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The Huron Expositor, 1880-01-02, Page 16 TIEIIRTEENT31 YEAR. 'WHOLE NUMBER, 630, . _ ,,""1"•5141" fl 1 ya,a. • Pt7 A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. II•I IJ 13 I?, 0 SEAFORTH, ONTAR10;. HILL BROS. are still in the front with Cheap Goods for THE HOLIDAY SEASON. And. Buyers are rushing in for the Bargains. • Shawls, „Mantles and Millinery at and under cost. Dress Goods in the .3tetre8t Shades Selling at Cost. NO ADVANCE IN OUR,COTION GOODS We are still Selling at Old Prices and showing the CHEAPEST GOODS IN TOWN Men's Shirts and Dravt-ers at 35 cent s, best line in town. Flannels in Grey, Scarlet, White and Cheek—a large stock, extra good value. CHEAP OVERCOATS. We have a few Of those Cheap Over- coats still on hand, going at cost. IVE US A CALL and be'cOn't•in- - ced that Our Goods are the Cheapest. Remember the Place —Opposite the Conamercial Hotel. _ HILL BROTHERS, Main Street, Seaforth. The Assessment Law. To the Editor of the littron Expositor'. Deem Sin: Ae the time is again draw- ing near when our Local Legislature Will meet to make and mend laws for the benefit (or otherwise) of our Pro- vince, I think it is the duty of every person who has an 'idea" to let that idea be known, and if there is anything good in it, porno one whose business it is to nurse political babies may take it up and fondle, caress and tires§ it up till it may become an ornament to our Province, however crude it may appear on its inception. Some of our M. P. P.'s might spend an hour on it betimes.for amusement. I also think it wolld be much more becoming of us to let our M..P. P.'s know what we .want, and give them a chance to consider whether our ideas axe worthy the • attention of Parliament, rather than hold our peace till after the session is over, then blame our members for doing nothing, and as you, sir, have taken up your mighty pen (and I think justly) against that cum- berous and expensive luxury, the Coun- ty Council, will you allow me to make a few suggestions on the Assessment Act, which is another wheel in our municipal machinery I think requires recasting. In the first place the law requires at present that an Assessor shell begin his duties not later than the 15th day of February, and have the same completed on or before the 13th of April in each year, and as our town- ship assessors are generally farmers, they, tiy to get through with their as- sessing. before the snow leaves the ground, so as not to interfere with their spring work, therefore the work is gen- erally .lone when two or three feet of snow covers the ground; and there are few men in a township Who can assess by their own knowledge more than a few lots around their own homes, the, renaadieder of the township being assess- ed by mere guess work. An idea, I think, worthy of consideration by our Local Legislature, would be the assess- ing -of townships between the first day of May and the 13th day of June, and where a township assessment roll shows * or of that township to 'tie cleared land, let the assessment stand for five years; in new townships that, could not show that amount:of improvemeut, let them be assessed yearly as heretofore. And in order to keep a correct roll of the township, let each party desiring a change of name or description of pro- perty lodge with the township clerk, on or beforethe first day of July in every year, a description of the required change, and let the municipal council hold a court o'rabout the 15th daylief July, to consi • said desireclchanges, and the said veirt to have the Tolls completed b3 •ue first day of August, when the vots is' lists could be printed as now, subject to revision by the Coun- ty Judges as at present. Of course, so many changes on a township roll as might occur in five years would greatly disfigure the roll, but a remedy might be applied in this way: Wherever there appeared more erasures or inter - lineations on the roll than would average one to every fifty names on the roll, it would be compulsory on the township council to order the clerk to make a new copy of said corrected roll, at a cost of say two cents pei mune, which would .ttot amount to more than from $8 to $12 for an ordinaxy sized township, and that might only occur once in two or three years. As you, sir, have so ably advocated the reduction of the number of mem- bers in our county councils, by distribut- ing the labels of thatbodyonto the shoulders of township councils and the Local Legislature, and leaving that council merely a committee to look af- ter a few large bridges and the equalize, - tion of the assessment rolls of the town- ships, I think that committees' labors might be greatly reduced( as an equaliz- ing committee by adopting a. scale, whereby each municipality would pay each year so many hundredths of the total amount required for county pur- poses, and from that scale the county clerk could make out each township's portion of the county rate =without the interference of the county committee. That scale would require a change oc- casionally, which initeht be done by that committee or by a commission with the Comity Judge as chairman; and where- evera township was so changed, let that change be permanent for three or five years before that township could be chauged again. If you think these few crude suggestions worth a space in per paper, please give them a corner. I am, sir, yours -truly, -Wsweeoeir. A Few Political Squibs. MR. EDITOR,—From time to time I have noticed. through the columns of the ExPosieoe a few items as regards political thesis, which passed by with- out any comineut, though.fallacious in. respeet of sentiment and foundation: , So, Mr.Editor, allow me to make a few 1 remaeks oh the same through the 1 medium Of your journal. Firstly—I will speak of the Dominion Senate, which has been designated as a itrotten institution," or an "asylum for broken-down politicituis," and are, there- - fore, pensioners upon the •public goner - ally. 'As regards it being a "rotten in.- stitution," &eine error presents it- self—if I unclerstall the meaufng of the Sallie correctly, it signifies a useless body. In. the face of -human reason, observation, °I:human rationalism, will any persou say tbe Senate. is a uselese- body ? No, Sir, it .not. Let us re- tlect for one moment at its -capacity, its tenure or extent of jurisdiction, so that we may then be better able to judge. In order to accomplish this, we must look to the coestitational -privileges of Eng- land Sir, the first ruling y then known as the Witanagemote of the Anglo-Saxons, held full sway. In it was vested the right of law and government. Later on the C0111111011S was founded, and still later the parties were desig- nated es Lords and Commons. Is tleee SEAFORTH, FRIDAY -I JANUARY 2, 1880.-, MeLEAN BROS., Publishers. $150 a Year, ila Advance. any rational being who will deny that the Senate is an exact fac-si ile of the House of Lords? Sir, throu h the in- fluence of the Senate many n obnoxi- ous petition was protested and defeated, and. as a fitting recompense other useful bilis-were introduced. And moreover it is now designated es one of the planks of the Reform platform. T e Reform press, indeed., says that 'suci a body should be swept out of exist nce as a last relic of barbarism, whiclk has thus far been tolerated in such an enlighten- ed age as the nineteenth century.". Surely the old adage, "Consistency thou art a jewel," applicably presents here. Many a more barbaric act has been tolerated in this enlightened age above spoken of. It is a greater expense to the country, no doubt, than it Would otherwise be if it were abolished. But what of expense? Why, this is insig- nificant when'compared with the essen- tialities of good government. .Where was the administration that ever exist- ed so neonoinical as not to dpend one cent more than was necessar ? It ever there was one, I should like o hear of it. Is it not better aud more dicious to have a bill thoroughly debutel OR and duly considered before being Submitted for signature? If we abolish the Senate we lessen the power of the Governor- General, and extend the power of. the Commons, which has, as any candid person will admit, sufficient power vest- ed in themselves already. If there were no Senate the Govern6r-General ' would, in the majority of cases, be forced to ect upon the' advice of • the Commons alone, and if the ruling party be either Tory or Reform, the stronger party will have full sway. . SO you see that it would be inconsisteutito abolish this important body. It wotild be par- ricidal on our part to sever oarselves from the realm and prerogative of, Old England. Hoping that Ihave not tres- passed too far on your valuable space, I will now conclude. In my next letter I purpose dealing- with compulsory voting and the N. s7. .iP.01111.113 "." R. 8. Mcdeu.i.or, Dee. 2 County. Councils. We make no apology for again re- verting to this subject, as wefeel confi- dent that ere long the Legislature will be called upon to deal with it; and the sooner County Councils and those who are aspirants to positions in this body consider the question in all its. bearings, the better able they will be, When the time comes for making the necess rv changes, to make out a case, either or the -total abolition or the reduction 1of the number of members of that boc Either one or the other of these refor s i*sure to be introduced into Parlia- ment, if not this session at least uext, judging from the feeling that so gener- ally prevails for a reduction of the ex- pense attending these bodies. We do not see our way clear to the advocacy of their total ebolition, but we .think reduction could be made in the 4.unnber of councillors, as .well as a number of other minor reforms, without the least detriment to the efficient management of municipal matters, which . come be- fore them. In proof that County. Ociuncils are needlessly large the Strat- ford Beacon, in discussing this subject, asks the question: "Is there .a man in Ontario possessed of ordinaryconamon sense and knowledge of the subject who -will venture. to assert that the county of Siincoe needs 55 men to do the weak that the naost sanguine admirers of county councils say have to be done by these bodies? The county. council of York is nearly as large as that of Sim - me, that of Wellington is half the size: of -the Ontario Legislature, and Middle- sex and several other councils are not far behind. There are few county councils in Ontario that do not" count up to between twenty and thirq mem- bers, and we do not hesitate for a mo- ment to say the work done by the larg- est and best of them could be as well done by six businessmen of . average capacity. As a matter of fact, the work is done now by a few men in committee, and while they axe -thus engaged the re- mainder are kicking their heels around town to the tune of several dollars per day and mileage." The same journal iu alluding to the work -done by the Perth Council, which is composed of twenty-nine members, states that they were in session from Tuesday until Saturday, and that five men out of this number could beeelect- ed. to do all the work they did in four or five hours, and adds : "This View • of the matter is confirmed by 'a number of these gentlemen themselves, for our readers will observe that the special committee to which the Matter was re- ferred, composedof the leading mem- bers of the Council, reported in favor Of reduciug the number, though the clause contaiuing the recemmendation was af- tertvards struck out by the council when the deputy -reeves were in their seats. No one can wonder much at W such a proceeding, for county council- co 'lois are human like other men and th could scarcely be expected to vote them- as Selves out of existence Without consiclha - era,ble outside pressure. We: venture, he however, to ,make the prediction that wa the only way to keep county councils in existence is to lessen the uumber of members, and that right speedily. The people are in no humor just now for tol- erating unnecessary expense, and it will take much stronger arguments than those used over at the court house the .vseek before iast to make them believe that 30 or 50 councillors are needed to do the work of .half a, dozen. In this connection we would refer to the dis- cussion in the county council of Huron which met the same week as our own, a so, report of which Rill be found in another bit column. It will be noticed that nearly soi Our contemporary sayd : "Are county councils needed at all ? It is said 'they have much to do NVith the local administration of justi e.' That is a very general phrase. what they have to do ii some more economical ter way can easily be p do equalize the assees ent rolls in a certain way, but we 'are sure they would not thank us to call attention to the mode in which they ard wOut to do it. The equalization could be done much better by the county judge, as was illus- trated very forcibly tied at some ex- pense the other year; bead striking the rate is simply a plain matter of figures about which there is lietle difficulty. " Asregards taking 'care of county property, will anyone fit to be outside of a lunatic asylum allege that 55 men, or even 20 men, are requi ed to take care of a few thousand ollars' worth of property ?" In jpstice to the County Council of Waterloo, we feel boliUd to say that they do not waste any ime in the dis- charge of their duties, but push through their business in a Blest expeditious in, if ever, more session. Two e views of the Gun/odbaesthBe Banner. cils had served. the purpase for which 1. All of these journals, eecept the Globe, were of the opinion that county coun- they were established, esn.cl could now be dispensed with. We propose in a future issue to give quotations from sev- erals other journals, all bearing on this subject, and principallY- holding that a change is necessary in circler to reduce the number of _County Councillors. This subject is evidentlY attracting gen- eral attention, and will, as we have already said, lead very Soon to Legisla- tive action being takee either to secure a complete abolition or a reduction in the number of the rne ben of these bodies.—Berlin, Telegrai h. Canada. The Toronto Gas Company on the day before Chiistmas presented each of their employees, 175 in all, with a tur- key for his Christmas dineer. —There must be a p etty wicked lot of people down in the county of Cater& There have been no less than 250 coti- victions before the magistrates of dm county during the past quarter. hen we are told this way then nd perhaps bet- inted out. They manner, and are seldo thee. two days at on wedks ago, we gave t Seaforth EXPOSITOR, th ford Beacon, aud the _ —That schooner load of dynamite still remains at Sandlwiela although orders were issued for its r tnoval Sev- 4 pral days ago. The Saed icheas have all made their wills an say their prayers three times a day. The cap- tain has told the authorities to move it if they wish to, but no ue can be got to tackle the job. —At 2 o'clock on Thursday mornin a stable at Bow Park, tted up sine the recent fire, was destroyed by fir and 14 horses, including one importe animalworth 'a thousand dollars, wer consumed. A thousand bushels of oat , and hay were lost. There is no doub °that the fire was the act of an incen diary. The loss on the building is abou 51,500; loss on horsedi, harness, oats and hay, about $5,000. , There was an insurance of $1,000 on the buildings and $100 on each horse. .—A Mr. Merner, of New Hamburg recently shipped to Australia throug the Rev. Mr. Stinson, Who took over vessel load of freight, $1,000 worth o carriages. The account sales show tha this invoice was sold by auction fo £151 10srand the charges amounted to £133 12s 11d. This left a balance to the credit of the consigner of £17 17s ld, which was afterward increased by ;e25 011 account of damages. The above figures show a loss of nearly the whole shipment. —An appeal is being made on behalf of the widows and orphans of those wh lost their lives on the Waubuno. Th Secretary of the Relief Committee which has been. organized in Coiling wood, says that the condition of som of the faanilies is sorrowful. Already the good people of Collingwood hay done not a little toward the object i view; but the distress is so great tha they find it imperative tie ask for assist ance outside. The objeet is a good one and 'at this special time bf the year an appeal for Aid to a good eause ought no to be made in vain. —A few days ago John Braden, o - Peterboro, called upon the Chief o Police of Toronto, and stated that hi father-in-law, Dr. Turner, of Baltimore village, near Cobourg, had mysterious ly disappeared, and has hot been heard of for a week. On Tuesday of last week Dr. Turner, who isi a Pelletal true tee, drew a large sum bf money with which to pay the teachers. Returning home from Cobourg in the evening he read to his family a despatch signed "A. C. & Co.," asking him to .come to Toronto on important business. On ednesday morning he left home to me to Toronto, but it would appear at he never -reached his destination, the hotelawhere he has been in the bit of stopping have been visited, but has not been there. The despatch s sent from Union station, but the sender cannot be found. . —The crowd of loafers who generally visit the Recorder's Court in Montreal, from day to day, were. surprised a few mornings ago to see Sergeant Neilson lock the doors, so that all means of exit was rendered impossible. Specu- lation was rife among those assembled as to who Sergeant Neilson wished -to catch. After a short time the Sergeant made a sign to a young man named. Ale. Hogan to step forward. He did and was accused of being an ha - mid loafer around the Court, and ling the floors with tobacco juice. e, d river sunk, rose to the surface almost e instantly, and face upwards floated s lifeless down the river, the current be- t ing very swift. Before boats could be - manned the body had floated. into the t rapids below the old Suspension Bridge and was lost. He .was a respectable looking man, about 60 years of age, and had arrived that morning on the Erie Railway train. , —At the recent sittings of the Con -rt h. of General Sessions for the County of a Essex, J,udge Leggett in addressing the f Grand Jury spoke strongly in favor of t establishing a house of refuge and in - ✓ dustry in that county. He said there were instances constantly occurring of persons being sent to jail who should never be confined in a place of that kind. He recited the case of an elderly woman, whose misfortune it is to be old and feeble and without friends, ivho is bandied about betweed two towns in the intervals that she is not committed ce to jail. e --There arrived at Bonaventure Sta- tion, Montreal,on Saturday evening, the - 20th ult. an old lady, Jane Kidd by e name, 86' years of age, who was journey- ing from Fall River, Mass., to Orange - e ville, Ont. She professed to be under n the impression that she was ticketed t through to Orangeville, and declined to - leave the station, although her ticket , was for Montreal. ,She was then sent over to an hotel, • where she told. the t proprietor that she had, only hall a dollar, but if he would keep her until f Monday sheshisd no doubt God would. f send her some more money. At the s station she said she had been robbed of her baggage checks. The baggage-. - master insisted upon a search, when out came from her capacious pocket, not only the missing checks but $395 in bills, - and two bank -books worth over 4600. The old lady's wealth having thus been made public, Mr. Kirkham prudently handed over her property to the Ex- press Company for safe transit; telling her where to apply for it at the end of her journey. —The following extract is from a very interesting letter written at Hay Lakes, near Fort Edmonton, 'Manitoba, on October 19th, by Mr. Aleck Taylor, of Ottawa, to his father, Mr. J. M. Taylor. He says: This morning I was awakened by my dog barking. I got up and ran to the door, and found a man and a horse there. I brought him into the shanty and asked him where he came from. He left Fort Benton, United States, in August to come to Battleford with cattle for the Goverrie ment for Indians. Well, the party got on all right until nine days ago, when this man went one day at dinner time to shoot some antelope. He jumped. on a horse without a saddle and start- ed. When he went to come back a fog had arisen, and he could not see the herd and the other men. Well, for eight days he wandered around without a 'mouthful to eat, and no cartridges for his rifle, until he very fortunately struck my rancho this morning early. He showed me on his horse where he had opened the veins in her neck twice to drink her blood, and also showed me 'where he partly cut a steak off her hind. he would clean the floor, which he did. amid the laughs and jokes of those as sembled. —Oats are selling at 40 cents in Win nipeg, one farmer realizing $72 for his load. --At the Toronto City Council a resolution was passed asking the Coun- cil to vote $10,000 in aid of the suffer- ers in Itela.nd. —Mr. Needham, a farmer near Sar- nia, sold to a hatcher a few days ago, a three-yeareeld. steer, which turned the scales at 1,700 pounds. —The by-law granting a bonus of $5,000 to Mr. Slater for the erection of a cotton will in Brantford has been car- ried by 327 of a majority. , .—Mr. Isaac, Webster, of Tilsonburg, made 190 miles in 48 hours in the inter- national walking match at New York, and then retired from the contest. —Seven hundred and. forty-two pris- oners took Christmas dinner in the Penitentiary at Kingston. The plum pudding would require a big pot to boil in. ' —Mr. Tames Young, M.P. P., is pre- paring the "Early History of. Galt and Dumfries" for the press, with a view of publishing it, if sufficient encourage- ment can be obtained. —A leading iron manufacturer in Ottawa has been compelled to reduce the wages of his;ernployeee in order to equalizethe loss sustained by the in- creased cost of iron and coal. --Santa:Claus deposited a present in the shape of a real, live, bouncing baby on the doorstep of a wealthy, childless gentleman of Buckhorn, Kent County. Sensible old fellow, Santa Claus. —A gentlenian in Brantford bought a 50 pound roast of Christmas beef and forwarded it as a gift to a relative in a distant city. Such a gift is a sensible one and likely to be appreciated. —The a,ggregate weight of the five 'children of the late Gordon Buchanan, of Colchester, is 1,220 pounds. Two of his daughters have NVeighed 284 lbs. each. His ,only son and another. daughter have weighed 220 lbs. each, and the lightest one of the family weighs 212 lbs. Where is there a fam- ily to equal this one? —Three separate burglaries, eltere committed in Paris on Saturday night, the 20th ult. Mr Walker's jewelery store was first visited where about $75 worth was carried off. The burglars next regaled themselves with cigars, oysters and confectionery at Mr. Mc- Nab's store. They finally visited Mr. Patterson's ticket agency, but were discovered and frightened. off, subse- quently with villianous hardihood. re- turning twice to reconnoitre the premises. —On Wednesday, 24th ult., a stranger giving his name as D. A. -Sikes leaped from about the centre of the new sus- pension bridge, at Niagara Falls, into the abyss below. His body strikingthe 1 quarter to eat raw rather than starve. But --' the mare was -too strong for him in his 1 1 section 4 of the Lachine Canal have weak state,and he could not do it. - —Over a hundred. of the workmen on. ' been thrown out of employment, owing by leakages caused by frost. 1 to a suspension of operations necessi- tated—The congregation of St. Aiadrews church, Picton, is having a quarrel Over the organ question. The anti - organ party, although in the minority, Carried their point before the Presby- ler—y"A woma'n named Morgan, who has iemained in jail' at Guelphs for more than a year on a charge of contempt of court, gave Ma few days ago, agreed to the requirements of the court, and was released. —Last year the marriages in Ontario' numbered 13,000. Considering that question in leap year, the marriage rbee- turns foe 1881) will probably show au . ine—reTahsee"Rev: Mr. Haranaond closed his revival services in London on Friday night, after about six weeks' labor, dur- ing which over one thousand professed conversion. Mr. Hammond goes to Montreal next. —The Montreal Poultry, Dog and Pet Stock Association Exhibition. will take place in Febraary, commencing on' _the 4th and lasting three days. Some 2,000 specimens from Canada and the United States -were exhibited. last year. —Mr. Henry Mittleberger, aged 78 YearS, 0110 of the - oldest and most esteemed citizens of St. Catharines, died suddenly on Christmas morning. after about two hours' sickness. The , deceased gentleman was at one time agent for the Commercial Bank of Kingston. He organized the first artil- lery company in the Province. —Two men in Manitoba, on a wood.- hauliug expedition, were caught in a blizzard.. In the storm all night and most of the succeeding day, they burn- ed one of the loads of wood.. On the way home they got separated, and. one, Mark Hayward,was found badly frozen, but the other, Moses Robertson, is thought to have perished. • —An old and highly respected resi- dent of Paris, Mr. William Telfer, died. recently at the ripe old. age of 82 years. Mr. Telfer came to this country Irons, Jedburgh, Scotland, about thirty-five years ago and purchased and settled upon the farm, near Paris, upon which his son now resides. About ten years ago he retired frem the more active du- ties of farm life and moved into Paris, where, with his aged. and respected. partner, he has since resided. Mr. Tel - for was for many years an elder in the Presbyterian Church in that town. —Quite a sensation was created in the Cainsville Methodist Church one Sunday morning recently. During the Rev. Mr. Nelthorp's discourse, while the church was quiet as a mouse, a juvenile accidentally discharged. a toy pistol—the report sounding extrava- gantly loud, owing to the extreme still- ness. After the consternation had. somewhat subsided, somebody laughed aloud. The cachinnatiOn becoming contagious, the whole congregation was instantly in a roar of laughter: —Last Saturday morning W. Hamp- ton, charged with stealing silks from the dry goods store of Walker & Sons, Tcronto, was sentenced. to six months in the Central Prison. The County Crown Attorney showed the record be had in the States prior to corning to this country. It appears he was in New York Reformatory at an early age. Subsequently he was sent to Torento whence he_made his escape, then he was sent to another reformatory and escaped out of a window in a basket. He next made the acquaintance of Sing Sieig prison, from which he got free in a skiff down theielludson. —Mr. 'Maxwell, of Bangor, Maine, has kept a buyer in York, Carleton and Victoria counties for some months past, purchasing sheep for the Boston mar- ket. 1VTr. Maxwell has handled 20,000 sheep during the past season, 5,000 of which at least came from New Bruns - Wick. He estimates his profit at 15e. per head. The United States Customs keep a pretty sharp eye on sheep im- portation to check undervaluation. Some time ago the -Customs authorities, believing that Mr. Maxwell had entered sheep below the cost price, sent a sPecial detective into this Province, -Who went carefully over the route of Mr. Maxwell's buyer along the river. t The result of his enquiries was that the United States Government began pro- e ceeclings against Me. Maxwell to re- cover $8,000, of which it was held the Customs had been defrauded by under- valuation. 'gr. Maxwell, however, effected a compromise and got off by the payment of $5,000. ---Capt, Symes, of the steamer Mani- toba; has tendered his resignationfo the Messrs. Beatty, in Whose dervicehe has been continuously since 1865, with the exception of a short interval in 1869 atid 1870. He was the first Captain who had. charge of the Wanbuno, he having run that ill-fated vessel on the route between Coltingwood and Parry Sound from 1865 to 1869. In the latter year he took command of the Algoma, owned by E. M. Carruthers, of Toronto, in whose service he remained for two years. The Algoma, it may be men- tioned, navigated Lake Superior when she was the only Canadianisoat on those waters. lie 1871 he entered the service of the Messrs. Beatty and assumed the position which has made him well and favorably known to the travelling pub- lic of -Canada—the captaincy of the steamer Manitoba. In 1871 that vessel plied between - Collmgwood and the northwest ports, but in the spring of 1872 Sarnia was made the headquarters of the Beatty Line, or N. W. Transpor- tation. -Company, and since that time the Mttnitoba and her captain have been well known to many. Capt. Byrnes is not only one of the ablest seainen, but one of the most popular captains ou the all the speakers were in favor of reduc- H ing the number of members." on . The Beacon then argues • that, apart m altogether from the question of num- wa bers, County Councils are 'really not re- yo quired • in brief, that their functions be could be supplied at much less ex en e bad been present every day with e or two exceptions for the last. two onths, and the floor where he stood s alwayStlark 'with tobacco juice. The ung man sobbed aloud when I brought fore the Recorder, and was let off with a caution, on condition that p se. • ladies have the privilege of popping t Canadian lakes—a fact which is well attested. by the numerous testimonials and addresses presented to him at va- 'nous times by those who have travelled under his care. --Telegraphic communication about Winnipeg was interrupted all last week by the severe weather. On Wed- nesday the thermometer registered fifty degrees below zerci. —Miss Sarah. Grebn, aged 23, daugh- ter of Mr. Samuel Green, of Lans- downe, was found by her parents and family, on theirL return from church last Sunday, drowned in a cistern, frotn which she was dipping a piteher of water. She evidently lost her bal- ance and fell M. —The New York Herald of the 24th ult. has three colnams and a half on the subject ef -Canadian independence' mein -cling a letter from Montreal, which says there is a startling growth of the separatist feeling, that Canada, is tied down and impoverished by the English. connection, and there is no future for her but a free one. —The Governor-General gives a skating and tobogganing party -on Men - day evening at Rideau Hall. Prepara- tions are in progress on a large scale to, ill uminate -the toboggan elide and skating rink with Chinese lanterns. An attractive feature of the evening will be a huge bonfire. At least 300 lanternwill be used in thc decoration, —The Toronto Women's Literary , Club, of which Dr. Emily Stowe is President, at an entertainsnent given by the Club the other evening, presented that lady with an address and well -titled purse as a token of their esteem and eoefidence, and their sympathy with her under the persecution. to which she has been subjected by the male members of the medical profes- si()11-" —A severe accident happened to a lady who was skating ell the bay at Toronto on Saturday afternoon. She was run into by a clumsy fellow, knocked down, and received a severe eut over the eye. The masa frightened at :the consequences ofthe collision, made off- and left hie victim to her fate. The lady fell into a protracted swoon and was conveyed to theshore oiy.fi hand sled. .t—Messrs. A. S. ,iSs G. C. McKay, who have for some time past been engaged as hog, .sheep and cattle shippers, of East Nissouri, have left for parts un- knOvn. It appears that they recently met with a very heavy loss in a ship- ment to the old country, the entire shipment having to be thrown. over board. Then they sold out their farm and have gone; bag and bagame, with their families. —A warrent was issued Saturday morning for the arrest of a hotel keeper named Peter Skelton, who on Christ: mai day broke the jaw of a young man named James Dickson in his bar rooms The hotel is a few miles from London. Dickson was asleep by the fire, and Skelton woke him up by kicking his feet. Dickson jumped up and asked him What was the matter, wheel's Skel- ton dealt him a :couple of blows with the effect stated. —It is stated. that Manager Hickson, of the Grand Trunk Railway has =tie Led the einployees that there will be an advance of 10 per cent. in the• rates of accident insurance. The company, on an average cost to each employee of 36 cents a month, pays at death front injury, to the heirs -of each employee $500; if disabled, $5 a week, compen- sation and medical attendance. The conapany donates from .47,000 to $8,000 annually to the fund, and the inerease' is only temporary, td relieve an indebt- edness. It numbers 7,000 employees, and some idea of the nature of its op- erations may be formed from the fact that since 1875 the sum of $51,558.67 has been disbursed for loss of time, $25,518.91 has been paid for medical attendance upon ipjured members and. $69e000 allowed in settlement ei 138 death claims. —Four hundred children of New Ed- - inbargh, with the teachers of the -Sun- day Schools and common schools, assembled. at Rideau Hall at 4 e'elock Christmas afternoon. Tea was served, and the children - were waited upon by His Excellency Governor-General and suite, with Major De Winton and Lady Smyth and a number of the guests, including Mr. and. Mrs, R. Stephenson„ Lord_ Grosvenor, ad. the Rev. Mr. Hannington. After the good hinge had been -partaken of the chil- dren and teachers were led by His Ex- ellency into the ball -room, where stood a 31184/11fieellt Christmas tree laden with presents for every child and teacher. The -gifts were distributed, and each child ev-as made the hippy -re- cipient of some gift from the tree, the teachers not being forgotten. The gathering dispersed with cheers for His E e 1.1 Thomas Bell, engine driver on the Grand Trunk Railway express, whilst running fall speed between Park- hill and Widder, a few days -ago, saw a three year old infant on th t track, ap- parently about 600 yards ahead. Bell applied the vacnuna brakes, and re- versed. with a; shock that threw the passengers forwar& almost out of their seats. Notwithstanding all that eould be done, it was quite evident the ehild - would be struck by the pilot, at a mo- imeaturn of about ten erdies an hour. The fireman ran forward. on the pilot, , but the risk was immineet, as the child was a heavy one, and his attempt to seize it would endanger his own life. Just as -the locomotive came trembling within a few yards of the child, a wild shriek was -heard, and a woman dashed across the track, a few inches ahead of the pilot, The -child was saved by its mother, wh.0 no sooner deposited her child against the bank than she herself fell over and fainted. bwoatyh. mother and child to their home, and No. 6 went Oil its e t hceo nsveeeyne de The neighbors hurrying to