LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 3121, 11 February 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Suez Mail closes on Monday morning next at eleven o'clock. Anniveksaby Seevioe. — Two sermons will be preached in tho Methodist Church, Webb street, to-morrow, by tho Rev. W. J. Dean late of Auckland, at half-paßt two and at halfpaafc air o'clock. Flax — One of the finest-looking sample3 of drcpsod flax that we have ever seen in Buch quantity is that brought by the Rangatira from New Plymouth, for shipment per tho Molita. Tho lot comprises 250 bulos, amongst, which is a lot of tow, and, we believe, is the product of tho mills recently set to work in the neighborhood of Opunake. Tho bright appearanco and superior quality of this fiux has beon matter for remark among the habitues of the Queen's wharf, who profess to be judges of fibre. There can be very little doubt, judging from this sample, that ere very long we shall overcome the prejudice of the English dealers. St. Valentine. — With a view to next Tuesday, wo notice that several of tho stationers' shops have for the last few days been blooming with valentines, embracing every description, from the most hideous design to the prettiest and most highly perfumed that any nymph might desire. Mr Marriott's and Mr Burreht's shops are rich in the adornment of valentines. A Friendly Ooeeeotion. — As our contemporary the " Post" is an adept at calling attention to typographical errors and slips of the pen generally, he will, no doubt, be grateful to us for pointing out to him that he has in two issues put down to Mr Richmond ten votes more than ho aetuully polled. Instead of 339 votes having been recorded for that candidate, us our infallible contemporary has it, there were only 329, or thirty-seven less than the lowest successful candidate. We are sorry to see that he has become ballot-blind over this election, but wo trust that his magnifying vision will soon be restored to the proper focus. The Hon. J. 0. Richmond according to a rumor is elected for Nelson, Mr Lightband, next above him on the poll, having retired before the formal declaration of the poll. This rumor is perfectly absurd, By the 24th clause of the Regulation of Elections Act, 1870, ', it is provided : — ' It shall be lawful for any candidate so nominated as aforesaid at any time thereafter but not later than two clear days before the. day of polling to withdraw his name as a candidate by giving to the Returning Officer a notice in the form in the fourlh schedule hereto, &c. Mr Lightband having polled, is therefore duly elected, and if he rerigns a new writ must be issued, and a fresh election take plnoe. Soiree. — We understand that the annual soiree in connection with the Presbyterian Church, Willis street, will be held on Tuesday evening next, when addresses will be delivered by several members of the Presbytery. Odd Fellows' Hall. — The Volunteer Amateurs last night again provided us a very agreeable entertainment. The first piece " Grist to the Mill," was, we thought, not very happily chosen, but it was better put upon the stage than any of their previous performances. The dresses were superb. The acting, on the whole, was \orj creditable, and the audienco seemed thoroughly appreciative. A performance on the clarionet followed, after which two gentlemen performed on the same clarionet, one blowing and the other fingering. This odd sort of duet was not more astonishing than it was delightful. The beautiful airs selected were exquisitely rendered. The performance concluded, with the excellent farce, "My Wife's Maid." In this Miss Herberto showed to the best advantage, her representation of Barbara Perkins being decidedly the best we have ever seen of that character. The parts of " Toodles Junior" and " Senior" were played in a style far above the average of amateurs. Tho large and respectable audience seemed thoroughly satisfied. The acting of Miss Williams in the comedy, and of Miss Herbert in the farce, no doubt mainly contributed to the entertainment of the evening, and made up for tho slips of some of the gentlemen amateurs. A little more careful preparation on their part would, we think, not be thrown away. We hope that the Volunteer Amateurs will soon again put before us such an evening's entertainment. Advertising- Extraordinary.— Our attention was yesterday called to a new idea in the art of advertising that eclipses anything we have seen in tbi* latter-day city ; in fact, the "move" would do credit to the moat gifted American puffer, and make Professor Holloway blush with indignatiom that he had hitherto overlooked such a means of cheap and wide advertising. Some of our reuders require no explanation, as they have already become involuntary mediums for the distribution of Mr Jameson's advertisements ; and of course have been correspondingly indignant, or amused, according to thtir idioayncraey ; but for general information vre may say at once that this last dodge is no other than converting the reverse side of the Union Bank notes, which are plain, into a hand-bill, which informs tho public that "'"- Jameson keeps a grocery store at the opposite side of the street to the Union Bank, and at the same time giving them ocular demonstration that he makes tho Bank find him in poster? while he advertises on the " opposite side" of the notes. Surely the force of advertising can no further go — to make everyone in the community carry your placards, and the Bank find you in paper — is reaching the very acme of audacity, and puts " Ponekeana" in the shade. Cricket.— ln our last; issue we announced that a match would be played on Saturday afternoon between the Governmont printers and the Empire Club, but inadvertently mentioned that the match was to come off at Clapham's paddock. The match will be played on the piece of grcmnd commonly known as the " old cricket ground," which adjoins the town side of the Basin Reserve, where another match between tho Wellington and I Zingari Clubs will come off about t.he same time. New Zealand Abt. — The Victorian papers speak highly of a new water color painting by Mr Gully which has been added to tho National Picture Gallery of tho Publio Library, Japanese. — A new company of Japanese are said to be on their way out to Melbourne, under the command of Mr John Smith. A Useful Intention.— -The Melbourne "Argus" Bays: — An apparently valuable addition has just been made to the list of inventions, the object of which is to assist in preserving the open drains of Melbourne from the admixture of more animal filth than is necessary. Mr J. Sullivan, of 42 Russell street has invented a model " slop-pail receiver and filter," the cost of and extra work conneoted with which is very inconsiderable, while it is presumed to answer a very valuable purpose. It is proposed that this receiver shall be stationary, and that the liquid slops poured into it shall, on the other hand be allowed to pass into the drain in an innocous form, and on the other givo forth no offensive smell. The receiver consists of a small circular tank, the cover of which fits into a water joint, thus preventing tho possible dovelopement of bad odors from the substance deposited. Thus tho maid servant coines up to the tank — an inexpensive nffair — with her full slop-pail, removes the tank cover, and through an aperture then presented, pours what Bbe carries down it. A seive then arrests the larger and solid particles, and the remainder then passes through a layer of charcoal and gravel — taken away and repluced about once a month — while the fluid thus filtered flows out at tho bottom. Mr Sullivan professes to have had his inventive faculty stimulated in this direction by tho articles which have appeared in this journal, and having patented his apparatus, asks that it may receive some attention from those interested. Brobdignao- Hailstones.— Some of the Victorian up country journals have lately reported upon extraordinary- sized hailstones doing damage to church widows, but their chronicles though partaking something of tho ■

Munchausen, aro quite eclipsed by an account lorwarded to the " Sydney Herald" by a correspondent, who says : — On the afternoon of the 13th the Upper Bogan was riaited by one of the moat violent hailstorms perhaps on record. At Genanngie, the Btation of Mr •Tohu N. Gilmour, some of the hailstorms that fell were as large as emus' eggs. I weighed one dozen of them just as they could be obtained. They reached 6lb ; and they lost portion of their weight in carrying to the ecaleß by hand some little distance. Such was the violence with which the hailstones fell that it produced ten holes in the shearers' hut, just as if a ten-pound shot had been fired at it. The roof of the store suffered in like manner, and the glass in the windows of tho house was smashed. It blew very heavily while the storm lasted. Several sheep and lambs were killed in the vicinity, and I hear of others destroyed by the same cause while travelling, and which passed this station a few days ago. A heavy fall of rain followed the hail. One of our shepherds had a cast-iron pot broken by the hailstones. Strange Elopement.—- A matrimonial escapade took place in Hamilton within tho past week. The actors are a blind beggar named White, his wife, and another blind man, who, for want of a better name, must be culled No. 2. It appears that white for the last eight or nine years, worked as a collier at theßluntyre, Curfin, and Fulkirk pits, and that about eighteen months ago ho met with an accident while blasting, which deprived him of his eyesight. Ho lodged at intervals in a house in Castle street, Hamilton, with a woman who was always understood to be his wife ; and, since the date of the pit accident, has been dependent on the charity of the public — a small board which hung on his t breast setting forth his tale of woe. Up till Thursday he was located at Hamilton, where he had the begging line all to himself; but a fortnight previous there appeared on the scene a rival blind man (No. 2), who, in addition tho usual board, supplemented his claim upon the public by reading from a Bible. Their lino of business took them to the principal street, and they lodged in the same "travellers' rest." This went on all right enough till last Monday, when No. 2 (the Bible reader) made off with No, l's wife, leaving him desolate, and minus part of his body clothes, which had been pawned. It does not seem, however, that he has taken his lobs seriously to heart, for he has lodged information of the occurrence with the police, and says that he is only ! desirous of obtaining poas9ssion of tho pawntickets. The Bible reader and his enchantress have, it is said, gone in the direction of Wißhaw and Carluke. All the parties are middle aged, and Mrs White has borne one child to her husband, while the " object" of her choice is said to be already married. — " Victorian Paper." Pilchabds. — The Melbourne papers say that great hauls of pilchards have been caught lately in the Bay, and are being sold at 4d a dozen. The suine description of fish, though not quite so large, visited the Bay about 5 years ago. Photoctoaphy Extbaordinaby. — One of the most curioUß results of photography is certainly the use to which it is put in enabling long communications to be sent into Paris by carrier pigeons. Every baloon which leaves the beseiged city carries away a certain uum- ; ber of these birds, which, by the marvellous J instinct which guides them to their home, are J enabled to carry back precious news, not only to the imprisoned Government but to private J individuals. Of course the weight which each bird can carry is very trifling, and even on the fine eilk paper used, little space can be afforded for gossiping correspondents. Photography, however, which can reproduce the sheet of a newspaper in a square 'inoh obviates, in a great degree, this difficulty. In this way the Paris journals are said to have been supplied with a reproduction of the official papers published at Tours so minuto, that to the naked eye, they presented no distinguishable letters, until the power of the microscope was called into use, and thus provided the newspapers with tidings of the outer world. The Germans irritated by the daily sight of post baloons, appears to have taken further offence at this arial defiance at their outposts and seige works, and to be training hawks to Bweep down upon these white- winged messengers. The institution of a corps of Prussian falconers would certainly be a curious result of the siege of Paris ; but it is perhaps no violation of British neutrality to express a hope that M. Gambelta'a pigeons will escape the cruel beaks of Count Bismarck's new allies, and find their way as a rule, safely back to Parisian dovecotes.