LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 11131, 18 February 1886, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At the Keeident MagLL^Lo'i. Court yesterday, before I?.. Ward, Esq., B M., Peter Petereen w:is fined ss, in default 24 hours imprisonment, for being found drunk in a public place on the 16th inst. Members of Friendly Societies who have been in the bluca over the prospect of their funds boiug made liable for the payment of properly tax, will be relieved to learn thut the notices issued by the department are for rating purposes only, uv.d that it is not intended to enforce payment of the tax from the societies. Anunkerbed footpath, which waa formed some tinio ugo at the upper end of Wilsonstreet, is boing completely cut up by wheoled traffic, which, according to the by* law, should be conflued to the road-, way. , Every year the City lathers discuss over I again their duties and responsibilities in relationjto the vaiuaiions,and mate reference to the practioe observed years ago, when tha couucU met on a fired day, heard objections, and effected compromises th^t satisfied" all parties. There seems, however, so be some misapprehension existing as to the former practice. What the council really did waa to meet and consider ob^ jections, nnd instruct the valuator not to press in tho court for the original valuation whero the objections seemed to be legitimate and roasonable. The Hon. Mr Balkuco intends to give the Houtherners a taste of his qua'ity on the Btuinp. He speaks at Lawrence to-rright. Befor.'J daybreak on Sunday morning last a M.r and Mrs Sbirloj, of New Plymouth, got a bit of a scare, by a man marching into their bedroom attired in nothing but the single garment in which he had slept. The intruder was secured and afterwards clothed, and inquiri '8 were mado concerning him, when it was. found that he was a hospital patient who had been Buffering from sunstroke, and who, becoming violent during the night, had effected his .escape by forcible means, knocking down one of the attendants in his struggle for freedom. Eluding all who gave chase after him, he effected an entrance into Mr Shirlev's house, and was secured as above described. On being questioned, he said that he felt as if he were going mad from a pain in the head. The World of a recent recont date says : — The Duke of Edinburgh's long period of suspense has at last anded.for he has mcoivf d a private intimation from Lord Gf-eorge Hamilton (authoriaed by Lord 'Salisbury) that the obstacles to his appaiatinent as Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean have disappeared, and he will bo gazefc el as Lord John Hay's successor in a few days, and w.ll go out to Malta as soon as hie arrangements can be completed. The Duke had already settled the most important details in confident anticipation of his obtaining the post for which he has always been so anxious Captain John Fellowes is to be Flag-captain, and Mr H. Bioard Secretary, while Lieutenants Elwin and Startin, of the Minatour, have also been selected to accompany the Duke. The Surprise is to be commissioned as tender to his flagship, and she will probably be commanded by Commander Le Strange. The Ducbess of Edinburgh is to accompany her husband to Malta, and she will reside abroad during his term of command. Eaatwell Park will probably be given up. Prince Alfred is to bs with his father on board the flagship for several months in each year. Prince George of Wales is to ba appointed to some ship on the Mediterranean station, probably the Colossus, which is to go out in March to relieve the Neptune . Messrs FreeniaD E. Jackson aad Co. had a yory successful sale yesterday. For the Canterbury rams there was spirited com-* petition, the prices realised reaching as high as twenty guineas, Mr Jackson's sale report will appear to-morrow. Professor Kirk, of the Q-overnmsnt Forestry Department, who has mado the subject one of special research and investi* gation, has, at the request of the Wanganui Progress and Industrial Association, con>* sented to. deliver a lecture in the Borough Council Chambers to-night on the U -Di3» eases of fruit trees, and their ourea." The lecture will commence at 8 o'clock, and admission will be free. Aa the subject is of very considerable interest to this district, we hope to Bee a large attendance. The Tiihua will leave at 8 o'clock precisly to-morrow morning on the Boys School excursion trip. The boys will assemble at the wharf, Wo have beea requested to mention that the teachers will be pleased to "receive contributions of fruit, &c, from any who may fesl inclined to add to the pleasures of the picnic. The B >rough Council having declined t«> contribute to the cost of maintaining the signal station at Durietown, it will be abandoned, unless the business portion of the- community see fit to add it to the special burdens which they are expected to carry. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the Juno Dramatic Company will b 9 defamed here longer than as anticipated, and the management have therefore decided to play two extra nights — Friday and Satu 1 *- j day — the former of which they have set apart for the benefit of Mr Wilson Forbes, ! one of their leading membsrß. Mr Forbes, ' who is an old Pivssman, has been devot6d I to his present profession for upwards of 12 years, during which time he has succeeded in reaching the front rank of dramatic artistes. . He has chosen, that powerful and emotional drama "East Lynne " for his piece de resistance, and this is to be followed' by a screaming farce, entitled " B, 8.," whioh terminates with an extravagantly* burlesqued glove -fight between Mr J, J, Kennedy, a celebrated chicken, and Mr' Forbes, a champion gentleman amateur. From this bill of fare the beneficiare should reap a golden harvest. Sir William Fox is investing in Wellington City property. A few days ago he pur*, chased Mr Tustin's place in Wiilis-street for £4300, which is considered a fair price, although it is said that £7000 cash was refused for it some time ago. ! Mr Matthew Burnett, the famous temperance reformer, arrived by the riotoma* hana at the Bluff on Tuesday last, to commence hiß second year's mission in New Zealand. ' I The Hawke's Bay Herald profe3soa to have ex"ieHent authority for saying "that bhorewill.be i*o diesohu.ion before Parliament meets." The same paper wishes to know whether the Q-overuor has been judiciously aounded, and found Co be unfavourable. A question was raijod at a meeting of the Heads Eailway directors on Monday last, with regard to interest accruing to certain of the directors' for beoomiug guarantors lor a bank overdraft, the directors in question being at the s*nie time secured by debentures heid by them in addition to a mortgage over the cjinpany's assete. 'Ihree of tho directors stated that until iust recently they had not been aware that any such arrangement had over been entered into, and expressed the opiaioji thai it was utterly impossible (hat the company coiild go on, paying double interest for the same advance, tirst to the bank aacl then to the guarantors. In answer to tho plea of ignorance of any such arrangement, the chairmam luid upon tha table the printed r.port of last year, in which the arrangement was fully sofc iovth, iiud w^ich report had been unanimously adopted by the tharehoiders at, the annual meeting, it was further pointed out that the guarantors had very v©lucl:iutly accepted the posi^ j tion,from whioh the other directors shrank a.'id that, it was only by their doing so that the company waa saved from going iato liquidation- The ehuiim.ui (Mr Hutchison) srti'i that so far from the guarantors being en.unom.vd of (heir position, or wishi:;i; io gain any special advantage from their cuuiiucLiou with the company, ihey would bo i^ud to bo relieved, and would willingly forego tho ttccutbulated interest (some £4lO), which ha.l ba^n funded i'vow. the first, and hu'l i/cvcc been drawn by them .KventimUy v couiiiiittef, consisting of Meserd Hutchison, caije.Mif , «,nd (j.».rson waa appointed to draw up a lepo t oa the question, for presentation {,-> the annual meeting of shareholders noxt liioutlv

At the meeting of the Presbyterian General Assembly in Auckland the Bey. J, M. Killen said they had afc present aomo minia« ters whose educational status was not higher than that of the fifth standard in the public sohooJs. An -American exchange says :— " Among the measures likely to engage' the attention of Congress at the coming session is a national bankrupt law. A bill is promised early in tho session, and it is probable that come sort of an act will be passed to meet the manifest wauts of the country. The New Yos-k Chamber of Commerce has endorsed tho Lowell Bill, which has already been before Congress and is admittedly » fair one, but that or any other will meet with more or less opposition. A number of New York i[ry goods firrna are opposed to any law whatever, their former experiences with bankruptcy acts having taught them that unscrupulous debtors wero able to practice fraud and deception, but a large majority of the trade favour a bill of some Sand." Referring to a stiff sentence recently passed upon some Auckland larrikins, the Bell says : —The city has been so long infested with gangrf of incorrigible;* that it ia wally a relief to have these wretched crea» tur6s put under such legal restraint as will in some measure supprese their mischievous actions In certain parts cf the town where the larrikins usually congregate, re 1 * apftctable people, especially ladies, are so outrageously insulted by (he oaths and filthy landings used by these hoodlums that it is exceedingly annoying to them to p*S3 such places, and*th« sooner tho3e gangs of juvenile avi' -doers are broken up tho bettor. It ia gratifying that there is now& general determination on the part of the administrators of tho law to deal with them according to their deserts. Some additional particulars of the tragedy at.'Cobwg, Victoria, are given in the telei grama published in the t£<>bart Mercury. It appears that Charles Hampton, a Pentridge warder of 23 years' standing, reaiding with hia wife and family of four grownup daughters aud three sons at Louisa-street, Coburgj was rousad abont midnight by hie eldest oon, aged about 25, who had been awakered by cries of pain coming from the room where his mother slept with three daughters - two agod about 25 and 21, and tho other about nine. The father knocked at the door, and after a threat that he would break it opon, the mother answered that the noise had been caused by the child being ill. The man retired ugaia to reßt, but next morcing about 6 o'clook the two elder daughter* were discovered lying dangerously wounded, and the child rolled up ia a blanket with its head nearly severed from the body. The mother was arrested. The survivors were making eatiefft tory progress. The youngest daughter has made a statement to the doctors and detectives. She says there was som.9 soci-sty or other endeavouring to influence them in order to make them go to the bad, and their mother asked them which they would choose — d™th or a bad life, and they concluded to accept death. They agreed to put an end to dne another, and they asked tfod if they 1 were doing as he wished, and they were answered by peals of thunder and shakiug of the windows, which they considered to be in the affirmative. There was a gieat storm, an 1 they thought they heard poople outside trjing to break in upon them, aud they set to work to kill eaon other by cutting each others' arms, and decided upon killing the youngest child first. X'he girl says slie fainted at thisstago of the murder, but soon afterwards recovered, aaa exclaimed, " It was G-cd's will that she should not do it." The lao&er waited to see the others die j lut meanwhile daylight broke in upon them, and the eld ;st eon was com-' j municated with by one of the girls. The operations of journalism go on in most countries irrespective of times aud seasons, and with a scornful disregard of holidays. Not so with some Indian contemporaries, however. Thus we read in a Calcutta paper, of October ll:—"7 :— " With the consent of our readers we propose taking our annual holiday of a forbuight. The whole country now enjoys resp.te from labour, and we are sure our readers will not grudge us our annual holiday during this season of rest and relaxation. The next iasue of our piper will accordingly appear on Saturday, .November 7." Mr Gordon. Jfovlong, who l'econfcly des livured a lecture at New Plymouth, has supplied the Tar-anaki News with a Jisb of books that he says "farmers and men 'up country,' as it ia called, ought to show — books throwing light upon recent discoveries, and throwing still greater light upon Bible questions aud scripture papers," The following are the books referred to : — ".Natural Law in the Spiritual World," by Professor Brunimond, F.B.S. Any ordinarily intelligent young l*dy can appreciate this book, although ib is to every j scientific man a. new line of thought. Its price, I faucy.is about 8s "The Origin of the World," by Professor Dawson, F.K.S., F.GhS., and a leading, if not really the j leading American Geologist. Hislop's "Two Babylona" although not hy any means ane^ book, is a book little known in New Zealand ; aud it supplies an exs tvaordinary amount of iaformation, only to be found in the British Museum. "His^ tory of the lleformation," by Dr Wylie, two large volumes of most interesting history, full of very fine illustrations, written also in a clear, vigorous style. "Life of St Stephen Grillet, by "Guef" This is a re rnarkable book. The price of this book is only about 4* or ss, I should say. "Worthies of Science," by Dr Btaugh> ton— a most interesting sketch of some of the. Fathers of Science, giving to us also their private religious opinion* gathered from their writings. Price, about ss, I fancy in England, All tha books I have mentioned cou'd coma out; easily by "book post" except Dr Wylie's History, but by "steam packet parcel" if; would not cost muoh, and it is on<3 that all families ought fco have. I am, &c, Gordon Forlono It would appear (says the Auckland Herald) that there is now a disposition on the part of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, as clearly indicated by the Moderator's address on Tuesday ovening, to avail itself of lay preaching as much as possible, in order to overtake church work in sparsely populated parta of the colony, which are unable, from lack of funds, to secure the regular services of a minister. In the province of Otago and Southland, as well as in other districts, the evangelical and energetic services of Mr Wright, elder, have bean attended with admitted success of late years, and there are many other laymen whose hboura would, no doubt, be equally serviceable in the good cause. The Anglican Synod has just made provision for establishing lay agencies in the respective diocese* of the colony, as auxiliaries to tho ministrations of the clergy, Bishop %le, of Liverpool, who is no mean authority iv this matter, is greitly ia favour of lay-preaching, and ha 3 repeatedly written on the subject in some of che Home religious periodicals.