Local and General Intelligence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1123, 28 February 1885, Page 2

Local and General Intelligence.

The number of patients in the Hospital last evening was seventeen, and of these fourteen were males, and three females. Two patients were admitted during the week and three discharged.

ACCORDING to last night's "Star, 1 ' the result of the voting of fully two-thirds of the Committees for tbe Education Board elections is now known, and Messrs Fraer. Fraser, and Dr Brown are returned in the order named.

The Evans Flat School Committee have recommended Mr Tyndall, of Waianakarua, for appointment to the mastership of their school ; and the Tnapeka Flat Committee have recommended Mr Bremner, of Waikouaitt, for the Tuapeka Flat school.

MbE. Gillies, M.H.E,. for Bruce, addressed his constituents at Milton last Tuesday evening. At the close of a lengthy address, after answering a number of questions, he was accorded a vote of thanks and confidence, which was declared carried unanimously.

• We have been requested to call particular attention to Messrs Arbuckle, Robertson and Co. 'a sale of stock at Coskery's yards, Beaumont, on Tuesday next ; and to Mr J. Thompson's sale of Mr Donald M'Kenzie'a freehold farm, live stoclf, $c , on the following day. We are pleased to hear that a local gentleman, well-known in mining circles, has dropped in for a nice little windfall to the tune of some seventy odd thousands. We congratulate the lucky recipient of so much unexpected wealth, and hope that he will live long to enjoy it and bare the wisdom to spend it wisely.

Fhom tbe report of the senate of the New Zealand University, we notice that ef the 67 candidates for junior scholarships, all are considered qualified for the matriculation examination. Mies Laura Darton and Masters Hugh M'Millan and John Wilson are the Lawrence candidates whose names appear in the list.

Smallpox has not been thoroughly stamped out in Sydney yet. One of the seamen on board the Union Company's Ringarooma was ashore on a previous trip, and on returning to Sydney it was found that he was suffering from smallpox. The steamer was promptly quarantined, and will be thoroughly fumigated before returning to New Zealand.

The interprovincial bowling match between Cbristchurch and Dunedin resulted in an easy win for the latter. The match was played off in Dunedin on Tuesday, the scores at the finith being— Dunedin 63, and Christchnrch 27. The Northern bowlers' must practise a little longer before they again undertake to engage in an interprovincial match in which they have Dnneiin bowlers for opponents.

Th» Faust Family give their splendid enter* tainment in the Good Templars' Hall, Waita? huna, to-nighi, and we can assure onr Waita. huna friends that there is a treat in store for them. The entertainment will be repeated in Lawrence on Wednesday evening.and as all who witnessed the clever performances of the Faust Family recently expressed their approbation, a good audience may be looked forward to on the occasion of their return.

Mb Weldon, Commissioner of Police, who met with a, serious accident some time ago while coming from Waipori to Lawrence, has been unfortunate again. It appears that he fell while walking in the Octagon on Wednesday, and had the misfortune to break his wrist and a bone of the ankle.

_ A Chbistchuroh telegram says :— Some excitement has been caused by the exhibition of samples of quartz brought from Mount Harmon, at Browning's Pass. The quartz is calculated to yield at the rate of s>z to the ton. A large number of applications for mining licenses have been lodged.

The Government are about to publish a new work on the Native songs and literature of New Zealand. The work is by Sir George Grey, and from his long experience and intimate acquaintance with the Maoris the work should be a very valuable contribution itself to New Zealand literature. The edition will consist of 2000 copies, and will cost between £700 and £800. Mr Brett, of the Auckland 4I Scar," is to be the publisher.

The " Auckland Herald " says :— We under stand that several young men in Auckland have determined to go to Australia, with the view of taking service in Colonial corps to be raised for the Soudan. Some surprise has been expressed at the inaction of the New Zealand Government. Considering the great military assistance rendered to this Colony by the Imperial authorities during the Native wars, it would certainly have been a graceful act on the part of the Ministry to have made an offer of troops for service in the Soudan.

The glorious harvest weather that has ruled for a few weeks back is bringing on the crops everywhere throughout the district. Harvest is pretty general now, and all around a good deal of crop is in the stook. Taking advantage of the splendid weather, the work of reaping is being pushed on as fast as possible. Most are cutting on the green side, rather than run the risk of being late. The ripening grain is filling beautifully now, and throughout the district good samples will be the rule,

THE diorama which will be exhibited in the Town Hall to-night promises to be a very good affair. We have had the privilege of seeing the views, including the latest scenes just to hand from Melbourne, and we feel satisfied Ibat when lighted np the effect will be striking and realistic. The diorama shows scenes and incidents of the war in Egypt from the commencement of the rebellion under Arabi to the death of Gordon. Besides the large number of magnificent views which will be shown, numerous gifts will be distributed among tha audience.

The debate on Sir Stafford Northcnte's vote of censure on the Gladstone Government on their Egyptian policy is at present going on in the House of Commons. The Tories state that they are quite prepared to take office if the Government are defeated. The debate will be watched with some degree of interest in the Colonies; and the defeat of the Gladstone administration would not be the most unwelcome news to us in New Zealand. There are younger and abler men quite prepared to take his place.

" AMONG the distinguished tourists," days an exchange, " now in New Zealand, we notice the name of L >rd Macdonald of the isles." We, for our pait, fail to see, in this particular case, where the distinguishing features come in. If to be the possessor of 129,919 acre* of land, bearing an annual value of £11,614, makes a man distinguished, while hundreds of half-starved^ wretches have to sweat every penny of this large sum out of their over-taxed holdings, the sooner intellect hides its diminished head in the dust and gives up the world to titled noodles the better.

THE " Taieri Advocate, 1 ' in referring to the crofter question, says :— " We believe that the crofters have the matter of their own relief a good deal in their own hands. The Idles have become too thickly populated, and by subdivisions of the land amongst sons and relatives the individual holdings have become too small to allow of the tenants making a fair living." Ie is the other way about ; instead of the holdings being subdivided till they have become too small, the tenants have been evicted from their holdings that the laudlords might enlarge their parks and hunting grounds. We would re commend our would-be critical contemporary to read a little more about the crofter question before he attempts to write about it.

" Again so ! The lion has rubbed noses with the lamb, and this time the lamb has lived to tell the tale." In the local columns of the "Rangiora Standard" we came across an amusing paragraph opening as above. We were struck with the originality of the writer, who, for once in his life, had evolved a few original thoughts from the barren wastes of his inner consciousness, when all of a sudden it struck us that we had seen the paragraph somewhere before. The truth is, we agonized out the paragraph when the conditions were particularly favorable, as the spiritualists put it, and the Riogiora pirate stole away our thoughts without acknowledging the piracy. We are sorry to be compelled to pull the mote out of our brother's eye, ant] were it not for fear both eyes would soon be so filled up with similar motes, that he would |become blinq to all sense of journalistic honor, we would not have done so now. If our contemporary wants to shine in the refulgence of reflected light, let him at least acknowledge the original source whence he borrowed it.

Mb Irish, of Sunderland, has invented a new telephone recorder or electrical reporter. A person speaking into the telephone automatically starts the mechauicism, and this ends with a glass pen to describe the sounds emitted upon a reel or a sh<>et of paper. At the receiving end a similar action takes place, and the person who is listening to the message can thus see it recorded at. the same time. It is marvellous with what rapidity the progress of electric science advances, and invention succeeds invention till he would be a bold man who could say that the last limit had been reached. Had we been told twenty years ago that one day we would be able to speak to our friends a hundred miles or more away and hear their voices in reply we should have deemed' otjr informant a little off his balance, and yet to-day this is an accomplished faot. There are more things under heaveu than our philosophy eyer dreamed of j and the wonderfql applications of electricity are not the least marvellous of the things of which we happen to know a little.

Some of the reports in the Home papers of the mind-reading performances of W. Irving Bishop and Stuart; Cumberland have been of "such an extraordinary nature that sceptical colonials have set it all down as merely clever trickery, alleging that it is impossible for one mind to control another in the manner described; but Professor Baldwin's experiments on Thursday evening were more difficult and extraordinary than any we have read of, and were given under such conditions as to make fraud or trickery absolutely impossible. For the first experiment, Mr Fraer (one of the committee) was requested to walk slowly around the stage, and from among the thousands of objects to aelepfc one sma}l article and to think entirely of it.' While 'Mr F-ia'er was walking about selecting the article, the Brofesaor was securely blindfolded. $j e grasped Mr Fraer's hand, held it to bs forehead, for a second, then rushed across the stage as fast as he could run, and at onco selected a watch on a side-table as the article thought of ; which Mr Fraer said was correct. The Rev, C. Griffin (of the Wesleyan Chunh) was the next subject experimented on. He was asked to think of an imaginary pain in any part of his body, and he thought of a pain at the back of his neck. As soon as Professor Baldwfa grasped his finger, the Professor, without an instant*) hesitation, at ome selected the, exact spot thought of by Mr Griffio. The moat marvellous example, however, of the Professor's power was in finding the pin bidden by Mr JVffery, who was directed to hide it in the most difficult spot possible, and to do his beat to pnzzle the Professor. Mr Baldwin left tbe hall in charge of two committeemen, Mr Jeffery took the pin in his closed hand and went to a dozen or more places, pretending to hide the pin. No one in the hall knew where the pin was finally placed. The Professor was brought in, securely blindfolded, and taking Mr Jeffery '4 band, he lowered his head and dashed away speedily, the audience fearing he would k, nock his brains out on* the forms, but without any delay he proceeded to insert his hand in a man> pocket, and there among keys, coins, knife, pipe, and other articles he found the pin anoj gave it to the committee. Jja'ch of the gentle: men experimented upon gave his wor4 of honor that no collusion or confederacy of any kjud. existed. Professor Baldwin created such an excitement in New Zealand six years age with his exposure of Spiritualism that the public will gladly welcome him back with these new ant! decidedly fascinating experiments.

THERE is every prospect of the Tapanui Racing Club's annual meeting, which will be held on Thursday and Friday next, passing off very succesf ully. For the District Hurdle Race four entries have been received; for the Tapanui Handicap nine entries, including Don Jose (9at 41b), Ouida (B*t 91b), Blackboy (Bst 71b), Garibaldi (B<t 51b). Sir Audley (7st 91b), Clinkerina (7st 101 b), Kuriwao (7st 3lb), Foreman (7st) and Rasp (Cat 7tb) ; Commercial Travellers' Purse, ten entries (Garibaldi, top weight, list 31b) ; Time Trot, twelve entries.

The dynamite conspirators are determined to carry on their terrorism over the British Government at all hazards. If foiled in one direction their abnormal activity springs into action in another. No sooner has the American Government -resolved to take stringent measures for the suppression of the organization in the United States than Paris is selected as the centre of operations. A telegram states that the dynamiters held a conference in that city, at which they decided to continue their work of destruction in England.

In his lecture tour of the goldfields, Professor Black ib reported to have met in with gold, lead, merctirsr, copper, And antimony at different places, silver at three, and scheelite (worth £25 a ton) in no less than three .places. This should go a long way towards convincing the authorities of the urgent necessity of having scientific knowledge imparted to miners and others on the goldfields. We are totally ignorant of the vast mines of wealth that lie buried around us only waiting a little scientific skill to bring them to light.

It is an evil wind that blows no one good ; and if we have not been privileged to send troops to the Soudan, New Zealand has had a finger in the pie to the extent of providing tinned meat for the New South Wales continSent. The Tarawera, which left Auckland f»r ydney on Wednesday, took with her 1785 cases of preserved meat, shipped by the New Zealand Frozen Meat and Storage Co., for the Australian troops. The consignment com* prises 85,6801bs of meat, valued at £2146. Let us hope that this shipment may but be the precursor of similar shipments.

Several of the leading colleries on the West Coast have (says the "Grey River Argus") adopted a simple method of detecting the presence of fire-damp in coal mines. It consists in adapting the well-known chidish toy — an ordinary hollow indiarubber ball, without a valve of any description — to the purpose of taking a sample of tbe suspected air. The ball is compressed in the hollow of the hand in the ordinary fashion, and it is then allowed to expand where the gas is supposed to be, near the roof and goaf. The sample so obtained can then be forced at leisure through a tube on to a flame, and the amount of " fire-damp " is soon recognised by the trained eye. Henceforth there will be no explosions brought about by " trying for fire-damp."

The "Timeß's" London despatch says the official news that there is a Frenchman, O. Paine, in the Mahdi'a camp, who has organised a secret society by which he obtains from the French colony in Cairo news of all of Woloeley's movements, and of English doings in general, has created much indignation. Tbe attitude of the French in Egypt has been hostile from the start, hut the present discovery is something wholly uulonked for, and is likely to promote a diploma'ic quarrel between France and England. It is believed that Paine circulated the stories of sickness in the Mahdi's camp and of the general disruption of his forces as a decoy to lead the British into un unsupported advance of the camel corps across the desert.

THE "Waipawa Mail" has the following" eulogy on the railway: — Here is a hint for travellers by rail. If you miss the train at Waipawa, go home to your paddock, catch your horse, and overtake it at Waipukurau ; or if you should possibly miss it there, you can be absolutely certain of catching it at Takapau. This statement is not made to cast any slur on tha speed of Her Majesty's trains, but it is only based on what was actually performed quite recently, when a well-known schoolmaster missed the train at Orowharo, and cantered away to Takapau, arriving there with some seven minutes to spare. Advance New Zealand !

SENATOR Platt, says the " Scientific American," in a recent speech in Congress last winter in support of our patent laws, claimed that two-thirds of the aggregate wealth of the United States is due to the patented inventions. Two-thirds of the 43.000.000,000d01s which represents the aggregate wealth of the United States rests solely upon the inventors, past and present, of this country. Mulhall, in his "Progress of the World," writes that in effect the invention of machinery has given mankind an accession of power beyond calculation. The United States, for example, make a million sewing-machines yearly, which can do as much work as formerly required 12,000,000 women working by hand. A single shoe factory in Massachusetts turns out as many pairs of boots as 80,000 bootmakers in Paris.

Tee new geology asserts that a good deal of tbe earth's irregularity of BUrfnce is due to shrinkage, pretty much as the skin of an apple becomes wrinkled oa drying; and recent observations prove that the shrinkage process has not yet ceased. In 1750 a series of watermarks was set all round the Swedish coast of the Baltic to test a point in dispute between Celsius (the Swedish astronomer) and some Germans, as to whether the level of the Baltic coaßt had been rising or sinking. The guages were renewed in 1851, and again last year. On careful examination of the guag'es it was found that the Swedish coast has been steadily rising, while the southern coast of the Baltic has been sinking. During 134 years the northern part of Sweden has risen about seven feet, gradually declining till at the Naze the rise is only one foot.

To keep np the interest in bowling, the President and' Vice-President have made a presentation of a pair of bowls to tbe Lawrence Bowling Club, to be played for by the members. The following is the result of the first drawIng :— Joseph plays Jeffery ; Tanton, Murray ; Griffin, Abel; M 'Donald. Revell; M'Coy, Craig ; Tucker, Gapes ; Gordon, Chalmers ; Browri, Barron; Sutherland, Thompson (J.); Arthur, Robertson | M'Kinlay, AHnufct ; P"ren, Wakefield ; Smaill, Crooke ; M'Leao, Twigge; Turnbull, Stenhouaej Mitcbinson, Taylor; Nicoll. Harrop ; Fiaer, Copland ; and Dodds a bye. The matches have all to be played off by next Saturday, so that & good deal of interest will be taken in bowling during the next week. One of the members has also made a presentation of a pair of bowls to be played for by rinks, which will be chosen at once and the matches proceeded with.

It is not generally known (says tbe " Inangahua Herald ") that very valuable hoi. springs, possessing great curative properties, especially in rheumatic aliments, exist in Wsatland at tbe bead waters of the Waiho river, some few miles south of Okarito and close to the glaciers near Mount Cook Several residents in the district of Okarito bare derived great benefits from these hot springs, in fact nisny cures have been effected, qspeciatyy of rheumatism, a complaint very P?ev alent on the Cqast. The great want frit by invalids is necessary shelter, an-} those fishing th.c spot ha?e to take tents. It would be desirable to .direct the attention of the Government to these important hot springs, with a view of getting a couple of good huts erected for the convenience of the public

Mb T. Fahey, of Evans Flat, met with a serious loss by fire on Thursday afternoon, irberebj b» dw^UJng-houie and an out-bouse •ttaehcd were burned down, Oc learning of the fire, Constable Daubney went out to tbe scene of the fire to ascertain particulars. The only explanation tbat can be eiren of the origin of tbe fire is tbat Mrs Fahey had a large fire on in tbe kitchen range, as she bad a number of harvest men for dinner. After dinner, while Mrs Fahey was in a bedroom off tbe kitchen she noticed a wardrobe, which was built in alongside the fire-place, to be on fire. After attempting to put the fire oat in vain, she called in the harvest-men, but by that time the Jiouse was in flames, and, with the exception' of a few articles of furniture, nothing Was saved. Mrs Fahey thinks that some « lire coals must have tumbled out of the grate . and falling against tbe back of the wardrobe set fire 'to it. The "bouse" was insured for £100, pni the fnrniture for £gO, in tbe Norwich ■pnion Office, pi wh,ich Mr John Thompson is the Jocsl agent As the bouse was a nice BOVMWOomed one, with out-houses attached, Mr Eabey estimates his loss at £200 over and above the insurance,