LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3173, 14 April 1871, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

No Time to Lose. — An advertisement in our columns calls a meeting tins afternoon at Messrs Bethuno and Hunter's, of persons wishing to form a company for tho purchase of the steamers Wellington and Ahuriri. It is so manifestly the interest of Wellington to prevent these ships being withdrawn from our trade, that we hope that at the elevent hour sufficient enterprise will be found to form a company for tho purpose. The sale is on Tuosday, and there is therefore no time to bo lost. Gymnasium. — A meeting of persons iuterested in tho establishment of a gymnasium was held at the Pier Hotel last night ; and it was evident from the way in which the young men who are making themselves active in this matter arc going about tho work, that there is every prospect of a well-appointed gymnasium becoming o permanent institution in Wellington. The report of the committee, read by Mr Baker, recommends that, instead of renting premises, an effort should bo made to erect a building. It appears there is good reason to expect thnt the Provincial Government may be induced to guaut a piece of land for the purpose on the Reclaimed Land, as we learn thst several of tho members approve the idea. Immediately behind Kirkcaldio and Stuma 1 premises is spoken of as a desirable site on which to erect. It is estimated that for £300 an exoellent shell could be put up and fitted with the necessary appliances ; and ifc is proposed to raise this sum by 300 shares of £l each, 10s of which shall be payable at once, and the balance in two months. It is intended also to make the building useful for other purposes than gymnastics, by making it serve as a drill shed for the volunteers, who will doubtless be willing to contribute something for such a convenience. Several gentlemen have already promised to take shares in the company with the object of furthering the undertaking. This is a very business like arrangement, and wo trust the energetic committee who have carried tho matter thus far will experience no difficulty in prevailing upon a sufficient number to take up the 300 shares. In the meantime the committee will draw up a prospectus and wait upon the business men of the town wilh that object, and rep.u-t at a future meeting. Po3TAL. — It ii notified that in consequence of the transfer of tho British Mail Packets from tho Marseilles line to that between Aloxandria and Brindisi, it is no longer desirable, with a view to prompt delivery, that correspondence for Belgium should be forwarded in the mails to France, as heretofore ; and it is recommended that such correspondence for transmission by the Suez route should be addressed to be sent direct via Brindisi. Change of Name. — Notice is given that tho name of the Post Office in the province of Wellington known as " Rangitikei." has been changed to " Middle Rangitikei." Police Business yestorday was unimportant. Two cases of drunkenness were dealt with in the usual manner ; and in a case of assault arising out of a domestic grievance befcweon husband and wife, tho former was bound over to keep the peace. Appointments. — A Gazette published yesterday announces the following appointments : John Knowles, Esq., to bo Under Secretary in the Public Works Departments ; Thos. Powell, Esq., to be Deputy Sheriff for the District of Wanganui ; Ed. Fawconer Tizard, Esq., to be a Resident Magistrate for tho district of Okarita vice J. Aylmer, Esq., resigned ; Frederick Green Skipworth, Esq, to bo clerk at Gisborne of the District Oourt of Hawke's Bay ; Allan Shaw Douglas Esq. to be Deputy Commissioner of Stamp Duties for the province of Taranaki, vico R. C. Hammerton, Esq., resigned. Revising Officers. — The following persons have been appointed Revi&ing Officers tor the electoral districts set after their names : — Henry Pitt, Esq , for Piclon and Wairau ; Edward Jumes Lees, Esq., for the various electoral districts of Canterbury ; and and also for Buller, Grey Valley, Hokitikn, und Totara. Cricket. — Tho roturn cricket match between the Veteran and Artillery Corps will be played on the cricket, ground on Saturday at half-past two. The followiug will compose the Veteran team :— J. W. Ingpen (captain), W. Brewer, G. Brewer, 0. M'lntosh, J. Kiuniburg, J. Churchill. T. Dawes, G. Harris, J. Salmon, W. Waters, S. Coffee, (12fch man, White) ; umpire, Churchill, sen ; scorer, Capt. Crowe. A Lucky Washerwoman.—" A singular instance," writes tho " Goelong Advertiser," " has been mentioned to us of tho changes of fortune which sometimes occur in this colony. A few yeai'B ago there was an industrious woman on a diggings not a hundred miles from Ararat, who made her living by washing for the diggers. Sometimes they paid in money nnd sometimes in scrip, and somelimes, accepttug a good hint from her clients, she invested in shares from time to time, and these ventures ha^e turued-out so succesfully that she now keeps her carriage, and with a pair of prancing horses, drives through the pleasant streets of the pretty township in which sbo haa made her fortune." A Caledonian Crushing.— The Thames " Advertiser" in reporting the last fortnight's crushing for tho Caledonian claim says tho "total yield for the fortnight is 13,7840zs I7dwts "of meltod gold. This is the largest return ever obtained from this or any other mine during a similar period, There are still about fiewt of specimens on hnnd, including tho miignificent stone weighing 1261b5, and calculator! to contain £1,700 worth of gold, which has been on view during the last few duys at the Bank of Now Zealand. The hlter was taken to A. ll °kland by tho manager on Saturday in tho p.s. Golden Crown, and wo hnve no doubt it will make some of tlie " Old Identities" open their eyes with astonishment. Late on Saturday night, the final retorting for the fortnight was completed, and the result, amounting to 100-ozs, wus lodged in tho bank to bo melted this morning. This increases the already extraordinarily high yield to 14,7860z 17dwt for the fortnight's crushing. Tub Advantages oj? Telegraphy were fully realised by tho brokers and commercial people of Auckland and the Thumos on tho occasion of the recent galos, which interrupted communication, and which lod to a great deal of inconvenience. " The Boldest Crime Yijt." — Under this head tho " New York Journal" of tho 7th, received to-day, prints the following Btory, in the form of a telegram from Albury, with tho date of tho previous night : — This evening, just as the 8.30 Boston train sturted from tho Union depot, in this city, to cross tho Hudson River Bridge, a man sprang into tho American Express Company's car and shot tho express messenger, T. A. Halpino, through tho neck, in tho right oye, and in the right ear. Tho i robber then took tho keys from tho messenger j

and opened the safe, from whioh ho abstracted 2,259 dollars in bills. He accomplished all this while crossing the bridge, and on arriving afc East Albany jumped off the train and made his escape. The crime was uofc discovered until the train had stood at the East Albany depot some minutoß, when the wounded messenger crawled to the door of the car and attracted attention. He was immediately taken to the City Hospital, and, notwithstanding his terrible wounds, was able to convarao and to give an account of the robbery. Halpine resides in this city, His recovery is not considered possible. Valuable Timbsb.— The " Kaufman Star" a Texan journal, gives an account of a remorkublo tree, the Bois d'Arc, named after a river in Texas, where the tree grows. It is stated that no living man ever saw the sympt ims of decay in this remarkable timber. Tho running gear of a waggon made of it, which had been in use for twenty years, seemed to all appearance as sound as when turned out of tho shop. He tells us further that there is an oil in the wood which fills up tho pores, and prevents either air or water from affecting it. No one can tell how long it will last oven when exposed to tbo weather. A reward might be offered in vain for a decayed particle of this timber. It is not affected by tho rays lof tho sun, and hence it never shrinks. A carriage wheel made of Bois d'Arc will run until the wood is worn out without having to re-BOt it. A Patent Cork. — The "Argus" states that a recent English invention has just been introduced to the Victorian public which is pretty sure to find favor among those who drink gingerbeer, lemonado, sodawater, and other aerated waters. Its object is to provide tho means by which these waters — gingerbeer especially — shall bo of higher and wore uniform quality, and to avoid tho difficulty and danger attonding the drawing of wired corks. The process is this. The bottles aro of glass, with a sloping shoulder to the neck, and inside each is lodged a stopper, composed of lignum vitso, surrounded by a sort of collar of indiarubber. The effect is that tho aerated water is forced into the bottle, and when — the latter being full — the tap is turned off, the gas in tho bottle, eager to escape, forces the stopper to tho neck where the india-rubber collar fits air-tight, a portion of the wood of the stopper projects somewhat from the neck, and all that is necessary to open tho bottle is to give that woodon top a tap. This drives the india-rubber down, the gas is freed, and the aerated water can be poured out in an effervescent'state. Tho whole contrivance its most ingenious and inexpensive, and sets aside all chance of danger. Moreover, it is asserted that the improvement in pumping the water into the bottle, necessarily heightens the quality of the potable, and that at least gingorbeer can bo supplied without that " ropy" appearance which is so often complained of. Mr Hogbin is the purchaser of a patent for the Australian colonies, and Mr P. G. Dixon of West Melbourne, is the Metropolitan manufacturer of the same. The samples which havo reached this office are excellent. Wo are informed that the invention is making way in England, and thousands of pounds aro offered for the monopoly of its übo in each of the larger manufacturing cities. Insolvency. — A Melbourne paper says that o now phase of tho working of tho Insolvency Act will shortly be brought under public notice, and as it is one which materially affects both creditors and debtors, the result will be watched with somo interest. Mr 3?. Harrison, wino and spirit merchant, by virtue of the 30th section of tho Insolvency Act, obtained a summons against Mrs Sarah TJggles, landlady of tho :")ovor Hotel, to appear and show cause why her estate should not be sequostrated. Affidavits had been put in that application has repeatedly been made for the sum of £121 14s, in which she is indebted to Mr Harrison for the supply of wines and spirits, and that ho bad failed to obtain payment of his debt after using reasonable efforts to do so. Instead of resorting to the slower process of bringing an action in the County Court for his debt the creditor has adopted what will be found to be a more summary way of obtaining judgment. The Act provides that any debtor served with a summons may apply to tho Court to dismiss it on the ground that he is not indebted fro the creditor, or to such an amount (£SO) as will justify such creditor in presenting tho petition for sequestration against him. This step has been takon by Mrs TJggles, the hearing of which is fixed before the Judge in insolvency. Dog Tbains. — A correspondent of the "Nev? York Herald" gives an account of tho " dog trains" in general use from the Northern territories of the United States to tho Artio Soa. These aro somewhat different from the Esquimaux trains, the dogs being harnessed in single file, whilo those of the latter aro driven abreast. Four dogs constitute a good team. They aro of no particular breed, all species of goodsized dogs being used. The dog sledge consists of a thick plank, about one foot wide and ten feet long, with tho forward end turned up liko a skato. A dressed skin resembling parchment in appearance, is attached to this, very like a laced shoo, and tho traveller placing his robes inside, gets in, and is wrapped up as tightly and in about the same manner as his foot would be in an English shoe. The baggage of the traveller is placed at his back, and the driver runs on snow-shoes bohind. The freight sledge consists of only a plank, curvod at tho end, without any covering. Rules for Newspaper Coiikeßpondent3. — A philanthropic correspondent, who seems to havo a vary proper feeling for the loss compositors are subjected to through bad " copy," sends us the following extract from the" Queenslander " : — l. Write on one side only of your letter or note paper. 2. As you desiro the blessings, and not the anathemas, of " Typo," write, at all times, legibly. Tho manuscript of a man .stamps him in the estimation of a compositor. If the " copy" ia good, Typo says (glcofully) : " Ah, this was written by 'a while man!'" If bud, he holds it disgustfully to his next mate, with — "You would not lend this fellow five shillings, would you?" "No! (is the unhesitating response) he'll bo hanged yet !" Bad copy involves the loss, to a compositor, of many shillings— even pounds— during the year, which, otherwise, would be invested in boots, frocks, and lollies for his little ones : honce such copy is a dead loss to the com- I rnunifcy at large. 3. Folio each slip of your copy. 4. Always indent every fresh paragraph ; and novor (if you can avoid it), carry one or two lines over to tho next. slip. 5. In writing tho words of any foreign language, lot every letter bo well formed and legible. Com« positors are not supposod to be all Porsons or Elihu Burritts. 6. In signing your name at tho end of a letter let it be plain as copperplate. Hioroglyphical signutures aro odious ,- and betoken, in those who indulge in thorn, mental weakness, non- respectability, and loose morals — (sic Typo). 7. Never put the initial " I." for " J," in a signature. It is impossible for a printer to tell whether a man's name is Isaac or Jacob. [This is a common, but most, pernicious custom.] 8. Never write wil/h faint ink. Let your wordsstands forth bright, and clear as your actions. 9. Adhere faithfuily to tho foregoing plain rules. Then, — That every communication of yours may bo •' accepted" by the urbane editor (who himself delights in good, conscientiously- written manuscript) is tho sincere prayer of one who wishes you well — both in this world and the next. [Q.Y, — Will not the anathemas, uttered during tho silent watches of the night, over " bad copy," be entered — not to tho account of the poor, perplexed, defrauded " comp.," but against those who, by artless hieroglyphics, invoke those curses from his otherwise sere-no soul ? Reflect, and, if guilty, reform.] Tns Prosperity of England. — In tho " Fortnightly Eeview" for this month Mr Fawcott has written an article hoaded " To what extent is England prosperous ?" of which tho following is an extract: — Tho well-being of a country cannot bo measured by its imports and exports j tho truo test is to ascertain how many people there aro in it who havo made a proper provision for inevitable contin-

gencies, and are in a position to discharge tho responsibilities which they have assumed. It is idle to congratulate ourselves upon vast national wealth, when we know that as each winter recurs there are in tho riohost metropolis in the world 150,000 paupers. In education Mr Fawcett sees the only oure for the evils under whioh we at present labor. The Education Bill has done little more than commence on attack upon the difficulties in the way. Education mußt be compulsory. Sueing a Husband.— The question, can a wife sue her husband ? was answered by the District Court of Scott county, lowa, recently, in the case of Mary Allen v Henry R. Allen, i in which plaintiff alleges that defendant, her husband, borrowed of her 1000 dol., and them deserted her. The husband demurred on the ground that a wife could not sue her husband for debt. The Court overruled the demurrer, thus deciding that a wifo deserted by her husband can sue him at law for a debt due to her from him. Judgment was rendered for plain- | tiff for 700 dol .— " N.Y. Herald."