LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 11130, 16 February 1886, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Th n re was a clean s^c^L i*l the R.M. Court yesterday morning. Moonlight excursions to the sands are to form part of the Heads "Railway programme for this weak, and Thursday and Friday nights hive been decided upon for the outing. The eltered lime- table appears j elsewhere, the farea remaining aa usual. Volunteers will do well to remember the battalion parade called for to night at 7 o'clock. We have had the pleasure of sampling some refined honey sent to town by Mr McGrail, of Long Aero Valley. Th« I honey ia of the very boßt qualify, and should j command a good price and ready sale m any market. It is Mr McGrail's intention, we understand, to send a quantity to Kug. land, with the view of testing the Home demand. Ihe local lodge of Druids held a success* ful meeting last night in the Fira Brigade Hall, where a new member was duly initiated according to the peculiar rites of the order. The ÜBual amount of routi r e business was gone through. A balauc-j--sheet of tbe Friendly Societuu' New Year's Day fete was road, which Bhowed the amount of i redit coming to each lodge as £4>. The meeting concluded in union, peace, and concord. Tom Thumb, the wee mannikin now on view opposite the Prinoe3s Theatre in Ridg-way-streefe, continues to draw large and admiring crowds, who marvel at lii> diminutiveness and precocity. Ke w.ll be here for two days longer, and everyone should make a point of seeing and talking to him- For the special convenience of ladies and children the exhibition will be open from 2 till 5 o'clock. The numerous friends of the Young Women's Prayer Union will not need to be reminded of the annual social reunion which takes place tonight in the Wesleyan schoolroom at the rear of Trinity Church. A good tea, accompanied by pleasant EOcial intercourse, and followed by an excellent and varied programme for the after meeting, should be sufficient to ensure a very enjoyable evening to all "who may attend. Dr. Bell has given the requisite notice in the New Zealand Gazette that it is his intention to apply for registration aa a duly qualified medical practitioner, {under the provisions of " The Medical Practitioners Act, 1869," on the sth of March next. We understand that it is Dr Bell's intention to practice his profession in Wangauiii, A meeting was held last night to open tenders and further the arrangements in connection with the approaching meeting of the Now Zealand Rifle Association on the Ist March next. Six tenders were receired for carting, ranging from 2s lid (that of Mr S. Wright) the accepted tender, up to 4a per load. Mr Basb/ord was successful out of about a dozen tenderers for the trench digging, the amount quoted being much lower than had been calculated upon. Mr J. H. Jensen's offer of £55 for the canteen and catering was accepted, anil the agreement and conditions were signed upon the spot. Mr Jensen's was the most 'favourable but of five tenders. Mr P. D. Hog?, the 1 secretary, goes up to fche ground this morn* ing to set the contractors to work We learn from the committee that their operationa at Aramoho have been very much facilitated by the disposition shown by Mr John Walker, the owner of the ground, to assist them in every possible way. Mr Patrick Burr, of Thornhill, lef tby the Oreti fjr Auckland last night, with the intention of paying a visit to the Hot Lakes. We (Wellington Press) learn from a pri. vate cable message received by a gentleman of this city, that the action which the Hon. John Bryce has proceeded to England to carry through against Mr John Busden for libelling him, will come oa before the end of. the present month. It is therefore pro* bable that Mr Bryce will be on his return to New Zealand very shortly . The LoDdon correspondent of the Auckand Star, writing- under date of December 11th, says : —Froznn mutton has risen quite 2d per lb during the week. Btocks, too, are ] at last showing signs of reducing. There are still 80,000 carcases on the market, inn eluding 10,300 just arrived by the Tongariro and 25,000 from the Plate. The New Zea< j land beef, though also showing some signs of improvement, isnot so'firm as the mutton. Present quotations: — Canterbury mutton, 3s to 3s 4d } Auckland mutton, 2s 8d to 3s ; ET.Z. beef 3s : Melbourne mutton, none offering ; English, 33 6d to 4* lOd ; Scotch, 4s 8d to sa ; Du'ch, 3s 6d to 4s 4i ; j Eiver Plate, 2s 9d to 2j lOd. At the rectfnt sitting of fche Presbyterian General Assembly at Auckland a request j was received from Mr ft. H. Bartlett, the . well-known photographer of that city, that the members of the Assembly would give him a sitting in order to mate up a photographic shield for transmission to ttie Indian and Colonial Exhibition in London. The lequest w*s aceedad to but the Rev ; Mr (Sillies followed it up with a suggestion j that the good-looking fellows should ba picked out. We were shown last night by Mr G. J. Fergusson, the local manager of the New j Zealand Clothing Company, a very hand» some cup presented by thejfirm to tbe New Zealand R'fle Association for com* petition at the forthcoming meeting. An inquest was held at the Pier Hotel yasteday afternoon, before Mr Borlaae, j coroner, on the body of the little boy j Thomas, who was drowned in the river on Sunday evening. The following jury were I sworn ;— Messrs John Bennie, *John McLaren, John Fleet wood, Boswell R. Middleton, William Gifford, and Thomas John Nioholls, Mr Bennie was chosen foreman. John Nuttle, tinsmith, being examined stated that he was on the wharf at 7.30 o'clock on Sunday evening. BTe saw a boy standing up against a post of the wharf close to where the Oreti was moored. Saw him standing there for about 10 minutes. All at once he seemed to tumble right over. Immediatedly he (witness) ran down to tbe spot, hut could see no sign of the body coming to tbe surface. Mr Chavannes divested himself of his coat and vest, and jumped into the water, but could not find the body, as it did not rise above the water. Robert Leatherm, mate of tlie Oreti, stated that he was bel w, but heard a splash and ran on deck. When he heard it was a boy overboard he went on shoi'e to get the grappling irons and tried to recover the body with them. He then got a boat-hook and after a quarter of an hour succeeded ia finding the body. Every means was used by Captain Eobertson to resuscitate the body. Dr Connelly stated that he arrived on the scene about a quarter of an hour after the body was recovered, but life'wa* gone } tbe heart had ceased to beat. The jury returned a verdict of "accidental drowned j" We understand that despite the private reasons which induced Mr Carson to retire from the Education B.wd that gentleman intends to- offer himßelf to the committees for re-election. Under the auspices of the Wanganui Progress and Industrial Association, Pro* foasor Kirk will deliver a lecture on "Diseases of fruifc trees and their cores," at the Borough Council Chambers on Thursday oveiiipg next, at 8 o'clock. Admission wiJl be free, One of the Wanganui Rowing Club's crewß had the misfortune yesterday afterno in to run tlmr batswiag on to a floating lo» in tho river. The bow of the boat was slashed in by the collision and she had to be run ashore, At the session of the Presbyterian (Jcneral Assembly in Auckland, the report upon ministerial tenure of office brought iiphy \.hi> committee, seemed to fivour limiting tho period to six yenva. and urged fi:c ex'Tcipo by the presbytery of the power of p.eve<ing the pastnrial tie when the ends :<f Gasp A ministry wer<! not being served, but considered that the time was not ripe for Ifiiistation, and rec^mmendei the question in l)o handjd down to the Presbyteries and Ki>k sessions to report upon. After a large amount of discussion, it was agre 3 d to rec.'ivo ihe report, sn 1 request th.s committee to d aw up & fur'}ber repoit next

f Mr McElwain, of Campbell Place, announces in our advertising columns that he hp.B entered into possession of the Empire Hotel, and that it is his intention to carry on the stables with ■which he has been, so long associated in connection with the hotel. Mr McElwain's long residence in this district will doubtless be sufficient guarantee that the resident and travelling public will re" ceive every attention afc hrs hands Ihe Fielding Star complains of the delay in the transmission of Press tolegrams to and from Wellington, and suggests a meeting of newspaper proprietors to discuss the matter and memorialise the Minister at the head of the department. The expenditure on the Mew Plj mouth Public Hall for the last twelve months h»B been £4,26 Is lid, and the receipts only £350 Us 91 With the nlmoßt unanimous approval of the School Committee, Mr Fenn has accepted the responsibility of chartering the p s. Tuhua for a children's excursion trip up the river on Friday next. The details will doubtless be made known in due 1 course. At present we understand that the idea is to cojfine the picnic to those who attend the Boys' School, Aether with such of their parents as may be desirous of being present. On the following Friday a similar treat will be accorded the attendants at the Girls' School. We rather fancy that Mr Fenn hopes to serve a double purpose by Friday's trip — to giro an outing, which will be both healthful and educational in its character, and at the same time to secure a surplus with which to start a prize fund foi tho boys at the close of the year. As Mr Fenn has taken the matter up enthusiast* cally, and at, his own risk, he is to be commended for his pluck, arsd we trust tho pro« ject will meet with all the encouragement it deserves. A little hitch occurred yesterday afternoen, which made Mr Fenn somewhat, doubtful as to whether ho had better proceed with bis undertaking, but we unBtand that the trip has now been definitely determined upon, and the steamer engaged, and that ihe excursion will take place on Friday, as originally intended, This, says "Vanity Fair, is what they are saying in the city : — " Foreign securities are better, because Lord Salisbury remains in office. ■ Colonial securities are better, because Lord Derby now remains out of office." The obituary notice oF a Mra Burgess who died recently in Hobart, aged 87, con* tains the followi-g statement;: — " SKe was the only daughter of Pct a r McGuire, and arrived with her father and his regiment in New South Wales, 18C2. In 1806 they were taken with free people and other military pensioners from New South Walea to form the now settlement, viz.V, D I. " New York papers state that ifc is proposed to transfer Miss Dudley, who shot CDono 1 * van Bossa, to an. asylum for the criminal insane, as no English friends have come forward, and the doctors decline to certify that she is cured. He- counsel had informed her that her speady release was impossible ; thereupon she be^an a series of persistent attempts to commit suicide, which have necessitated an expenditure on the part of the authorities beyond tho resources of the present asylum. The prisoner has endeavoured to starce herself, to catch severe colds, to bleed herself to death, and so on. Her removal to England as an insane pauper is possible, aa some people think she was discharged from prison in England on the condition that ahe should come here. She still maintains her dislike of Eossa.

Journalism is to be reinforced by a new recruit. It is to be published at Ohambesburg, Pa., and to be called D-'atb. A jour* nal devoted to Suicide and Murde. There are other class journals but vro fear there i-j no room for this paper. All the dailies, with few exceptions, are at preaent demoted to suicJde, murder, and other crimes. That's their chief card, and they will hardly give up j the field in deference to a single competitor. — Catholic Mirror. Napier (says the Telegraph) is always neglected in the matter of mails. For about twelve months we receired our mails very promptly and punctually by New Plymouth, but for the last two or three months the Auckland officials have seen fit to forward our mails by way of the East Ooast, with the result that we received them about the same time as Invercargill and a little later than Dunediu. One of the speakers at the Anglican Synod ia Auckland, in the course of a discussion on the education question, said he noticed ia the examination papers of the Auckland Grirh' High School that the girls there were being taught geometry, trigono* metry, algebra, etc. If he were a young man he would very much prefer a young woman who could wash his clothes and cook hid dinner to one who could only tell him what the binomial theory was and not do household duties'. A prominent official of a Western State wrote : - " I regret that I will be unable to be present in pc son at your convention, but be assured that I am with you in spirit, and j am prepared to heartily endorse whatever conclusions the convention may arrive at, ; feeling assured that the best and bravest Irishmen will be there to deliberate, and that they will not endorse any miV and water policy. It is evident now that the Irish beople want no talking machines. For my own part I want to see London in ashes. Burn it any co3t, and continue burning the large cities until she sur* renders." The belles of Teddo have taken to order" ing their dresses from Paria, false fronts are coming into fashion, a riding school has been established, and bustles are becoming conspicuous. Japanese fathers and husbands may yet have reason, to regret haying opened their gates to outside bar* barians. The following sfcory in connection with the English elections is worth repeating -. - Having voted for the Radical, a rustic began to inquire where his new property lay, and was referred to a neighbouring lawyer, with a sense of humour. The man made known his request — he had one acre at the back of his cottage, and should like three more in an adjoining field, belonging to a neighbour. The lawyer smiled, and reached down a plan of the estate, showing the rustic's cottage. " Let me see," says the lawyer, " your land is here, I suppose, and you want three acrea here ?" " Well, I doan't understand them drawing*, but I wants them three acres at the back of my house." "Yes, quite so; they must be here. I'll ccc if it can be arranged." Shortly a f ter he met the lawyer. " Very ] Forry," said the lit tar : "afraid that little job of jours can't lie managed. You are a little late, you see ; one of your neighbours has taken his three acres there, and has ' included your acre in his selection." "My acre," said the rustic.; "but what has he got to do wi' my acre?" "Oh," said the lawyer, " You fee the man has just as much right to your land as you hare to another man's" In the cour.-e of a leading article, the Wellington Press says: — We heard only a day or two ago of one investment of £11 3,000 which had been thug trans r erre , and the reason given for it was that the investors were afraid that there was going to be another ten n illion loan and that after that there would be a crash.^This is an opinion which is widely entertain «d in Australia and in England ; and we regret to say it ia only too well warranted. It is precisely aa we have pointed out again and again. The mere fact of Sir Julius To^el being in office, ana propoundiag eu^h a policy with all the authority of the Colonial Treasurer, constitutes a real mischief and a real danger to the colony. People at a distance cannot be expected t>"be acquainted wi'h (he intricacies of our pirty politics or the refinements of a political system by which Ministers are kept in while their measures are kept out.