LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11433, 14 January 1892, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The St. Andrew Kilwinning Lodge ments to-night at 8 o'clock. The following additional handicaps have been declared for the Caledonian Society's Sports ; — Half Mile, W. Mooseman, 20yds; 100 Yards, J. Glasgow, 6yds. * The Warrengate races will be held today. The meeting is always a favourite one, and if the weather is suitable the attendance this year promises to be large. ;A special rehearsal of " The Sorcerer " will be held in the Christ Church Schooli room this (Thursday) evening, at 7.30 o'clock sharp. All taking part are requested to attend punctually as both acts will be gone through. The Wanganui Jockey Club has removed the disqulification imposed on all horses, owners, trainers, and jockeys who took part in the Castlecliff Races, and they will therefore be eligible to take part in the races at Warrengate to-day. The Selection Committee of the Union Boat Club have chosen Messrs T. O'Shannessy, M. O'Hallaron, A. Gray, and P. Keegan to represent the club at the Nelson Jubilee Regatta. The crew will row in the Maiden, Junior outrigger, and Ladies' Plate. A largo number of people availed themselves of the opportuiity of making a trip up the river on the Wairere by moonlight. The night was eminently suited for the purpose, and the visitors who were among the passengers saw the river in one of its prettiest aspects. The boat was to leave for Castlecliff at 7,15 to-night, but her departure will be delayed until 7.30 o'clock A horse fell into the river yesterday whilst feeding on the bank just' above Messrs Williams and Garner's brewery. It was first noticed by two boys, who drew the attention of Sergeant Lyons to its dangerous position. ■• Several. obstructions were soon removed out : of the animal's way, and. it was enabled to swim to another place and regain the bank. Its owner has not yet been discovered.

Early yesterday morning, Constable Grey, of the Auckland City Police Force, rescued a lad named Taylor from drowning. The boy, who had landed at Queensstreet Wharf from the steamer lona, missed his way in the darkness and fell into the harbour. He would have perished had not tho constable jumped in and supported him until further help came.

Admon Chapman, of Borman's Hill, Onehunga, committed suicide at 1.30 a.m. yesterday. He got a single-barrelled rifle, and attached a strap to the trigger of the gun and to his foot. The neighbours heard two shots at an interval of 10 minutes, which iB somewhat singular. The deceased was found fully dressed, sitting in a chair. He was a man of independent means, about 50 years of age and married.

The Castlecliff Railway Company have decided to ran a moonlight excursion to the Heads to-morrow night. The train will leave town a% 7.30 o'clock and return from Castlecliff at 10 o'clock. Captain Gasson of the Lochnagar has kindly thrown open his vessel for the occasion, and as the Town Band will be present it is intended to clear a space for dancing on the deck of the barque. Friday promises to be a gay night for Caatlecliff.

A thief who has made himself somewhat prominent of late is being anxiously inquired after. Hens and chickens have evidently ceased to attract the profession, the members of which are now turning their attention to other things. In one case a parcel having been delivered at one of our best-known hotels, in error, was promptly carried away before the boy who left it had discovered his mistake. Much annoyance is caused by these paltry thefts, and if one o£ the marauders should find himself before the Justices some morning be may be made to recognised it.

A rare fish 'has just been stranded on the beach at Waikanae. It was secured by Mr J. A. Field, who kindly forwarded it by train yesterday to Mr Drew to bo added to his valuable collection. It is the Pacific species of Tunny, and is about four feet three inches long, weighing nearly a hundred-weight. Its colour on the back is deep steel blue, on the belly it is silvery. The fiulets, of which there are 19, are bright yellow. This fish is only represented in the Colonial Museum by a skull which was found many years ago near the same place. Mr Drew also received yesterday a large specimen of Hippocampus Abdominalis, commonly known as the sea-horse. This fish was caught in a net on Tuesday at the mouth of the Turakina River by Mr Thomas Eley. It is most unusual to find the seahorse in shallow waters. It is occasionally brought up from the lower depths of the sea on anchor chains.

Inquiry is made in Lloyd's Weekly for the following : — Thomas and Ann Wood went to New Zealand 30 years ago, and 15 years since lived in Leeds-street, Wellington, Now Zealand; brother John. Mrs William Quirfton (Maud Hamilton) went to Wellington, New Zealand, about 1882, and after livitog with Mrs Wilcox's, on the Terrace, married, and kept a bonrdingliousej hor mother lonps for news. Robert Randall went to New Zealan d from London about 35 years ago, and last wroto in 1878 from P. 0., Cromwell, Otago, New Zealand ; brother Frederick. Harry, William, Arthur, and Alfred Hoyes, of Leo, are desired to communicate with their father aDd sister Ann ; Harry is believed to be at Christeburch, !New Zealand) William a cattle dealer in Amorica j Arthur left Hackney in 1880; Alfred has not been heard of for five years. Joseph Nack (or "or Nook "), cabinetmaker, 23 years back was last heard of ; lie is believed to be in New Zealand ; mother and sisters seek news. Mrs Pernell (Lucas) about six years ago wrote from Dunedin, New Zealand, to her sister, Mrs Smith, at Brisbane, saying that she intended coming to her thevej her aged father and brother inquire. Epenetus (?) John Arnold, accompanied by his wife, went to New Zealand in 1871; liis mother tiu'l sister await tidings.

The nominations for tho Brunswick Sports should be in the hands of the Secretary by the 23rd inst.

On Friday last, 84 deaths were reported in Rome from influenza, 90 in Milan, and 66 in Turin.

Tho Hon. Mr Cadman, Native Minister, addressed his constituents at the Thames last night, and received a unanimous vote of thanks and confidence.

A late cable states that Mr Wells, the Londoner, whose winnings at Monte Carlo recently attracted'so much attention, is again at the tables playing, but this time he has been a continual loser.

The following players have been selected to represent the Wanganui Cricket Club in tho match against the team of footballers on Saturday next : — W. B. Cave, S. Powell, F. C. Skipwith, F. G. Shields, A, N. Cave, H. B. Cave, J. M. Marshall, A. D'Arcy, Beatie, F. Parkes and R. Murdoch. The majority of the remission certifi- \ cates sactionod for the Wellington district under the Naval and Military Settlers nnd Volunteers' Act, can now be obtained on application at the , District Land and Survey Officer, Wellington. Claimants living out of Wellington, can have their certificates sent to them at the nearest Post Office on application to the Commissioner of Crown Lands. When applying for tbeir certificates to be forwarded by post claimants should state to what local Post Office they desire them to be sent. A Marton telegram, received yesterday, states that in the coach accident (particulars of which we published in our last issue) the driver, Jim Hume, received a wound in the head and had three ribs broken, and Mr Hudscn, dentist, is suffering from a dislocated elbow. Mr Warren, as' we stated before had one rib broten and received a bad abrasion near the knee. The four injured parties were occupying box seats, .'and the rest were uninjured. The driver is exonerated from all blame ; he had a good grip of the reins at the time, and it was impossible to prevent the accident. We have been requested to intimate that at the Rev. W. J. Mayer's address on behalf of tb.e Barnardo Homes, at St. Paul's Church on Sunday afternoon next, the body of the church will be occupied by Sunday School children and their teachers, the galleries being reserved for adults. • The service will commence at 3 o'clock. Some of the Sunday Schools have what they call " Silver Sundays "• for foreign missions. If the children will only appoint next Sunday afternoon as a "Silver Sunday" for the benefit of the Barnardo Homes, the funds of the institution may be expected to be augmented by a large collection. A meeting of the Presbytery was held in, St. Paul's Hall yesterday, commencing at noon. Present — Revs. J. Duncan (Moderator), J. Doull, J. Wright," J. Troadwell, — McLennan, T. Macdonald, and— Macdonald (New Plymouth). In addition to routine business, preparatory to tbe meeting of the General Assembly in Auckland, on the second Tuesday in February, it was resolved to apply to the Assembly for the re-admission of the Rev. T. Macdonald to the ministry, and, that being granted, arrangements for his induction again to the charge at Waverley were made, the arrangements being that the Rev. J. Tieadwell should moderate in a call on the first Wednesday in March, and that the Presbytery should meet at Waverley for the induction of Mr Macdonald on the third Wednesday of that month. During the meeting a telegram was handed in from the Christchurch Presbytery to the effect that a call from the Lincoln and Prebbleton congregation to the Roy. A. M. Wright, of Palmerston North, bad been sustained by them, and a meeting was appointed to be held at Palmerston on Tuesday next, at 12 o'clock 1 , to consider and dispose of it. It is understood that Mr Wright will accept the call, and be at once translated to the charge calling him. The Revs. J. Doull, D. Gordon, R. McGregor, and J. Treadwell were appointed Commissioners to the Assembly at its next meeting. The Presbytery .then went into committee to consider matters connected with the Maori Mission, and the Sabbath Schools of the Church. .It is was, among other things, resolved to recommend that the salary of Mr Fletcher, Maori Missionary, of Rangitikei, should be increased. The reports to be laid before, the Assembly were adopted.

The following particulars concerning Captain, F. J. Fox, R. A. who Las been selected by the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Wolseley as commandant of the forces in New Zealand, will be of interest ; He began his service abroad in India early in 1877. Captain Fox served in Burmah and Afghanistan in both the heavy and mounted artillery, saw some hard fighting and was orderly officer to General Brooke, who was killed at Kandahar, He was aide-de-comp for several months to the general officer commanding the Hyderabad Subsidiary Force. Quitting India at the end of 1880, Captain Fox reached Natal in time to be on hand during the troublous period of tho Boer war. In South Africa he saw service in the field artillery. In January of 1881 he went to England, and spent nearly five years serving in garrison and horse artillery at home. From May, 1882, to March 1883, he. was adjutant of Division Garrison Artillery, and from March ; 1883, to October, 1834 was in the Royal Horse Artillery. Cifl the lsst mentioned date he became aide-de-camp again, this time to the general officer commanding the south eastern district. This position, however, was soon exchanged for a somewhat more stirring scene, for the beginning of the following year, found him at Suakim, on the Red Sea, actively engaged in the mountain battery there. His Suakim work over, Captain Fox returned to the garrison artillery in England, where he served to the present date. It was during the period subsequent to his Egyptian campaigning that he was fortunate enough to secure the very useful experi-arite-svhich falls to the lot of an A. D. C, to the Inspector-General of Artillery. He gained that post in 1886, and held it for nearly three years. During this period our commandant accompanied the, Inspector-General as his staff officer on inspection tours to Gibraltar, Malta, Canada, the West Indies, aud Bermuda. Through holding a captain's rank when appointed, he is one of the senior captains of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. It is therefore quite possible that he will have attained his majority before he reaches New Zealand. Captain Fox is coming to the colony by the P. and O. route, and may be expected in the colony, early in the year.

Tho recent stabbing affray in Napier has had the effect of arousing tho residents of tlie the town to the necessity of taking some measures to stem the growing evil of intemperance. A public meeting was hold in the Athenaeum, tho Bishop of Waiapu presiding. The proceeding were characterised by the utmost enthusiam and unanimity of opinion. The following resolutions were carried : — "That in the opinion of this meeting, seeinur that the effect of the consumption of" spirituous liquors is so disastrous, tho thno has arrived when moro decided measures should be adopted to control the liquor traffic, and that representations be made to tho Government to induce them to appoint an officer under tho adulteration cla\;ses of the Licensing Act, with power to teat liquors and prosecute offenders." "That seeing tho rapid growth of the drink traffic in the community, and the evil effects caused thereby this meeting resolves that it is imperative that some steps be taken to counteract the evil," "That it bo a request from this meeting to the clergy of the district to enlarge' upon the ovilsof intemperanco from their places in tho pulpit." "That a committeo bo formod to devise ways and means of compelling an "observance of the licensing laws by those persons holding licenses, such committee to. report to a general meeting to be held at a future date." "That this meeting pledges itself to uso every legitimate endeavour to remove tho drink curse from the district, and with tliia object in view forms itself into the Napier Temperance Society, and that a meeting be held this day fortnight for enrolling members, electing officers, and receiving the report of the committeo appointed to consider the licensing question." "That it io desirable that a temperance hotel or club be formed, to be called' The Station-hands' Club,' to be conducted btricly on tho total abstinence principles, and that to this end appeals for support be made to the sheepfarmers of tho district."

Between fnonds no present is moro valued than a good Photograph, taken at Mautin'b Studio, Wanganui,

. When at Kumara the Governor received a flattering reception, but' the Mayor in proposing his health warned the Governor of the dangers of the southern rivers, saying 95 per cent, of the inscriptions on the tombstones in southern cemeteries showed they were erected to lives lost by drowning. The Governor in replying created roars of laughter by saying that the geographical position of Kumara certainly rendered it necessary for him to flr6t visit it, and he hoped Greymouth and Hokitika would take note of the remark. He had nowhere had such a cordial reception as at Kumara, where pleasing reference had been made as to tho chances of his occupying a southern cemetery. (lioud Laughter ) He was used, however, to the terrors of the south, and when he had the burly Minister of Mines to hang on to he would feel quite safe.

The San Francisco Chronicle of November 27th contains the following :— F. B. Webb, who for five years has held the position of United States Vice-Consul at Auckland, New Zealand, arrived from the antipodes yesterday. He has resigned his position in New Zealand, and conies to California to take up his residence here. " This year." he said, " New Zealand will export 3,000,000 sheep, the carcases being first frozen and then sent around the Horn to England in vessels with refrigerator compartments to preserve the meat at the proper temperature. Sheep raising is the principal industry of the country, and there are about 18,000,000 sheep grazing there now. Another industry, perhaps next to sheep raising, is gathering kauri gum, which exudes from kauri trees, and furnishes employment for upwards of 9000 persons, who dig for it at the roots of the trees. The gum has been accumulating for ages, and is usually found in a semifossilized state. It is used in . the manufacture of varnishes, and the greater proportion is sent to New 'Sork. During the last twenty-five years over 150,000 tons of ifc have been shipped away, about 70 per cent, going to New York. New Zealand is a great country for flowers and fruits, although there is not much of a market for the latter. I saw 400 varieties of apples exhibited at one horticultural show. No rich funds have been reported of late from the gold mines, but they are being steadily and profitably worked. The" total export from them has been £54,000,000 sterling."

A Correspondent of the "Manchester Courier "at Cape Town, writing under date of October 15th, says : — The steamer Limpopo has just brought to Durban about seventy men, including a dozen minors, from jstashonaland. They give anything but a rosy account of the new country, for which such a great future has been predicted. John Hickey, for instance, a miner of very many years evperience in Kimberley, Johannesburg, and other places, states that he went to Mashonaland by the pioneer route and occupied six months and a half an the journey, during which he had four attacks of fever. After passing the TXnanctoi, there was not a halting place at which could not be seen groups of graves, the resting place of those who had fallen by the way. At the Lundfi there was a big graveyard, scores having died and been buried there, for right up to the Tuki the swamp is rotten and deadly. Graveyards and swamps alternate between Fort Charter and Fort Salisbury, but the latter place is high and healthy, though difficult of across. Hickey describes the country from a miner's point of view, and sums up his conclusions in these words : — 'Mashonaland is bad. There is nothing to be got out of it.' Hickey has two blocks of ground at Mazoe which carry sdwts. to the ton, about as good ground, he says, as can begot there. He would not, however, give five shillings for the lot, and in fact has now abandoned it. As to sending out emigrants to Mashonaland, Hickey says : — 'No white people can live in it, and no cattle, because of swamps, heat and fever. The country is a fraud. 'Iwant the truth to be kuown, that people may not throw away their money and be made to suffer.'

An Aucjdander who has been endeavouring for the last two years to niake a position for himself in the,,back country of Queonsland, paints thepicture of his life in no very roseate hues. 'Writing' to his father, ho states : — '< We hjs.ve had no rain for seven months. is all dried up, with the. ewepwiT<fiSSf?Bw~ deep muddy holes -where wei-obtain our drinking water. The water is so bad that when we get it into the house, we let.it stand for a while, and then put alum in it to cloar it. The water is then supposed to be- fit for drinking purposes. Thi3 last week the thermometer has been up to 114 in the shade. J am drinking water all day, and as fast as I drink it, it comes out in perspiration, and then I feel just as thirsty as I did before. Then further, we have no butter, very little milk, although I obtain a pist of goat's milk overy day, for which I pay lOd, and then I only get it as as a very great favour. Egjrs are very scarco, and we pay 4s a dozen for them. Vegetables of all sorts are very nearly over, and we shall have to fall back op preserved potatoes. Bread dries up immediately it is baked, and meat will not keep unless cooked immediately it is killed. Everything we obtain from Sydney or Brisbane costs jBIG 16s per ton for freight. Salt is here 3d per lbj sugar, 6d and sdj potatoes, 25s per cwt : flour 25s per 1001 b j oats 10s 6d per bushel ; and so on. The houses here are all like little ovens — both sides and roof being built of corrugated iron.The place is only fit for a black fellow to live in.^and lam sure I myself would rather live on bread and water than go through another summer here. I hope soon to leave here and return to Auckland. I like the New Zealand climate very much, and it is the best colony in the Australasian group."