The Wanganui Chronicle PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. 'NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 1891.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11950, 27 March 1894, Page 2

The Wanganui Chronicle PATEA-RANGITIKEI ADVERTISER. 'NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 1891.

The Tiraaru Harbour Board have decided to ask Mr G. M. Barr, C.E., to gn c a report on the working of the new dredge when ready. Sergeant Villarß, we hear, is in much about the same condition as at our last enquiry, and it is hoped he will gradually progress towards recovery. Mr and Mrs A. J. Parsons left Wanganui on Saturday for a trip to the Australian colonieß. They do not expect to return for some six weeks or so. The Collegiate School annual sports were held yesterday and were, at* usual, a ■uccess, but owing to want of space we are unable to give the results in this issue. Those taking $m& in "Rip Van Winkle " are reminded of the full rehearsal at the Theatre this evening. All are requested to be ready to start at 7.30. A Palmerston North telegram states that Mr Frederick Ireland, of tne firm of Ireland and Co., merchants of that town, was found dead in bed on Sunday morning. The cuise of death is said to be heart disease. A Press Association telegram states Honry Todd, an employe of the Government Insurance Department, committed suicide at Waitati with a revolver. On a visiting card he wrote— " Cause, lovely woman , effect of broken promises ; epilogue, a thousand apologieß." Deceased was 30 years of age, and unmarried. He has no relatives in Dunedin, but has a brother residing in Wellington. A t the inquest, a verdict of suicide while in a etate of temporary insanity wn.3 returned The annual dinner of the Wanganui Collegiate School Old Boys' Association took place last night under the presidency of Mr W. Empson. There were about 40 present, and full justice was done to the recherche mow provided by Mr Kraus, the well-known caterer. The toasts wore 11 The Queen" (President), " The Association" (C. Owen), and "The School" (J. W. Swainson), the latter bping replied to by Mr Empspn, Dr. Saunders, and Mr Shields. An interesting programme of songs, recitations, and instrumental pieces was gone through, and the gathering broke up with the singing of " Auld Lang Syne." The services at all the churches on Easter Sunday were largely attended. At the Weslejan Church the Rev. Mr Hammond, of Patea, preached morning and evening. At St. Paul's Presbyterian Church the Rev. Mr Treadwell preached, and the Rev. Mr T. B. Maclean at Christ Church, where the services both morning and evening were fully choral. All the three services at St. Mary's Catholic Church were crowded, the 10.30 a.m. Mass being sung by theKev. Father Broussard, while the Very Rev. Father Kirk prenched. Tim music was Mozart's No. 1 Mass in C, sung by a full choir under the conductorship or Mr J. G. Woon. In the evening solemn Vespers were sung. The Cavalry Camp at Westmere broke up yesterday afternoon after three days' instructive work. Capt. Coleman was in command, with Capt. Loiuax as Adjutant, On Friday morning regimental drill was gone through, and the afternoon was devoted to skirmishing. On Saturday the Manawa'u MouDtod Kifles proceeded to Kai Iwi, whence they proceeded to attack the camp which was defended by the Alexandra and Hawera Mounted Kifles. Somo half-dozen of the defenders whilst reconnoitoring were taken prisoners, but the enemy being discovered in Symes' paddock, they were driven back by tho main body from the camp. In the afternoon the mop. fell in at 3 o'clock and did guard mounting. On Sunday morning Divine Service was held by the Rev. A. 0. Williams, and the latter pait of the day was devoted to regimental drill. Yesterday morning was devoted to dismounted duty, and the camp broke up in the afternoon. At the conclusion of the camp Capt. Coleman addressed tbe men, and expressed great satisfaction with the conduct of the camp and the work done. During the three days the canteen was under tho charge of Mrs J. Harle, of . Waitotara. and every satisfaction was given in this department. :

Scenes which occurred in Melbourne forty years ago are being re-enacted in connection with the gold rushes in Western Australia. Thnn the vessel which conveyed to the land of gold her full complement of treasure-seekers was hardly berthed when passengers, officers, crew, all joined in a rush ashore, and fortunate was that shipmaster who himself proof against the universal temptation, stood by his owners and retained command when he could not get hands enough to take the crafD away from the wharf; Some masters themselves deserted. The Sydney JVTorniDg Herald states that when the Waroonga left Premantle recently thare were twonty vessels reported to have been deserted by their crews and practically laid up. Another striking proof has recently been added to the already long list of incidents which make it certain that there is safety iv extreme speed on railways. The Great Western express, one of "the fastest trains in the kingdom, cnine upon the trunk of a tree 60ft long which had slid down from the embankment. A timid engine-driver, seeing such a formidable obstacle as a trunk st 6in in circumference before him, might have shut off steam and put on the brakes, when a catastrophe would have been inevitable. Fortunately they do not employ timid drivers on the Great Western, and the engine, at a Bpeed of 60 miles an hour, cut clean through the. trunk with no worse results than a slight jolting to thp passengers and some damage to the engine-guards and steam i pipe, Boswell has told us that Dr. Johnson, iv walking through the temple, was scrupulously careful at all times to touch every third post with his hand. A victim of the same kind of mania, but in a much greater degree, was presented at the last meeting of the Paris Society of Biology by a member, M.Magnan. A "degenerate arithomaniac "' is what the unfortunate man is called by the learned. He is the slave of the figure 3. In order to avert some terrible misfortune conjured up by his brain, he feels compelled at all times to group by series of threes all his acts, and all the things and events which concern him. If he lias a toothache, he goes and lias three teeth pulled out. The other day he purloined, at one of the open shops called bazaars, three cork-screws, and having pockoted them, he crossed three streets and threw the three corkscrews into the third sewer grating he came across. The 'acre' is the amount which a team of oxen were supposed to plough in a day. It corresponds to a German 1 morgen ' and the French ' journue.' It was fixed by the ordinance of Edwird I as a furlong in length and four poles in breadth. The ' furlong ' or ' furrowlong ' is the distance which a team of oxen can plough conveniently without stopping to rest. Oxen, ns we know, were driven, not with a whip, but with n goad or pole, the most convenient length for which was 16£ feet; and the ancient ploughman also used his pole or perch as a moasure by placing it at right angles to his first furrow, thus marking off the amount he had to plough, Hence our ' pole ' or ' perch ' of 16i feet, which at first sight seems a singular unit to have selected. This width U also convenient both for turning the plough and for sowing. Hence the most convenient unit of land for arable purposes was a furlong in length and a perch or pole in width. — Sir John Lubbock. The retiring President of the Wesleyan Conference, in the course of his address, said he would like to remark that as a body they very much lacked Christian principle. If a wet Sunday came along it affected the attendance, but on the following five Sunday the offertories were not made up ; in fact, the wet Sunday was looked upon as an opportunity to rob the minister, rob God, and rob all round. In respect to matters social he would like to mention that of temperance, for he believed the time had come when it was a case of hand to hand conflict between the high and holy privileges God had given to His people, and the desires and appetites of sensual nature, If they would be true to God and themsalves they must take up their Btand together, and at any cost sweep away the curse of intemperance.— (Applause.) The colony was looking more and more intently at the Methodist Church, and it was her duty to maintain the prestige of which she was proud. Some little excitement, the Christchurch Press relates, was caused at a hotel in South Canterbury on Sunday morning by a person, who, for a while, was under the impression he had lost nearly £200. As he was about to don his nether garments he put his hand in his trousers pocket and immediately became greatly excited, going so far as to accuse two lads of having taken his money, an imputation they very stoutly denied. The man's room mate quietened him after some little trouble and then they set to work to search the room, with the result that the bundle of money was found carefully hidden away under the head of the bed on which the man had slept. Though naturally pleased at the discovery of his money, he looked a bit crestfallen and had to admit having hidden the money away on retiring and to being under the impression on awakening that he had left it in his trousers pocket. Particulars are now to hand of the catastrophe at the temporary theatre at Ningpo^yhich seems to have/ been of a peculiarly distressing character. It appears that the .annual theatrical performance of the Ist of the 11th moon, in honour of the gods, was being given, according to Chinese custom, in a temple oh the Settlement, a two-storied building, and both storeys were filled, chiefly with women and children. The people were enjoying themselves generally, smoking, eating, chatting, and drinking tea. A boy among the crowd, who was smoking a cigarette, threw the lighted end away in a heap of straw at the foot of the staircase leading to the upper storey of tlie temple, The straw quickly blazed up, and igniting the staircase, prevented the people getting out. Four hundred persons were then in the building, and there was a general rush to escape. Some were trampled to death ; others Jumped out of the windows, and were either killed or so badly injured that they were unable to escape the flames; others passively awaited their fate, which was not long in overtaking them. . u ew, if any, appear to have escaped. In one family of the name of Li thirty persous were killed. Three of the actors also lost their lives. They had returned to fetch their clothing, when they were intercepted by the flames. A Hindoo, who has been visiting England, in a little work just published, entitled " England and India," gives some amusing and snggestive criticisms of English poople and English institutions. On arriving in London he found everything very different from what he had observed in Paris. "Everything has a rough exterior. In the streets you see people walking liko infatuated beings. In India they would consider you mad if you walked so fast, Every one has a look of substance, ruddy health, strong nerve, and iron frame about him." An English groom does the work of three Indians. ." You see two or three labourers moving a heavy load ; like mastiffs they cling to it, rough tug, with determination to conquer or die. Another thing that at once strikes a foreigner is their pluck, their great vigour of body, and their power of endurance. Taken at random 100 Englishmen would seem to ivoigh quite half as much again as 100 Indians, oven among the strongest races in India." Hero tho writor reflectively adds, " But for this India would not havo boon in tho hands of these matter-of-fact people." He admiros tho beauty of the English women, but thinks tho girls in tho lower strata of the middle class are far more attractive than those of tho aristocracy. The doarness of everything ' appals him. A pound in London goes no further than a rupee in India. " I would not care to live here without an income of a thousand a year, he emphatically remarks. Messrs Eandal and Jones, general storekeepers, of Guyton-street, desire to intimate that they have still a Jarga stock , of Crockery, Glassware, Brushwaro, <tc , ( to dispose of at greatly reduced prices, and that no reasonable offer will be re- , "v od,— -AdTt,