QUEENSTOWN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 712, 10 December 1875, Page 3

QUEENSTOWN.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) Nov. 30, 1875. This being St Andrew’s Day, and my worthy master having given me a holiday’ has left mo plenty of time to meditate. One of the things I thought over was the coming election, and who would be the Member for the Wakatipu. I took up the Wakatip Mail of the 25th instant and noticed an address to the Electors, signed" 11. Manders.” Being somewhat inquisitive I road the address through, and was much touched with the concluding sentences, which ran as follows : “ For thirteen years your interests “ have been mine, and let me also say mine “ yonrs, politically. Let them remain so. 1 ' Seizing a towel I wiped the tears from my eyes, and then noticed that, although the address was a most extraordinary one in other-respects, the writer had not forgotten to put in plenty of commas—one sentence will be sufficient to convince you ;—“ So “ far, therefore, it is, to my view, satisfac- “ tory, hut it is wanting in other respects.” Quite satisfied that Mr Murders could eompefc with the famous Comma Hursthonse” of Taranaki, I donned my’ Sunday clothes and went forth to ascertain who Mr Man dors was, and why he should so pathetically appeal to us. From some of the citizens I gathered that Manders has, after all a certain claim on the district. In the first place many people believe him to bo a Barrister at Law, misled doubtless by 'he advertisement on the window of his office. A name has been w ashed out, but the words “ Barrister, Solicitor and Conveyancer ” still remain. That those misleading words should still appear on the window is, of course, no fault of Mr Manders. In the next place 1 learnt that the worthy gentleman was an M P.C. for the district, and made some “ tolling sneeeohes," .Vo., in the last Provincial Cnun.il, though for some ■ e ison or other they wore never reported in the Dunedin papers. The Wak-

atip Mail however saw fair play, and cracked Handers up at the same time, carefully keeping from its readers the fact that he himself was the Editor of that powerful organ. I also found that Mnnders was the same “ old Manders " that Denny Powell had to “ sort ” with a horsewhip, and I could not for the life of mo help smiling when told that ho (Manders) laid down in the gutter and shrieked for mercy, thinking his days were numbered, thereby rendering himself a very public character indeed. Prom the above fact and others, not worth mentioning, I ascertained that some of the Electors wore inclined to “ give the poor old chap another chance." Thinks I to myself, “ giving the old chap another chance” means, sending the district to the deuce, and if a better man does not stop forward I shall clear. Thinking of all that thefaged Pyko had not done for us, the way this important district had been fooled year after year, and the difficulty of getting an able man to come forward. I walked home very, very sad. Is there no possibility of inducing such a man as Mr Haughton to stand and represent us, or must we contribute one nmro to the Luther Shepherd typo of Representative. ? Did you ever hear that we have a Town Hall Company ? No, you never did ! ?. Why bless yon, it is just like the coping on the Town Hall itself—all crumbling to pieceslike one that the Gods love, it s dying early. Last v eek the shareholders had a meeting, one or two aired their eloquence until they tired themselves and their hearers, and then the shareholders solemnly adjourned the meeting for a week. They were called together to consider whether the Company should not he wound up or not.

The Volunteers are trying to be a little excited just now, having received Snyder rifles, but in order to show that they are not all for “ blood and thunder,” they have started a hand. The musical members of the force are only in the early stage, and a stranger listening to them for the first time for about three minutes, would undoubtedly be troubled with stomach ache for a week after. The way that the mao p l ays the big drum is quite refreshing, none of your quiet knocks, hut a regular good thump every time : perhaps the Colonel of the regiment would not mmil moving the band over to tbe boat shed in the park now that the summer is coming on—they could then play away to their own andeverybody else’s greater satisfaction.

Business up here is ra'her slack just now, so much so that we are taking it in turns to fly to the arms of the Bankruptcy Court The District Judge will have quite apleasant party the next time he visits us. The Court will look something like this : On the Bench. The Severe Judge. The cheerful bankrupt with a new suit 1 of In the Box. clothes on, trying to look melancholy. Vicinnsand determined At the Bar. looking creditor, breath ing vengeance. Lawyers, Bailiff, &c. At the present time the whole district is under the care of Mr Stratford, Mrßeethara being on the West Coast, and judging by the number of cases in Court lately, the former gentleman must have to exert himself pretty hard to keep pace with the work.

1 am glad to say that in mining matters

things look a little brighter. The “ Sons of Fortune ” at the Arrow have good prospects and are likely to do very well indeed, Bulleu’s reef at Skipper’s still continues to produce good stone, and one or two alluvial claims are making play.