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The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 1886. NOTES.

As long as the world lasts there will, we suppose, be believers in the efficacy of dreams and the potency of some mysterious principle known as “ luck.” And as now and then it does, of course, turn out that the event dtearned of results in accordance with the dream the coincidence gets greatly talked Of and wondered at, while nothing is heard or thought of the hundreds of cases in which the fact of the day exhibits no sort of correspondence with the vision of the night. Similarly, the sailor who carries about with him a charm and has had many hair-breadth escapes is apt to look upon his talisman and his safety in the light of cause and effect, altogether forgetful of the fact that hundreds who have carried about them similar spells against evil have nevertheless perished. Still, as we have said, it does now and then turn out that the dream proves true and th t the bearer of a luck-token turns out to be fortunate. For example, we are told that just before the last Metropolitan (Christchurch) race-meeting, a gentleman in Wellington dreamed that a certain horse would win a particular race, that he thereupon took steamer to Lyttelton, went to the racecourse, backed the horse of his dream and won his bets. Again, from “ the other side,” comes the following story of the last Caulfield Cup. “The race was won by Ben Bolt, by which his owners, 01 rather lessees pockeied They had leased the animat for a year for On the morning of the race one of the lessees received by post from a friend in Queensland a threepenny Dit with a hole in it—a lucky coin. This piece of money had belonged to two persons, each of whom had been shipwrecked and been saved from drowning. The coin was carefully attached to Ben Boll’s martingale and the horse won” Just so, but for all that we guess that that threepenny bit had nothing to do with the horse coming in first, and the fact that the jockey had been laid £2OOO to nothing that he would not win, and therefore had the strongest possible incentive to ride with care and judgment had in all likelihood everything to do with the result. The coincidences of the dreams and the threepenny bit are curious enough no doubt, but they are only coincidences, after all. Talking of races reminds one that nowacays there are races at sea as well as on land, and a like interest to that which is taken at Home in the performances iff the China clippers in the annual tea-races, is naturally taken by effonists in the performances of the great ocean-going boats, which form the link of communication between the colony and the Mother Country. And as the best on record is always getting [beaten it will not be long, at the rate we are going, before the mail time between Auck'and and London is reduced to thirty days. Does anybody who reads this feel inclined to regard that as an Over-SangUiDV vi? w of the possibilities

of the near future ? If so, let him look up the record of the last homeward trip of the Alameda. The Alameda arrived at ’Frisco from Sydney on October 2, having made the passige in six hours | and a half over 23days and cou’d have clone the trip in less time than that but for the fact that she underwent six hours’ detention in Auckland. Her mails were sent forward on tho day of their arrival, caught the New York boat for Liverpool, and reached the latter port 32 days after despatch from Sydney. This is the smartest on record so far, but it is quite easy to believe that ere long the odd two days will be knocked off and the through trip made within the calendar month. Thanks to steam and to science New Zealand is practically as near to England to-day as was New York less than half a century ago. ■* We should much like to know what are the real facts about the Panama Canal. Is it, or is it not, going on satisfactorily, and is it or is it not to be finished within the next three or four years. Two diametrically opposite stories are to hand by the mail, just delivered from ’Frisco. The first of these—the version, dated from the Isthmus, October 12—represents that “ Very satisfactory progress is being made in excavating the canal. During July, 66,900 cubic metres of earth were removed. The average for 1886 will be 1,000,000 cubic metres per month. At the last general assembly of stockholders of the canal M. De Lesseps promised the excavation for 1886 should be 12,000,000 cubic metres; for 1887 double that amount, and for 1888 and the next year and one half year following 54,000,000 metres. This will make 90,000,000 metres extracted since 21st December 1885, which, added lo 12,000,000 extracted before that date, will complete 108,000,000 cubic metres, which the estimates for the work called for. The excavation will therefore be completed, it is believed, by July, 1889.” The second—an unofficial version, that of a certain Senor Santiago Tarrico, of the Peruvian navy—sets forth that the chiefs in charge of the Company’s works are devoting themselves mainly to enjoying life, living in gorgeously furnished houses, and indulging itr horses, carriages and palace-cars at the Company’s cost —that one man who deals in lurniture has made half a million dollars out of the Company in two years—that this is but a sample of the corruption existing in all ranks, and that unless a different set of men take hold of the work the canal will never be completed. There is, it must be admitted, a wide discrepancy between these two versions of the case and we reiterate that we should exceedingly like to know which is fact and which is fiction.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AG18861117.2.7

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1409, 17 November 1886, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
997

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 1886. NOTES. Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1409, 17 November 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 1886. NOTES. Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1409, 17 November 1886, Page 2

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