LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 4301, 12 April 1880, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Volunteers. — The Wanganui Rifle Volunteers are notified to muster at the Drill Hall at 3 o'clock, and tho Wanganui City Rifles at a quarter to 3 o'clock, this afternoon. Wanganui Loan and Investment Society. — -The eleventh call is payable at the Society's offices, ll'itlund Chambers, this evening, from 7to 9 o'clock. Members can pay during the day in oflice hours. The Late Fire. — We understand that Messrs York and Cornfoot have mado arrangements whicli will enable tliem to re-commence their bmines.i to-day, in the premises formerly occupied by Mr Oruieksluuik. Industrial School. —The Thames Orphanage and Training School has been proclaimed an Industrial School for the purposes of " The Neglected and Criminal Children Aot, 1507," from and after the 20th of the present mouth. Trial Fours. — The following ara tho names of tho VVanganui Rowing Club crews who will row in the events to come off next Saturday . — First — AbEiihams, Fearon, Gower, Powell (stroke). Second Brassey, Barns, Alison, Montgomery, (3troke). Third — .Whitcombe, Carr, Smi*h, Bethune (stroke). Fourth— Barnicoat, Woon, Marshall, Miller (stroke). Death by Drowning.— We regret to learn that a boy aged four years, a son of Mr Edward Gurr, of Aramoho, was found drowned yesterday morning in a creek at Aramoho. It appears that Mr Gurr took three of his children for a walk, and went into Mr Pollock's, sending the children home by themselves. Shortly afterwards the one above-mentioned was found drowned. Two medical mon were quickly ou tiic spot, but the child was quite dead. An inquest will be held ou the bo.iy this afternoon. Bachelder's Combination Company. — This Company arrived yesterday morning by the Huia, aud will open to-night at the Princess Theatre. They have been doing a good up-country business siuce they closed in Wellington, are very favorably noticed by the Press, and will no doubt draw full houses during their stay in Wanganui. The entertainment consists of au illustrated tour through America, and a new mechanical diorama representing the Euglish Arctic expedi» lion in the Polar regions Ono of the most attractive features of the entertainment is the automatons used by M. CliaLt, in his ventriloqual performance. This gentleman is spoken of by the colonial Press as the best ventriloquist who has yet appeared in this quarter of the world, lhe movements of the figures and the dialogues carried on between them are ludicrous in the extreme, and M. Chalet's powers are said to be wonderlul. Mit Jackson's Trophy. —The firing for the trophy presented br Mr F.R. Jackson, to the above corps, took place on Saturday The conditions under which it is being competed for are:— lhat it is to be (ired for six times ; ranges 4-00, 500, and 000 yds, 5 shots at each range; the highest aggregate scorer in the six competitions to be iho winner. The following are the iggrug.ites iv the two lii"Jt competitions : — Volunteer G. Cummins, 49, -15 —94 ; G'olor--eigt. Hughes, 40, 43 —89 ; Volunteer W. Foster, 43, 40—83 ; Lance-Corpl. Nutsford, 42, 40— 82; Volunteer J. B. l.eydon, 3", 40—82 ; Corpl. McTaggart, 37, 45—82 ; Mib-Lieul. Low, 30 38—74; Corporal ianiocli. 35. 38 — 73 ; Volunteer Hodren, 32, 39 — 71; Volunteer Thompson, 35, 35—70; Volunteer Hooker, 27, 41 —08; Volunteer Spurdle, 30, 30— CO.

R. M. CocitT. — On Saturday John McDonnell, who had been remanded on Friday at the request of the police, was again brought up, aud, at the conclusion of the case, sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labor. There was uo other business.

Pnoi'EiiTv Assessment Act. — -A Gazette of the oth instant contains an Order in Council dividing the colony into districts for the purposes of the above Act. There is also an Order in Couucil making regulations for the purpose of carrying ont the Act.

Serious Accident. —A man named George Chapman accidently shot himself at Stratford on Sunday last. It appears ( says the Herald ) he went, out pijr hunting, and carried a loaded revolver in his troupers pocket. In going through the bush the revolver went off accidently, and the bullet entered his left leg, close to the groin. Ho was taken by Mr Harris on Monday in tlio train to Midhirsl, aud he uas afterwards taken in a trolly to Inglewood, where he was attended by Dr Gibbes. The bullet lias not yet been extracted.

Civilisation Without Delusion. — We have received from the publisher, Mr F. F- Bailliere, of Melbourne, a copy of a pamphlet entitled "Civilisation without Delusion." The contents consist of a paper under the above heading by Mr Marcus Clarke, which appeared in the Viotoria Review in November of last year ; a reply by tlie Bishop of Melbourne, published in the December number of tho Review ; and a letter to the Bishop by Mr Clarke, which was suppressed by the publishers of the Victorian Review. We may notice these papers further in a future issue.

Reported Sale of the Advocate. — Alluding to this subject, the journal principally concerned says : — " We notice in the Wanganui Herald, of the Sth inst., under the heading ' Special to tho Herald,' a maliciously-worded telegram, dated Marton, Sth March, stating that the present proprietor would abandon the management of it at the end of the current month. This statement is absolutely ■untrue in every particular, and is calculated, and was undoubtedly written with a view, to damage our interests. Wo are of opinion that tho little ability which the Herald's correspondent evidently possesses would be more profitably displayed in the pursuit of his own affairs ; and that his venom might be directed to better purpose than the diffusion of idle canards which owe their birth to the questionable gossip of the platform of a railway carriage."

The Dunedin Murder. — We take the following from the Morning Herald : — " The trial of the prisoner Butler for the Cumberland-street murders, and also for the oll'enees alleged against him, has been definitely fixed for next Thursday week. This postponement is the result of an ap plication made in the Supreme Court, and in the course of which the prisoner urged that in the present stato of the public mind, if the charges agaiust him were proceeded with, ho might not get a fair trial, lie asked for an adjournment for a month at least, and suggested three months. The Crown Prosecutor opposed the application, but had uo objection to a short delay to enable th'j prisoner to pre*« pare his defence. After consideration, his ilonur declined to grant the application, but told the prisoner that he could not take a day later than Thursday next. The prisoner at once replied—" Then, with your Honor's permission, I will take Thursday" (loth instant).

Phonetic Spelling — The Princeton Review has a very strong article on spelling reform from Prof. M ireh, of Lafayette College, Pennsylvania, which calls the attention of the etymological scholars to numerous words like that of tongue, which are spelled iv violation of their etymology or history, and he asks their assistance to have the older and more phonetic orthography restored. We name a few of his list : Island was formerly spelled Hand ; sovereign was spelled by Milton as sooran, as it should be; foreign was form, from the French forum , rhyme was earlier and better spelt rime; delight was delite ; glamour was (/lamer; scent was sent, French sentir, Latin sentire. The c should pc ejected as it throws the etymologists off the "scent" of the derivation. Whole was earlier spelled hole, like its kinsfolk hole, Ileal, holy, ; aghast was earlier aijast ; accurse was formerly spelt actn'se. Ajair is the French a fare; annoy was earlier anoi ; address was adress. Affirm, afix afront, agrieve, alegeance, apeaso, apraise, arears, asuage, atorney are further examples of words which have had an extra consonant fastened upon them in modern times. The olcl English and French spelling of dept was delte ; the 6 is a modern insertion ; doubt was formerly spelled doute; receipt had no/> in it in former times, nor had feign any g in it. Prof. March gives many other examples of words whose orthography has been corrupted, and he thinks such progress backward should be reversed.

Charges against a Volunteer Officer. — Tlie dismissal of Colonel St Hill from tlie command of the Tusmwiian A r oluntcers, is the result of some charges made against him by tlie Governor, but their nature does not appear to have been made public. In connection tliero with His Excellency has intimated to the Tasmanian Club that ho cannot be a visitor there if Colonel St Hill is allowed to remain a mom bei'. According to the Mercury, "Colonel St Hill has heen suspended iiy the Governor us Commander-in-Chief (an exercise of power that does not belong to the Governor), and has been asked 10, in person or in writing, answer, on a cetain day, to the Governor»in-Couu-cil, certain charges which have been mado agamst him by the Governor, who, it Mould thus seem, is to occupy the anomalous posilion of prosecutor, jury, and judge, of charges as well known to liis Excellency and Ministers when Colonel St Hill's salaiy was voled for six months, in .January last, a.s tliey no.v are, and fche resuscitation of which now is one of tho mysteries of high life." Colonel St Hill applied (oran extension of time to state his defence, and nl-.ii asked to be allowed the benefit of council to watch his interests, but both requests were refused by the Premier. Tlie Mercury goes on to say that the mode of piocedui'e and any question of time is hardly worth Colonel St Hill troubling himself about. His ruin is dc termined on. The Governor demands his dismissal from the service, and Ministers are His Excellency's moat obedieut humble servants-

Waste Lands. — The Tawhitoariki Block, purchased under the provisions of the Immigration and Public Works Acts, has been gazetted Waste Lands of the Crown. Tho following is a description of the land : — AU that piece of land at Mangawhero, in the District of Wanganui, in the Provincial District of Wellington, known by the name of Tawhitoariki, containing by admeasurement 2SSO acres, more or less. Bounded towards the Morth by the Makara Stream, 11,320 links ; towards the liast by Native land, 22, T50 links ; towards the South by Native iand, the Horowelca Stream, by Native land, the Maungahouhi Stream, and again by Native land, 14.657 links ; and towards the Wesl by the Mangawhero liiver, 32 040 links.

Wanganui Racing.— Commenting on remarks which have beeu made by Southern visitors regarding the excellence of the Wangauui course aud the complete--ness of the appointments, a Dunedin contemporary says—" I hope the Southern visitors' statements are true. If the Wanganui course is superior in its appointments to the Forbitry, it is not far from being the best in the colony. But perhaps the ' Southern visitors' were joking when they made their statements. lt is so (lilticiilt now-a-days to tell whon men say what they mean and when they are poking fun." On this the author of Sporting Notes in the Canterbury Times says the " remarks are perfectly true, and, notwithstanding the accompanying sarcastic comments thereon, 1 can fully endorse the statements of the Southern visitors, of whom I was one. The arrangements at Wanganui were very nearly perfect, and in advance not only of those at Dunedin, but even at Christchurch, and the racing was certainly the best I have seen in the colony. But I suppose it would be hopeless to try and make any Dunedinite believe that they could be i- ferior in anything to any other town iv the colony."

Mrs Hardinge Britm:n. — The Town and Country Journal has the following : — "Our old acquaintance Mrs Britten recently lectured in San Francisco on the end of the world. Her discourse, according to a Californian paper, waa 'a masterpiece of scholarship and eloquence.' As might have been expected, the inspired lady communicated some extraordinary facts in connection with the past history and future destinies of the human race, i'ho spirits have informed her that man has inhabited the earth for a period of not less than 90,000 years, and that now we are ou the eve of one of those great changes which, at regular intervals of GdOO yean, have taken place on the sur« face of our little orb. Moses, it would appear, was not, after all, 'a rank imposter,' but in some respects a perfectly veracious chronicler. There was such a person as IS r oah, who, with his family, escaped from a great Hood. It was, however, solely owing to liis profound knowledge of astronomy tnat the patriarch was saved from the general catastrophe. K o knew that certaiu alt.-rations in the ' polar axis' would inevitably be followed by a deluge, and he prudently constructed his ark. Another cycle of GUOO years has now very nearly expired, aud Airs Britten is specially commissioned to announce the alarming intelligence. Through the aid of the spirits she has traversed time and space, and become possessed of the long-lost' learning of the Egyptians.' That wise people had, it would seem, foretold the event which is now rapidly approaching. In one of the chambers of the Great Pyramid which, beiug deciphered, is found to represent the figures 1831 j, clearly indicating that about the middle o£ next year we may look for the fulfilment of the predictions of the ancient seers. By the way, this wouderlul inscription has not attracted the attention of any of the modern arclueologists or travellers who have explored the land of the Pharoahs. When the prophetess had ooneluded, another sister improved the occasion by giving a knocking seance, which, considering that the preliminary 'agony' had been piled so high, it is not surprising to learn, produced an immense sensation."