Political.— We understand (says the Wellington Advertiser) tfcat Mr Travers intends to resign his scat for Christchurch early next month, and that in all probability his place will be filled by Mr Moorhouse, who is expected to be elected without opposition.
The Financial Scheme. —At a public meeting at Taipui, Canterbury, on Monday, the following resolution was carried : “That this meeting is of opinion that the financial statement of the present Ministry deserves our most favorable consideration and support.” A large meeting was held at Hokitika last week, at which resolutions condemnatory of the Ministerial financial proposals were unanimously carried, and a memorial adopted to both Houses, praying that before they become law the country may be appealed to. It was not to be expected that Westland, which has so much to lose by it, could support the scheme. Pedestrianism. — Mr Alfred Austin, or young Austin as he is inore-S&fcninonly called in racing circles, is to malre h:s appearance in Dunedin on Saturday next, when at the North Dunedin Recreation Gijpund he will rimglS miles within two hours.# [Austin, who obtained considerable celebrity as a runner at Homo, lias achieved his • greatest triumphs in the neighboring Colony of New South Wales. He is a pupil of the celebrated Mills, and made his first appearance in England in 1564 (he then being only 13 years old), when lie van three miles in seventeen minutes fif!.y seconds. He was brought out to Sydney by Mr T. Kina, who also brought out idigging. Flood, and other crack runners. At Newcastle, on the 20tli September, 1868, he ran the distance he is to run on Saturday in 1 hour, 56 minutes, 14 seconds ; and again at Orange on Inst Queen’s birthday in 1 hour, 35 minutes, 28 seconds. The course in the Caledonian grounds will have to lie traversed 144 times to complete the eighteen miles. Dunedin Mutual Improvement Society. —The usual meeting of the members of this society took place last evening in the room below the Athenaum ; the president (Mr 0. Smith) in the chair. It had been announced that a debate on “Total Abstinence or Moderation ” would take place, but in consequence of the unavoidable absence of Mr Jago, who was to have assumed the affirmative position, the debate was necessarily adjourned. A variety of subjects were, however, discussed in a desultory manner, and a large share of general business was transacted. Mr Beaver was appointed treasurer in the place of Mr Norman, whose business engagements rendered his resignation necessary. A resolution, embodying the thapkg of the society, was passed in favor of the late treasurer for his able manner and corteous conduct whilst filling the sffice.—On Tuesday evening next the Rev. Mr Scrimgeour will deliver a lecture on “Anti-Spiritualism and on the following Tuesday, August 2, Mr Beaver has undertaken to read an essay on “Poland— Past and Present.” A v ote of thanks to the chairman terminated the prooeedings. The City of Boston. —Vice-Admiral Belcher states in The Times, that if the City of Boston stood south-easterly, and fell into the horse latitudes, where few ships care to go or have any business, and became disabled, she may, like a transport he recollects, be detained there from IUO to 150 days, and would eventually find her way, by the trade winds, into some port in Florida or the West Indies. In a postcript he adds, “ I have not given her up. A U Desperandum.” The finding at Staten Island of the presumed waif from the City of Boston steamer, is described in the New York Herald of the 20th April “A hoy named George W. Doty, residing at Prince’s Bay, Staten Island, whi-.e playing along the beach yesterday, in company with two other boys, picked up an ordinary soclawater bottle, tightly corked. The lad broke the bottle, and discovered in it a piece of hard, coarse brawn piper, such as is ordinarily used for wrapping hardware and cutlery, and upon it were written in lead pencil the following words:—‘Steamship City of Boston, March 2, 1870. As I write this note (perhaps my last on earth) I hear the wails and moans of my followpassengers, as they see the last vestige of safety lost and swamped in the deep. The vessel caught lire from the engine-room this morning, and is fa-t driving the passengers to the bow of the boat. They have just attempted to launch the lifeboat, but it got swamped, with about 40 persons, male and female. The capta'n is doing his best. I must hurry and finish. God help us.— James nas.’” The Hero,hi does not regard the letter as genuine. A Queer Story. —The Australian buuyip, like the American sea serpent, is always obliging enough to make au appearance when things are rather dull and current topics somewhat scanty and uninteresting, and also, and that is a peculiar piece of consideration, when the season of the year does not afford the snake incidents which country journalists so love to chronicle. The monster’s last appearance was in the neighborhood of Dubbo, and is faithfully and minutely recorded in the Manaroo Mercury. It seems that two residents had to leave their-places by the river and go to a hut on higher ground to avoid the encroaching floods. While sitting by a log lire they heard a crash, “like rumbling thunder,” in the direction of the river. Says one, “Ah me! there’s at least half an acre of my ground tumbled into the river.” The sound being repeated, the two men, in whom it is agreeable to read the writer has the “ fullest confidence,” wentto the hut door and looked “through the darkness” towards the river. They state that they saw “ a huge monster clinging to a very tall and stout tree of the eucalypti species,” in fact, a gum tree. “It’s head was like an elephant’s, only tie two tusks projected—one from between its eyes, the other, smaller, a little above the nostrils. The only eye they could see was like a ball of fire. The body was scaly, like the crocodile’;.; the fore limbs long, the talons about ten times as large as a Bengal tiger’s.” All this they saw very minutely “through the darkness,” the light being probably supplied by the “ eye-ball of
fire.” As “the river continued to rise, the buuyip held more tenaciously to the tree, and grinned his teeth occasionally, as if in fear or danger. Once he lashed, his tail, and on striking the water the noise was like a diminutive sound of Niagara. The river still rose, but a limb in the tree prevented the monster from crawling up further. There was a struggle to get higher, but this effort brought down the tree, which he was clasping right over him, and both seemed to float quietly down the Macquarie.” And, like Dogberry, they no doubt “thanked heaven that they were well rid of a knave.” It would appear from the above reliable narrative that the buuyip has got considerably bigger since his former appearance. A meeting of the friends of Mr H. S. Fish, junr., will be held at the Oriental Hotel, this evening, at 9.45.
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Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2247, 20 July 1870, Page 2
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1,196Untitled Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2247, 20 July 1870, Page 2
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