Our Contributors.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 519, 5 July 1881, Page 3

Our Contributors.

OUR SYDNEY LETTER

(From our Own Correspondent)

Sydney, June 18. The long dreaded visitant, small-pox, has now made its appearance in our midst, and the Government (much bullied as they are) seem quite alive to the necessity of sparing no trouble or expense to checkmate 'the march of this " King of Terrors," who has been known to have been guilty of the impropriety in other cities, of attacking even tin , august persons of ministers, judges and the like, as remorselessly as the carcases

of common fdks. The first nppenrance of th ;, disease was manifested on a, cliild of a Chinese merchant in George street south, and the house was quarantined and guirded back and front by police constables. The child is now nearly convalescent. The next kno'.ni case was that of a carpenter named Edward Rout, who was at work at a house upon the other side of the stivefc, immediately oppo>ite to that in which the first case occur* d. JRout has since died. Another case subsequently occured, again a Chinaman, who has been sent (with other cases) to ihe quarantine station. A fourth case was at a boarding-house in Cumberland street, and one or two other cases are reported ; and I need scarcely a d that plenty of highly sensational rumors are afloat. Carbolic acid and disinfectants are all the rage, and if their use had been more fiequent previously we might have been spared from the present visitation. Sydney, containing as it does innumerable rookeries and wretched hovels, destitute of ventilation and drainage, offers considerable inducement to our grim visitor to prolong his unwelcome stay. As Shakspere said (of a man) " he is a very pestilent fellow," and not at all likely to take his departure without first giving trouble, disease, and death to. the community. The undertakers, and even the doctors, may inwardfy smile while outwardly shedding crocadile tears, , but, thank goodness, they are only "mortal " themselves, and possibly even a grave and solemn undertaker, clothed in funeral.black (and often beer) m.*y have to be .undertaken himself before it is all over. Mrs Gamp's and Mrs Harris's representatives and all the Betsey Prigs of Sydney will find congenial employment, unless they draw the line at smallpox. Vaccination is optional here at present, 1 believe, but numbers of people, young and old, are " rolling up " to make the acquaintance of the lancet. The papers abound in nostrums and " certain cures,"■furnished by. correspondents of more or less reliability. Now that Sydney it no longer a " clean port," to prevent trouble to passengers by ship from this Colony,' a doctor boards each vessel before she loaves, and makes an examination of the passengers and gives a bill of health to the captain before he departs. Some of the lady passengers, taken by surprise at the first visitation of the medical officer, seemed much shocked and annoyed at having to desplay their devino forms to a man ; but they soon got used to it. finding that there was no esseape, and have doubtless [jot over it, as they do over many other little troubles, by this time. To jump at one bound from earth to iieaven, we have had a little fun out of ' our own " comet. This celestial wanderer was first mude known here by a talented and much respected amateur astronomer, Mr Tcbliutt, of Windsor, (86 miles from Sydney), and many witticisms have been launched at the cad of our worthy Government Astronomer (Mr because he did not find it out 'first. The Bulletin spi-aks satirically of the breach jf etiquette shown' by the comet in appearing ''after office hours," and Mr Rutsell put upon his mettle (or metal?; lias been avenged by his discovery of spots upon the sun of the modest aggregate dimensions of 80,000 by 30,000 miles. It may be that the onerous lut ies of'regularly winding up the sun md moon and cutting.up new stars to Dβ pasted on the sky, combined with /he turning on and off' of the tides, the •egulation of storms, winds and atmosphere to the different requirements of ;he various parts of the colony, occupy ;he official astronomer's time pretty \illy ; and if so,' it certainly seems why, * demme, it is too bad," for a comet to;ome sneaking above the horizon while ts '-boss-" is having a well-earned forty ,vinks ; but I-believe, comets, will do my thing. Dohati's comet was however, i liable exception, and took good care ,o make its presence boldly from.the fery first, and 1 think that this pre-.-J — 1 1.1 J.- 1.. . 1 I 11 ■•

The Montngu-Turnex, . 4 Opera. Company did very well in Sydney, and most thoroughly deserved their success, having given very fine .representations of several popular operas. Upon their return, vAmbroise Thomas's opera of " Mignon" is promised. At the Royal the " New London Comic Opera Company " open to-night in "La Fille dv Tambour Major."-

•. Charles' Bright continues to draw large audiences to his Sunday evening " freethought" leciures. With the advent (expected) of that;" Prince of humbugs," 'Colonel Robert in view, wo may expect the revealed author of our faith to be completely wiped 'out, at a dollar per head entrance money. Carlyle, that'denouncer of shams', religious, political and social, wrote last year a scathing satire against the "so called leaders of modern thought, who arrogantly attempt asit were, to sneeze God out of his universe. Nevertheless Charles Bright has the .effrontery to quote isolated passages from Carlyle's works, in such a garbled manner as to lead his deluded followers into the belief that that great man held similar socalled "freethought" views.

The English Cathedral, a large and noble edifice, is crowded at each of the three Sunday services, owing to the improvement in the singing , , and to the somewhat sensational preaching of the recently arrived Dr Ellis. The weekday services also show increased attendances. ,

The weather recently.has been cold, with occasional bursts of a warm sunny temperature. ' Protracted rains have fallen too ; bat the sky seems now tolerably settled for being line.

LATEST EUROPEAN.

(Reuters Telegrams.)

(SrECIAL TO THE Mα \\,.)

London, July 2.

In the House of Lords last night lengthy debate took place on the subjV of the report of the Royal Commission* appointed to enquire int? tne Irish Lai question. The Duke of Argyle chara terised the report as one-sided and alt gether unreliable and censured its recon mcndations in warm terms. Earl Grai vJle condemned the discussion of tl report at the present juncture, and sai he feared the tone of the debate whic had taken place jras a bad augury f< the fate of the Irish Land Bill when : reached the House of Lords. The homeward Australian and Ne , Zealand mails which left Auckland o on May 24 were delivered here to-day. (Per Merchant Shipping and Under writers Association.) London, July 2. Arrived—Margaret Galbraith, fron Timaru, March 26 ; Antares, fron Wellington, April 15. Paris, July 2. The hostilities which recently occurrec between the French troops and Arabs a ' Sfae,in Tunis hare caused a panic amon^ 1 the European residents, w h o are taking refuge on board vessels in the harbor j A further outbreak of the tribes is feared j as a holy war is being preached through- • out the district. Vienna, July 2. Serious riots have lately occurred at Prague, in Austria. Riots are still occurring, and are causing much trouble to the Authorities. Washington, July 3. The latest bulletin regarding the health of President Garfielcl reports that the symptoms have improved, though the bullet has not yet been extracted. He slept well during the night and has been able to take nourishing food. His spirits are cheerful. No feverish symptoms have been shown. July 8, Later. Deep and uuiversal anxiety is felt throughout the United States at the state of the President's health. Telecrams have been received from all the European Courts expressing syaipathy with him. It now transpires that the would-be Assassin, Gintcan, was at one time a consular officer, but was dismissed from his position.

( From The Lyltdion Times)

Washington, July 1. A daring attempt was made to-day at the railway Station upon the life of the President by Charles Gintean, on attorney of Chicago, an unsuccessful office-hunter. As Mr Garfield was on the point of leaving by train for the north, Gintean fired at him with a revolver the shots took effect, and wounded President Garfield in the arm and hip. He was at once conveyed to the White House for medical attendance. The surgeons report that the wounds are not necessarily fatal, but that his condition is critical, internal hemorrhage having set in. Gintean was arrested at the station before he could escape. Great excitement has been caused in the city and throughout the States by the occurrence, and much anxiety is manifested at the President's state,