold nuggets over fouriH were tho following : — Tho Sarah Sands nugget, found at Ballarat. It weighed 1301bs troy, or laOOoz. This, at £l per ounce, would be worth £0:240. The Blanche Barkly nugget, dug up at Kingower. It weighed l4ilb>, and was worth £6980. The Welcome nugget, found at Bnllnrat. It weighed ISilbs, and was sold for £10,000. This was the largest ever found. During tho last four years 6283 cased of suicide havo been reported m tho United States. Of these persons 2053 wore married men and 1315 bachelors; 471 wero maids, and SOS wives ; 288 were widowers and 128 were widows. Tho age at which the largest number of persons dastroy themselves is 35, anil I hero are moro deaths of this kind m summer than m winter. Of the total number 2131 were Americans, 1576 were Germans, 381 woro Englishmen. Only one farmer m 38,000 commits suicide, but tho proportion is ono m 200) only nmong journalists, commercial travellers, saloon-keepers, and shoemakcrß. It was announced some timo since that the British Government contemplated ordering a number of horses for cavalry service m her Majesty's regular army from Canada, and this statement is now confirmed. The Department of Agriculture at Ottawa has beqn communicated with by tho War Office, and asked to ■scertain how many suitable horses could be procured m the different provinces for this special service. After making all necessary enquiries, tbo department, it is understood, has duciled that somo 700 can be supplied yearly. The War Office hiw now sent out competent officers to choose tho horses, and Domiuion stock raisers who hare the right kind of stock will be 'greatly benefited by this now and unexpected market opened to thora. A remarkable caso will shortly be decided m tho Court of Chancery. About five years ajo, Mr Ayling of Portsmouth, died, leaving his property to his wife during hor widowhood, hut, if she married again, it was to be divided among their seven children. In 1«83 Mr 3 Ayling married, and tho property was accordingly dividod. Two years later, however, it turned out that the se^ ond marriage wns invalid, the husband being a bigamist, and Mrs Ayling found heraelf deprived both of husband aud of property. She has now applied to tho Court for a restitution of the property which her husband left hor " for life or widowhood. " Tho caso is complicated by the fact that oho of the sorts has dijpised of his sharo j and altogether there is the f>rospect of some profitable work for the awyers. — Truth. ' What a tiny place (sayß the Pall Mall Oazelfe) this great Empire is, after all ! And if it were only united once into a true whole how- the slightest touch upon a nerve at tho extremity would thrill at the heart ! Wo have received an Tndian postal card, addressed: " The Editor, Pall Mall Gazette, England, London," and on which was written : "Southern India, India— On the evening of Bept. 10th, 1885, a police constable by name Somaya killod a poor riot by name Singodaya. Although numerous witnesses no local officer took any notico of the horriblo crime. The poor fellow was slaughtered on a high road, and everybody knows tho fact. The police, have not made out tho case, because the crime has boon committed by a constable of its own force. Ganeshra." Wo have nover come across anything more dramatic and picturesque m connection with our ideal federation of tho Empire than this. A poor Indian is murdered by a policeman on a lonely highway m Southern India, and when the law there affords no rodress the friends of the murdered man appeal upon a postal card to an Editor at the focus of the Empire, and justice ij done. We hope, at least, that it will be done, if our informant speaks tho truth, and m that hope we commend his| communication to the best attention of the Indian Office, j

I A number of silver coins recently disinterred m a bronze jar at Aberdeen have been handed to the reprefentatives of the Crown. The army of lid ward 11., wliobo image many of the coins bear, were onco encamped on the ground where tho trcasuro was found j it wa§ then waste land outside the town, and is now m the heart of tho city. Tho Medical Record, ns the result of an analysis of tho effects of literary life upon women, says that most of them wero either single, or if married were childless, and they have generally been long-lived. It is no doubt tnio that both men and women of distinguished intellectual talents, and who are acliro brain-workera, aro liable to bo childless or to havo but few children. 7 ickenhill Manor, near Bewdley, which is one of tho oldest and most inteiestiug houses m England, is to be sold shortly. It was Crown property till within the last twenty ve:>rs, and for a long time it was leased to the Winningtons of Stanford, who repaired and enlarged it m 1722. Henry VII. built a palace at TicVeiihull, and it was m the chapel here that Prince Arthur was married to Calhorino of Arrogon. After the Prince had died at Ludlow, his body was taken to Tiekenbill, where it lay m state before being removed to Worcester for burial. Somo time ugo we (Sydney Qlobc) announced that a report had been received by tho Mining Department to the effect that the Bulloo (or Quconeland) rat was devouring rabbits m large numbers m the western division. Tho Department immediately called upon Inspector lloldinp, of Yandnrloh, to stalo his reason for his report, and that gentleman has clone so m a lengthy document. 4.mong other reasons for the belief Sir Holding says that on Mount Arrowsmilh Run (formerly infested) the Bulloo rats havo completely cleared out Iht rabbits. The aboriginals of tho neighbourhood slato that thoy frequently come across the carcases of rabbits m the bush, and all arouud them are truces of the Bulloorat. " From what I have myself seen of it m London," writes a correspondent of \\\6',Pall Mall Oazeflt, 'I have no hesitation m saying that domestic Bervice is frequently nothing el-e than domestic sl&v?rv. I hare at this moment under my observation a flagrant case of a servant who is treated and inado to work like n ne^ro slave. In tho private hotel where I am now staying, and wl.ich provides bed and board for at least twenty people, the house and kitchen work is dono by a no means ulhlclic though healthy German girl of nineteen years of age. Sherisi-s at 6 and goes to bed at 11, completely fagged out. Sho is recompensed for all this drudgerr, hardship, and toil with the lnagniGcent wages oi £12 & year. A correspondent of the Christchurch Press couipluins that New Zealand potteries were shut out from competing for tbo 100,009 insulators for which tenders were called because- no departure was allowed from the famplo. Ho statej that those now m use are manufactured m Prussia, and have a. white onamcl ur gUze. Tbia while glaze is the only diliioultv with tho New Zealand manufacturers, the pottery kilns being constructed so that only a brown, but equally good glaze can be giver. Tho Government were at once cjnimunicatod with, showing that the body of tho material cou'.d be made white as pattern, but not the glaze, which, as before stated, would bo brown. The reply caino that no departure would bo allowed from the sample pattern m any way, thus shutting «ut any chance for New Zealand competing for the work. There are eight kilns m Canterbury, sit m Otogo, and several other* m tho North Island —nut afew shut up and the employees swelling the ranks of tho unemployed. The statements made at the social purity meeting m Dullurat recently have raised a good deal of discussion m th<i city. The Age states that the Hcv. R. T. Cummins, pastor of St. Puul's Church, Balkrat East, said that m the house of ft certain Ballarat magistrate gambling was frequently carried on and largo sums of money changed hands. Mr W. Herbert Jones, secretary of the V.M.0.A., was even more scathing m his remarks. He said that he had a list of the names of persons who countenanced gambling m their homes, and one citizen m particular defrayed tho whole of his household oxpenses with money won by gambling. He was prepared to furnish tho namo of the person >n question to a private committee. Mr Henry Glenny, J.P., was of opinion, m view of tho stntoments made, that a public meeting should be called forth with to arrange for i tops to purify the ranks of the local magistra :y of the scandal caat upon them by one of tho previous speakers. The imputation was a Bcrious onojsaid Mr Glenny, ami enquiry as to the truth of the charge should be uiade. Very important news comes, rla India, from the banks of the Oxus. It is the announcement that Mr Griesbacb, tho geologist attached to Sir West Ridgway's party, has found coal deposits over a vast extent of country, with large seams eighteen toiwcntyfivc feet m thickness ; and, it is added, " the greater pan of tho Northern Hazarajut 19 one, va«t coalfield." An Indian contemporary commenting on this announcement, says : — " It was, wo think, Dost Mahomed who laid that Afghaniit&a was a laud that produced nothing but men and stones ; but now, with this discovery of a great coalfield right m the lioart of the country, the familiar saying looses its point. Tho mass of mountains and network of valleys which lie between Kabul and Herat hare never been scientifically explored before : all that wo hare known of them is that thoy aro inhabited by a warlike race of Mongolian descent, Shia Mahometans by religion, who havo been able to hold their own fairly well against the Sunni Afghans, certain clans of tho Uazaras having indeed never paid tribute to the Amirs. Their country will possess peculiar interest for us now that these coalfields have been found." This is tho summing up given by one who lias made a recent visit to Spain : Wher-'vor one goes m Spain tho irreverence for the dead, and, as a matter of course, the recklessness of life, aro what most prominently strike a traveller. Tho people eeem actually to be indifferent to manslaughter. On the slightest provocation blood is shed, and tho moraont a revolver is heard m tho etreet, or a shriek from a murdered man, every door iauhut, and thero.is saurrying of feet m a direction: opposite to that iv which tho assassin has fled. Kverybody is afraid of being seized as tho criminal. Not anight during tho hot, dry summer passes without the cry of fire being raised m a Spanish., town. Any person m tho street at the moment can be pressed to aid m extinguishing tho flames. But it is rare that any one is found to perform this duty, for at the first cry of firo prudent citizens take care to get under shelter. In tho intorior, and even m the larger cities on the coast, the cemeteries are m a deplorable condition. It is not an uncommon spectacla to see a body Blung across a mule, or even two, being carried m this fashion to their last resting place, amid the hoartless, often brutal, comments of the bystanders, who, notwithstanding, always doff their hats, out, of a half superstitious feeling, the exact character of which never costs them a thought. Tbese traits refer mainly to the country folk or to town-<people of the poorer class. They, however, represent tho Spanish character belter than the more polished citizens, who m Spain, as m every other country, have overlaid their native manners by a certain veneer of conventionality, which is, m reality, common to the cultured society of the world at large. It was. by accepting somo such town-bred specimens as tho types of their race, that the author of tho saying, "Strip a Spaniard of every virtue, and you have a Portuguese," obtained currency for his foolish adage.