The Dunstan Times. CLYDE, FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 1881

Dunstan Times, Issue 998, 3 June 1881, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

CLYDE, FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 1881

Beneath the rule of linen entirely just The peri is mightier than the sword.

We learn with regret of the decease of the Rev. Mr Ash, whilst a patient in the Lunatic Asylum, Sydney. The customary meeting of the Dunstan District Hospital Committee will be held on Monday evening next, the 6th inst. The drawing of M'Pheraon’s piano consultation will positively take place on Tuesday evening next. A comet —the tail of which, to the naked eye, was very indistinct—was seen in the heavens to the westward several evenings during the week. Through the illness of one of the gentlemen who was to have taken part in the Dramatic performance at Alexandra on the Bth instant, it is postponed for a month. On Tuesday next, the 7th instant, the Licensing Commissioners will sit at Clyde to consider all applications for renewals of licenses, transfers, etc. The river is so high just now that many of the river' beach and bank claims have knocked off work. All the dredges in this as well as the Teviot district are, from the same cause, all lying up in ordinary. We are requested to intimate by Mr Fache as a private sale of M'Phersou’s corner has been effected, it will not be submitted to public competition on Wednesday next.

Mr Fache draws attention to the sale by auction on Wednesday next of valuable freehold property in Clyde; also of household furniture, a small lot of stores etc., the property of Mr D. .M'Pherson, who is leaving for the old country.

Work in connection with the Alexandra bridge is progressing apace. The masonry work forming the approach and anchorings, which is really a stupendous piece of work, is all but completed; this work done, the building of the turrets will at once be procee led with. The weather is beautifully fine, anil the contractors are taking every advantage of it, and pushing on with the work as fast as possible. Scott and Co. ’s dredge at Mutton Town Gully is getting well on towards completion Advantage was taken during the week of a rise in the river, and the hull was launched. The engine, boiler, and dredging ladder and buckets are all on the ground, and as a numerous gang of men is employed in fitting the various parts and getting all ready, a few weeks should see everything in position and all ready for a start.

A' case of measles has appeared at Alexandra, the local Post-master being the unfortunate attacked. We learu, however, that the disease is of a very mild form ; and with ordinary care there is not much danger of it spreading. We yet think that every precaution should be taken, and at the earliest possib’e date the patient removed from the Post-office building where he now lies, and the building thoroughly fumigated.

Lett and McNeill are busily employed in bringing up their tail ditch to work the new claim taken up by them on the terrace on the west bank of the river, immediately opposite Alexandra. This terrace has been lying idle for a number of years, though in the early days some excellent patches of gold were obtained on it. The work of constructing the necessary works to bring water on to the ground and to get away with the tail stuff is of no ordinary character, and we hope that Messrs Lett and M‘Neill will be rewarded for their enterprise.

We must perforce draw attention to the disgraceful state of the road across Eirnscleugh Flat, as if something is not shortly done to it traffic will be stopped. The worst feature in the road are the culverts over the water-races, and as to repair the old ones would cost one half of what it would to put up new ones, and then not make a good job of it, we would suggest that the new line of road he surveyed and an entirely new work done. That the traffic on the road is considerable, we may say that when going across the flat during the week, we passed three waggons, one waggonnette, and three drays. i Messrs Clark and Green, the members of the Waste Lands Board who were appointed to examine the runs in the northern part of the county, with a view to their classification, completed their labors last Saturday, and returned to Clyde, en rente for Dunedin on Sunday. Opportunity was taken of their presence in Clyde on Monday, and their attention was drawn to several matters. They first visited the coal leases in Cooper’s Gully, with the view of adjusting some differences existing between the lessees with respect to roads. Afterwards, as members of the Education Board, they visited the Clyde school, and, on the representation of several members of the committee, they promised to support a vote to subsidise £ for £ the required amount for fencing in the school grounds. Finally, they were interviewed by the Chairman and Secretary of tho Clyde branch of Land League —Messrs Welsford and Fache, in reference to the classification of the runs in the lower part of the county. Mr Green said that if the Waste Lands Board was memorialised he would strongly support it, and if he was honored to undertake a similar duty to the one they just completed he would willingly doit- MrPyke, who was present, said ail along under the Dunstan Range there was a well-known auriferous belt, and great care would have to be exercised in dealing with it, and suggested that the fixing of these boundaries could well be left tojthel County Councils. Both Mr Green and Mr Clark concurred, ami said that when tho time arrived for taking action they would bear in mind the suggestion.

Miss Lenihan has teen elected mistress of the Roman Catholic School at Lawrence, There wore nine applicants.

There are 846 Chinamen in the Westland and Grey counties Greymouth municipality has a population of 2636, Hokitika of 2617.

The Maniototo County Council threw out the motion to assist by a grant of money towards testing the existence of deep leads near Nasohy. Ten million tons of debris are annually washed from the hills by the miners engaged in hydraulic mining in California, to the ruin of the agricultural lands and valley streams, the owners of which are uniting to stop hydraulic mining altogether.

The “ Times ” states that the gentleman who purchased the late Mr Kendall’s one-tenth-share in Livingstone’s sluicing claim, Blue Spur, six months ago, for the sum of £270, has in two dividends already received more than he paid for it.

One hundred and sixty miles of waterraces between the Rakaia and Ashburton are to be constructed, for the purpose of giving a permanent supply of water to the plains. Some sixty mites of this distance are already constructed, and 100 are under way.

The case of assault, Fish v. M’Kenzie, Bain, Drake, andPidgeon, resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff for L 25 and costs against M’Kenzie and Bain. The names of Drake and Pidgeon were struck out of the plaint, as it was considered there was not sufficiently strong corroborative evidence as to the part they took in the assault. The Wellington correspondent of the “ Otago Daily Times ” telegraphs:—Rumor here points to either Messrs McLean, Bain, or Bastings as the coming Minister, the second being regarded as the most likely.— The “Lyttelton Times” baa it that the portfolio will not be permanently filled pending the result of the Nelson election, and that another Ministerial resignation is said to be imminent.

As the “Otago Times ” says, au intoxicated Chinaman is looked upon as rather' a curiosity, and therefore the fact that a drunken Celestial was seen the other day in Princes street, Dunedin, must be considered somewhat remarkable. “ John ” had taken the middle of the thoroughfare to himself, although evidently suffering from a pretty strong dose of “ tire-wathcr,” had an air of nonchalance about him, had a cigar in his mouth for the occasion, and altogether presented an amusing spectacle, if a drunken man can at any time be said to do so.

The “ Taieri Advocate ” is the authority for the following: A robbery occurred at Forbury Park racecourse on the 24th ultimo, whereby a visitor from Tuapeka lost about L2OO. It appears that on his way to Dunedin he had collected a large amount of money due to him, which he had on his person while on the course. During the last race he perceived that he was being closely mobbed, and on searching for the purse which contained the money, together with a lot of valuable documents, he found it had disappeared.” An alarming, but fortunately not serious explosion occurred lately on board the new Belfast steamer Alligator, which was lying at the North Quay, Glasgow. Some painting was being done on the vessel, and the mate went into his room in the forecastle to get out a can of methylated spirit. The room had just been painted, and was very close, and as soon as the mate struck a light there was an explosion. Being near the doir the mate got out without injury. The explosion set fire to the forecastle, but the lire was extinguished without much difficulty. The “ North Otago Times” objects to the Maori names of places being altered. It says:—“ There is a peculiarly pleasing, rippling sound about most Maori names, which makes it very incomprehensible that any-pleasure can be derived from changing, for example, Wahnate and Teaneraki into such dull common places as ‘ Studholina and Enfield’ If the Government are always going to consent to these changes, it will not be long before New Zndand will be studded all over, like Palestine during the visit of the Innocents Abroad, with townships rejoicing in such delightful names as ‘ Johnsonville,’ ‘ Brownville,’ ‘Smithville,’ etc.’’

The latest Parisian novelty is a “ Postmortem Examination Society.” Its members pledge themselves to utilise their bodies after death “ for the profit of the scientific idea,” by leaving them to the Anthropological Laboratory, to he submitted to a post-mortem examination, or to be made use of for dissection or other purposes, as may seem fit. The results of the post-mortem will he drawn up at the lowest price for the information of the family of the deceased. Every member must subscribe at least 3frcs annually, in return for which his autopsy will be performed free of charge, provided he dies within the limits of Paris.

Tub treacherous Molyneux has claimed another victim, in the person of Mr Peter M ‘Guire, who held a share in one of the dredges at Miller’s Flat. He was last seen at Bengcrburn on Saturday evening, having gone there to make some purchase. He had, says the “Mount Bcnger Mail” to cross the river by a bo it in order to get to his residence, and neither he nor his boat has since been seen. A careful search was made by his mates during Sunday, but without success. From a close examina. tion of the dredge, they believe that the boat, with M ‘Guire in it, was swept under the dredge, and having got capsized, floated down the river. Prof. Haselmayeb, who was to have visited this district lately, rather astonished a Native at theTuaranganui Hotel,Hawke’s Bay, recently. The simple aboriginal had hitched his horse up to one of the posts at the edge of the footpath, and the professor immediately commenced to admire the animal ; but, while feeling its noints, he somehow touched the saddle-flaps, when shillings unaccountably fell into his palms. The Native, noticing the silver torrent, and thinking he had been defrauded of some hidden wealth he had never been aware ho possessed, rose to the occasion, and, jumping round, let loose the girth and battered the saddle against the post, but could not raise even a jingle. Dismay was depicted on his bronzed and dark-complexioned face, and, as he hurriedly rode away, he was heard muttering something remarkably like “taipo.” There is room for hope that our laws will indeed make the two races one, when the “ noble savage” is found taking advantage of the most civilising of all enactments—that which affords the pecuniarily distressed an opportunity of becoming absolved through the Bankruptcy Court confessional from all their financial sins. On Tuesday last a Maori at Wanganui convened a first meeting of his creditors, when proofs of debt amounting in the whole to L 772 IDs 9d were put in. How much more this gentleman may owe the good people of Wanganui arol f. to corij' oture The assets are somewhat curious. They consist of land, bringing a certain rental per annum ; a horse, mare, and foal, valued at L 5 10s ; a cow and calf, L 6 ; a chest of homoeopathic medicines, and (luxurious native 1) an iron bedstead, furniture, and personal effects, estimated to be worth 40s. The total of the assets is LI 13.

A plkasant story is being told of Thomas Carlyle’s interview with the Queen. She had commanded him to visit her, and he came into her presence not ashamed of sharing some of that reverence which Dr Johnson had in the presence of his sovereign. But the Majesty of England was so pleasant, and kindly and modest, that the philosopher forgot her rank, before he had boon long in her presence ; and he had soon pulled his chair over to her side that ho might the more easily and affably converse with her. With no want of respect—with for him an amazing amount of respect —ho questioned her about her opinions, and made her stand and deliver her ideas as though he were an examining chaplain. The Queen is said to have been delighted with the interview, and to have conceived tho highest respect for the grand old man “ Tam ” might have been a courtier had he pleased But that was not “ Tain’s ” bent. Ho was not intended to leaven Courts ; and he went back to the little house at Chelsea happier than though he had been made Knight of the Garter.

Particulars of a dastardly outrage at Kingston, in South Australia, are given in papers to hand, it appears that early on the morning of tho 16th May a trooper named Pearce arrested Robert Jackson, charged with supplying liquor to blacks. The man proceeded quietly about two miles when he got off his horse, refusing to go any further. Pearce dismounted, and threatened to use the handcuffs. The man consented to go quietly, but white Pearce was in the act of remounting he stabbed him in the back with a large knife. While defending himself Pearce got his hands frightfully hacked about, so as to be unable to use his revolver. He then grappled with Jackson, who stabbed him in the abdomen, left breast, head, arm, and thigh. Pearce fell exhausted, and Jackson, after emptying his revolver, left him. Information reached Kingston, when Pearce was brought in and his depositions taken. The police and black trackers went after the prisoner, and arrested him fifteen miles off. When Pearce’s depositions were read over in his presence he said nothing. Pearce, whose relatives occupy prominent positions in Queensland, is since dead.

Alluding to the report that Brigham Youu •, the son of the Mormon prophet,had been indicted for bigamy before the Federal Court in Utah, a contemporary says : Polygamy, from being a cheap arraugement has become so costly that only rich men can afford to have a number of wives. These ladies will no longer toil like Indian squaws, and clothes are quite as costly in Utah as they are elsewhere. The Mormon girls now decline to be anybody’s second or third wife, and are beginning to prefer the whole of a humble Gentile’s heart to the fifteenth part of an elder’s jaded affections. Moreover, there are secessions from the faith. Joe Smith's sons have pronounced against polygamy, and when the children of the first and only legal marriage claim the sole estate of an intestate Mormon father, the system will receive such a shock that its final collapse cannot be far off. Of late years it has gained no American recants, while the European immigrants are invariably the poorest, most ignorant, and undesirable which can be picked up by specious promises in Scandinavia, Lancashire, and Wales. It is therefore clear that though Mormonism may, for many years to come, exist as a faith, as a semi-political association its day is over.