DUNE DIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1147, 2 April 1872, Page 2

DUNE DIN.

: . [FROM, OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] St. Patrick's Day happening .on Sunday _ this year,; the natives of the Green Isle V the Saint's day on Moriday/fi. which was. observed as a partial holiday; .-'v Beyond the Battalion Band perambulating - ? the streets on Saturday evening, just' : '- before midnight, and- again on if oneway ■•' morning, just after the same .witching' hour, there was little beyond the* usual - run, at least in town. Up at Lawrence, ■ however, great preparations had been ' made v for spending the dayv The St. "*' Patrick's Band Was conveyed thither Wv purpose, the chief affair being the opening ""** of a new school in the locality, under the auspices of Father Larkins, who has been makinggreat. exertions in i the Education ' • cause from his own point of view. The Maori ex-prisoners were all veyed from this Province in the p.s. Luna on Tuesday. Before their departure they were all provided with a pretty fair outfit' 1 ;' of clothing of one sort brother;' andir r waa astonishing to notice the effect it had t in smartening them up. They seemed aJIVr to have a little money, too, though they ' were very loth to part with it in the, various stores they patronised, and showed a strong disposition to get as much as they could on the cheap. In passing down the harbor in the Luna our Superintendent made the Maoris a speech, in which he intimated that he had offered to "locate 1 * .them on a section of land at the Hawea Lake, in the interior of the Province j tut" ' that did not chime in with the arrange- vi . ments of the General Government, who intended to take them north again. '..-. Taurust, their chief, replied to the effect- ( ' that they were going to be very good in • the future, and avoid all trouble. On ther-V: whole, I, for one, am glad we are well rid of them; they made too many protestations of goodness for me, and raised a sort' of suspicion that they had their show-face on, and that theHau-hau was underneath

ail the time. A good number of natives from the other settlements in the neighborhood had been in town, bat all have now left. Some of them sported magma* oent greenstone ornaments at their waistcoat pockets, and were quite the Pakeha in this respect, whether they carried a watch or not. The ex-prisoners mostly had bone ornaments, some of them very neat, which they had carved during their captivity. The annual meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club commenced yesterday on the Forbury Race-course. The weather was delightful, and there was, consequently, a nrst-rate attendance of the public, for whose accommodation ample means was provided, in the shape of booths for the sale of liquors of all sorts, both teetotal and the reverse, as well as a more than usual number of the ordinary adjuncts |of a race-meeting. The races themselves appeared to be very well contested, all of them but one drawing out a very good field. Although # each race was advertised to start at a particular time, this rule was not kept, and the arrangements generally were very dilatory, and only the very fine day saved the committee from being a good deal grumbled at. The course, looked at from the Sandhills, presented a very animated scene. Ton will have got the result by telegraph, so I need not recapitulate, as it will be out of date ere you get this. (For continuation of JSews see 4th Page,

TJtpgajgho-ipeoylftted in-such -things* ar gates, booths, &c, will have no cause to regret their investments— l learn that most of them have taken their money on yesterday's business. The advices received per the Suez mail, arrived yesterday, have made our flockmasters quite jubilant— wool having again risen in the home markets. This is a good thing for the Province generally, and will go a long way to obviate any depression that might temporarily exist among the other branches of industry. The graving dock is likely to come into profitable use and occupation at once. No sooner was the p. 8. Luna out than the. barque Olairebella waß taken in for repairs ; and this being effected she is withdrawn, and the barque Hydra is taken in for a thorough overhaul, and in order to discover aleak from which she has suffered ever since she struck the rock off Wickliffe Bay, some two years ago. This being the twenty-fourth Anniversary Day of the Province, no business is being done, and every one seems on pleasure bent. The Caledonian Society brought in the day at a grand ball in St. George's Hall, at which a large number of the members appeared in Highland costume, as well as a liberal sprinkling of Volunteers in their various uniforms. Colonel Harrington, who is now*in Otago on his annual tour of inspection of 4he force, was present, and a large number of other notabilities. The Theatre and the Masonic Hall— -the one with a fairish corn* pany of actors, the other with the Star Oomique Troupe — have been open all week to tolerable audiences. The races, sundry pleasure trips, &c., will afford plenty of amusement to what will literally be. for the day the unemployed. The exertions of the promoters of tho Saturdayjhalf-holiday movement are likely to be crowned with success. On account of to-day being a holiday, and of Friday next being Good Friday, the system has been postponed, and will not begin until about a fortnight hence. The weather has beeu remarkably fine all week, and there are beginning to be a few, complaints of the want of rain in various places. The air has been thick and foggy at times, but it all clears off in a few hours.