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Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 131, 12 January 1877, Page 5

The date of the Clutha Horticultural Society's Show has now been fixed to take place on Friday next, in Barr's Hall, and there is every appearance that it will prove a highly successful one. • Such an exhibition" will prove a ■novelty in Balclutha, and'we trust that every one who' can will* bring forward exhibits in* as many of the classes as possible. These classes will be found enumerated in another column. Considerable preparations.: have already .been, made for tHe-. Show, -which, we believe, will in-. ) cludea.flae device of a flower garden, fountain, -summer-house, . &c,,- &c. ..; The attendance of, •nsitpra will no doubt be krj»e,Vand we would -give our country" friends " the iiiifc "that ' they -*ouJd be very weloame id Balclutt» on thaVday.''

We regret to learn that Mr Clegg, settler, Waihola, died on .Wednesday night last.

The next English mail via Suez will leave the offioe hsre on Tuesday firdt, the 16th inst, at 10 pirn.

The adjourned meeting of the Clutha County Council will be held :in the Court-house hero at noon on Tuesday first. :

The members of the Athenceum Committee will observe thafc a sp*jcial : meeting has been called for Monday evetiin***;

The annual races of ths Tapanui Jockey Club take place todiy anil to-morrow.' There is every appearance of a very good meeting. :

We have to call attention to an important sale of freehold property, stock, implements, furniture, &c, to be held at Gask, Kaitangata, on Friday, the 26th instant.

We observe Mr Dunne, of the Newmarket Hotel here, is about to erect a large and substantial* hall on the vacant section afljoiniug the hotel. Tenders are called for the work. ' The Loyal Dalton Lodge of Oddfellows have resolved to celebrate their anniversary by a picnic ou the Lower "Reserve on VV'edn'esdaj*', the 2-ith inst. ■ 'There will be a dance n Barr's Hall in the evening. ; - . . Mr Henry Driver received 'a* 1 telegram on Wednesday stating that at Messrs Robertson Bros, sale of pure shorthorn cattle, held at Cola'c. .Victoria, on Ihe sth inst.V 190 head brought L2i"),oo£). ■ Forty head were pedigree cattle,, the remainder being from the general herd. ; -. t Mr E. H. Carew took his seat on the 'bench here at" sharp' 11 o'clock on Wednesday. The consequence was that both litigants and their counsel found +he'rriselves too late. They had better accept this: as a warning for the future, as we believe punctuality is one of Mr Carew's cardinal virtues. <. . i It will be observed that a soiree to commemorate tiie opening of tho new school will be given at Ahuriri on the eveuing of Friday, the 26th instant. We believe the. soiree will be foi-. lowed by a dance,' and have no doubt the attendance will- be large, vVe trust a • good many from Balclutha will put in au appearance on the occasion. . j We regret to learn that in some cases llie meetings of householders on Monday eveuing to elect school co.nmittees for the ensuing year were but very poorly attended. We could name one instance in which only a single householder put in an appearance, and the teacher was obliged to beat up. .other two in order that the meeting might Dot lapse for want of a quorum.

Harvesting has already commenced in th"? Tokomairiro district. Mr A. MD maid, the only engineer in Milton, has his hands full, there being at present in bis establishment, two engines, and six mills, besides other machines A resident engineer in the townshipseems to be regarded throughout the district as even a greater boon than a resident Magistrate would be.

We have to acknowledge receipt from Messrs H. "Wise and Co , Punedin, of a selecthn of calendar cards for 1877, varying in size from 2in. by lin. to 9in. by 7in , very handsomely got up indeed—ornamental a-3 well as useful. Oue diminutive pocket-book calendar is very convenient, as it can be carried in one of* the pockets of an ordinary sized purse, aud thus h always at hand wheu wanted.

We have to call the attention of settlers and others of the Clutha to the fact that steaim communication has again been started between Dunedin and Port Molyneux aud Kaitangata. The s.s. Ino has now b3en placed in the trade, and as the owners are to sail with her, this may , be regarded as sufficient guarantee th.it the business will be well attended to. We believe it is intended to carry goods, produce, &c, at a cheap rate, so as to secure a full share of the trade. Wo trust the settlers will heartily co-operate in the matter. The annual session of the Presbyterian Church'of Otago commenced in the Ptrbfc Church, Dunedin, on Tnesd *y, when • the Rev. Mr Bann^rman, the acting Moderator, preached an eloquent Bermon from John: Ist- and ,17th. The Synod-was then conatituted, and on the motion of Mr Bannerman, the Rev. Mr Gow. was elected Moderator. The Moderator delivered an excel- : lent address, and the business of the session was proceeded with. The reports are too lengthy for our attempting to give even a synopsis in

this issue,

Mr John. Paterson, of Messrs Ironside and Paterson, left here on "Wednesday evening with an extremely handsome buggy for exhibition at the Tapanui .-ihow. It has been manufactured wholly by the firm at their establishment in Balclutha. It is set on scroll springs, wh'ch elevate it considerably, atad give it a stylish appearance. : The side 3 are partly Venetian panels, and the' whole is painted 1 claret colour, with tasteful ornamentation; The painting does much crsdit to the artist, Mr Oarret, and we believe' the workmanship could not be surpassed in the Colonies.

A meeting of the Committee of the Balclutha Sabbath Schools was held in the Presbyterian Church on Monday, when, it was found there was a balance -of £?> in hand after paying all expenses in connection with, the recent, picnic. : Hearty- votes', of thanks, were passed to the numerous, friends who sent such a, liberal supply of provisions, as well as to those who subscribed in m**niey ; also to the owners of the omnibuses in Balclutha, for conveying the children free of charge to the railway terminus; and to Mr Robert M'Kenzie for the use of the ground for the picnic. -■:-..

As the subject of the introduction of instrumental music in divine worship is at present occupying the attention of a section of the Church in Ofcngp, it may be interesting to mention that the question lias -recently created' much excitement amongst the members of "the Established^ Church of Scotland. The use of the organ, we believe, has now been authorised in the congregations of that Church, to the great offence of many. We are informed, on reliable authority, that some infl.ieutial elders of the Church hive taken the opinion of eminent lawyers upon* the' subject, and are advised that the introduction of instrumental music; is such a departure from-the. fundamental standards of the Church, as .-would invalidate the compact between .the Church and the State. . If, such, advice be correct,, then ( it , would seem that the liberal endowments of. the ■-•-■-.> .1- ■.-,' • ■-. ,' •;»'/-! '. Iff ,Chu*fch r are in *dapger ,of . slipping through the Church's fingers. ,At all events, we believe th[e question will* bo " tried." vl Perhaps*' !under / ttieJe circumstances it would be advisable for bur Otago* 'clerical 'musiciab-r t*> : leave tho instrument alone .'m'^JWe^Um-i**.'^' yAy'A :,; y,,yA- --y.l f i\

TheJHon. Mr M'Lean-i-s to leave .Wellington to-day for Auckland en route for Syduey to attend the Cable Conference.

We are inf oniied that the first passenger train will run from Milton to Havelock on Monday vireek, the 2nd inst. Plate laying is *. being proceeded with on the section between Havelock and Lawrence.

By a private telegram from Auckland yesterday we learn that Mr W. A. Murray was just leaving for the south, and intends to address his con-tituents.'the electors of Bruce, at Milton, about the 26th instant. The following gentlemen -were elected members of School Committee at the me'etitur at. ' nch Clutha on Monday evening : — Messrs M K>nlay (chairman), Byres (Treasurer), Mosley, Retts, . M'L-an. Gilroy, Lawson, D. M'Kenzie, and J. Dickson. The grain crops in the Tokomairiro. district are looking extremely well, aud an abundant harvest U expected. We regret, however, tolearn that io some cases the potato crop is de* ' ficient. On some of • the farms under the hills j 'the ground where they' were .planted has been ploughed up and sown with turnips. > A claim" for damages — James Hill v. Andrew— far alleged malicious prosecution was hefud at the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The case was very similar to the one heard against the sane defeni.aut on tho previous diy, (report in another column) and fii this case also the Jury, found that there was no malice, and that the plain tiff was not entitled to d.images.' . . Mr J. P. Maitland took his seat as : Chairman of the Waste Lands Board on Wednesday. Before proceeding with the business he made a short statement expressing a hope thatthe Board would extend to him. its consideration until he could become acquainted with/ the duties of the office. There was no busines? of much public importance in this quarter before the meeting. ' A rather novel race was run in Milton on Wednesday evening. It was a match between Mr* George Coomb's pony and Messrs G. Cipstick and Perry, on bicycles. The distance was two miles out and back, and the bicyclests had about a half mile of a start. The pony which was ridden by*MFCoombe"*s son trotted over the distance in twonty minutes; beating its strange opponents by about nine minutes. * .

On Monday last, the Lovells Flat school was inspected by MrTayior, one of the Government Inspectors. Of course the school being only newly gathered together little could be said about the attainments of the pupils this year, but it will be a stand-point to judge from next year. The school, which has now been placed in a central position for the distriot, shows already a good muster roll, there beinjr over 30 on the register, and which may still, be expected to increase after the busy season.

Captain Hayward, Catlins River, reports under date, January 1„ 1877 :— The number of vessels arrived during the. pnst month was 20, equal to 833 tons register, and 2*2 sailed, equal to 883 tons r-egi -iter. 17 were sent to Danedin, 3 to Kakanui, 1 to Molyneux, and one to Moeraki. 12 loaded as the Big Mill, and 10 at the Owake Mill. The Prince Rupert"*- is up at the Big Mil! loading, and tbe Fanny at the Owake Mill. The June, Lloyd's Herald. Alpha, Jes ie, Isabilia, Martha Reid, Huon Belle, and Catlin, all for Dunedin, sailed this morning early.

An inquest waa held at Tapanui on Monday, before John M*K*dler, Esq., J P., (acting corouer) upon the body of SarnuelTuckey, shoemaker of Tapanui, who died suddenly in the lock-up at the police, camp, Tapauui. The medical evidence went to prove that deceased (who wa3 about 70 years of ag«;) died. from inflammation of the lungs, accelerated by appoplexy. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the _ n-edical evidence, and complimented the police on the great care and consideration shown by them to the deceased while under, their care.

A rather unusual, occurrence took place in the Kaihiku district on Ne.w,Yeai;'s .Night. About 8 o'clock that evening a servant girl of sweet nintten, a daughter of Erin, left lier master's house, . and as she did nonreturn, "enquiry 'was made in the district the following mornins*. It was thea toupd that on lt-aving' her, master's house ehe had laid, wait, for, and in the darkness of the night kidnapped a bachelor swain of some forty summers, of -whom she had got enamoured. Having secured , her man, she r.ext obtained the services of an old. grey horse, which she mounted and compelled her prize to get up behind. ' llav« ing taken the position generally assumed by the male in the case of a 'mutual occupation by a a lady and gentleman of ahorse, she also assumed the male posture, generally^ known as " stridelegs." Thus our heroine was seen in the midst 'ofa drenching rain victoriously conducting her captive to a cabin oh Bachelor's Flat, where it is' 1 supposed the warmth bf her affection speedily evaporated the consequences of the ducking. She ,has since kept ai close guard over her prize, and it is generally understood that he rather likes his captivity. • ...

Some weeks ago the Daily Times co-ui' plained' of our having extracted some' scrap or other of news, which appeared in thafc journal, and which we 'apparently had; published.without acknowledgment. We were never enabled to discover the item of news the Times . referred to, and paid no. attention to .the matter. Thafc our contemporary may have impressed upon. his. mind the importance, of . the old proverb about ■ the result of .those who. live in glass hoines.indulging in, the juvenile practice of stone-throw-ing, we reprint the following from our Tuapeka contemporary.-" In the D-iily Tirhes of last Friday, appears an account of the first day's racing at Havelock. The report is a very good' one: indeed, and we should be very well 'pleased to give the Times-.all the credit for -it,' but for one trifling fact, and that is,- that ifc was * taken verbatim et literatim from our issue, of the;27ih ultimo, and without the slightest acknowlelg- , ment. i We always m'keifc a point to acknowledge the pa pa*, we, make an extract from, -be, the matter ever so|trifling ;, but our, Dunedin, contemporary pitat_cs a quarter, cqhimn, and has not the deceucy .to.pay us the usual compliment. The new 8 must have beep worth haying or it' would not have ieen extracted, and further that)' this, the report put vis to" considerable trouble and expense. Of course we know that ivt this 1 ,|irne of the year the requirements of a literary 'staff are sorely'taxo'i;' especially ooru r a "City 'mdrii-' ' ing paper;;' but ; t*ifc any time the } Times vm'ayi • reqiiire f a'ssistanceup our. way, we shall I only be A 'too glad to give it ; in fact we-slioiild prefer to.dq* i this rather than hare our' reports* pit-afced,>a*s in< ! I'^ifto^-juafcrefertfld toi-",;; !■.:■,-..-•,.., ,-,- .... „.;...'

. The crops, in, the Waitepeka district '. ,\ ,'.[,'),.,; ; r,{ .**?•...*;, \.i -\ ill *-f*j--'!' tii-i-A* *' --Ay lopk ■remarkably well. There, is every prospect of an abundant naryest.. ; ! f '' ! '* r f The, Tokomairiro, Jockey . > Club., have, . agreed to* romovi. the .disqualification from the . i'ace-horse- Clyde,. and his jockey — Laing. The Winton and Kingston railway line is now finished as far as * Lbwther. This last portion of : the line was opened on Monday. ■' '*- The January number of the. lllustrated : New Z-aaland Herald is a very good one! " It contains, a. view pf the wreck' of the Otago, and a' coloured illustration of " Australian Pets.*' AJ:P. is much wanted at. Clinton. At present, to get an affidavit signed entails a, ridof twenty-four miles, and now that a police camp- is being • established "at the townshi •_, the service of a Justice are likely to become more frequently required. ' Mr Andrew M'Laren, Milton, has; just' completed fine, now stables, behind his, shop. The}- consist of* .six stalls awl. loose box, with roomy loft above. . ..This . is ; a decided, improve- , tnent upon the charred ruins which have occupied the site ,for, some seven months. . ;, A meeting of the Clutha- Horticultural Society was held in the Clutha: Leader office onWednesday evening, when it was. resolved- that, the first anhualshow shall be held in Barr's Hall on .Friday- the 19fch -instant. . Masars Sutherland Robertson, 'and 'Hope'.were-appointed a,Committee :toprep«tre and decorate the hall. •■• Judges. were,.apppinted.;and it.was resolved that members be admitted to the Show free— strangers Is enoh. ; The" entrance-money ' for exhibits was fixed — for' members free, and. for strangers. Is each entry. The mesting adjourned till Wednesday next, when final arrangements will be made. ' ' . '" .'.'A... "'.'. '-•''•■■■-•'*.-• . We understand Miss Bannerman (sister of the Rev. W. Bannerman, Puerua), intends, in the course of a few, weeks, .to open a seminary for girls in Balclutha. Miss,. Bannerman has had ample experience in teaching in young ladies' educational institutions in Edinbu gh. and the Continent, and here intends to, teach all, the elements of a good English education, with French and other Continental languages ;. also -sewing, knitting, music -both , vocal .and instrumental, &c, &c. While giving the fullest credit' for the efficiency of the teaching staff in the Balclutha School, we believe there is ; ample room for such an institution as it is Miss.Binnerman's intention fco establish,, and that it will be regarded as a ; great boon, notonly in the township but through-' I out the Clutha district. '• "<• '.*••■ We have received the first number of the New Zealand Country Journal,, a quarterly record of information connected ' with agricul- ' tural, pastoral, and horticultural pursuits and 'rural sports in New Zealand, which is edited and published by. the Committee of the Canterbury Agricul tural and Pastoral Association, and is intended ,to supply full and accurate information 'on rural matters of interest to all parts of the C»lony. The present 1 number is excellently compiled, and contains seventy pages of matter which cannot fail to prove both instructive and interesting to agriculturists. Onr new contempt.*- ary d;*-es not claim any extraordinary, literary, merit, but it claims to express bhe views of pracf-ic-ii men upon sult-pcts with which they are practically acquainted.* As such,* we. helieve the - Country Joiirnal will be appreciated by practical men. , Some curious characters, find their way ' to the Colouies, and sometimes manage to get into good positions in connection with ecclesias- : tical bodies. At. a recent meeting of the Mission ' Committee of one of the Chinches of Otngo, it was incidentally reported that a certain' mis- ■ sionary under their control was about to pay a ' visit to Melbourne, ft seemed strange to the _ Committee that he should thus depart without ', leave either asked or obtained, and from the explanation which ensued it appeared that the 1 young gentleman (Abacheor) had recently taken * an amorous fit, and had tried in numerous quar- \ tors to find a lady willing to shiira his fortunes- j for life, but his efforts : proved fruitless. In dis-p-tir, he. had made, application, to the Committee to supply him with a. wife, but tin-, application svas not enteitained; perhaps some of them had ■ met with difficulties in finding similar supply, upon their own i*ccoui)t. n '.Upon ; receiving the ! answer declining .his request, t the missionary re- ' solved to make one; filial proposal in ! a new quarter, and. failing* su'ectis^.-he wak to try- the , Melbourne market. . The Committee ro<)olyed „ that in the, event of his departm-ofrom his pre- , sorib- d, mission-field for any such purpose," ."he"" , would be .regarded '"as having broken his engae-e- ', , ment, and his connection with the Church would ; ■ be severed.; This* .was. cruel. .WiU-, no, young ' damsel takepity upon a forlorn missionary ?