DUNEDIN NOTES.

Cromwell Argus, Volume V, Issue 212, 2 December 1873, Page 6

DUNEDIN NOTES.

Bv 0. P. Q. The Rev. Dr Begg took his departure yesterday, and a large number of the citizens assembled at the railway station to bid our late visitor farewell, among the number being many whose thoughts were carried to scenes of the past by the presence among them of the celebrated divine to whom they had listened in years gone by when in the land of their birth. Dr Begg had the pleasure of meeting more than twenty years since with many people now in this Province, and your readers can imagine that it must have been with no ordinary feelings of gratification and pleasure the worthy Doctor renewed these acquaintanceships. I may mention one in particular, that of a worthy friend of mine, who was a member of the Doctor's congregation over forty years ago. . Before leaving Dunedin a number of the members of the First Church congregation presented Dr Begg with some beautiful views of the interior of the new church, an albert chain with greenstone pendants, as also a handsome brooch and other ornaments for Mrs Begg.

We have had a slight sensation here this week in the cricket line in the match between the Auckland and Dunedin Elevens. As was generally anticipated ,the local team got a drubbing, although at the conclusion of the first innings the hopes of the Dunedinites beat high, the game standing within one point of being level scoring. In the second innings, however, the Northerners proved themselves by far the better men, and the result was that Otago was beaten with five of their opponent's wickets to go down. The Auckland men had a very short stay in Dunedin. They arrived very early on Monday morning, and commenced play at 10 o'clock, finishing for the day at about half-past six p.m. On the following morning the match was resumed, and concluded about half-past twelve o'clock, and our visitors left by one of the afternoon trains to embark on board the steamer on their return journey. So they had very little time for sight-seeing, which is rather to be regretted, for Auckland people as a rule are rather given to the inordinate exaltation of their Province—a bumptiousness which certainly should be dispelled by two or three days' observation of Dunedin's many fine buildings, and of the manufacturing industries in the city and environs which employ so much capital and labour. Mon Tai, the victim to an overdose of opium, who is being watched by a number of Chinamen in the house where he died, in the anticipation of his resuscitation, has given no further signs of life since the false alarm which was raised a few days ago of the return of vitality in the corpse. His friends, however, have not quite given up hope yet, and stick to their post in anticipation of the realisation of their hopes. The corpse is swathed in wet bandages, and all things considered, ! must be anything but an agreeable sight.

Tho Town Clerk has addressed a very outspoken letter to the Secretary of the Water Works Co., with reference to the refusal of that body to carry out the agreement entered into with the Corporation for the sale to the latter of the company's works. The action of the Water Company is characterised in exceedingly plain terms as most dishonourable, and discreditable to a body of respectable citizens; and the whole question at issue is l-eviewed by Mr lllassey, as it appears to me, to the very great discomfiture of the company. How the matter will end it is difficult to say. It is the general impression, however, that the City Council are decidedly in the right in the matter, and the Water Company, after the questionable actions which have characterised their dealings with the question at issue, find few sympathisers outside the ranks of shareholders. The Council seem determined not to agree to the question being submitted to arbitration, and stick to their resolution to give £l6 per share, and not to run the risk of paying out of the citizens' money whatever sum might be arrived at as the value of the shares by one person as arbitrator. The price they offer is a high one, and did the shareholders but consult their own interests, they would accept it without further humbug.

The second number of the New Zealand Jurist has just been issued. The editor is Mr Branson, a Dunedin lawyer, and the magazine i 3 certainly very much to that gentleman's credit. Besides condensed reports of the various cases heard in the Supreme Courts of the various Provinces, and in the Court of Appeal, there are what may be termed two leading articles on interesting topics of the day, which are worthy of perusal. Mr Branson deserves to be well supported by the legal fraternity, for his collection of report and judgments will assuredly be worth preserving.