DUNEDIN ITEMS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 451, 16 November 1880, Page 2

DUNEDIN ITEMS.

(From our own Correspondent.)

[This communication should liave appeared in our last issue. Ed. A.M.']

On Friday morning at 8 o'clock the Chinaman, Ah Lee, who was recently convicted of the murder of Mrs Young at Kycburn, suffered the extreme penalty of the law within the Gaol-yard. As might have been expected, the occasion created some excitement, and a large number of people assembled about the Gaol with the object of catching a glimpse of the operations. But they were disappointed, for the authorities had taken every precaution to secure the strictest secrecy. Since his sentence was passed Ah.Lee has been visited daily by Mr Torrancc, the Chaplain of the gaol, and by Bishop Nevill, to whose spiritual ministrations he has paid great attention. His demeanour throughout has bean perfectly calm, and he strongly protested his innocence until the bolt was drawn. On the morning of the execution he was visited in his cell by Bishop Ne>ill, the Rev. Mr Byng, Mr Torrance, and by two Chinamen, Lo Keong of Dunedin, and Loo Choo of Queenstown. All the other leading Chinamen in the district refused to see the condemned man, or to witness his execution. A few minutes before 8 o'clock the culprit's hands were pinioned and lie was handed over to the hangman, being accompanied to the scaffold by the Sheriff, the gaol authorities, the Rev. Mr Byng, and Mr Torrance. He ascended the platform with a firm step, and walked on to the drop without the slightest token of fear or emotion. Mr Torrance now placed his arm on the shoulders of the condemned man and offered up an earnest prayer on his behalf, then, leaning towards him he said, " Did you kill Mrs Young ?" Ah Lee replied " No; me no killeo Missie Young. , ' Shortly afterwards all was in readiness, the white cap was adjusted, and the Prisoner had taken farewell of Mr Torrance and the Gaol authorities. For the first time he was alone on the scaffold, and a slight tremor passed over his frame. But soon his earthly suffering was over, for the bolt was drawn and he died instantaneously. Subsequently a formal inquest was held, and the jury returned a verdict of " justifiable homicide." The body wae then buried within the precincts of the Gaol. The executioner .was a short thick-set man, and wore a mask. He is a recent arrival in this country, and was sometime assistant to Calcraft at Homo. As it is now over fourteen years ago since there has been an execution in Dunedin this incident has cast a sort of gloom over the minds of several of the inhabitants, but doubtless it will coon wear off, and it is only right that, murder should not be permitted with: impunity.

Theatrical matters have been very quiet here for some time, but within the last fortnight they giwm to have received, a fresh impulse, and at the present time belli tJi'afroK Room to' be doing a good , ' trade. At the Queen's Theatre, on Oct.

28, the Lingard Comedy Company produced " Stolon Kisses," an original comedy-drama in three acts, and received a most enthusiastic welcome. As a proof of the popularity of this drama, I may state that it was produced for 200 nights in London, where it is still running, and was highly eulogised by the Australian Press. After a very successful run in this city, it has been withdrawn in favor of the " Banker's Daughter," which in turn has given way to the comic opera, " H.M.S. Pinafore."—On Nov. 4 the Lydia-Howard Opera Bouffe and Burlesque Company gave their opening performance in the Princess Theatre. Their performances seem to take exceedingly well, and are spoken of in highly complimentary terms by the Press.—lt also gives me great pleasure to anticipate a visit from the celebrated pianiste, Mr Henry Ketten, who is tit present in Melbourne, giving a series of farewell concerts, which are drawing immense audiences. His agent, Mr Mitchell, has arrived in Dunedin, and is making the arrangements for a series of concerts to be held hero early in December. Should the influence which he has exercised on the musical community of the sister colony be felt here in anything like the same degree, it will be permanent, and invaluable to both amateurs and to our professionals.

Although the commercial depression which has recently been felt throughout the whole of the British Dominions has not been entirely withdrawn from Dunedin, the building , trade, seems about as brisk as,ever, and several fine buildings are, and have been during the year, in course of erection. The chief ones in the contractors' bands at the present moment are Ross's Buildings, the Bank of New Zealaud, Hudson's Coffee Palace, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, and the Jewish Synagogue. To go into detail would be entirely out of the question, but a few jottings may not be out of place, and will give yon some idea of the dimensions of these edifices. The Bank of New Zealand is situated at the corner of Princes and Rattray streets, and the extent of its basement is about 80ft. square, while the height of the building is 65ft. The basement is built of Port Chalmers stone, and the walls of Oamaru stone. Mr Armstrong of Christchurch is the architect, and the amount of the present contract is nearly £27,000. Hudson's Coffee Palace is the building in connection with the Coffee Palace and Tavern Co. Limited, which was recei-tly floated with a capital of £5000, in 5000 shares of £1 each. It contains about seventy rooms, and occupies one of the best positions in the city The Roman Catholic Cathedral will be an enormous building when completed. Its dimensions are 110 ft. by 200 ft., while its elevation to the ridge will be about 80ft. The interior of this magnificent edifice will resemble a cross 200 ft in length, and it is intended that, from the centre of the cross, the main tower will rise to a height of 212 ft. The main entrance will be by a flight of white marble steps, 25ft. in width. The building will be lighted by means ©f 50 windows, two of which, one at each end, will be rose windows, 16ft. by 38ft. The cost will be very great, as the work at present in hand will cost £5,000, the temporary completion of the nave will cost about £10,000 ; and then only one-twentieth of the entire work will have been completed. It is expected that it will take at least twelve years to build the Cathedral " in the rough", and that another ten years must elapse before the necessary carving and artistic work can be finished.

It is with some regret that we are compelled to suffer the loss of the services of Inspector Mallard, a highly esteemed police officer who had done much towards the preservation of peace amongst us, and in order that he should not be allowed to part from us without some slight token of recognition, a public meeting was recently called for the purpose of considering the best means of expressing our sympathy with him. An influential committee was appointed to take action in the matter, and it is expected that a sum of at least £500 will be presented to Mr Mallard.

The Sunday-school Centenary Celebration began here on Saturday, when an assembly of 8,000 children was addressed in the Garrison Ha!l by several clergymen, and others who take an interest in the young. The meeting was one of the most affecting I have ever scon and the attention of the youngsters seemed fairly riveted to the platform, as the lives of the Great Founder of the Christian religion and of the originator of the present Sunday-school system were sketched by the various speakers. In the gallery, too, might bo seen a number of their parents, whose silvery hair betokened that they had come to contain./ bute to some extent to the happiness 0 the rising generation ere they de- 4 parted hence. Sunday was observed as specially set apart for addresses to both old and young on their respective relations to the Sabbath-school. < The celebration will close on Tuesday evening with the centenary service, of song by a choir of about 300 persons. In connection with the harbour Reclamation works there is a novel machine at work in the shape of a " Mechanical excavator," more comimmly termed a devil." Some time ago Messrs Proudfoot and Co., the contractors, finding that the wages of labouring men were not likely to decrease in comparison, with the depression of traded and hearing that such machines wrought satisfactorily in America, decided' to import one as" soon as possible. This was accordingly clone, and about four months * ago the excavator was set to work among the sand-hills at the Ocean Beach, where it is giving every satisfaction. Fo *

■ * c t me crowds of people went to see it, and returned to town with wonderful descriptions of the " devil." The mode of working is as follows. The machine •consists of an engine capable of working np to fourteen horse-power, a crane, and taw enormous bucket attached to a powerful lever, the whole being fixed to a rooveable truck which is shifted about by means of rails. A chain of great strength is swung on the end of the ■crane and attached to the bucket. When the engine is set in motion the ibucket decends as the chain is unwound, omtil it reaches the required level. 'The •engine is lihen reversed and the bucket is drawn up again by means of the -chain, and this, coupled with the resistance of the lever a£ it moves on a ifulcrum, forces it into the sand, when it iis filled immediately. Then the crane as brought into use, and the bucket is •swung round until over the truck, when a spring is drawn and the bucket -empties itself. Three repetitions of the tprocess generally suffice to fill a truck •containing from three to three and. aihalf yards of sand, and forty tracks may be filled in about as many mmntes. This wonderful machine thus performs tthe work of about sixty men, aiul only requires two attendants, on« to drive the ■engine, while the other guides the operations of the bucket. The amount of -twork which it has already done is really (marvellous, and its use will enable Messrs 'Proudfbot .to finish their contract .much sooner than was anticipated.

Dunedin, Nov. 10 1880,