The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1878.

Kumara Times, Issue 438, 20 February 1878, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1878.

Sir George Grey, Mr Macandrew, and Mr Fisher have arrived on the West Coast, and will probably be in Kumara the day after to-morrow. We have already more than once urged upon the community the necessity not only of extending to our distinguished visitors a cordial welcome, but of leaving no stone unturned to impress them with the importance of the district, its great resources, and its requirements in the way of public works. Perhaps nothing is calculated to have a greater effect on the mind of a stranger in the way of convincing him of the genuine life of a place than a display of population; and we trust the miners, the bone and sinew of the community, will take full advantage of the holidays that are to be proclaimed. The Reception Committee have wisely added the names of several leading mining men to their number, and'these it is hoped will heartly cooperate in making the demonstration of welcome a genuine success.

Telegrams for the Australian colonies, via Bluff, will be received at Kumara Telegraph Station up till 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday), 21st inst. Sir George Grey and party arrived at Westport this morning, and will probably be in Greymouth to-morrow. This forenoon Mr BarfF, M.H.R., received the following telegram from Sir George : " We hope to reach Kumara on Friday, en route from Greymouth to Hokitika." Steps have been taken to have both Friday and Saturday proclaimed public I holidays, in order to allow of the miners coming into town on either day or both days, should the Ministerial party be induced to remain over Friday night. The names of the following gentlemen have been added to the Reception Committee.— Mr Phillips, head-master State School; Mr Dugaii, St. Patrick's School; Mr Dungan, Chairman of Hospital Committee ; Mr S. Croumbie-Brown; the Masters of the Oddfellows, Hibernian. Foresters, and Good Templars Societies, and Messrs Barrowman, Mc'Gregor, Hartley, Balmain, and Bain. The Committee meet at 2 p. m. to-morrow to complete arrangements. From an announcement appearing over the leader, it will be seen that arrangements have been made for delivering the Kumaua Times in Westbrook every afternoon, immediately on publication. MrC. Y. O'Connor, C.E., passed through Kumara this forenoon on his way to inspect, on behalf of the Government, the wire tram across the Teremakau River. The sum of £6O, passed by the Hospital Committee at their last meeting for payment to the Hokitika Hospital,covered a period of a quarter, not a month as inadvertently stated yesterday. The meeting of the Committee of the Literary Institute, to have been held last night, was adjourned for a week. There was a good muster of Volunteers at the Public Hall last evening, Lieut. i Munyard being in command. After an hour's company drill, followed by the [ manual exercise, the men then marched out as far as the town boundary, and on returning to the hall squads for the class-firing were formed for to-morrow morning and next Saturday afternoon. To-morrow evening the Rev. G. W. Russell will deliver a lecture at the Public Hall on "The life and poetry of Sir Walter Scott," in aid of the funds of the Wesleyan Church. From the subject chosen and the object in view, combined with the reverend gentleman's talent as a lecturer, a crowded audience may be confidently expected. A woman named Lennox was arrested by Detective Brown last evening, and will appear before the Resident Magistrate tomorrow morning to answer the charge of having stolen two bottles containing "mountain dew." The recently-formed Ladies Benevolent Society have already had several opportunities of shewing that the establishment of some such institution in Kumara was necessary. Yesterday forenoon a woman named Jane Anne Burt, who arrived from Greymouth by the tram, was found to be suffering from erysipelas to such an extent as to be absolutely helpless. SubInspector O'Donnell at once communicated with the Committee of the Ladies Benevolent Society, who attended to her immediate requirements, and this morning, paid her fare to the Hokitika Hospital. Inquiries will be made as to how it was that she was permitted to leave Greymouth in her enfeebled and destitute condition. The census of the Colony of New Zeaj land will be taken on the night of the 3rd j proximo, and the sub-enumerators are now engaged in distributing the papers. These contain the fullest instructions as to the method of filling up, and we would advise all householders carefully to read the document and master the details before the date upon which, the return has to be made. The Karamea settlement has been constituted an Education District under the Act. A golden wedding was celebrated at Christchurch the other day, the old couple being Mr and Mrs Alexander Rollo, both natives of Perthshire. A shark has been caught at Riverton possessing no backbone. Profosor Agassiz says that among certain Indian tribes, on the day of a marriage, while the wedding festivities are going on, the bridegroom's hands are tied up in a paper bag with fire ants. If he bears this torture smilingly and unmoved, he is considered fit for the trials of matrimony. A small English colony, according to the "Zacht," a Russian paper, exists near Archangel, Avhich at the present time enjoys perfect independence. This colony was formed gradually by emigrants drawn there by the establisliment by an English company of some important sawmills. The colonists have raised a town the existence of which is, so to speak, unknown, as it; neither figures on maps nor upon official records of real property nor in the rate-books. The inhabitants of this happy place, whose numbers are not mentioned, are therefore free from rates, taxes, and all other burdens such as weigh so heavily on British householders. They are, moreover, independent of all local authority, and, indeed, of authority of any description. This strange colony is, it is stated, not the first of the kind which has sprung up in these quarters. Not long ago an American town, established under somewhat similar conditions, was discovered in the neighborhood of the Bay of Morton, Kamschatka. A panorama of the Russo-Turkish war is already being exhibited in New Zealand ; and Mr Thompson, the proprietor of the American War diorama exhibited here the other day is we believe investing largely in red paint preparatory to transforming it into a "full, true and

particular" representation of the approachwar between England and Russia. The moment the telegraph announces that hostilities have commenced the artists will go to work. The following appears under the usual heading of "Notice to Correspondents" mthe liyttelton Times of the 12th inst.— " Rural Dean.—Your letter, " Silk Stockings v. Silk Tights," is declined, with thanks, as unsuitable for our columns.— Also, the following :—National Morality, Kicking Sally, Domestic Virtue, Front of the Stalls, the Lowest Pit, Captain Sligo, Smug, Peeping Tom, Silas Hornblower." This is, of course, apropos of the Rev. Jackson's letter re the Soldene Opera Company. This individual, it will be remembered, went to see the performance of " Chilperic," and then wrote a prurient letter to the Press cautioning all | people less virtuous than himself to keep away. It is satisfactory to see that Mr Jackson is catching it on all hands. The correspondent of the "Auckland Herald," in his description of the sights and curiosities of the late Native meeting says : —"I saw one Maori curiosity few have Seen, namely, an Albino, or, as the Maoris call them, Korako. The effect was not pleasing. The young woman's parents were both full Maoris, and she was a full Maori in every feature, only she had a complexion like a fresh colored European woman. Her hair was white, with a tinge of yellow, but it was Maori hair. Her eyes were good and she seemed perfect in all her faculties. She came from Taranaki. The Maoris say the inhabitants which were in New Zealand, before they came were all Albinos." . Inangahua Herald states that communication between Westport and Reefton is now open, and trusts that Sir George Grey will prefer that route, should he propose visiting Reefton, to that via Greymouth. Amongst the items of intelligence brought by the Rotorua from Sydney, is the statement that Gerald Supple is to be released from confinement. This news will be heartily welcomed by every journalist in Australia and New Zealand. It will be remembered that some eight or nine years ago Supple, having been goaded to desperation by the systematic persecution of the late George Pridden Smith, M.L.A., at that time Attorney-General of Victoria, fired at him in Collins street, and unfortunately, missing his mark; hit and killed another man. The result of the trial was that Suppple was sentenced to a long period of imprisonment. Repeated efforts were inade by petition and otherwise to obtain his release, but Mr Smith's friends being in power these were unavailing. G. P. Smith has now gone to his own account, Sir James M'Culloch and Mr Francis are politically " nowhere," and justice has at last been done to Gerald Supple. We are far from unreservedly endorsing the Berry policy; ,but in this instance the advice tendered the Governor has been just and righteous. In the course of a lecture recently delivered by Dr Beaney on " The History and progress of Surgery," he narrated the following racy anecdote with reference to the employment of anaesthetics by the late Sir James Simpson in obstetrical cases in Britain :—■" All the old hostility of religion to science was vehemently aroused, and a perfect storm of objurgation roared around his devoted head from pulpits innumerable. The Bible was ransacked for texts to prove that he was flying in the face of Providence. Fiercely denunciatory sermons were preached against him, and he was told that to use chloroform was 'to evade the primal curse on woman.' But he was witty as he was brave and persevering, and be retorted on the clerical bigots thus :—' My opponents forget the 21st verse of the 2nd chapter of Genesis. That,' said_ he, 'is the second of the first surgical operations ever performed, and the text proves that the Maker of the Universe, before he took the rib from Adam's side, for the creation of Eve, caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam.' It is said that when some of his clerical assailants read this brilliant retort in one of his pamphlets they literally foamed at the mouth, and danced with rage. I do not wonder at it. They were blown to pieces by their own guns."