The Kumara Times. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1877.

Kumara Times, Issue 186, 9 May 1877, Page 2

The Kumara Times. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1877.

A cablegram received, as we were going to press, would lead us to believe that England has cast in her lot with Turkey, against Russia. A few days, or even a few hours, will probably bring us the news of a formal declaration of war. At a meeting held at Bulstrode's Club Hotel, yesterday evening, the committee of the Literary Institute resolved to purchase the premises offered them in Seddon-street, pro* vided they were able to insure themThe secretary was instructed to inquire the terms upon which the various Insurance Companies would take the risk. Arrangements were then entered into for providing funds wherewith to purchase the building, and the meeting separated with a vote of thanks to the chair; to re-assemble on Tuesday, the 15th instant. Mr Dungan received, this morning, a telegram from the Secretary of the Hokitika Hospital, stating that Charles Robinson died last night at that institution. The deceased, who was admitted to the hospital on the 3rd inst. (last Thursday), was well-known In Kumara, afid lately had a share in a claim at the Upper Rush, on the other side of the TerelUakaU. Snow fell in Kumara several times ' to-day. The Main-street is rendered impassable for pedestrians, in consequence-of the accumulation of water near the junction of .Seddon-street. A resident householder talks of procuring a punt to ferry across those, whose business necessitates their passing from one end of the town to the other. £ Mr Armstrong, manager of . the Okttku and Prospector’s Amalgamated -Water Race and Cold mining Company, advertises for tenders for the construction of about forty chains of lluming on the Shamrock Lead. Tenders will be received till Wednesday next. The gross receipts from the concert for the Church of England, on Monday, amounted to £4l 10s. The expenses reduce that sum to £3l ss. by which amount the funds of the proposed building will be increased, So satisfactory a result mnst compensate all concerned for the trouble they have taken for so laudable an object. Six horses are required for the Greymouth and Kumara Tramway. On Saturday night, a public meeting was held at Ross, to protest against the refusal of the County Council to sub. sidize the Totara District Hospital. The meeting was largely attended, and threatened to apply to the Governor, to put into operation the 2 3rd clause of the Financial Arrangements Act, whereby the Government subsidy to the Council can V-e reduced in order to apply to charitable institutions the money so deducted. On the motion ‘ of Mr Seddon, the County Council last evening decided to vote £3OO for the . erection and maintenance of a Hospital ward at Kumara, Mr Beale voted for the resolution, but said he did not know where the money was to come from. Inspector Broham was presented with a handsomely illuminated address, at Auckland, upon the occasion of his handing over the charge of the police of that City to Inspector Thompson. Matrimonial advertisements now frequently appear at Dunedin. The following is a specimen from the Star : “ Matrimony.—A dark young lady wishes to correspond with a tall, handsome gentleman, with good income; enclose carte de visite,— Olive RothERSAY, Post-office.” The Ross Guardian of yesterday has the following. “The funeral of Pat. Donneley, a promising lad, who died from the effects of a cold on the chest on Saturday afternoon, took place yesterday, and was largely attended. He was buried with the usual obsequies of his Church, the service being most-im-pressively performed by the Rev,

Father MTJaughey. Poor little Pat was' a general favorite, and will bo sadly missed by his companions, as well &s by many his of seniors^' ’ At the fire on Monday night,' two watches escaped from being destroyed in a remarkable manner. One of these 'Was a gold one belonging to Miss Keiran. This was left, with chain attached, in the house when the family vacated it, and though the house was knocked down and dragged away, the watch has been recovered with no more damage to it tnan the breaking of Its glass. The other watch was dropt by a gentleman in the road near the burnng premises.

Lately, at Onehunga, a rather remarkable instance of the manner in which patents will at times be foolish enough, to endeavour to undo all the good which is done for their children in schools was recorded in the Resident Magistrate’s Court. The local Government schoolmaster, Mr Grant,' was charged by the father of a boy named Yause, who was under his tuition, with unlawful assault. The boy, who by the bye was thirteen years of age, when placed in the witness box, could scarcely be made to understand what the binding nature of an oath was, but the Magistrate permitted him to make a statement of the facts forming the grounds of the case. The father premised his evidence as to certain blue marks which appeared on the boy’s body, by stating that he had on a former occasion “got the committee to reprimand the master for punishing his child,” who, the father asserted was a quiet boy, requiring very little punishment. On the first occasion he had told his child that if the master beat him again, he was to “ hit him on the head with his slate and knock his spectacles down his throat 1” Whereupon, this promising youth took his papa at his word ; and—now- we quote his own Werds—“ having spat on another boy’s slate and being hit by the master for doing so, he threw his'slate at the Utters head and “ squared” at him manfully with his fists, reaching, all the time for the dominie’s spectacles, ‘we presume, for the purpose of working them into his gullet, in-the way so graphically advised by the fond parents What amount of strap the lad received appears to have left certain blue traces upon that part of his body where, in all countries under the.sun, physical punishment is applied, and the father at once sought the strong am of the law. The magistrate,‘however, showed his common sense by dismissing thq information with the remark that it would be well indeed if more cane were applied On occasions of the kind, and if parents would interfere lefis with both masters and school-committees. . .

Acetopathy. —The best and safest cure for Lumbago, Chest and Throat Diseases, Scarlet Fever, Ac. Duncan M‘Lean, Main-road.—f Advt.]