The Dunstan Times CLYDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 28, 1883.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1117, 28 September 1883, Page 2

The Dunstan Times

CLYDE, FRIDAY, SEPT. 28, 1883.

Beneath the rule of men entirely just The pen is mightier that the sword.

The next English and European Mail via ’Frisco will close at this office on Wed- - nesday, 3rd October, at 2 p.m. 1 Last Friday evening the concert in aid ' of the funds of the Presbyterian Church, came.off in the Town Hall, and proved 1 very successful, the Hall being, crowded. ' The programme, which was a well arranged and lengthy one, was gone through in a' 1 i creditable manner, considering that it was * the first attempt of many of the performers. Pressure on our space precludes enumeras tiou, bat meatiou must be made of the assistance rendered by the Misses Tippett ' and Richards, Cromwell, and Miss Bowden, Alexandra; also to Airs Lothian, who throughout the evening officiated at the pianoforte as accompanist ; and mention is J also due to Mr M iles, whose basso voice * was a treat. While mentioning the above, it musj nofcbe thought the-Services of the - i other ladies and gentlemen' who so kindly ; gave ttieir services on the occasion were j unappreciated. To the Contrary, indeed. A novel feature in the evening’s entertain- , ment was the refreshment tables, at which no end of good and sweet things, with sandwiches, coffee, and tea, was provided, and which, no doubt, tended to, bring the total 1 receipts of the evening to between L 25 and ] L2d. After the concert, and at the request 1 of a good many, the floor was cleareu for ’ dancing, which was kept up with spirit for a few hours. At the close of the Blacks Quadrille Assembly’s season a ball was helu in the school house, and was well amended, about 30 couples being present. Dancing was kept up till the " wee” hours of morning, and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Great credit is due lo the hon. secretary and committee for the satisfactory and energetic mmmer in which the affair was carried out, and for its entire succees. The music was supplied by the Messrs Love brothers, and was highly appreciated. [Communicated.] The Mataura Ensign learns that Mr Denniston, the wed-known lawyer, intends jiroceediug against 'the Otago Witness for . alleged libel ' i lastAveek’s Passing .Notes. Mr Fache requests us to draw attention to the sale by auction of harmonium, cob house ; after winch fancy goods, jewellery, and a miscellaneous loc of goods, oa to-morrow evening, Suurday, the 2i)th lost., at Alexandra; on account of Mr W. F. Forrest, who'is giving up business. We understand that the initiatory steps have been taxon to float one of the richest quartz claims on the eastern slope of the Old iVI .m Range at the back ol Bald Bill Fiat, into a limited liability company. The property is a most valuable one, and with good management sine qua non, “ a road to I the V\ aikaia Bush,” it snould prove one of | the surest investments in the Province of j Otago. I The Alexandra Races, which take place on Friday next, the sth October, promise to be successful. For the Handicaps the Helds of horses are not large ; but for the Maiden Plate and other open races, from what says the mania the street, large fields arc expected to meet. The right to hold the bootii, subject to covering space being pro" vicled for the totalisator, and other conditions, was sold by auction by Mr Fache on Friday last, the privilege realising£l2 Ills—a sum that may bo considered satisfactory, the purchaser having to erect a building for the occasion. The Bazaar to be hold at Alexandra on the evening of oth "October, in aid of the Roman Cathoho Church funds, promises to he an enjoyable and successful affair. Gifts in large numbers and of all classes, including both the useful and ornamental, are pouring into the hands ot the Committee from all sides. Lambing is now pretty general throughout the distiifct;. but it Is feared du-accouut of the scarcity of food, excepting in hut few favoured spots there being little or uo grass, the percentage of lambs .will be low. Despite the exertions that have been, and are still being, made to combat against the rabbit pest, there is but little perceptible diminution in their numbers. It cannot be denied that the present system, which is t"0 spasmodic, is nothing approaching effectual, and it is evident that other measures must be adopted. It is stated that in the Mo.TF at and Island Block districts, where a few months back bunny could be counted, they are now in myriads; and in this district, from our own knowledge '-here it was rare to set- a member of the family, they are in hundreds. The often repeat-d suggestion of establishing Government agencies —say at every Police Station through the rabbit infected districts—for the purchase of skins at fixed prices, according lo the time of the year, is one worthy of a trial. An inducement would then be hold out to anyone and everyone to go in for killing the post. It will be well for all county residents to inspect the rolls of the various 1 ridings in which they have property, to bob, that their names are included. We knmv“that all the rolls are very bare, names*-without number being omitted. The necessity for so doing is now all the more necessary as in November next there is to be a general election of councillors. By advertisement in another column it will be scon that Monday, the 8 hj ol October, is the last day on which applications for relief cn lie made. The district was visited by a most welcome rain on Monday last, it lasting nearly all the day. There ii little doubt but. it was a perfect god-send, as vegetation of all kinds was positively dying tor the want of rain,

A correspondent of the Mosgiel paper says “At Mullooky Gully, somewhere about eighty memare now employed on the Otago Central, and things are much more lively than I have known them for some time. In the vicinity of Hindon, hffairs ( so far as the line is concerned, are at a standstill, owing to the inability of the contractors to carry on the work.” The steamship Roma, from London via Batavia, brings later details regarding the Sunda disaster. Tiiey fully confirm the previous news that' a tidal wave lOOfc high swept several large vessels fully three miles inland, where they remained high and dry. The crews were all saved. The Roma found the tea around the Java coast .cohered with., pumice, and her engines became choked with it. All familiar landmarks had disappeared. The loss of life is set down at 75,000, but it is not possible to estimate the amount of damage done to property. M y <1 j (j v- ... . I Mr James Ashcroft, late editor of; the Daily Timex, now occupies the seat of honor in the Morning Herald office, and! Mr Thomas Bracken has been appointed General Manager. V ‘ VII .I) . J Mr Fache notifies a sale by auction of;’ superior household furniture at Clyde, on Saturday, October 6th, on account of Mr Moffatt, who is leaving the district. Mr Wm. Davidson has been appointed head teacher of the Cromwell School vice Mr Arnold, left the service. An enterprising individual living in the neighbourhood of a late railway accident near Melbourne, at wnich a number of persons were “ fortunately” pretty well suakeu up, made hia way to the scene of the accident, and joining amongst the injured, moaned anu groaned with the others. Unhappily for his enterprise his proceeding had been observed, and he was consequently dragged out of the group and ignominiousiy kicked. His ingenuity, however, must be acknowledged. Skinny Men.— “Wells’ Health Renewer” restores health and vigor, cures Dyspepsia, Impot.uce, Debility. Moses, Moss & Co., Sydney, General Agents. In reference to the prop osal to destroy rabbits by inoculation, the Age remarks “ Would it be wise, or would it be prudent even, to inoculate .hundreds of thousands of rabbits with tuberculosis, and leave thendead bodies to be decomposed and scattered in the form of dust by the four winds of heaven, without something approaching to an absolute certainty that they would not carry polu.ron along with them 1 We all know enough of the way in which disease spreads in some forms from the lower animals to man, and are careful to avoid it; and we should bo no less careful to guard against infection by the germs of j disease floating around us in the atmosi pbere, if that theory is to be considered as cstauirshed. Phthisis or consumption is one of the most dreaded forms of human disease, and to i un tiro risk of increasing it, either by contact wiih infected rabbits, or by using their dead bodies as an article of loud, by exposing ourselves to the germs of ! the disease in the atmosphere, appears to I us to be little short of mauuess,” I Among the prisoners recently admitted jto the Dunedin Gaol is Herbert Coiborn | formerly a police constable at Tapanui. Colboru, in addition to the duties of constable, also discharged those of clerk to the Court, and it may bs remembered that in July last he was sentenced in Wellington to a tine of L2O, or one month’s imprisonment, for neglecting to furnish a copy of his cash book. The case was a peculiar one, and attracted some attention at the time. The upshot has been that Coiborn, either unable or unwilling to pay tho fine, elected to serve his term, and was brought to the Dunediu Gaol a few days ago. General Booth, of the Salvation Army, recently stated in London that he had spent within the last nine months upwards of L9OOO on musical instruments. There are six telephone factories in the United States, all doing a prosperous business. In one alone orders have been reeived for 6u06 instruments in six weeks’ time. K An Alexandria correspondent on August 16 says “If the British [troops should bo withdrawn from Egypt, no European family could remain in the country a week after their departure.” A curious case is reported. Ernest Weed was found in a helpless state at the corner of Campbell street, Melbourne. He states that ho was kicked by an unknown person in .the stomach, knocked down, and a liquid poured down his mouth and into his eyes until h u was deprived of his senses. His body shows marks of violence. Wood has not yet recovered his speech. According to the Cape pacers, Miss Webb, sister of Captain Webb, who lost his life in trying to swim the Niagara rapids, became deranged upon hearing of his death, and drowned herself. .She has resided at Lady, smith, Natal, for the.last three years. She disappeared mysteriously, aud her body was subsequently found in the Klig River. With regard to Cetcwayo’s defeat it is stated in’the Cape papers that he escaped from the field of battle with two slight assegai wounds in the thigh, which did not prevent him from-walking, '■'!) A good story relative to tho “ great unpaid” comes frorii another district (says a writer in tho Tuapeka Press). A sheep farmer who had missed several of his Hock thought he would be justified in his suspicions that a neighbour was the delinquent | and that he was therefore justified in procuring a warrant against him. For this purpose he went to the local merchant, whowasaJ.P., and stated tho case. His 1 Worship listened to tho charges made, and questioned whether the proofs were strong - enough. Upon being pressed in the matter, i he conclusively settled the affair in this i fashion: “Look here, Mr Sheepshanks, 1 Bill Smith is L3O in my books. If be gets f into gaol I’ll never see it. Do you thick I'm a fool ? I’ll grant no warrant,”

Another attempt is to be made to swim the Niagara rapids by a man named Bebril, who was present at the attempt made by the late Captain Webb. Bebril, who is a professional swimmerj and known in the swimming world as “Marquis Bebril,” pro* poses having a dummy figure constructed about his own weight and his size, and to cast the dummy into the rapids before making the attempt. By this means ha hopes to ascertain the strength and tendency of the whirlpool. Bebril has arrived in England,. where the dummy is to he made ; and, pending the completion, he will practice daily in the Thames and the sea, swimming against the strongest tides. O’Donnell, the murderer of Carey, gives the following particular? concerning himself : —He is forty-eight year's of age, and was born in the town of Mannacladdy, County of Donegal, where his mother and brother, Dan O’Donnell, and a sister, Maggie Duggan, still reside. Il« further states that when four years of age he went with his father and mother to the Stales, but after a short absence returned to Ireland. Subsequently the prisoner paid eight visits to America, and has, he says, several friends in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. While the struggle was going on between the North and South, O’Donnell returned to America from Ireland, but seemed to have taken no part in the war. He followed the occupation of butler, though frequently between then and the present time having visited his native land. His heart appears to have been centred in America, and he took his citizensUip papers on the (it,la November, 1876. On the 19th of May last he again lelt New York, with the intention of coming to South Africa, but wishing to pay a visit to his friends in Donegal he lauded in Londonderry, and spent some time visiting his family, when he again sailed from Londonderry en route to South Africa. Sir Dillon Bell does not appear to have the most pleasant quarters in the world just now. According to “ Anglo- Australian” in the European Mail, a policeman does “sentry just opposite the offices of the Agent-general for New Zealand. lam told that this man has been specially appointed to keep a watch on the entrance to the vault and basement, and that rumours has gone abroad that a very unpleasant quantity of uyuamite has been secreted in such a position as to threaten to blow up the Colonial Offices in the’neighbourhood afc some period to be determined by one of the mysterious interior ‘ centres’ of our dynamite conspirators. I cannot, of course, say how much of this is fact or how much meiely fancy. The policeman is there, and other precautions, which, of course, I shall not specify, have been taken.”