The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3555, 15 July 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 1874

By telegram received in town this afternoon, we are informed that Mr T. S. Pratt was to-day re-elected to the office of Mayor of Waikouaiti for the fifth time. A full-rigged ship was off the Ocean Beach this afternoon, apparently making for this port. It is possible that she may be the Sussex, now due, with 496 immigrants.

The telegraph wires broke down between Christchurch and Blenheim at twenty-five minutes past eleven last night, and communication had not been restored when we went to press.

“ Ivanhoe” was again played at the Princess s last night, and will give place t.bin evening to the drama of “ The Flowers of the Forest”—Mrs Hill appearing as Cynthia, and Mr Steele as Ishmael, the Wolf. The case of Macredie and Another v. Kirby was continued at the civil sittings of the bupreme Court this morning Nearly the whole of the day was occupied in examining the defendant. The case had not been concluded when we went to press. We (‘North Otago Times’) learn that the Messrs Hodgkinson have sold the Bald Hill on the Upper Waitaki, containing 70,000 acres of land, together with 18,0 0 sheep, 1,000 head of cattle, horses, &c., to Mr Duncan Sutherland, Omarama. The adjourned meeting of the Shotover Terrace Mining Company was held yesterday afternoon, Mr H. F. Hardy in the chair. The chairman stated that the balance-sheet could not then be produced, and the meeting was adjourned for another fortnight. A woman named Quinn positively refused to be sworn when called upon as a witness in the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-day. She alleged that she could tell ihe truth without the form proposed, and could not be prevailed upon to take the oath till the Bench threatened to send her to gaol if she persisted in her refusal.

Mr Warren has indicated his intention of coming forward as a candidate for tbe Mayoralty of Queenstown, and Mr Malaghan, in answer to a reqnisit’on, has declined to offer himself for re-election. Ihe latter gentleman intends taking a trip Home.

Four of the immigrants who arrived here yesterday distinguished themselves by figuring in the dock of the Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning. Mr Bathgate, having ascertained their respective trades, discharged them with a caution, informing them that they had come to a thinly-popu-lated place, and that they were under strict police surveillance. The Variety Troupe gave another entertainment at the Queen’s Theatre last evening. Mr Clifton’s comic songs were very amusing, and on ea ;h occasion he received an encore ; and Mr Shipp’s dancing was heartily applauded. Miss Sara sang some nice ballads, “K C. B.” being well rendered. Mr Small’s “ Not for Mo” was very laughable, and his make up was immense. A number of valuable prizes were afterwards distributed, the majority of them being secured by the occupants of the pit. An accident, which proved fatal, occurred at the railway pier, Port Chalmers, last evening. It appears that shortly after the ship Caroline was moored at the jetty, a number of the passengers and some of the crew went ashore and commenced drinking. At about ten p.m. they returned to go on board, amongst them being an able seaman named Alexander Knowles, who, in attempting to get on board, fell by some means between the ship and the jetty. A young man named Patrick Malany, belonging to the barque Mariano, hearing the cries, went immediately to the spot, took a rope and went down the piles, and succeeded in putting the rope round the unfortunate man He was pulled up, taken on board, and undressed and put to bed, but he died early this morning. An inquest was to be held this afternoon.

As a sample of the effects of the sensational reports of our morning contemporary, we dip the following from the ‘ North Otago Times’ of yesterday;—‘'The Immigrants per Caroline.—We observe from the shipping columns of the * Daily Times’ of Monday that it is in contemp ation to send a large number of the immigrants by the above vessel up to Oamaru per first steamer. Should this be true, they may be expected by the Samson to-night. If all is correct that is said about them by the * Daily Times,’ it would seem that they are more fit for sending to gaol than for sending up here to be distributed among the respectable families of the district. Hitherto the town has happily be<-n free from such characters, but it would appear that we are now to be burdened with what the * Times ’ calls ‘ Mrs Howard’s pets.’ ” On a recent Sunday evening, says the local paper, a goodly number of boarders at a certain well-known hostelry in Oamaru were sitting round the fire with a few friends en gaged in suitable conversation, when one proposed that, as the weather was bitterly cold, a little whiskey hot would be agreeable. All present joyfully assented. The bell was rung repeatedly, but not answered. Alas !it was Sunday. One venerable party then proposed sacred musi.o, and at once started a good old long-metre tun§, in which all heartily joined to the end—about fourteen verses. Another good old tune was commenced : and as the grand harmony swelled and pealed through the building (a wooden one) Boniface appeared, and, although he for some time stuck by the Licensing Ordinance, at last consented to supply the liquor, at the same time adding, “Church bells could’nt make me open the bar, but that second old tune did it.

The 'Cromwell Chronicle’ is responsible for the following: —“A very strange, cure by odd means was ejected in Launceston daring the early part of last month. A tine young lad, son ®f Mr Browne, an at the Railway Station, accidentally broke his right arm near the elbow some time ago, and the fracture was set and healed, but the arm remained so stiff that he could not make proper use of it. The stiffness was at the elbow joint, and various means were tried to render the joint pliable. Alderman Drysdale happened to visit the lad. and remembering a cure performed on a knee joint iu Scotland many years ago, prescribed the same remedy for the elbow joint. The prescription was an odd one certainly. A cat was obtained, killed, opened up, and the body, bowels included, placed and bound round the joint. The patient went to bed, and the next morning on removing the cat poultice, he found the joint of his right arm as free ar.d serviceable as the other. The next week the Igd, who before was helplessly crippled, was employed to his own gratification cutting up firewood,” The 1 Arrow Observer ’ says that district is now undergoing the eff cts of a flood which, according to present appearances, threatens to be the moat disastrous which has occurred for many years. Last night (9th instant) a heavy rainfall commenced, and has continued up till the time of our going to press (3 p m ) The various creeks have become foaming torrents, and the Arrow River is running from bank to bank with an immense body of water. The destruction of mining property on this and the Shotover river must be very large, although the actual damage cannot be at present egtimat d. So strong is the body of water in Bush Creek—usually carrying not more than a couple of heads—that fears were entertained of the plant and machinery of the Arrow River Co. being swamped, and a body of men have been at work diverting the stream, in which they have succ«#dpd, A number of strongly-built huts at one time occupied by Chinese were swept away, and everywhere appears a waste of waters. By a vo r markable coincinence, it is exactly eleven years to-day since the immense flood known as the “ Old Man ” occurred in this district, and which was fraught with such disastrous consequences to life and property. We fervently hope this may not be a repetition of it.

As might have been expected, the accomdation afforded at the Immigration Barracks has been severely tested, owing to the arrival of the last three Qome ships. Provision is only made for 120 single girls, but 207 are at present accommodated in their department. Mrs Crawford, the matron, has thus been forced to put up an additional number of beds, and her manner of arranging them has proved most satisfactory. The girls by the Caroline are, on the whole, a very fair sample, and the barrack-master assures us that those from the workhouse are as orderly a lot as have been located there for some time. Thirteen of the girls found employment this morning as general servants, at from L 25 to 130 per year. The married people and single men by the Caroline have not yet been brought to town, nor have any ©f the immigrants by the Cartsburn. The only fault found with the girls since being located at the barracks is that two of the windows have been broken. During the past week a wall composed of galvanized iron, Bft. high, with large iron spikes, long, on the t®p ( has been placed round the yard to keep the men and women separate. The gates have been lengthened by two feetj so as to correspond with the height of the wall, and a double row of spikes has boon placed on the top. A number of the men have been engaged at the barracks in excavating a site for a constable’s house, and the police camp is to be removed from its present Bite to one adjoining the barracks.

On being shown through the place by the obliging barrack-master we found things rather disturbed, owing to the large number of persons there; but everything.appeared comfortable. The remainder of the girls may be engaged to-morrow.

We have to thank the Government Printer for Parliamentary Papers to hand this morning. Sir Ramsay will address a monster meeting of the electors at the Masonic Hall this evening at 8 o’clock.

Mr Walter will address the electors this ett A n A. afc ,. the pA nOB S ate Hotel at 7.30, and at the Oddfellows Hall, George street, at 8.30. Mr Small announced that any prizes which were drawn and not claimed the same evening would be given to one of the charitable institutions, and in accordance therewith has handed to the collector for the Dunedin Sailors’ Home Fund prizes No. 688 and 740, the one being a very handsome anchor in gold, and the other a carved ivory card case, for which the committee desire to express their thanks to Mr Small.

We notice by advertisement that an entertainment is to l>e given in the schoolhouse ad- , faints’ Church, to-morrow evening (Thursday), by the members of the Young Men’s Association, assisted by the choir. The programme comprises a diversity of readings, recitations, glees, and part songs, and two short scenes, the one entitled “ The Attractive Youag Lady,” and the other taken from “ The Rivals.