LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 221, 1 February 1865, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Saxby’s Days. —The curious in these matters will have noted that Saxby predicted a very hiyh tide on the 29th ultimo. The merchants and others on the Spit could not fail to observe that we had reason to suppose that there is some truth in his theory, as we have had a succession of high tides during the last few days, the highest being on the morning of the 30th ult. Allowing for deference of latitude, we think that a sufficiently close coincidence. Saxby likewise tells us that the 28th and 30th may prove a troublesome time, and it is remarkable that we have two coasting vessels in the Bay from stress of weather.

Napier Cricket Club. —We have pleasure in calling the attention of members of the Napier Cricket Club to an advertisement in another column calling a meeting for this evening, to arrange for a match with the Clive C{ub. We should like to see this manly exercise more extensively practised, and hope we may soon be able to chronicle a considerable addition to the numbers of the Napier Cricket Club.

Uncovering of the Statue of Sib George Grey.—Unfortunate Muddle.— It seems that the admirers of Sir George Grey at the Cape have been erecting a statue to his memory, the uncovering of which was attended by a regular chapter of accidents. We quote from the Cape Argus; —“When the gentleman charged with delivering the oration has only a few hours’ notice, and at the last moment managers are flying about for a hand, we cannot wonder if the whole performance proves a somewhat amusing failure. We cannot be surprised that the veil refused to move when a climax in the oration had prepared the audience for a full view of Sir George in marble; or that the band struck up at an unfortunate time for the orator’s periods, and in the end gave a musical tribute to the oration instead of to the Grey memorial; or, finally, that the excellent band of the 10th arrived on the ground in time to celebrate the dispersion of the crowd. It is certainly somewhat mortifying that the first affair of the kind in the colony should have so wretchedly miscarried.”

The well-known correspondent of the New Zealander, “ Old Practical,” writes to the editor of that journal on the subject of the Penny Newspaper Tax as follows ; *■ Sir, —To my mind this is one of the most unwise and impolitic taxes which could have been imposed. To begin with, surely it is wise to spread information far and wide to the greatest extent wm can. Admitting this fact, which I presume every man with one spark of common sense must admit, does this tax assist m doing so, or does it not rather hinder, and very materially, the spread of information ? It must do this, to make it more expensive to the man out of Auckland, or any town where a newspaper is printed, to get the newspaper at its published price. Thus it necessarily hinders the spread of knowledge. Is this an enlightened measure, or even politic for the trifle which will be gained by it ? Again, if it were just and wise to have a tax for the transmission of newspapers from one province to another, or to any place away from the colony, to impose it for the transmission of the paper a few miles in the same province is surely unwise, impolitic, and unenlightened. The reduction of the newspaper tax and the tax on paper were at home considered universally wise and enlightened measures, because it assisted in the spread of knowledge ; and that which was enlightened policy at home must be the same in the colony”