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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 481, 3 June 1867, Page 3

Govkttrrms-.-TAL Gsaama. —The Weihasten cor.'Oipcuideus of tho Ofcngo Daily Times gives the ful!owi"g reasons for ih? o.dcrlj Government officials uot to give any information, either directly or indirectly, to tile press of the Colony, which appeared recently in a. Generaltioyernmcnt gazette : —"aace tiro months ago, when Ctago matters were under consideration, ml the Government rrc-vs tc-?? anxious '-hat every thin 3 should be kept d-ih. particular instructions were circulated through the cdloes that on no account »\;3 any laromution of any kind to La famished to any person beyond that absolutely necessary ia tho way of business. Whether any State secret has been disclosed dues then I cannot say ; but I presume the Government uro annoyed ot something or other, since they have thought it necessary to convert the verbal warning of two months since into a printed nodcc in the Gazette. Of course the publication immediately set adiat vago us sup loshions as to its origin, but t!is vivly State .secret that any of us could think (of as worthy the occasion was a rumor that had Lcca floating lately, that tho Government Lad skeuhed out the main features of their Municipal Du!, a id had resolved, in ease of defeat thereon, that the country should be appealed to, ia the hope that the lout-lying constituencies would return auti[provincial members. The rumor was stif-

d e ten.-'ly p!aua»bie to bo regarded as haring something in it ; but whether it really ecu* tains the policy which Ministers propose to themselves, or whether it is a policy which has been originated for them in tome out» rise’s brain and Set allo.it—as these things sometimes are, no one knows by whom—l cannot say. With regard to tho notice above mentioned, its stringent character will give a greet increase to canards. Heretofore, ii one heard any statement of ringed fact, wo could generally ascertain whet her it was corrector not by ashing; bin. now the subordinate really can’t sty .•.■..tiller his soul is his own without per* mission of one of ti e Ministers —and so, rather than be the last in the field with an item of nows, it will get rushed into print ny whoever gets it, and the moment ho gets it. 1 1 is absolutely necessary that Go* vernnuents should, like private firms, hav« trustworthy employes, but t.’ie terms of this notice are so needlessly stringent that the whole a-my of martyrs must inevitably burst from sheer repletion in course of time." “The First Hiss” in Ci.etex.a.i.~d.—To what we a 1 know about bride-kiss customs, the following is an amusing appendix, from Liendei son’s ‘‘ Folk Lore” Xmvugh Clevei mil. In who gives tin bride a way

■claims h.e lii-st I::si in runt of his temporary pal ernity. One clcnc.il friend of mine, however, declares that it is the pi-mU-ga •>f 'he parson who lies the knot; and, though ho can not aver that ho lias ever av>r.iv;a huasvdi of it, he tolls cf an old north-country clergyman who was reported 10 do so. Another toils me that a brother ei ei-gym an, a stranger in the county, alter a mamage iu a country vil.ago in Yorkshire, was su:-pvL-W to see the party keep together as if expecting something more. What are you waiting for? no asked at last, “ Please sir,” was the Bride* -Tvoom’s answer, 11 ere no kissed kloliy.” And my old I’iknd, tin- late Dr idaiae, used to relate horr the lUt. T. E sacrist of the cathedra!, and vicar of 3lcr* ringtoa, invariably kept up the custom

•vheu ho performed tus marriage ceremony, and tiiis plainly as a matter cl obligation —[in oscularory benediction, a kind of clerical acoiude?] —for ha was one of the most shy and retiring of men. [l'his is a non sequilar, surely ?j -Nay, I caa testify tins: —vfiilun thela-t ten years a fair lady from the ciuuty of Durham, who was mar* ne l iu ti;e south of England, so undoubt* odly reckoned upon the clerical salute that, alter waiting for it i-.i vain, she boldly took die initiative, and bestowed a kiss upon the much am-red south country vicar. pWry illogical—she migut have put up ;nor cheek for a kiss; bur this was as it tha penitent should abroivo Uie confessor. |