LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 26, 12 June 1868, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

BAm.iturTor, — Frederick Roach, hatter aud hosier, High street, haa filed a declaration that ho ls unable to moot his engagements with his creditors. GIIIIISTUNITT AMONO TWO NIW ZlCAr,ANDnnfl.~Tho Kov T, Buddie will lecturo on thin subject In tho Wosleyan Church, Durham streot, commencing at half-past sevon o'cloolc. lfonrcsTnY.— A spoclal mooting of tho member*-) of tho Widows and Orphans* Fund, A,O,F„ will beheld In the Foresters' Hall this evening, to settlo preliminaries for tho annual entertainment about to take pluoo for tlio benoflt of tho fund. Onn-Fitrxowa' Annivbksary.— lt has boon decided by tho mombors of the Lyttolton Lodgo, to colebrato thoir 16th anniversary with a ball, whioh will tnko placo at tho Lyttolton Coloni»l„' Ilt-.11, on Monday, June 88, BtowardH have boon appointed, and- we havo no doubt tlicro will be a largo attendance. " Kaiai*ox Swrna Buidok.— a publio mootIng to conaldor tho report of tho Provincial Ifliigincor on this briifgo is convened hy the Mayor of Kaiapoi, to tako placo on Tuesday noxt, in tho hall of tho liahvpol Inetltuto, This flubjeet hoiug ono of very great Importance to tlio ratepayers of ICaiapol, thoro will doubtless bo n very largo nttondnnco, for although tlio temporary slrnoturo orectod by Mr Bowrnnkor answers all the purposes of traffic, It Is neither very handsome nor Huliutauticl, The ereo'lou of a new bridge, and the ways and moana of raising funds to do so will bo ono of tho first nnd most important duties of tho Borough Council, and tlio action of the Mayor in taking tho opinion of the public on tlio Hubjeot is lo bo commended, •M'ni* Annuai- STKJ"rw(onAfli'*B.~- A mooting of gentlemen interested in cross-country sports was held at Tatter/mll-n, at 8 o'eloel*" last evening. Mr 11. Hustler occupied tho chair. Aftor somo discussion,, it wns (iocidod that tho eteoploohasos should como oil! on tho birthday anniversary of Itl** Noyal Highness, tho Dulco of Edinburgh, tho Otii of August noxt * and, ns previously huimatod by üb, tho solootlon of country comprises tho farms of Messrs BrltUn and Htitoo, Tho programme was' definitely agreed upon • it will ombraco tl»r<:o ovonlfl, and tho prizes nro BUlllcloiitly high to attract a largo field. Tho Grand Provincial Htcoplochase ('handicap) of 100 soys.. ovor threo and a-half miles of country, will ho tho first on tho card. The Helling vStccplochasc, of 50 «o v«,, with the usual selling allowances, over two miles of country, will follow | and tho day's sports will bo wound up by a Hack Stoeplcobnso (tho valuo of whioh hits not yob boon decided on) over one mile of country, A nub committeo, consisting of Messrs Barnard and Hustler, was appointed lo wait upon tho most prominent supporters of tho turf, and request them to act as Htowurds. Inq-K-..-— J. W. 8. Coward, Esq., district coroner, held an inquest at tho sunnyslilo Lunatic Asylum, yosterday afternoon, on tho body of a patient named -Stephen Honeyman, flfty-llvo yours of ugc, Mr William Archor was chosen foreman of the jury, Mr Meager stated that Die deeoasod was admitted to the Asylum on tho 2()th of September Inst, on a warrant signed by tho ltcvidont Magistral nt Hokitika, Ho was partially paralysed, Kvery attention had bcon paid to him and proper remedies administered. Mr Powell deposed tliat ho had mado a post mortem examination of tho body that morning. Thoro woro no external marks of violence, but tho brain was greatly diseased, showing marks of chronio Inflammation, "and tho lungs, liver, and Icldneyß woro conjested. Ho attributod death to disenso of tho internal organs, attendant upon tho deficiency of vital power brought on hy cold. The jury, in accordance with this testimony, returned a vordlet of " Died from natural causes." (iIWKHKh VOMJNTKKH (''OMMITTKU — A Bpcclnl mooting of this committeo was hold last evening, when rcHolutioim wero puflsod to tho following effect -—That tho amount in hand of tho Holt liollof Fund bo forwarded to tho ofilcor commanding tho Manchester rifles • that a circular letter ho s»-nt to each of tho Clirlolchnreh batteries and companion, requesting thorn to pay to the treasurer all sums duo to tho committee, and to intimate to tho Hoorotary whether they intend to sond representatives for tho ensuing year * that tho treasurer bo requested to supply a detailed financial account for last halfo-enr ■ that the committee regrets tlio ro-ignntion of tho (Jhrl.toliuroh Voluntoor Artillery, ami doslros thoir roconniik-rntion of tho matter •, that the committeo could not entertain the proposal to contribute to tho range expenses only i tliat the thanks of tho committee be tondorod to tho Lyttelton Battery of Artillery for tho handaomo mannor in which thoy entortnlnod tho Christohuroh companies on tho Quocn'ti Birthday, Several accounts were piisaod, and the committeo adjourned.

How Eidek Down is PnoconED.— A con* suiur roport of thit year on loeiand givot nn account, of tho way in which down Is extracted from tho eider duck. Early in Juno tho bird, always repairing to the same apot. cornea to somo hoimo or islet in tho fiord and lays its eggs, after lining its nest with tlio down pluokcd from Un own body, A a soon \\* tho eggs are laid, the owner 'of the hatching ground robs the nest of tke down and a part of tho ogg9, both of which tha poor bird replaces a second and n third timo, whon she in loft in poaoo to complete tho process of incubation, hut with her body completely denuded of down. This method is adopted because the down of tho dead bird loses its elasticity, nnd is of comparatively little value, Tho hen bird gives eight or nino ounces of down to a neat, but when cleansed the weight is diminished by half. The value of tho cleansed down is about 19i per lb. Tho nnnuul produco in Iceland is valued at nbout JJSOOO, In somo instances, ono small holme will givo its owner an annual income of £160, Such is the care taken of [these birds that during the hatching season no guns mo allowed to bo fired in their vicinity. . Foreign rcsscls arriving are forbidden to fire salutes. Wool. Exhidtiom.— ln regard to the proposed exhibition o£ wool at Sydney, Mr Loekoy, honorary secretary to tho Agricultural Society of Now South Waios, has written to tho Sydney Morning Herald to say that tlio subject had already received the attention of tho society, and that a schedulo will soon bo published offering prizes .on a comprehensive scale, nnd calculated to bring Into competition not only tlio wools of that colony bnt also thoso from Victoria and Queensland, and probably from New sfc-aland, U U net oald that such will be the case - but the idea of having sweepstakes of £10, £20, or oven as muoh as £00, on each entry, in addition to prizes, say of £.0, given by the uoolety, him been favourably received, At any rate, the prl*M* a**o to Iw large enough to make it worth a sheep-owners- while to send wool from a distance. Tho society's tlrst gonoral show is to bo hold In September, but ns thnt would bo altogether too early, the wool show Is not to bo held until January or February. If the pri-7.es be only aa large ai Is here Indicated, no doubt the show will bo truly nn intercolonial ono i for although tho Now South Wnlca shcop-owncre would not, oxcopfc in a solitary instance, send wool down hero, our uhcop-owH-rs are not likely to he -o backward to get up a good show at Sydney. Co«N ICxoiianoe.— ln an nrtiolo advoraN ing tho establishment of a miirkot and Corn ICxohnngo, tho Oamaru Times uaya*.— The Grain nnd Seed 'Show recently held In Oamaru, brought out all tho more forcibly the advantages which might be expected to acoruo from tho establishment of a Karmors' Club, or some cognato institution which would provldo facilities for agriculturists to moot together and compare notes aa to the results of their experience in tho treatment of certain soils, tho cultivation of tho different kinds of farm produco, tlio best mode of treatment to bo adopted to prevent tho occurronct of disease In grain, or for its cure, if such disease occur, the breeds of cattle and sheep host suited foi- particular districts, nnd the best grasses for pormancnt pasture on tho various soils, Tlicro is now no opportunity of obtaining the collective result of the ex porloueo gained by the farmers of the district —the intercourse of most being principally confined to their near neighbours. Had wo oven a rccognincd corn exchange or market, hold at a sot timo and place, there would be some witch opportunity for tho dissemination of much valuable information ;' but ns we havo neither, it is much to bo desired that stops Bhould bo initiated to provido what is folt to ho 'a great desideratum to agriculturist!*, There Is another point of view, In which tho establishment of a recognised market-day and a corn exohango is very desirable, viz., tho being able to fix with a much greater degrco of accuracy than is nt present possible tlio markot prico of tho various descriptions of agricultural produco. PostJir, NKWflt'Ai'Kßs. — Complaints are often mado thnt newspapers posted in England and directed to persons in tliis country fail to reach their destination. Tho Press News, in an artiole headed " Insldo the Post Oflice," gives uonie clue to this failure, and, moreover, gives some good advice on tlie subject, which we recommend to tho attention of our friends :-—■• The newspapers wore packed away into strong leather bngs of about -i feet long nnd 2 feet 6 inches wide, and when filled were shaken down to make | each bap hold about «50 papers. While those [ mountaini* of newspapers were being thus sorted and packed, tho attention of tho visitor was drawn to nn immense quantity of newspapers all hurst open, and without wrappers, which were oast away in a sort of cellar below. These, upon inquiry, nppearod to be nowpnpers which had been carelessly enveloped, nnd upon mingling with the vast heaps Inside tho Post Oflloe the flimsy bunds by which they were encircled were vory soon ront asunder. Here let the occasional sender of newspapcrA learn a lesson from what he reads. Tho very best way to send a singlo copy of a newspapor is to writo tho name and nddrv**of the receiver on the margin, and then double up your paper and bind It flrinly with a piece of string. This beats nil the envelopes in tho world, for two very potent ronsons j first, it is moro seenro i and secondly, while the namo is written on it, no one witl attempt io pilfer it, Without preferring a charge against anyone, it is a growing complaint in tho nowspaper trade that papers, especially for distant parts, frequently miscarry. From tho first posting to the hint delivery, a newspaper must of necessity pass through many hande, and if tlie possession of it is desired by some unprincipled custodian, ho hns only to whip off a loose, flimsy band, destroy it, and tho paper is at onco his own, beyond the possibility of n proof to tho contrary. Not so with the newspaper which lias the address written on It - tho discovery of this upon a Post-oflico otlicial would bo a punlshablo crime, nnd very fow would caro about in- ; curriog tho penalty for tho prl„e," '

Ooiuous Botanical Movß.—Mr Stafford ims brought Pollen trem the province ot Auckland, and applied it in the Cabinet. It ti n plant of Mr Stafford's, and if it succeeds, will no doubt bo callod Stafford's hybrid. Benevolent Aid Socibtt.— The Secretary of tlie Benevolent Aid Society desires to acknowledge tke reeelpt of the following amounts :— From Mr A. F. N. Blakiston, £*_ _m ; It. Packer, £2 ; Messrs Twentyman and Cousin, X5 Ss ; W. Montgomery and Co., £0 3s • Mr J, Gordon, £.1. I'JAnmr Jawi.it Schoom.— -Eighty years before Christ, schools flourished throughout the length and breadth nf tho land* education had been mado compulsory. While there is not a singlo term for " school " to be found before tho captivity, thco were by that time about a dozen in common usage. Here are a few of tho innumerable popular sayings of tho period, betokening tho paramount importance which publio instruction had assumed in tho life of the nation:— *• Jerusalem was destroyed because the Instruction of the young was neglected." "'The world U only saved by tho breath of the school children.'-' *' Kvcn for tlie rebuilding of tbo Temple tha schools must not bo interrupted." " Study is moro meritorious than -a-veriflce," "A scholar is greater than a prophet," "You should revere tho toneher even more than your father. Tho lattor only brought you into this world, tho former indicate, the way into tho next. But blessed is tho son who has i learnt from his father; he shall revere Win both as his father And his master; and blessed s the father who has instructed his son." Thb Ailantuus Trbe.— The Argus of May 23 aays ;— ln order to encourage the growth of ailantlne silk In New South Wales, the Government of that colony haa had pub* lished, in largo numbers, for freo distribution, a pamphlet writton by Mr Brady, describing how tho trees and worms should be treated. A* a recommendation for the cultivation of the tree, it is said to grow _re*ly_la the poorest soil, and to be well cslculatoa to afford shelter for stock. It need not bo cTen fenced in, as nothing except its special worm will feed upon it, We have not seen this tree proved In this way } hut, if sheep will not browse upon it, settlers on open coantry ought to sow and plant it extensively, for is grows rapidly, and would be most valuable as a break-wind. This new industry Is especially recommended to the notice of small farmer* -md free-selector*}, as tho worms can be attended to wholly and tho silk gathered by their families. It is even recommended to shoop-owncrs, os tho writer says that this aiik may bo mado to pay tho working expenses of every run, In addition to the adI vantages to be derived by the stock irom tha shelter of tho trees. Whether tho money returns can bo mado of such importance as this or not, there are most certainly a number of children now growing up on overy station who would be much the better of having some such useful occupation pro* vided for them. TKi.EonAntT.-— Somo extraordinary feata of telegraphy are noticed in tlio following letter to the Times ot March 20:— I think tliat some of the recent performances of tho telegraph mny interest your readers, aud at tha snmo timo serve to mark tho great progress which li'in been made In the art of electrical communicAtlon. At an anniversary banquet given by Mr Cyrus Field on tho 10th inst. at tho Buckingham Palace Hotel, tho western telegraph lines were brought into the room and mc-snges interchanged with America; these tneHHtigoa were delivered at their respective addresses, and the replies to them were received back in tho room in tho following periods;-— -From tho President at Washington, two hours ten minutes; from Mr Seward at Washington, two hours 25 minutes; from sev ru! person.? in and near New York, average one hour -15 minutes' from tho Go* vernor of Culm, who apologised for the delay canted by his residing at a distance from llnvanmtli, two hours 24 minutes; from the Governor of Newfoundland, at St John's, 38 minutes; and from Heart's Content, Newfoundland, six minutes. But even these performances nro thrown into tho shade by an ordinary mcatago sent from London to Sao I Francisco on lat February, The wires in ! Ameri-u were joined up for experiment from I H« art's Content to California, nnd themessage was sent from Valcntia at 21 minutes past 7 in the morning; tho acknowledgment of its receipt was received back in Valcntia nt 23 minutes past 7, the whole operation having only occupied two minutes; the distance travelled was about 14,000 miles, nnd the message arrived, according to Han Francisco time, at 20 minutes putt It on the evening of January 31, or the dny preceding that ou which it left England. It is .well to enjoy these surprises while wo can, for tbey will soon cease to surprise; telegraphy hns outlived the troubles and misfortunes of it* infancy, and is rapidly taking its place among the most perfectly understood of the arts; und, na it is a very remunerative one, we shall soon learn to regard an instantaneous means of communication with the wholo globo as n matter of mere ordinary nci-cisity. It it but justice to the English Government to say that much of tliis advancement may be directly traced to the encouragement they gave to telegraphic enterprise oy the nppoinrment jointly with tho Atlantic l'l-lcgroph Compnny of a committee to inquire Into the coiwtructlon of telegraph cables, nn<l to their boldness in constructing the Malta and Alexandria Telegraph and tha Persian Gulf lino at n period when, from the discoumgement cau.o i by previous failures, tbcio undertaking-i could not have been carried out hy private enterprise. Bnt for the intervention of Government wo should, doubtless, still bnve been without these two important and valuable public works, and to a great extent without the experience AC* ••c.B'iry for creating them. They have proved profitable investments to the country, bnt had it bien other- ise, bad thoy yielded an unprofitable return, or like the publio high* ways, no return all. it would have been easy to prove tliat tlie indirect gain to the publio ns well as to the Government has already been enormously great

ICaiatoi PdjU'lO Wicm-— <Wo would draw tho attention of tho Council to tho state of tho well in Cookson street. During tho last day or two the tap ha. taken to leaking, conVerting tho hollow round it to a complete pond, very convenient for tho ducks of a re*oldenfc in tlio neighbourhood, but decidedly the rovorso of that to tho general public, who have great difficulty In procuring water without welting their feet. J_E-UL.— -lite Tlnnnr Mr Jiintieo Go-osson sat, at tho Court Ohnmbors, at 1 1 o'clock this morn- 1 ing. ltn Nowniiftoi and Buddie • thh win ah | application on tlio part of I-t. A, r,ow aud Co., creditors in tho estate of the abovo debtors, for an order doalarlug their claim ao proved, and entitling thoiu to rocoivo dividends rateably with tlio creditors who proved prior to iho dato of tho ilnal order, Tho motion stood in Dr Foster's namo, but tho temwl gentle- 1 man was nofc In attendance, Ills Honor nald tho affidavits woro satisfactory, hut ho oould nor mako the order unless it wns moved by counsel. Mr Slator said ho would mako tho application on behalf of Dr Foster ; hut his Honor objected to this courso, and ordered tho matter (o stand over. Tho order was made at a subsequent pnriod of tho day. Ma laaao Logic's ( 'up.— -Tho third competition for thin oup took phico at Hillsborough, on Wednesday last, between mombors of tho Chrlstohiw'h Battery of Artillery, The condition- arc that tho cup shall be won twlco by tho name mombor boforo becoming prlvato proporty j and Sorgcanfc Berry nnd Ghmnor Onkos having oaoh scoured it onco, it was anticipated that tho final ownership would havo been decided on Wednesday, But nofc so, for f.ioutonanfc Allison stopped in and established nn equal claim * nm! t'io cup therefore romnlnn to l>o competed for at tho noxt monthly competition, Thoro wero sovon shots at each range of 200, 400, fiOO, and 000 yards j and two of fcho competitors— -"orgoant Berry and Gunner' Oakes *-« retired at tho lattor, Tho total floores of tho romalning threo woro as follows t -"Lion tenant Allison, 78 ; Gunner Restleaux, (18 ; Gunner Whale, 7/5.