The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1878.

Kumara Times, Issue 678, 29 November 1878, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 1878.

The meeting of the Borough Council Was adjourned last evening until to-night at 7.30 o’clock, as owing to several of the members being engaged interviewing Dr. Giles, as Crown Lands Commissioner, there was no quorum.

Noninations for the seat in the Borough Council rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr Edwin Blake will be received by the Returning Officer up to noon of Monday, the 9th of December. The poll, if necessary, will take place on Saturday the 21st proximo. At the request of Dr. Giles, the Commissioner of Grown Lands, a deputation waited on him at Spindeler’s Hotel List evening, consisting of the following gentlemen : Messrs Seddon, Dung-xu, Hannan, O’Hara, Keenan, Ryan, and Cuming, to explain their view's relative to the serious disadvantages the present loasholders of the Education Reserve labour under. The deputation were Very courteously received by the Commissioner, who gave every facility to the speakers to thoroughly ventilate their grievances, and who, after patiently hearing all that could be said on the subject appeared strongly impressed with the arguments advanced by the deputation. As we understand that a public meeting will be shortly held to again consider this question, although in a different light, the public will no doubt hear from the speakers the whole matter as brought before the Commissioner of Crown Lands last night. The eighth anniversary ball and promenade supper of the Loyal Albert Lodge Manchester Unity Independent Order of Odd Fellows will take place at the Adelphi Hall, this evening. The committee have been making great preparations, and considering the large amount of trouble and expense they have gone to in providing every requisite necessary for an entertainment of this kind, we can only hope the weather may prove propitious, and then we have little doubt that to-night’s ball will be the great event of the season. In reference to a remark that appeared in our report of the Mayoralty election yesterday anent the absence of the defeated candidate on the occasion of the successful one and his friends visiting his (the candidate’s) hoilse, we are requested by Mr D ing in to state that he was unavoidably absent through having to attend a meeting of a private nature some distance from his residence, and that had he received the least intimation that a visit of this nature Was contemplated he would have been only to happy to Welcome his late opponent. Although to some probably, the inference drawn from our remark thereon was that his absence on that occasion was intentional, we gladly publish the refutation of Mr Dungan, and In so doing we may add that the remark Was made in perfect good faith, in a general sense, and Without the slightest intention of offence, into which it has been by some misconstntedi

The Greymouth mail bag reported by telegram to have been lost in the accident to the Christchurch coach has been found, and there is every probability of the detained mails reaching Hokitika this evening.

In the District Court yesterday, before His Honor Judge Weston, Francis Forster, for making a false declaration, was placed on his trial, and after all the evidence previously given in the Resident Magistrate’s Court here had been heard, the jury acquitted the accused.

The free and glorious privileges enjoyed as a juryman in being called on to try yourfelW countrymen are to agreatextent often denuded of their honours by the amount of pecuniary outlay they involve. A case in point occurred yesterday to a resident here, who, on being served with a summons to attend the Court at Hokitika, pointed out to the police that there Was an error made in his clli’istian name ; which, hoWdver .availed him but little, as he whs informed that he must attend. On mentioning the matter to the Judge, his Honor at ortce released him from attendance, on the grounds that he Was not the party named in the summons, and he accordingly returned home, his expenses for the day including coach fare being 10s, for which ho received from the Government the munificent sum of 8s and the satisfaction of knowing that in serving his country lie sacrificed 1-ls and a i day’s Work,

We regret to learn that Mr G. Grams, the night watchman of this town, while in the discharge of his duty, has sustained at the hands of a well-known resident some severe injuries, necesitating his confinement to his bed and consequent non-at-tendance to his duties. As this case is likely to come before the public in another form, we, for the present, refrain from making any comments thereon.

In reference to the late champion foot race between Watson and Applett, “Nimrod,*’ writes to the Sydney Town and Country Journal on November 9th “ The whole of this week there has been nothing but surprises in the sporting world, not the least among them being the defeat of the hitherto unbeaten Parkes runner. When the telegram arrived, on Saturday afternoon, and told that Watson had won easily, there Were not a few whodisbelieved it, and were most anxious to learn what time had been made to have bowled over the champion so easily. The time, 19£sec. in my opinion is not fast enough (though the same as the best on record) to beat Applett in the Way it is re l ported ; for we read that in the former match the time put down as the same, and he ran in a most easy winner by 3 yards* looking over his shoulder. This time we find him beaten by 6 or 7 yards, which would make him a good 10 yards slower than on the previous occasion. It has been reported that he Was bad with bronchitis, but that his friends thought him well enough to win. It it was So, all I can say is that it was a foolish thing to do, for they might well know, good as he is, he would have naught to spare.’’ The correct heights of the Australian Alps on the Victorian border have been recently ascertained by Mr SurVeyorGeneral Skene, as follows Hotham is 6100 feet, Feathertop is 6393 feet, and Bogong, the highest of these three, on the Bogong Ranges, is 6508 feet above the sea level. Mount Kosiilsko is stated, in a work published in 1870, to be 7308 feet. Mount Cook, in New Zealand, almost doubles this altitude, as on the chart most recently published its height is given as 13,200 feet above the sea level.

The New York Graphic hays ’. Kearney is a phenomenon in our politics. He is like no one that has preceded him. The wonder is not that he and his like have come so soon, but that their Coming has been delayed so long. At Coblentz and Saarlouis the police recently prohibited smoking in the streets by youths under 16 ; and at Treves a byelaw of 1887 has just been brought into force, which imposes a fine of from three to nine marks, or imprisonment in default on boys under 16 who smoke in the streets and in places of amusement. Such a restriction might with advantage be introduced into New Zealand.

The total cost of the Victorian Educational Department for the year 1877-78 was £425,000. This gives an average of £ll7 s per head for the children enrolled, but of £3 13s 7d for those in actual attendance.

The aristocracy are endeavouring to make the histrionic profession att eligible occupation for younger sons. Mr Richard Drommond, a member of one of the oldest families of Scotland, has just appeared in “ Rob Roy ” on the Glasgow stage. Three diamond drills, ordered by the Mining Department of Victoria have arrived from New York. One drill is to be sent to Castlemain, another to Sandhurst, and the third will be tried on the Seairiston Plains. •

The English Government have resolved to apply the electric light to ships of war. The commisidn appointed by the admiralty have reported that its uSe is practicable, and that it will be of great service in foggy weather, and in war times to detect the movements of approaching torpedo boats. A gentleman (says Vanity Fair) Was sitting at a dinner party next to a lady, whose dress was what the French called decollete, which means, of course, handsome, very beautiful. A footman was handing round the ioe ; the lady was leaning forward, but, as the footman passed, suddenly lent back and struck his hand holding the dish. The spoon, containing a lump of ioe, fell down her back inside the beautiful or decollete dress 1 What was the gentleman to do ? I ask for no answer, and am trying to forget the case.

A characteristic anecdote is told of Cherubini, the most zealous of the irritible genus of composers, He had been prevailed upon to be present at the first representation of the work of a confrere, and during the two first acts, which were much applauded by the public, he had kept a gloomy silence. The third act was less favorably received, and a certain passage especially seemed to cast a cold blanket over the spectators ; when the old maestro, to the astonishment of his friends, was seen to applaud heartily, “Do you like that duo 1” asked one of them ; “I should have thought it was one of the poorest and coldest in the whole opera.’ 1 “You idiot,” answered the maestro, With genuine naivete ; “ don’t you see that if 1 did hot applaud it, he might possibly cut it out 1”

An Englishman boasting to a Yankee that they had a book in the British Museum which was once owned by Cicero, “Oh, that ain’t nothin,’’ retorted the Yankee ; “in the museum at Bosting they’ve got the lead-pencil that Noah used to check off the animals that went into the ark.”

There is living in Whitefield, MaSa., a Mrs. Evans, who was born in that town on the 7th of July, 1776, or three days after the Declaration of Independence was declared. Her maiden name was Johnson, and she married Joseph Evans, who died in 1852. For eighty-five years she lias cut and made her own dresses. She is now living with the sixth generation, as smart as a lady of fifty, and bids fair to , live another decade of years.

Mr William Paterson, of Edinburgh, has, the “Academy” says, arranged to issue, somewhat in the style of the late Sir William Stirling Maxwell’s privately printed folio Volumes, a collection of the principal existing portraits of Mary Queen of Scots. The collection will embrace between one And two hundred portraits. A number of facsimiles will also be given from originals which have never been engraved. The volume will be issued under the supervision of Messrs David Laing, Edinburgh, and Twylie Guild, Glasgow. For miraculous curei by the use of Eucalypti Extract, read fourth page.— [AdVt.] 1 5