Captain Barry’s Lecture.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 165, 13 October 1880, Page 2

Captain Barry’s Lecture.

(From the Press.

Last night, at the Academy of Music, Captain Jackson Barry gave, or rather attempted to give his lecture on fifty-two j'cars’ colonial experience. There was a fairly numerous audience, who waited in quiet expectation for some little time after the appointed hour. Ten minutes, a quarter, twenty minutes past eight arrived but brought with it no Captain Barry. Ultimately, however, Mr. George Beatty proposed that Mr. William Wilson take the chair.

Mr. Wilson stepped upon the stage, and, in a few mellifluous sentences, introduced Captain Jackson Barry. The Captain, on rising to begin his lecture, was received with cheers and a remark from an excited gentleman in the circle, “ Letsh (hie) hear the Queensh letter.” After some little time Captain Barry got well under weigh with his early life and experiences, only interrupted now and again by the same ■ gentleman, who had evidently been looking on tho wine when it was red, and who every now and then expressed his desire—which appeared to be a most overpowering one—to hear “the Queensh lettersh.” Several.what our American cousins would call rather steep anecdotes were told by the Captain, particularly where he related one of the murders of the blacks, in which he described the murderers as “ ’eaping their bodies in ’eaps.” Next Captain Barry, amid yells of incredulity, told his boss yarn of his sojourn on the whale. “ Ladies and gentlemen,” said tho Captain, “for twelve 'ours Ave sat on the dead whale, and ’eld on by our ’arpoons till Ave Avere picked up.” It is to be regretted that some of the audience here began to throw a number of eggs. The first of these narroAvly escaped the Captain, lodging behind, against the scene, with an ominous sound. Then came a dropping shoAver of eggs, but the Captain, true to his colours,did not flinch. The chairman, however, deeming discretion the better part of valour, veiled his blushes discreetly behind a pot plant which was on the table.

Captain. Barry, boiling over with righteous indignation, gesticulated fiercely at the audience, and finally made his exit at the wing, making gestures of contempt.

The Chairman then said that for thirteen years he had always been listened to with profound attention at public meetings in Christchurch, because he was one of the most fluent speakers in the colony. [The gentleman in the circle—“ Readsh the Queen’s lettersh. ”] Was it the pleasure of the audience that Captain Barry should be heard? [Cries of “ Yea, yes.”J The Captain then returned, and said that he considered it a disgrace to Canterbury that a grey-haired man should be treated the way lie had been. Speaking of what he [had done for the working classes, “ I have persuaded no one,” said the Captain, “ to break hup their ’omes on one hundred and twenty platforms in that country. There’s not one of you, hold or young, as will say houtside this ’all, Captain Barry, I throwed a hegg at yer. I spotted a hegg a coming from one

of the would be leading men, and believe you me, I’ll ’ave you hup for it.” [The gentleman in the circle —“ Read ush the Queensh lettersh.”] “This haudience is not worthy reading it to even. You have had your sport, now I’ll ’ave mine. Good night.” So saying, the Captain struck a melodramatic attitude at the first entrance on the prompt side and went off, exclaimin, in deep tragedy tones worthy of Mr. C. Burford, “ You are hall a lot of curs.” The green curtain was then lowered and the proceedings terminated.