The Evening Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1874.

Evening Star, Issue 3680, 8 December 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1874.

Mr William Ral-iton, for eleven years the Balclutha correspondent of the ‘ Bruce Herald,’ died on Saturday, after a long and painful illness. The sale of Mr J. E. Brown’s extension of the township of Melton gives a very good idea of what railways will uldmately make the country. Fifteen years ago that gentleman purchased at 10s an acre the seventeen 1 acres whi-.-h yesterday realised L 3.432, or a little over L2OO an acre. At the tennis court of the High .School, the junior hoys nlaycd yes ter lay afternoon sewral games of handball, conte-ting for prizes oflerc i to bo;, s under thirt-r n. The-e were ten competitors, and the dual bout w s played off at five o’clock—Bamnc and H Weston against Rattray and H, Webster. Baume and Weston easily won every game, their playing being much superior to that of their antagonists The game of the senior boys for the Ladies’ Cup will be played off on the first tine afternoon. A narrow escape from serious injury occurred yesterday afternoon at Port Chalmers to a man named bob rt Gilchrist. He was engaged with another man loading a dray with railway iron at the crossing of the radway in Bach street when the horse suddenly bolted. Gilchrist followed him, and, ■when in the act of catching bold of his head, stimbled and fell, the wheel of the d*-a-passing over the point of his left shoulder. Upon examina ion it was ascertained that the elbow was only severely bruised, no bones being broken. “Green Bushes” was played to a capital downstairs attendance at the Princess’s last evening. Mrs Bates made an excellent Miami, and in the emotional parts was very effective. Mrs Hill had not much to do a* Nelly O’Neill ; but Miss Will s surprised us by the excellent interpretation she gave of T’ern'dine. Mr Rates as Jack Gon <■ and Mr Me sgrave as Or nnidge were unusually humorous Mrs Id M’s claims upon the theatre-going p-.rtion of our community are so well known, that it is quite unnecessary to do more than remind our readers that h-r benefit take, place to-night, under die pat o:.age of the Caledonian Society. We are informed that Messrs Williamson, Fre. and Booth, of the Kaikorai Woollen Mills, have commenced operations. It will he remembered that eleven months ago, when the ship -Tirat was lost, the machinery for the mill was on board, and was not recovered from the wreck. The firm telegraphed Home and obtained a fresh lot, and this arrived per Tweed and other late vessels. The mill has been fitted up under the personal supervision of Mr Boo‘b, -who went Home for the machinery, and was a passenger by the .Surat. Some of the goods turned out by this new' firm will soon be in the market, and we hope to hear of the venture proving profitable to the enterprising owners. We believe the heaviest casting of iron ever effected in New' Zealand was made today at the foundry of Messrs Fraser, Wiabart, and Buchanan, King street ami Frederick street. It is a tube for one of the pii’ara of the piers of the Waitaki Bridge, now in course of construction, and is one of four requiring to be replaced. The length is 9L,, with inverted flanges. The thickness of the it on is and the diameter 3ft within. The total weight is 2 tons 10cwt. The casting was . fleeted most successfully in a very short time, and is evidence that engineering work can he as well executed in the Colony as at Home. -11 that is required is demand : the skill is with us. Rattier a novel hut very excellent method of resuscitating drunkards was tried recently at one of the print-pal hotels at Au kiaud with good effect. Instead of sending the victim of i he alcoholic demon to the watch-' house, and submitting him afterwards to the mercy of the Resident Magistrate ho was s ; mp!y subjected to the treatment adopted in cases of poisoning by hydrocianic acid, and a stream of cold avater poured down his back from the spout of a pump. This had the tiesired effect, and the resuscitated individual was in a very short time to be seen walking about with a tranquil brain. The cum was go; d, but the Provincial Government lost 6s 6d. The watery treatment of the case may possibly have a better effect in preventing a recurrence of the complaint than incarceration. The monthly [meeting ,of the Volunteer Fire Brigade was held at the Brigade Station last evening ; Captain Wain in the chair. Letters were read from the Cits Council relative to th ■ sale of curricle engine an.d making of new ladder truck, .'re. A lett r was received fr-m Messrs Ireland Bros., of Auckland, relative to the length of hose sent he e to be tested ; also one from the secretary of the Caledonian Society. It was carried that the request contained therein should be complied with. A letter from Mr Gray, of Temuka, requesting a copy of the Brigade rules, was also read, after which sundry accounts were passed for payment out of the members’ fund. Mr J. Murphy, of Great King street, was proposed as a working member, ami Messrs Woodland, Gibson, Fenwick, and Dona/dsou -were elected honorary members. Captain Wain called the attention of the members to Wednesday, the 16th, being practice night, and ti-aeiofl there would be a f u 11 muster. 1 he ‘ Bruce Herald' is wroth ,y;i th the Superintendent and the P ovincial 1 reader for speaking .as they did at the banquet at i ■iilton yesterday. “ His Honor,” observes our contemporary, “exhibited the impatience of some fretful old dame, who precedes a scolding match by saying, ‘I am not going to be angry,’ and, having promised that he would not talk politics, proceeded there and then to introduce them in a most unfair fashion. He said, for instance, that with the disappearance of Provincial Government in < )tago there would also come the disappearance of local self-government. Now. we are jiiite as careful as bis Ho. or for the continuance of Br -vincial Government so long as it shad do ns ful ; hut we must diff rfrora him iltogethf-r bi such a statement as this. Victoria and c/dn i- Colonics with which we are in close intercom-.-!,*, and in which Provincial Government has never ousted, enjoy such a y-tem of local self-government as w'e have never possessoi ; au I there is no reason for asserting that, if Provincialism were ahol-i-iied here tn-morrow, our local yeyennes could not be much more cheaply and fairly a im i.istercd under local bodies, such as Municipal Councils and Road Boards, : w>th ex' ended powers, . . . We can sympathise with in’s Honor in the loss that would ensue for want of his august presence on many' occasions as Superintendent, but we caonot agree that that want would entail our being governed by clerks in Wellington. A somevvnat mure extended Colonial and political expeiv.uux, on • be part of bis Hom-r would make him take ; the same view as ourselves. As; for Mr Turnbull, vve may remark tlr.it he followed in the footsteps of his master. Provincialism is a personal matter with Mr Macandrew. Mr Turnbull’s personal grievance

arose out of the way in which, as he, alleged, lie had been misrepresent!'d to the people of t'okomairiro, Like Mr M acandrew, of course, he promis'd not to say anything about this alleged grievance, and then wound up by saying sufficient to suit his purpose. . . . Altogether, we are at a loss to see why the two gentlemen dragged in the subjects we have mentioned in a most appropriate manner. Mr Macandrew was not here to talk politics, and the ‘ Bruce Herald’ was most certainly not obtruded on the notice of Mr Turnbull by any action of those who had the conduct of the festivities in which he was a partaker.” Ten years ago (remarks the ‘News’),— when Southland was an independent Province, and Dr Menzies its Superintendent—a small band of Girvan weavers was assisted to emigrate hither from their native place, whore, owing to the introduction of machinery, they c uld no longer gain the means of decent subsistence, ihe colonists who had preceded them scarce! regarded the r advent with favor, for they not unreasonably thought that people born and bred to soden ta y employment were unfitted to cope with hard work. As time wore on it hreame evi dent that the new comers were ncith -r feeble nor incompetent, but that on the contrary they were a hardy, industrious, and provident set—in fact good colonists. All were more or less successful in the various callings they adopted, and while clinging closely to their new home through its varying fortunes, seem to have never altogether forgotten the old, and the friends they left then.'. The first proof of this was when Sir James Fergusson visit d this district, and was reminded in an address of his kindness to the “poor weavers ” whom he bad assisted to emigrate —Sir James’s estate being in the vicinity of Girvan. A still more pleasing illustration has since come to our knowledge It appears that a minister of the place—the Rev. W. Corsan—was truly their “guide, counsellor, and fiieud” in the days of adversity, and down to the moment when the ship in which they sailed was fairly under wav never ceased to render them kindly and substantial services. In recognition of th so. it was some time since proposed to send him some tangible souvenir, and recently the proposal took the practical shape indicated in a testimonial, of which the fallowing is a transcript :—“ To the Rev. W, (Jocsan, Girvan. —Dear Sir, —We, the undersigned, Girvan Colonists, after an absence from our na i.e place of over ten years hearing in mind gratef 1 recollections of yoar kindness in assisting us to emigrate to New Z aland, and your ptehous cons,mb solicitude for tie welfare of ourseives and families, beg vour acceptance of the accom auyiog tokens of respect and esteem, in proof th t ‘ out of sight’ is n-.t ‘always out of mind.’ The salver and cup are for yourself, the teapot for Mrs Cor»an.” The salver, we should mention, bears the following inscription : - Presented to the Rev. Win, (Jorsau, by twenty-five of the Girvan colonists, as a token of their esteem for his past endeavors in assisting them to emigrate to Invercargill, N.Z., iu ISG4.” Mr F. Beisscll, hair-drosser and perfumer, has published a very ne.it card almanac for I b7o, ornamented with a drawing of his establishment in Princes street. It is well designed and primed, and, being perfumed, is well adapted to a lady’s boudoir. The induction of the Rev. L. Mackie to the pastorate of the First Church will take place to-morrow afternson. Iu the evening a social meeting will be held, when addresses by several clergymen and others will be delivered, and musical selections given by the choir.