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Dunstan Times, Issue 514, 23 February 1872, Page 2

Purchasers ot cattle’ are reminded that a large mob of mixed sorts will be submitted t:i public competition at Alexandra to morrow, Saturday the 24th, Mr. Chappie officiating, fin'd on Tuesday"next the 27tb, Mr. (I. Fa-.he will conduct a sale at Goodger’s Yards; Cromwell: ''At the- particular requests of the Auctioneers, wo draw special attention'to those as-thoy- arc without, reserve, and the cattle are of prime quality. r •'■" :■ < , . 3V y perceive- by {he-ATct(fa-zeite of the. 10th instant, that Mr. Wardin Carcw of Black's, has hee;( appointed a Coroner for the Colony. 1

A congregational meeting of the Clyde Church of England was held in the church building on Tuesday evening last. The business of the meeting—the considering of certain suggestions of the Vestry to purchase Elba Lodge as a Parsonage, was unanimously agreed to, and a committee was appointed to negotiate for the purchase of the same. The quarterly meeting for granting publican’s licenses, &c., will be held in the various Incensing Courts within the Province at noon of Tuesday the sth day of March next. A friendly gathering of the Masonic Brethren was held'at the Dunstan Hqtel on Wednesday evening last, the occasion being a farewell supper and valedictory greeting to Vincent Pyke, Warden of the District on the occasion of his leaving the Dunstan. There was a very numerous assemblage of the Craft, and'a most enjoyable evening was spent tempered only by inevitably regrets that the honored guestjof the evening would so soon depart from'amongst those who respected and esteemed him as a leading member of the Ancient Fraternity and a good, zealous a..d well tried public "servant. The spread was laid on the table in host Eame’s usual masterly"style the viands were most excellent, and the wines and liquors beyond reproach. As the gathering was restricted to member of the Masonic craft we are deharred from giving full details of the proceedings but we may be permitted to state that the hours sped merrily and we may also add that had the demonstration heenjnade more generally public, scarcely an individual througouht the widely scattered community of the Dunstan District would have refrained from giving evidence by his presence of his regret at Mr. Pyke’s departure. "News from' the Garrick is most cheering Fresh reefs are being discovered in all directions, and in some of the established claims, the veins of stone are increasing in thickness and quality. Several erushings Lave taken place with mostjsatisfactory results. One lot of about one hundred and ten tons from the Royal Standard yielded aboutjforty ounces of retorted gold. A trial crushing from the Nil Deaperandum yielded an average of one ounce and a quarter to the ton, and from the Scotch Bard, about an ounce and a half.— Communicated.

In the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Queenstown, before It, Beetham, Esq., B. M., a criminal charge of libel against the publisher of the Wahatip Ma.il was preferred by Mr. James Maoasscy, Barrister at Law, one of the candidates for the representation of the Lakes’ District in the House of Assembly, was hoard on Saturday last. The libel complained of was a portion of an article on the coming election, and which the prosecutor considered was calculated to do him serious damage, if allowed -to remain nncontradicted. The words complained of, were— ‘‘It is currently reported that Mr. Miller has—fora consideration—retired in favor of Mr. Macassey.” Evidence for the prosecution went to show that no consideration had ever been offered, on the contrary, the question of Mr. Miller’s expenses had been spoken of by unauthorised parties to the prosecutor, but he had indignantly refused to entertain it. "Mr. Turton, who appeared for the defence, contended that no prima facie case had been made out, and objected to plead. The Bench after an adjournment dismissed the case, but expressed an opnion, that the article was unnecessarily written and unwarranted. Mr. Macassoy intimated his intention to take further proceedings, and applied for the depositions to be forwarded to the Supreme Court, which request was granted. An illustrions stranger has dropped in amongst us. An American gentlement, of • credit and renown, and withal, as the departed Artemus would have “said, amostamusin cus. Not heralded by heat of drum or blast of trumpet, or flaming poster telling the wondering public that the “great Gyasticutu* will arrive,” or similar clap trap announcement; but alighting demurely from thebox of Cobb’s Coach, putting up as gentlemen travellers arc wont to d \ at the hosthry of mine host Fames, and, in duo course announcing by modest sized hut quaintly worded handbill that Mr. Frank Weston, the Wizard Oil Prince, would ‘Dig down and speak a Piece’ for the amusement and edification of an cnlightene 1 public, Curiosi'y was thus instantly aroused. All were on the tip-toe of expectation, and it hardly needed the additional announcement that free admissions would he given to Mr. Weston’s entertainment at the Town Hall, tnattract thither a numerous attendance. We were there as a matter of course; so too wore all our townsmen their wives and families, ready alike for legitimate fuuor’nstruction. Mr. Weston did not keep his audience long in suspense. His appearance on the platform was haile I with applause ; his preliminary skilful manipulation of tinbanjo gave instant promise of a discourse of sweet music; his flint song was)hailed as an omen of lots of fun to come ; a few cheery j ikelets, released long pent up peals of merry laughter and ere ten minutes had passsed thelecturer and audience were perfectly enrapport, ready to please and bepleased. Of Mr. Westons lecture, interspersed,is it was with quaint jokes, side splitting yarns, and amusing ditties it would be difficult to give adescriptiou. Oil was the prevailing theme, Wizard Oil. Itwasanolioof oddities, nfrnerry music, moral maxims, morsels of mirth, moments of merriment and oil! True to his announcement that he would talk, would sing, would banjoize, would transact business, he did all these things ; and more, he convinced the sceptical that the virtues ho proclaimed were really the attributes of his wonderful medicament. Candidly admitting that the object of his life was to promote the sale of Wizard oil, ho did, with a keen eye tobusinessso coml line commerceand comicality, that his hearers were just as reajdy to invest half crowns in sample bottles of i il, as they were to make merry at his unflagging efforts to amuse them, ,