Local & General.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4132, 19 July 1881, Page 2

Local & General.

♦ Natfbal Causes.— Afc fche inquest on the body of John Wilfred Monk, a verdict in accordance wiih the medical testimony was returned, namely, "Death from natural causes." Sttpbemb Court.— The A T isi Prins sittings of the Supreme Court closed lasfc night, shortly after nino o'clock, when the case, Stubbs v. Chinnery, was decidtd substantially against the defendant. Fbeby Road Tramway. — Tho deed of concession from tho City Counoil to the Tramway Company has been formally completed } and it may therefore bo assumed that tlie construction of the line will be commenced at an early date Bbidge ovbb the Sirx.— A bridge is about to be built on the North rond over thfr Rivor Styx. It will bo 130rt 1 ng, and the work will bo done by Mr W. Williauw, of Lyttelton, who has secured the contract. I A Good Bag. — Yesterday, Mr Frank Humphries, an old and well-known pporfcsman, succeeded in bugging 42 groy ducks ia the Ashley district, besides other g°.ine of lobs importanco. This is fche best bag we have heard of in the Northern dietrict this Eeason. Telbgbapk Polks,— With reference to the erection of telegraph poles in this oily, Councillor England has given notico of motion as follows :—" The polos already erected beingvery unsightly, the Government, bo requested to have the new telephone and telegraph Dole* hereafter erected in the city, wrought'and painted ; or the wires, whero practicable, carried on the roofs." A Malicious Act.— Shortly beforo one o'clock yesterday morning the constablo on duty in Cashel street noticed that one of the large panes of plate glass in the wiudow of Mr G. Hoopor's jewelhry establishment had boen Bmaßhed by a stone. The window waa uninjured when the constablo parcel afc midnight, so that the damage had been perpetrated between that hour and one in the morning. The damage done is estimated at £10, as the sheet of glass brokeu is of large size, filling about half the window. The Education Aor.—At the meeting of the Ashburton School Committeo h.sfc Friday evening, ifc was decided to put the compukory clausea of tho Educatiou Act in force in the Borough, with a viow to bringing under scholastic training a largo number of children whoße education is nov.- being neglected. Atthe same mealing the resignation of Miss Btewarfc, the infant echool mistress, was accepted with regret. Miss Stewart purposes prosecuting hor studies afc ono of the higher schools, with a viow to passing au examination for a more advanced certificate. A.O.F.— The ordinary Courfc meeting of Courfc Star of Cauterbury was held last eveniug, iv the Foresters' Hill. Tho report of fche Woodwardß, re sick and distressed members, having been read and rccsivtd, the installation of Courfc officers was proceeded with, at tho close of which ifc was unanimously resolved thafc P.O.Ji. Bro W. H. Howard's nama be placed upon tho respect; board, and fchafc he be presented with a certificitto and Past Chief's neck ribbon. Tho Ohief RaDger then made the presentation, Bro Howard returning tbanks in suitable terms. Four new members having bten initiated, and sereral others proposed, the O.K. closed the Court in due form. Tho total receipts of the quarter amounted to £307 16s. Attempted Suicide.— Yosterduy forenoon a man, named George Shrimpton, who had for some timo beon a book-keeper at Quill's Hotel, Ashburton, attempted to commit suicide. He was boarding in Butlor'e Hotel, and when the servant girl ontered his room,, she found him in bed, wifch a deep wound in his left arm, from which ho bad losfc a considerable quantity of blood. Ho spoke to her rather incoheronfclj, and explained that he was about to bo shot, bufc preferred taking his own life. Ho had been low spirited for some days, but had done nothing to raise doubts of his sanity. Dr Murdoch, who was at onco called in, stopped fcbe blreding ; but Shrimpton is stilt considered to be far from out of danger. Tho wound was inflicted with a penknife. Evangelistic— On Sunday evening, at tbe Oddfellows' Hall, Waimate, Mrs Kampaon, who has been preaching to crowded congregations at Dunedin and Onmaru, commenced an evangelistic mission in fcho Bush township. The lurge hall wbb crammed to such an extent fchat many Mere unablo to obtain admission. The choirs of all the churches in Waimate, except; fchoso of St Augustine's (Episcopal) and Sfc Patrick's (Roman Catholic), combimd for fcho occasion, aud interspersed tho difforont prayers and: addresses by singing hymns, &c. Mrs Hampson tock as tho subjo2fc of her eormon the 55th chapter of Isaiah, aud, lator on, for upwards of an hour, sho spoko on the infidelity and ccepticism of tho world. Oa tlio platform wero lho "Reva J. J, Lewis, J. Smalley, and G. Lindsay, und the Mayor of Waimate. After tho servico, y. great numbor entered the enquirers' room, whero Mre Hampßon regained till a lafce hour. Ashbubton Dbainage.— Theoufcfall drain* a work of somo importance to the town of Ashburton, haa just been completed, and requires only tho finishing of one or two connections to place ifc in satisfactory working order. Jha drain, which bus enst over £1500, is constructed of brickwork and concrete, and extends from tho end of Havelock stroot down the South-east B;-lt to tho river. It is otitimated to nupply all tho drains^o requirements of the lower pari, of tho town, both in tho carrying off of ordinary bui i't',.:o drainage and tho t term-water cf wc-f; bi, u u:a, besides bsing an outlet for the ttre:: <. ot water brought, in from tho Domain fot iiw.-.hing purposes, and to carry wbh.li, ;-M over '>ho town, several miles of channelling havo :>een laid down. Tho finishing of tho out l.iil drain will, put Ashburcon in an excellent position, ko fnr as a drainigo system is concerned, and « small demonstration, to eclebraf o tho opening of the drain, was suggested at the last 'iown Council meeting. A Dakokbous Chakactkk. — The man Henry Peterson, who wus sentenced to 48 hours' imprisonment at tho Magistrate's Court lust Friday for rushing into i>. hi-.'.y'e houee nnd driving hor into hysterics, has, since hi.s ri'.f.-.K.- Jroia i, tli.! : urther distinguished .himself in 6uc!i :; :r.n- r;or > ■? to (..-ive t/.. A impression I ha' bi". !■.' not. in v fit shite (•) hi. 1 V. hir^o. L::s'. ."urrlay :;i»';t Ihtect.uv G'f on; .i:- heard crit-a of " Murd^v," nud "PohW'oii tho Scuth Town BAA, :..-srt !,<■;-.. il. uuy ftutio::, and proceeding to f Ji«> i«;t; t. fo:.nd Peti'iron i-ommitting a jmiiyV,- „.* un-.TiJt with a hil'i-hook on Liv Ar.dcre.-n, v goiitleman who wn? passing nt tho ti.-nc, and who, bacl he not. fortunately bnen wcnini; a rafcM-v ■lish crov.-iini nnd rtijf iYit hi'.t, vo-.ild protwbly havo bi-.'.n seriously inyn-fl, jf not \ilk-il. Ar? it i ynpened, Mr Aa'.rs.n ctcupcd .villi a rather nevero cut on th<- hunch Thrnan was d;.«ni-iiicd nnd arrec.tcd by Detective JOoimar. lie was brought boforo tho Miigh.nttfc'.i Court jcaterday, and roi; maed liil K>i;iy. Tiie rnnjfc extraordinary ;<i:rl. of thifl'uir Uth.it tho gontlcnm.ii vZ: A.-d hud no ;innc]eiic;o of tlio accused, v.i. t.ppcai-j to inve been actuated by nothing h • maniacal lesiro to injure somebody,

The Weather. — The weather to-day was the most severa thafc has been experienced since the stormy day last mouth, when the streets in some places were converted into regular watercourses. A strong sou-wester brought up several heavy, cold showers, the effect of which was to make those who were not absolutely compelled to stir abroad keep most religiously within doors, so thafc the streets presented a somewhat deserted appearance. The side channels proved in most instances quite adequate to earning off the surface water, so that the streets were not flooded to such an extent aa en the occasion of the storm last month. "Timabu Habboub Boabd.— This Board lias purchased the boats used at the Service, owned hy the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Timpru. The price paid was £560. Sydenham: Bobough Couhcil. — An ordinary meeting of the Sydenham Borough Council was held last ovening, when a considerable amount of business was transacted. A report of the proceedings appears in another column. Fatal Accident. — Mr Frederick Sams, farmer, afc Sutherland's, near Pleasant Point, who wa* so Beriously injured by his dray passing over him, died in Timarn on Sunday night, 'i ii^ accident was caused by deceased's team shiin^ at a train on the Albury line and thriving him under the dray. An inquest v, ill be held. Addington Tbamway. — At the meeting of the Sydenham Borough Council last evening, it was decided to affix the seal of the Council to the deed of concession for the construction of the portion of the Addington tramwaj line within the Borough, subject to it being shown to the satisfaction of the Mayor thsfc the line would be in the centre of the roadway. Watbr Supply. — At last evening's meetrig of the City Council, the Water Supply Commh tea brought up a scheme for a modified sys'em of water supply, immediately applicable lo the business parts of the city. The report ia to he considered by the Finance and Water Supply Committees acting^ together j and it' ia understood that definite recommendations will be made at the Council's next meeting. Ohbistcjhubch Poultby Association. — A meeting of the Committee of the above was held at The Shades last evening; Mr S. Strange in the chair. Favourable replies were received from the gentlemen who had been requested to act as judges at the forthcoming show. The special prizes were allotted to various classes. The Committee adjourned, to meet this evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, for the purpose of receiving exhibits. Polios Babbacks, Lyttelton. — This building, together with the house for the officer in charge of the Lyttel'on Station, is making bat slow progress towards completion. Only a very few workmen are employed, and at the present rate a considerable time will elapse before tbe buildings aro Snished. lii the meantime the constables are living in most wretched quarters. It was thought when the building was commenced that it wonld have been ready for use this winter, I>ut tbe expectation evidently will not be realised. Thbatbb Boyal — Last nighfc there was a change in the cast of " The Pirates of Penzance," the role ot Buth being filled by Mr Cecil Biverton. The change was, ia some respects, a decided improvement, as Mr Biverton threw into the impersonation a good dcc l , of action, and " made up " for it somewhat in accordance with probabilities : he also spoke his words very distinctly, and thus enabled the audience to understand more of the plot than has hitherto been comprehensible withont the aid of a libretto. The house was, as nsnal, crowded, despite the sou-wester. Tonight, the opera will be given for tho Beventh time. Captub^ op a Seat.— On Sonday moming, abont ten o'clock, while Mr Bichard Davis and Mr W. Wake whero walking along the beach, just below the Waterton mill, and not far from Longbeach, the; came across a large seal lying some two chains out of the sea. They made an effort to catch the animal, and actually held on to itß tail for some time ; bat the seal was not to be Becured in that way and showed an ugly set of teeth. The young men then took to stoning their capture, and eventually killed her. She turned out to be a fine female of the silver species, measuring aboufc eight feet long. The seal was brought into Ashburton yesterday, and will probably be sold to a speculator for exhibition. The Spabeow Nuisance. — An adjourned meeting was held at the Prebbleton Hotel on Saturday evening ; present — Mr Maskrey (in the ohair), Messrs W. Prebble, W. Townshend, W. Haziehurst, S. Gallagher, A. C. Prne, O. Arthurs, ar.d W. H. Comerford. The Chapman informed the meeting that he had procured from Sir Prebble two lots, of 15 lbs each, of tho poisoned wheat, and the result had been very satisfactory. As a proof, he bad brought to the meeting 560 birds, which he considered was abjufc one-third of the nnmber he destroyed in three days. Mr S. Gallagher also similarly reported. It was resolved that a hearty vote of thanks be accord.- d to Mr W. Prebble. Mr Prebble informed the meeting that he had cold two bushels of the poisoned wheat, and that in consequence of the reduction in the price of ■strychnine the price will be 5s 6d per 151 b to members, to non-members 6s 6d. After a vote of thanka to the Chairman the meeting adjourned. It will be observed from the advertising: columns that the inspection md general meeting, ca"ed fer this evening', of the E Battery, have been postponed. The Tababua Dibastbb.— The policeman who has been stationed at Otara beach Bince the Tararua t* reck has now received orders to return to Invercargill. It is considered that there is no occasion for his remaining longer. Dynamite Explosion. — A Mr John Brown, engaged in rock-blasting in connection with the Arrowtown (Otago) water-works, the other day placed bo me cartridges on the hearth of bis dwelling-place, and left, forgetting all about them. Mrs Brown, who knew nothing of the cartridges, had scarcely left the lr>use with her baby when a terrific explosic. uccurred, shaking the house to its foundat •:;>'!, the shock being distinctly felt, like a uih.ia'ure earthquake, for about 100 yards in circuit. The explosion, though it did nofc wreck the houso, did considerable damage io fche furniture and other breakables inside, blowing all the glass from the windows, tearing down the lining, and so forth, but no bodily injury was done to the inmates or Jtteighbcmrs. A Lbunkabd's Fbeak. — The other day, at ■Winton, in Southland, a man amused himself by breaking the windows of the Court-house, And ultimately forced an entrance into the Courfc and the apartments occupied by the constable (who was out on duty at the time). Having dressed himself up in the "blue," even to the constable's cap, armed himself with the carbine and sword that were in their usual place, he mede bis appearance outside, to the no small consternation of the onlookers and amusement of tho juveniles. Having " performed" for some time, the arrival of the constable stayed further proceedings for the time, and the would-be guardian of the peaco was locked up. He was remanded by the Court for medicai examination. Eot Taking. — The following anecdote, says " Atlas " in the Torld, points to the fact that an occasional Eensa of humour in the Bruish yokel (whether accidental or otherwise) survives the age of Shakespeare's clowns, -v vicar of v country parish had occasion lately to remonstrate with a lowly memb:>i- of his fiou-k who had regularly been conspicuous, by his absence from the celebration of the Holy Communion, for hiß nonattendance. Hodge hazarded the excuse that he didn't consider himself sufficiently qualified to attend. " Why not ? " urged the vicar, " you have been confirmed." " Yes, sir," replied Hodge, " and vaccinated too, but they neither of 'em took." A Tax on Esiigbants. — The New York steamship people are very uneasy about un announcomtM.t from Albany thut a Bill has been introduced into tho Legislature providing that a tax of one dollar por head shall be levied on every immigrant arriving at this port, said tax to be paid by the steamship companies. The shipping people say that thia is an attempt to restore tho old capitation tax which the Supreme Courfc of tho United States has declared to be unconstitutional. In order to evade tho letter of that decision, they call attention to the fact that the Bill authorises the Commissioners of Immigration to " inspect, ulicn immigrants ar.d their effects." Immigrants already are subjected to a rigid " inspection" by the Health Officer, and any further " inspection," it is contended, is a were pretext for " striking" the atcim-rs. As tlie Bill has b_-en introduced simultaneously in both Houses, its passag ■ n pretty certain, but tho companies give ua'.ice that tbey will resist i$ in the

Courts from the start, and spend their last dollar, if need bo, in defeating it. if any such law were enforced, they say its first effect would bo to drive the immigration business to Philadelphia, Boston, and other competing ports. A Suggestion.- A French paper remarking that England's policy never changes, proposes that tho namo of the Transvaal should be changed to " Now Ireland." Use op tub Bevised New Testament in Chubohbs.— The Bishop of London, epeakmg in the Upper Houee of Convocation of the Province of Canterbury, on May 17 last, said : — " He begged to remind thu House that no one could at present use the revised version of the New Testament. When the whole work was completed it would go out to the public, and would be beforo tiie Church for consideration. It might be yeurs beforo the proposed alterations from the authorised version had so approved themselves to tho Church, both clergy and laity, that steps could bo taken to give authority for fche use of the revised version. However, it must be understood that the revised version could not now be used in the churches." Mountain Lifts. — An ingenious system of lifts fjr mouutain* ascont is about to be put in opjration near tho town of Carfcerets, in the i'yr. -ii-jea. • A krge number of tourists, especially bather?, frequent this place in summer, the latter on account of the sulphurous thermal waters, thought highly curative. Some ef the springs — e.g., tho3e of Ii Bail' ere— are nearly a kilometre from the town, and 125 metres uphill. Tho water hai a temperature of 39 deg. C, and could not be brought directly to the town without cooling and chemical change, so that bathers have had to go to the place in conveyances. The mode of transport now adopted by the town is the invention of M. Edoux. A series of five towers for lifts are to b 9 raised on the mountain side, and the top of each of the lower ones will be connected with the bottom of the next higher by means of a piece of Blightly inclined railway. The carriage conveying the passengers iB raised in each tower by hydraulic power derived from the abundant falls of water at hand, and it passes frem tower to tower by the force of gravity (controlled, of courae, by brakes). The return of the carriage is effected by letting it, on a special truck, run down a winding line rail on the mountain side to the second tower, which with the first has a double arrangement, and it then descends through those two towers to the starting point. Alleged Pbbybntativb and Cube pob Shall-Pox. — At the present juncture, when people feel more or less nervous on the subject of the spread of the variola, the following receipt of an alleged specific for this disease may not be out of place. A correspondent of the Stockton Herald writes : — " I herewith impend a receipt wbich has been used to my knowledge in hundreds of coses. It will prevent or cure small-pox even though the pittings are filling. When Jenner discovered the cow • pox in England, the world of science hurled an avalanche of fame on his head, but when the most scientific school of medicine in the world — that of Paris — published this receipt as a panacea fo? email- pox, it passed unnoticed. It ia as unfailing as fate, and conquers in every instance. It is perfectly harmless when taken by a well person. It will also cure scarlet fever. Here iB the receipt as I have used it, and cured many children o f . scarlet fever. Here it is* as I have used it to cure small-pox when learned physicians said the patient must die : — Sulphate of zinc, one grain ; foxglove (digitalus), one grain; one half a tcaspoonf ul of sugar ; mix with two tablespoonfnls of water. When the above has been thoroughly mixed, add 4oz of water ; take a teaspoonf ul every hour. Either disease will disappear in 12 hours. For a ohild, smaller doses, according to age. If countries would compel physicians to use this there would be no need of pesthouses. If you value advice and experienco, use tbis for that terrible scourge." The "Man op Glass."— A very extraordinary existence was brought to a close a few days ago by the death of a man who was known as the " man of glass." The records of the asylum at Bicetre, where the man died, show thafc as long ago as in 1797, when he was eighteen years old, a certain Jubissier was brought to the hospital suffering from mental alienation of a severe kind. Hiß malady had been caused by a wound inflicted by a pane of glass, which fell on his head ; and before the cut could be healed, the brain became affected by a permanent disoase. The sufferer lapsed into idiocy, and then into madneßs of a more violent kind ; and he waß shortly afterwards shut up in the asylum, where he has remained ever since. After the firßt transports of delirium had paesed off, the man became more oalm ; but he could never get rid of the idea that he was made of glass, and that the least shock or blow would cause him to break in pieces. He remained, therefore, perfectly quiet and silent, being afraid even to speak, for fear of preoipitating the catastrophe, which he fancied was ever impending. For 83 long years he ' has led this singular existence, only once opening his lipa in speech, when he asked for a little tobacco. At one other period his intellectual and physical faculties appeared to be aroused, and fiat was when during the siege of Paris he could hear the shells bursting in the air at no great distance from his place of retreat. At this time he was peen to grow nervous and less lethargic, and to walk about restlessly, humming some words which had no intelligible sequence or meaning. He survived, however, and relapsing into his usual condition, has bo lived until tho age of 103, testifying, in a somewhat striking way, to the effects of totally placid and inactive tranquility both of body and mind in prolonging life. No little credit is, however, due to the authorities at Bicetre for having thus preserved for 83 years an existence which, from the firßt, was utterly useless and uninteresting.