GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1182, 23 September 1885, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

A despatch dated Moscow, 3rd July, states that 60 criminals who had been sentenced to exile in Siberia while en route rose against their guards, and although unarmed began a desperate fight for liberty. The battle lasted a long time and the soldiers were absolutely unable to conquer their manacled assailants. Twenty of them shot dead and 30 succeeded in escaping.

In the Rous Memorial Stakes, run at Ascot this year, one of those periodical " boil overs," which make auch inroads into the pockets of backers, came off. Duke of Richmond, who had tbe services of Archer, was considered such a good thing that 100's to 60 were fully laid on his ability to win ; but he suffered defeat at the hands of Isobar, who went to the post at 20 to 1 chance, and won by 15 lengths.

While the depression of business continues in most parts of the United States, in one quarter the people are already congratulating themselves upon the coming of good times and the assurance of still better. This ia in the north-western corner of the United States— the State of Oregon and the territory of Washington. Oregon especially is in high spirits over the situation and prospect. While the great wheat-growing states will have a short crop this year, and California less than half her usual surplus, Oregon's crop will be the largest ever known. The decreased exportation of grain from California will cheapen tonnage rates from the Columbia River country, and there is thus an excellent promise of good prices to the Oregon growers. The population of the state is growing at a very rapid pace. For ten weeks past the arrivals by rail, ocean and waggon have averaged a thou-. saud a week, and the tide slowly swells as the season progresses. The new comers are mostly Americans of the best class, who bring more or less money with them, and soon find satisfactory settlement. Portland, the metropolis of the etate, is doing a larger and healthier business than ever before, and the "Oregonian" concludes a review of the present encouraging situation with a confident prediction of still better times in the near future.

One night a young doctor of Newton Center, lowa, escorted the daughter of a prominent and wealthy citizen to church. The father of the girl had forbidden her to accompany the young man. "When church waa out the father lay waiting behind a tree for his daughter's companion, and jumped out upon him as he passed. He seized the young man by the throat and tore his collar off and the bosom out of his shirt. The old gentleman then ran away. The doctor went on home with the young laiy as though nothing had happened. When she entered the house her • father took her to the parlor, and pointing to the doctor's shirt bosom, which he had tacked to the wall, said : " I intend to have it framed." On Monday the doctor saw the old gentleman passing his office. The story of the shirt bosom was already known about the village. The young man rushed out, dragged his Sunday night assailant into his oflice, and compelled him to take off his white shirt. Attaching to it this placard, "A contribution for a coward," he fastened the garment to a pole and hung it out of his office window. Since then the father of the young lady has apologised to the doctor and invited him to call on. his daughter as often aa ho pleases. A novel ceremony recently took place afc the Widyodya Buddhist College, ia Colombo, Ceylon, by which Miss Mary Flynn, well-known in Bombay, formally became a professed follower of Buddha. Not long ago a clergyman from England, tha Rev. C. W. Leadbeater, took the " five precepts" in the presence of the high priest, Sumangala. This time it was Miss Mary Flynn who accepted the faith that ia now becoming fashionable among tho enlightened classes in the West. It was a curious sight to see an English young lady, dressed in an elegant robe of black silk, sitting in the midst of a crowd of yellow robed Buddhist priests and repeating the Pansil. The ceremony began by the high priest examining the fair candidate as to the reasons that led her to desire to accept Buddhism as her faith, to which Miss Flynn answered that after having studied the various religious systems of the world, she found the Buddhistic esoteric philosophy as being mo3t in accordance with her owu reason' and common sensa. Other questions having been satisfactorily answered by her, the high priest administered to her the "five precepts," which Miss Flyuu promised to observe." The ceremony ended by the chanting of " Rafcaua Sutta " by all the priests present. Besides the large number of priests present at the temple where the ceremony took place there were al3o many of the most prominent Buddhists of Colombo, the captain and several ofliceca of the screwsteamer Tibre, of the Messageiies Maritimes, and several European passengers that had arrived by than vessel.

Particulars have been received (<ays an American contemporary^ of a terrible accident to a yachting party i>u an American lake. The information was received from Minneapolis, Muinraofa. It appears that the steam-yacht M-nni« Cook, with 10 persons on board, was cruising in Lake Minnetonka, when a sudden and terrific storm burst over thu water. The steamer had got a considerable way out before sh.3 was overtaken by the wind — indeed she was lost sight of, and not being seen after the storm subsided, it was feared she had gone down. The fear was confirmed by the at rival of a boatman who had been out in his yawl during the heavy weather. Ro sudden was the storm that he could not get to a place of shelter, and lay down in the bottom of the boat for safety. In an instant the waves became furiously turbulent, and his little craft shot upwards like a rocket. The man had just previously seen the Minnie Cook, and afterwards heard a piercing screams, as if from women in the yacht. On looking towards the spot, the little steamer and her occupants were nowhere to be seen ; she had gone down with all on board. Among the occupants of the steamer were tba ex.Mayor Rand, big wife, son, and nefrhewr. The lake was subsequently dragged and several of the bodies re* eovere^.

BeyES-ACTORS. — "When a board of eminent physicians and chemists announied the discovery that by combining some well-known valuable remedies a most wonderful medicine was produced, which would cure such a wide range of diseases that most all other remedies could be dispensed with, many were skeptical, but proSf of its meritß by actual trial has dispelled all doubt, and to-day the discoverers of that great medicine, Dr Smile's American Co's Hop Bitters, are honored and blesaed by all as benel akore." Bead.

lie on the table." — Cr Morrison seconded , the motion, which was carried. ■' Letter from MrD. Finlayson (solicitor), stating that when in Dunedin last week be made inquiries at the Crown Grant Office, Land Transfer Office, and Deeds Registry Office as to the title of the Borough of Lawrence to tlie Municipal reserves within the Borough, and found that the Crown grants (of which there are about thirty) had been issued in the name of the Superintendent of the Province of Otago, in trust as a reserve for tbe purpose of a Municipal estate for the town of Lawrence and its inhabitants. By section 9 of "The Abolition of Provinces Act, 1875," these reserves were vested in Her Majesty the Queen for the same purposes as those for which they were then held by the Superintendent. By section 19 of " The Public Reserves Act, 1881," the proper way to get the lands vested in the Borough was to get a conveyance of these landß from Her Majesty the Queen to the Borough prepared and executed by the Governor of the Colony. After this was done, the reserves would vest in the Borough in terms of the section previously cited.— Referred to the Reserves Committee to deal with. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE'S REPORT. The Works Committee reported that since last meeting of the Council the surfacemen had been engaged cleaning drains on the Beaumont road, and in finishing the earthwork on the new culvert in Harrington-itreet. Accoirjm. The following accounts were referred to the Finance and Public Works Committees for payment if found correct : — D. Cochrane, £9 125 ; Jas. Wilson, £8 8s ; P. Uren, £9 12s 4d ; Geo. Jeffery, £1 7s 9d ;D. Finlayson, £4 5s 6d ; Jas White, £1 6s 9|d. HARRINGTON-STREET. Three tenders were received for filling in the bed of the creek in Harringtonstreet. The lowest, which was accepted, was that of Mr Felix Dunikowski, who undertook to do the work for £7APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES. It wa« decided that the appointment of the various Committees for the current term be deferred till next Council- meeting. The Council then adjourned.